Secluded Place

Once There Was a Girl

2012-01-06T17:53:00.002-05:00

About 4 months ago, I sat on the floor of my hotel room with Sherri Youngward, listening intently to her friend tell a story. Within minutes, my eyes welled up with tears while I listened to her tender, childlike rendition of the gospel. Suzanne Fischer will be going on a missions trip to Russia and could use financial support, but the last thing she would do is beg for money. If you'd like to go to her website to find out more or download this precious story for free, CLICK HERE.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://suzannefischer.bandcamp.com/track/once-there-was-a-girl"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Once There Was A Girl by Suzanne Fischer&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

"A Christmas Invitation"

2011-12-08T17:03:00.000-05:00

Matt. 2:10

Looking for a reason to live

Through tear-covered lenses

Longing for a voice to explain

What my soul cannot express.

And the barricade of past regrets

With shackles made by bitterness

Have walled me in this prison deep

Falling victim to its deadly sleep.

Is there a droplet of hope

Amidst the ruins I do lie in?

These ashes that I hold

Are just remains of my dreams.

Then faint echoes of my childhood years

Repeat messages when God came near

Jesus' love came down in infant form

To love and die for those who scorned.

He is the Prince of Peace

For the soul bound with torment

He is the Creator of all

When destruction's all you see.

There's not a portion of your life

He can't redeem and bring out beauty

Not a place where sin's too dark

That His Light of grace can't reach.

Then the barricades of past regrets

Become memorials to His tenderness

And shackles from that prison deep

Will lie broken as you've been set free.

You'll find a reason to live

Through the eyes of your Savior

You'll have a voice to explain

How your soul has been possessed...

By the love sent down from heaven

A Father's gift for all mankind,

Eternal life lay in that manger

Behold the joy at Christmas time.

A Birthday of Jubilee

2011-08-15T07:51:00.027-04:00

I don't believe I have had a more hectic summer to date, therefore "blogging" has had to take a lower number on the priority totem pole. But I have a very precious friend who shared something amazing that the Lord has done in her life and I asked her to write a "guest post" for this blog. Only when I agreed to keep her anonymous and became more obnoxious than a nagging wife or dripping faucet did she finally agree to write.

So get blessed by this wonderful testimony of God's abundant love by an unknown, but well known, sister in Christ.

Year of Jubilee
"An opening of the prison to one who was bound"- Isa. 61:1

I couldn't wait to turn forty! I really thought something magical would happen when the calendar page of my life turned from thirty nine to forty. I had been reading about the children of Israel wandering in the desert for forty years, savoring every word about them entering into the Promised Land, as though they had been written just for me. I began to see how significant the number forty was in the bible. It had rained forty days and forty nights, long before the ark's door could be opened on a new world. Jesus fasted for forty days and nights, before His public ministry began. So I was sure that something amazing was in store for me after thirty nine years of feeling like I had somewhat been walking in circles. But if anything, life just got harder and became more of a wilderness.

I did not want to have the same expectation for turning fifty. I had learned to resign myself to much in my life. But I did love the verses in Leviticus 25 that described the Year of Jubilee. A decade earlier, I had printed those verses on cards to be displayed on tables for a friend's fiftieth birthday party. As the calendar page of my life was about to turn again, I thought I should look them up for myself. I realized that after the 49th year of coming into the land of promise, the Lord wanted to restore rest to the land and restore liberty to the enslaved. The poetry of those words caused me to write them in my bible with a silent prayer that He would do just that in my life. But I was too busy to give it much thought.

Life had become like the teacup ride at Disneyland, spinning fast with activities, meetings, school, ministry, conferences, phone calls, emails, and of course, laundry! I prided myself at how well I was keeping all the plates spinning in the air, and that none seemed to be dropping! From all outward appearances, I was at the peak of my game. Suddenly I crashed inwardly and outwardly. My teacup came to a standstill. I was unable to continue in almost anything that I had become so good at doing. It was in that still place the Lord began to speak to me, putting His loving finger on different places deep in my heart, gently saying, "What about this?"

One of the first things He showed me through His Word came when a friend shared with me from Acts 12, I was in a prison where I was bound with chains between two soldiers. I could clearly see what my prison was, and the chains that held me there, but like Peter, I did not see any way out. Then the Lord spoke clearly to me from Hosea 2 that He was going to bring me into the wilderness and allure me, speak comfort to me, show me His lovingkindness, mercy, and faithfulness as a husband, not a master.

So now back into the wilderness I had wanted to escape from in my forties, He completely overwhelmed me with His love. He began waking me in the early morning hours just to be with Him. His Word began to come alive to me as never before, and songs of worship would pour into my heart. Nothing mattered anymore but those times alone with the Lord when He would speak to me. I realized all I had lost in the whirlwind my life had become. Immersed in ministry, I had lost Jesus Himself.

He then began to gently walk me through my life, showing me that even as a young girl, l had let others form my beliefs of what He thought of me, and had been looking at myself through their eyes. They had become bigger than God in my mind and their thoughts and opinions controlled my life, often with fear and shame. But even these revelations did not set me free. I was still enslaved in a prison and I could see no way out.

Layer after layer in my heart was being revealed and prayed over. I did not return to any of my former commitments. A friend started fasting for my deliverance. But I could not even see what my freedom was supposed to look like. Then, as sudden as the crash that brought me to a complete standstill five months earlier, the miraculous happened!

Jesus did not just overwhelm me with His love, He flooded my heart with His glory. I was simply reading Psalm 24:7 - "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory SHALL come in!" At that moment, the iron gates of my heart flung open of their own accord, the King of Glory shone His marvelous light, and the chains fell off. (Acts 12:7,10) I knew what was happening in my heart, the joy and presence of the Holy Spirit was so real. But the real test came, when I immediately found that what others thought or said of me no longer mattered. I was free from the chains I had let man place on me. Free from the finger pointing of the past and the present. He had simply opened the gates of my heart to receive His glory and I was free to walk out.

In my forty ninth year I had prayed a prayer of restoration and deliverance without even seeing my prison. Now in my Year of Jubilee, I believe I have finally just entered the Land of Promise, unshackled! A prisoner no more. Rejoice with me and let the gates of your own heart swing open to receive the King of Glory who loves to set us free!

Isaiah 45:2 I will go before you and make the crooked places straight, I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron.

Psalm 107:16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two.

Isaiah 54:12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones.

Isaiah 58:6 Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?

Isaiah 26:2,3 Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. For You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because He trusts in You.

"Lest the Lord Protect"

2011-07-24T22:10:00.005-04:00

"Wow it's hot! Stinky and sticky isn't it punkin'?" I asked my daughter as I scrunched up my nose and squinted to make light of the miserable temperature. I shouldn't teach her how to complain but my brain had melted somewhere around "Aisle J" in the grocery parking lot and most of my southern manners were attached.

I opened every door of our van to let the heat demons run free and checked if our "NY State Required" booster seat would fry her like a pancake. Assured of her safety, I carefully hoisted her preschool frame into the van, shoved a bottle of water in her lap and launched the air conditioning while I slid into my own leather skillet for a front seat.

Mindless music played in the background while coherence slowly returned to my thinking as I cooled off. Twenty minutes later, just as I made the last turn before home, a horrible scream came from the back seat, "Mooooommmmmyyyyyy!!!"

Emergency maternal instincts were triggered so I hit the brakes, swerved off the road to balance on the edge of a ditch, whipped off the seat belt and swung around. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"

Her tiny tears seemed to synchronize with her quivering bottom lip. "You didn't buckle my seat belt."

If I hadn't have seen the genuine fear in her eyes, I might have given her one of the numerous lectures mothers give to typically over-dramatic children. But...she was scared. She looked down and realized that I hadn't done all I could to keep her safe and secure and her vulnerability frightened her.

You can imagine how quickly I got up, wrapped my arms around her, spoke assurances of my love, dried the tears and then buckled her safely in. But I made sure she looked right into my eyes when I said, "Mommy will sometimes make mistakes. But God is your Protector and He will never let anything happen to you unless it's part of His plan. He loves you the most and kept you safe almost the whole way home, didn't He?!" She smiled agreeably so I made my way back to the driver's seat and thanked the Lord in prayer, "Lest YOU Lord, protect this child, I labor in vain to protect her. Thank you...again." (A mother's variation of Psalm 127:1).

When I pulled into the driveway, she said reflectively "He's my Father too Mommy." Now I smiled agreeably as I realized she'd rehearsed what I'd been speaking to her about most of the week; our God is also our Father. At different times and in various ways, I'd been sharing with her the Father heart of God that provides, watches over, instructs, corrects, never leaves and loves so unconditionally, that she never needs to be afraid.

I've realized that it doesn't take too much in life for me to have a sudden sense of vulnerability. Life can be going along at such a high speed that I'm certain the next bump in the road or unexpected curve is going to sending me flying. I can look around at my circumstances and think that the Lord hasn't done all He possibly could to "secure me" and make sure of my safety in lieu of the potential for harm or pain. Fear can come so easily when I lack the assurance of the Lord's love and care.

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good

pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32

"For I the Lord your God will hold your right hand,

saying to you, Fear not; I will help you." Isa. 41:13

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" Rom. 8:15

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us,

that we should be called children of God; and so we are." 1 John 3:1a

Berried Treasure

2011-07-14T20:24:00.006-04:00

I jumped out of the van, donned my not-so-stylish gardening gloves and walked confidently to a conglomerate of black raspberry bushes. I'd been warned that getting to the berries would not be easy due to years of neglect in keeping the weeds out and trimming back the branches. But the value of the berries outweighed my imagined discomfort at wading past whatever the curse might have birthed.

I noticed that the perimeter of the bushes held clusters of "easy pluckers." I had ravaged several of the branches before realizing that my gloves had made the force of my touch so insensitive, that I'd accidentally crushed most of those poor guys. There they lay bleeding their purple dye all over the bottom of the bowl while a tiny snail stayed dormant in its protective portable home.

"Well, that wasn't smart," I mumbled to myself while tearing the scapegoats off my hands.

As the breeze began to pick up, it tossed the prickly weeds and fruit branches from side to side and revealed the buried treasure in the center. Shiny black and pleasantly plump raspberries, twice the size as the bludgeoned bunch in my bowl, filled up the core and invited my hands to come. Since I couldn't reach them from where I was standing, I carefully stepped into a portion of the heavily thorned bush and leaned over as far as I could reach.

Then it happened. A strong gust of wind blew and whipped every surrounding branch of that bush so hard that I was completely encased by nature's built-in security system. The thorns stuck, punctured, poked, prodded and scraped every exposed area of skin from head to toe. The areas I had clothes on were snared with a Velcro grip making a quick escape impossible.

I've been attacked by opponents in sports, intimidated by bullies in school, even jumped by a drug-crazed teenager in Chicago. But to be ambushed by a squadron of black raspberry branches was a first.

All I wanted was some fruit...was that so wrong? Wasn't that why they were planted years ago? The berries have medicinal, nutritional and sensational taste qualities for the eater to benefit from. But due to neglect of proper weeding and careful pruning, the sin-caused curse of "thorns, thistles and briers" left the fruit picker with speckled and striped wounds.

Jesus said in John 15:1-4 (NLT) "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³ You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me."

In just four sentences, I'm reminded that my life, grafted in to the True grapevine, is designed to bear "fruit." That my heavenly Father has a love that never neglects, stops tending, nor ceases from pruning. His goal is that a life will produce more and more fruit and the pruning and washing process comes from the Word of God. It will cut and sever just as surely as it will wash, cleanse and heal. The gardener instructs "Just remain in Me" and you will bear fruit. Despite your growing in a sin-cursed world, surrounded by thorns and briers, when branches have been pruned properly, it bears abundant fruit readily available for the passerby. Fruit that is nourishing, healing, and satisfying to a hungry soul.

Remember that the Gardener's hands are sensitive to what He touches and knows the pressure He applies when fruit is plucked. He knows exactly where to cut a branch so that its amputation will produce more fruit than ever before...but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4)

What's In My Eye?

2011-07-04T21:08:00.000-04:00

I used to have a beautiful Bernese Mountain dog given to me several Christmas's ago by one of my most special friends. Once this puppy (named Charis) came into my life, I had a companion who never argued, always loved, and forced me to get into shape by her long walk needs.

I can't remember what I was doing one particular summer morning, but Charis had walked onto our small front porch and plopped down on the cement to get cooled off. She rotated around, flopped over a couple of times, then sat up, hung her paws over the front step and just stared at me. She wasn't yet two years old and her crimped puppy fur still infiltrated the area around her ears. I took the camera out of my purse and snapped a picture before she decided her rest was over.

Later that evening, when I uploaded the photos to my computer, I noticed that I could see my reflection in her eyes. How?

Her eyes were made with the capacity to reflect
There was light
There was nothing in her eye, nor anything between us to block her view

Psalm 34:15a "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous."

I'm thinking of all the people I know who I would be able to see reflected in the eyes of the Lord.

John 17:1 "Jesus...lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father..."

Looking at Jesus, we see the Father filled His eyes.

Psalm 123:1 "I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven."

Psalm 25:15 "My eyes are always on the Lord."

If these verses are true of you, then I know Who I'd see looking into your eyes.

It's my prayer: Psalm 17:8a "Keep me as the apple of Your eye..."

It's important to remember: Matt. 7:5 "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

If you cannot see: Psalm 19:8c "The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."

Prov 29:13 "The LORD gives light to the eyes"

Psalm 146:8a "The LORD opens the eyes of the blind"

Stopped by The Captain

2011-05-29T17:56:00.001-04:00

You are leaving port under sealed orders and in a troubled period.
You cannot know whither you are going or what you are to do.You cannot know whither you are going or what you are to do.
But why not take the Pilot on board who knows the nature of your sealed orders from the outset,
and who will shape your entire voyage accordingly?
He knows the shoals and the sandbanks, the rocks and the reefs,
He will steer you safely into that celestial harbor where your anchor will be cast for eternity.
Let His almighty nail-pierced hands hold the wheel, and you will be safe.

Peter Marshall

Spiritual Strength Training

2011-05-19T10:49:00.059-04:00

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing...And when the devil had ended all the temptation...Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee..."

Luke 4:1-2, 13-14

I must've read the first verse at least six times before moving on this morning. That word "full" literally means that Jesus was completely saturated and permeated in His soul with the Holy Spirit's presence. The Spirit then led the Son straight into the wilderness. I'm not a Bible scholar, but the Word doesn't say that the chief or sole purpose was to be tested by the devil.The wilderness was a place where David often found refuge and quietness from his enemy, while Israel fell in sin to the temptations that lie there. According to the scriptures it's not an easy place to live.

But in that difficult place, when a soul remains steadfast in God, resists temptations from flesh and enemy, spiritual strength and power is granted by the Holy Spirit. It doesn't say Jesus had power to resist first. He had the fulness of the Spirit's presence. Yet, in His weakness He swung the weapon He was given and emerged fully equipped with the Spirit's power for the ministry that lie ahead of Him.

His resistance to Satan came with His declaration of what the Word of God was in His life, Who His heart worshiped, and the wisdom He lived by under His Father's authority. If you find yourself in a spiritual wilderness, not led there from sin in your life, be assured that the Lord is with you. And in your weakness, use the same weapon Jesus did. Jam.4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Make sure that His declarations are in harmony with your own. There is the key to victory and insight into true "strength training."

1 Tim. 4:8 "For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

Eph 6:10-11 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Hidden Hearts

2011-05-14T22:12:00.001-04:00

I've had "Bleeding Hearts" growing in my garden for as many years as we've been in our house. I love watching the heart shape flowers emerge, quickly grow, then the tear drop descend from its base. God writes majestic poetry in creation. Small illustrative sermons that reveal volumes about His character, His ways, His love and His purposes. I think it's why I'm enamored by the words and paintings of Lillias Trotter so much. Have you ever noticed that if you pluck one of those bleeding heart flowers and tear it open, there is another heart tucked within, firmly attached to the apparent tear drop that descends outwardly?

It's what I'd love my own heart to be like. That when the Spirit of Jesus in me grieves, His tears break through my own and I weep because He weeps. It's interesting...the Lord created the nectar of that flower to be so sweet, that timid and easily frightened hummingbirds find strength when they drink of it.

2 Cor. 4:7a "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels..."

"They tell me I must bruise

The rose's leaf,

Ere I can keep and use

Its fragrance brief.

They tell me I must break

The skylark's heart,

Ere her cage song will make

The silence start.

They tell me love must bleed,

And friendship weep,

Ere in my deepest need

I touch that deep.

Must it be always so

With precious things?

Must they be bruised and go

With beaten wings?

Ah, yes! by crushing days,

By caging nights, by scar

Of thorn and stony ways,

These blessings are!"

- From Edith Schaeffer in her book "Affliction"

Food for Thought

2011-05-04T16:06:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what you call those "rules of life" that everyone seems to know by the time you get to adulthood, but I violated one of the chief commands. "Thou shalt not grocery shop on an empty stomach." There's some kind of "alteration" that happens initially to your senses and then an "altar-ation" occurs between you and food.

Peanut butter cups transform into an invaluable protein. The smell of freshly baked bread makes you pick up artisan loaves that cost more than filet mignon. You become convinced that you will make, bake, try and fry foods that in reality, will never see the light of day until you dust the pantry years later. Items that repulsed you with their 26-letter chemical ingredients now seem to draw you like a tractor beam while fixated on the box's embellished photo. You believe every promise (Slim Fast?), visit every sample table (Spam what?), and focus on the miles you just earned by charging all of it on your Visa. Hunger...right feeling...wrong timing.

On the contrary, I found myself sitting in front of my Bible not too long ago asking the Lord to stir my hunger. Not the kind of hunger for sweet imitations of His truth nor misapplied promises that may never see the light of day. Not a hunger for tainted interpretations of Who Jesus is that embellish a certain characteristic of His nature. I didn't want to only sample His delicacies through devotionals either. I asked Jesus if He could stir a ferocious appetite deep within my heart that nothing on earth would satisfy but Him. For His righteousness, relationship, and the revelation of the kingdom I am to pursue above all. It was a prayer He faithfully answered...so let's feast today!

"For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness."

Ps. 107:9

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."

Matt. 5:6

This is our Jesus

2011-04-30T06:30:00.003-04:00

"Jesus called His disciples and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar." - Mark 8:1b-3

This is our Jesus. He can look at a multitude of faces but see individual hearts. The people said "No man ever spake like this man (Jn.7:46)." They were amazed at His teachings because He taught them as one having authority (Lk.4:32). They were used to hearing the words of the law that came through Moses, but when they heard Jesus, He brought them grace and truth (Jn.1:17). "Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips" (Lk. 4:22a). The grace that would tell a leper that He wanted to touch and heal him. The grace that would tenaciously defend a woman covered in shame from sin and yet would cause shame to fall on her accusers. Jesus spoke the truth that set people free from their sin, their burdens, their despair, their hopelessness. He spoke the truth that gave them peace as they'd never experienced before.

No wonder they would rather follow Jesus than eat. He was feeding a place in their soul that they did not know they hungered for until His words fell upon the tables of their heart. Some traveled from far away but their distance from home could not keep them away. They didn't have food and their stomachs demanded attention but their spirits had never had such a feast. They forsook all of life's basic necessities to follow after Jesus.

This is our Jesus. That knows what we need before we ask Him (Matt. 6:8). And when we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all of these things will be added to us (Matt. 6:33)" He saw the crowd and His heart was moved by love. He saw their individual needs and was going to meet that need. The people left Jesus after their spirit and bellies were filled to overflowing.

"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant

with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

1 Tim. 1:14

"The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain...And it will be said in that day, Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Isa. 25:6a, 9

"Amazing Grace"

2011-04-23T16:57:00.005-04:00

"Honey, close your eyes."

"But why mommy?"

"So when we pray, you can shut out the world and focus on Jesus."

Once her little eyes squeezed shut, a pint-sized heart poured out gallons of blessings upon everything she held dear.

I remembered that this morning when I read Acts 9 about Saul's conversion on the way to Damascus. I wondered if that's why Jesus chose to make him blind when He confronted Saul's rampage of religious sin. Thinking himself wise and zealous in his torment of the bride of Christ, the One he truly persecuted intercepted his plans, confronted his sin, then struck him with complete blindness. The Pharisaical behemoth now needed to have someone hold his hand. He who led others down the path of dead legalism was brought to a halt and forced to sit in Light-induced darkness.

The world is now shut out from Saul's view. His only sight is what happens in his memory, the imaginations of his heart, and whatever might be played across the screen of his thoughts from God. Three days with his eyes forced closed. Verse 11 tells us "And the Lord said (to Ananias), 'Arise and go...to one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prays."Basically, "Go to this once angry madman, because look...take notice...he's praying." A broken heart is a magnet to God. Repentance is the key to unlock clarity of sight to the blind. Paul would later right in Romans 2:19-21"Are you confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness...an instructor...a teacher...with a form of knowledge and the truth of the law? You which teach another, don't you teach yourself?" He thought he saw when he was blind, but when the Light blinded him, he saw.

Even Jonah the prophet decided he didn't like God's ways of grace and mercy and had to be swallowed by darkness. It was only when he prayed, that he was spit out to proceed in a new direction.

I closed my eyes and thanked the Lord for sight. Then asked him if there was any area of blindness in my perspective that I'd brought on by my own sin. I'm still praying. He knows my heart. And if there is, then I trust He will allow the scales to fall so I can see again with a holy perspective. That's much better than having to be spewed.

Wanna close your eyes with me?

Daddy, just be a man!

2011-04-22T16:19:00.000-04:00

As I typed away on my laptop, reverberations of monkey sounds mingled with a little girl's laughter, hovered in the background. It was "Daddy! Will you just be a man, please?!" that made me look up.

Somewhere in the midst of the pseudo-circus, my daughter had gotten tired of Daddy doing a great King Kong, Curious George, monkey something-or-other and requested authenticity. Stop acting like you're not and just be what you are.

Aren't we like that? We crave authenticity from others. Facades and veneers only go so far in relationships. It's a funny thing but oftentimes, the closer we get to another person, the more we want them to be genuine while we'll put up a wall of defense until we think it's safe for us to honestly peek out. It's the authenticity...the revelation of truth (if it's good)...that will make us feel safe.

Jesus never lived a second of His life outside of truth. He never pretended to be something He was not. His Presence exposed the facade of the Pharisees and He openly called them super clean death containers; an appearance of purity and holiness on the outside but filthy, corrosive death on the inside. If Christ lives in us, and Jesus is the Truth (Jn.14:6), then He will want us to walk, speak, live, worship, and love in honesty at all times (Jn.4:24, Ep.4:15, Ex.20:16, Pro.12:22, etc).

Progress in our relationship with the Lord requires that we are honest with Him and others. It starts by making unashamed eye contact with Him in prayer and then continuing in honest, unhindered fellowship with Him continually. The ability to be completely transparent with a Savior that knows us thoroughly and loves us continually, is that truth Jesus speaks of that sets us free (Jn.8:32).We will never be free unless we walk in truth. Never.

Look at Jesus. Look at the cross. Look at the price He paid for our freedom from sin. All truth with dying love.

So may the truth of God, that speaks of the love of God, set you free in God, so that we may walk in truth before others. And may your genuineness with others, display Jesus and His love, so that walls fall and authenticity rolls out the red carpet of salvation for all who need the Lord. Or even, those who know the Lord, but have not walked in freedom since they have not walked in truth.

Now say that three times fast.

Do You Have Your Pilot's License?

2011-04-10T14:38:00.002-04:00

"I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his [own] steps." Jer. 10:23

I don't remember which flight I was on, nor where I was going, when I looked up from the magazine I was reading to see a pilot fast asleep in the row ahead of me. What would YOUR first thought be? Yeah, mine too. I thought "Wow, I'm sure his hand is totally numb from that awkward position."

Ok, so maybe yours were more along the line of, "I wonder who's flying the plane?" or "Praise the Lord for the auto pilot button," or something along the obvious. But while I tossed around all kinds of one-liners in my head for self-amusement, the Lord interrupted my thoughts and said "Shannon, I'd like you to be like this pilot."

He began to speak to me about how I wanted to take over the "cockpit" of my life and navigate where I was going, control the speed or pace of my circumstances, as well as determining the final destination of my current trial. I was experiencing a lot of painful turbulence in my life and just like the sudden drop that comes with hitting a massive air pocket, I did NOT like the sense of losing control. I didn't realize, but the Lord did, that I was fearful of a devastating crash.

But as the verse says...it isn't in us, by nature, with our finite, limited-range, obstructed and myopic view of life, to know the best path for us to take. The Lord definitely was not behind the old bumper sticker that read "God is my Co-Pilot." Instead, He repeats Himself throughout the Bible, with verses like Prov. 3:5, 6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye."

The best position for any of us is like this pilot...completely at rest knowing the Lord is in control. Trust only knows how to produce rest. Trust...lean...pray and acknowledge...then rest as He directs the course.
Even through storm clouds.
Even through turbulence.

"Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven."

Psalm 107:30

Note To Self, "The Lord is Here"

2011-04-02T07:27:00.003-04:00

As I looked into the mirror while brushing my teeth, the bags under my eyes looked like a luggage set.

Socks off and PJ's on, I slid across the terrain of our king-size bed and wrapped my arm around my husbands ribs. Then, like the start of an old-time movie reel, my thoughts began to splash across the screen of my mind. Replays of the events of the day quickly led to heart-breaking news from a phone call I'd received. Then the video switched to display every worst-case scenario based on that phone call. I quickly grabbed hold of those thoughts and began to cry out to the Lord, "This is too much for me Lord. Please pour out your grace and mercy for this trial...it's just too much."

As Scott pulled up the sheets around his chin, I started to ask him, "Honey, could you please ask the Lord..." to which I heard a familiar voice interrupting my thoughts, "I'm right here. Why are you asking him to talk to Me?"

The sudden realization that Jesus was closer to me than my husband and the absurdity that I would ask anyone else to be a mediator for me made me smile. I said "Sorry" to the Lord and "Never mind" to Scott. Then proceeded to pray until I fell asleep.

The Lord didn't answer or speak again that night concerning the things in my heart. He didn't need to. But somewhere during the day, in the midst of my hurt, how easily I'd forgotten the reality of His Presence. The promise of His nearness. The tender reassurance that He draws close to the broken-hearted. His ear is open to our cry.

"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." Ps.91:15

May you rest in the comfort that there is no one on the earth closer or more loving than your Jesus.

Personal Invitation...

2011-03-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

Heaven's Arsenal

2011-03-06T15:43:00.000-05:00

No. You aren't hallucinating. This is a new post. I only have a small speck of time, but in lieu of our church website getting a huge makeover, how could I let the women's ministry look so unkempt? I thought I'd take a moment to share something that the Lord spoke to my heart a couple of weeks ago. It still echoes in my thoughts throughout the day and I pray it might encourage someone as it did me.

A very special friend of mine was getting married out-of-state and it would require more than 9 hours to drive there. Nine hours of being alone with no meals to cook, no messes to clean up, no dog to yell at, no wood stove to maintain, no email to check...oh, I better get back to my point. It was the first time in almost 4 years that has happened. Better than a spa treatment.

Halfway to my final destination, I began to pour out my heart to the Lord about many personal situations I was going through. The tears (little ones) began to start. Then I prayed for my husband, our family, then many trials that were happening in the ministry and with people we dearly love.

All of the sudden, I saw in my thoughts, a huge rock made of flint. A hammer-type tool came down and hit it hard and a huge piece of flint flew off. Then another blow. Then a blow from a rock, then something else. The blows came from every direction and hit all over that hunk of flint. Then it stopped and a hand uncovered what remained. There was an arrow head, a spear head, and all sorts of like instruments. The hand picked up the arrow head and attached it to a shaft and then tucked it into a quiver. As well the other instruments with what they required. Then the Lord said, "Shannon, for many years you have prayed that I would make you into a sharp instrument. An arrow in My quiver. A sharp threshing instrument. And that the Word in your mouth would be sharp. You've prayed to not get dull in any area of the spirit. Every blow that hits your life, no matter where it comes from, how it comes, or who delivers it...even when from the enemy...is merely being used to sharpen you. Then sharper you become, the more aerodynamic you are when facing the contrary winds of adversity and resistance. The tempest will not blow you backward. And so it is with all of your brothers and sisters you've been praying for. They are being hit, but they are being sharpened...for the warfare will increase."

You know, when the Lord blesses us unexpectedly with His perspective and His reassurance, it is overwhelming. Though the vast majority of times, He wants us to walk by faith and not sight. To trust and not fear. To hold fast to His promises and His Word despite our feelings and circumstances. Yet, every now and then, He breaks through to reinforce us and infuse His strength in our weakness in the battle. I've been battle-weary.

If you are also, I've already prayed that the Lord will use this to speak to you as well. Here are a few scriptures that the Lord referred to and that I have prayed over for many years now.

Isa. 41:15 - "Behold, I will make thee a new instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff."

Matt. 13:15 - "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed..."

Isa. 49:2 - "And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;"

God's Journal

2011-02-04T19:38:00.001-05:00

This was a post from Proverbs 31 Ministries on February 2. It was so precious to me after speaking only hours ago to someone whose father had Alzheimer's and mother has dementia. I pray you're blessed as well.

The Book of Days

Ariel Allison Lawhon, She Reads Co-Director

"All the days ordained for me were written in
Your book before one of them came to be."
Psalm 139:16b (NIV)

They say that smell is the sense most linked to memory. And I know this to be true. The earthy aroma of geraniums transports me to a porch in west Texas where my grandmother tended flowers with the hands that had worked the land her entire life. I see her, water hose dangling from her fingers, spraying the heat and dust from the cobblestone patio. Washing away the residue of a hot afternoon.

The memories of my childhood are bound up in a woman whose name, Ellen, means "shining light." Yet most of those memories are now forgotten to her. Stolen by an illness that I once called "Old Timers Disease." And she laughed at that, back then, when I was all elbows and knees and teeth. Back when she told me that her father suffered from Alzheimer's. The thief of memory.

The diagnosis came early last fall, just as her flower garden began to die, the red petals of her geraniums crisping around the edges, falling away. I now live the great sadness of seeing her slip into the haze of Alzheimer’s, that shining light in her eyes replaced by confusion. And I wonder where her memories go.

Shelling peas with her grandchildren on the back porch.

Cracking open a watermelon and teaching me to spit the seeds across the yard.

Burying her second child, a little girl named Kathy, at the age of three.

Her wrinkled hand tracing the lines of Amazing Grace as we stand and sing the benediction.

Weddings and funerals and the births of grandchildren.

Her own husband of forty-plus years, gone on before her.

All these precious moments of a life falling away, like petals in an autumn frost. Is God catching them as they escape her mind? Holding them in His palm? Does He record them with a tender hand, each memory pressed between the pages of time? Will they one day be restored to her? Do our memories belong to us alone, or are they so special to God that He takes pains to keep track of each and every one?

In Psalm 139:16 we read the startling truth that every moment of our lives has been recorded by a knowing God. "Your eyes saw my unformed body; in Your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being."

God has already written down every moment of my grandmother’s life in His book. He's done the same for me and for you as well. Our moments are precious to Him. The times we've knelt in prayer and shouted in praise. Tears and laughter. Celebration and sorrow. None will be lost forever. Not by us and certainly not by the God who ordered each moment before we were even born.

This spring I will fill my back patio with geraniums and I will inhale the scent of my grandmother. I will remember for her, until the day she sits beside her Lord and He opens His book to read the story of Ellen, a woman whose light shines brightly.

Dear Lord, thank You that my days are not forgotten to You. Each one is so important that You wrote it down, with Your own hand. My name is in Your book and Your love is written across every page of my life. For all the days that I have left, may I remember Your with the same passion that You remember me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mirrors

2010-12-08T05:30:00.002-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with mirrors. I experienced both of those feelings at a P.F. Chang's restaurant once. Excusing myself from the dinner table, I went to the restroom and stepped in front of the mirror. Due to low lights and surrounding stone walls, my skin looked more tan than blotchy, my hair more black than "cover-it-now" gray, and my blouse was wrinkle-and-toddler-stain free. I bent over the sink and smiled (inside and out) to put some lipstick on and there it was. A small tidbit of Kung Pao's chicken tucked in my teeth. How long had THAT been there? If I was a balloon, the noise of instant deflation would've been heard outside the restaurant.

The Word of God is likened to many different images in the Bible. It's like a two-edged sword in Heb. 4:12; like a hammer and fire in Jer. 23:29; like a lamp and light in Ps. 119; like a seed in Lk. 8 and John 6:63; like food in Matt. 4:4 and 1 Pet. 1; and also like a mirror.

James 1:23-25 (NAS) says "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."

You know, when I saw that chunk of chicken crouching in my gums, I whipped out one of those little tooth flossers in my purse and got rid of it. I didn't roll out a welcome mat and invite it to stay, nor did I try and cover it with a patch of gum. My flesh moves fast to remove outward flaws that can be seen by others.

But my heart is to be so filled with the Spirit of God and love for Him, that when His Word reflects to me a flaw in my character or a sinful spot on my heart, I should quickly move in obedience to do what God commands in my situation. Ignore the flesh that wants to cover it up, reason it away, coddle it like a friend, or as the verse says, walk away and ignore what has just been shown to me.

Take that spiritual dental floss of repentance and obedience wherever you go...cuz sin is just like Kung Pao's...it'll try to hide.

Promise From Our Provider

2010-12-03T21:31:00.001-05:00

Praying this verse might encourage anyone preparing to spend Christmas with family or friends who are very lost. Or for those who are praying for God to use their voice to faithfully share Jesus with others.

2 Cor. 9:8, 10 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you... He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing."

Royal Performances

2010-12-02T16:11:00.006-05:00

I didn't consciously think that sitting on the edge of my seat would help me drink in the symphony music any deeper, but I certainly was going to try. Up went the binoculars, down went the lights, and out came the world-renowned pianist. I'd watched a documentary years ago depicting her gold medal performance at a highly acclaimed international piano competition, but to watch her play in front of me nine years later, was an incredible honor. After adjusting her dress, carefully positioning her hands on the keys, and taking a deep breath, Rachmaninoff's finger-bending concerto began to flow from the ornate Steinway on center stage. I'd learned a bit about the historical background of the piece and its composer, so I had a deeper understanding of the music my ears feasted on. Thirty minutes later, the unrelenting ovations from the audience provoked the performer to play one last classical piece. I was in awe of the talent God had given this young performer.

Yet, her performance didn't draw me to tears like another instrumentalist does. Year after year, every time I hear the song, I inevitably tear up. I don't know anything about the composer, nor do I know the historical background of when this piece was written...but when I read the story behind the music, the melody will play in my memory and I become nearly inseparable in identifying with the soloist who performs.

Here are the lyrics from the "Little Drummer Boy."

Come they told me, (pa rum pum pum pum)
A new born King to see, (pa rum pum pum pum)
Our finest gifts we bring, (pa rum pum pum pum)
To lay before the King, (pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum),

So to honor Him, (pa rum pum pum pum),
When we come.

Little Baby, (pa rum pum pum pum)
I am a poor boy too, (pa rum pum pum pum)
I have no gift to bring, (pa rum pum pum pum)
That's fit to give the King, (pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,)

Shall I play for you, (pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum)?

Mary nodded, (pa rum pum pum pum)
The ox and lamb kept time, (pa rum pum pum pum)
I played my drum for Him, (pa rum pum pum pum)
I played my best for Him, (pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum),

Then He smiled at me, (pa rum pum pum pum)
Me and my drum.

So whatever your "drum" may be; however meager, simple, or small your gift seems to you, let's play our best for King Jesus...and see Him smile with pleasure at your performance to bless Him. Col. 3:23-24 NIV "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

"It's All About Us?"

2010-11-21T11:38:00.001-05:00

"Well Shannon, if you'd pull your nose out of your navel and get your focus back on the Lord, you wouldn't be struggling so much," my friend said rather matter-of-factly.

"Ouch! I resemble that remark," I joked back. Yet, I knew it was true and pinpointed my problem. I was young in the Lord and used to doing whatever it took to fulfill my will and satisfy my flesh. So the Lord sent me a godly older woman from Queens, NY, that wouldn't hold back any punches and called it like she saw it. She was a strong, sharp, but deeply loving mentor that helped me grow by being merciless with my flesh.

As I stood in Border's bookstore yesterday, perusing the books under the Christian label, her words came back to my mind while I read the bindings on the shelves.

"New Day, New You"
"100 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
"How to Succeed at Being Yourself"
"It's Your Time"
"Your Best Life Now"
"Managing Your Emotions"

The Lord has brought me a long way from where I was 20 something years ago, but the root of my discontent and frustration is still (most often) ME and my flesh. These are Christian books? I could go on and on with the titles that do nothing more than reflect another "self-help" book with a few verses thrown in.

We have to be careful what we read and who we listen to. Is the book we are soaking in teaching us how to improve ourselves or how to cry out in prayer to the One Who can change us? Is it causing us to crave more of Jesus or crave more of what He does for us? Are we being pulled more towards making a name for ourselves or are we learning what John 3:30 says, "He must become greater; I must become less."

Learning to live a life that denies your flesh is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. But our Jesus has promised in 2 Peter 1:3, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." Sometimes, He sends a friend...or a husband...or a child, that reveals to you how loud your flesh is and how strong your will is. And when you find yourself wanting to scream in frustration, don't buy a Christian "self-help/success" book, pull your nose out of your navel and fix your eyes on Jesus. Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT) "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

Now THAT is success...

Night to Remember...Again

2010-11-12T17:02:00.002-05:00

This blog was originally posted in March 2009. But it's one of the most read and requested. Since we just had our 11th anniversary and I have a gift card for dinner waiting to be used in my purse, I thought I'd re-post this for a smile. Life has slowed down a bit and I'll be blogging again soon. I do hope our next dinner out will be a bit different than this one. :)

Special nights call for special preparation. Scott and I received a gift certificate to a posh restaurant (one we'd never be able to set foot in otherwise) and I winced while gazing at a "too-tight-at-this-age" black dress. The next outfit in the closet was as frumpy as Grandma from the Walton's and the third option displayed abstract art from Gerber on the shoulder. Actually, the majority of my clothes could be used for Rorschach inkblot tests nowadays. I settled on a mustard yellow outfit stuck way in the back. Without a tan, it makes me look "ill" in full sunlight, but I reasoned it would be dark soon and the remaining selections weren't even negotiable. I tiptoed past the nursery into the bathroom to call all cosmetic promises to the task.

Looking up into the mirror, I remembered a sermon I'd heard years ago about vanity. The essence of it compared the length of time we take to prepare ourselves outwardly versus how long we prepare our hearts inwardly before coming to church. I heard it years before I discovered that "crow's feet" did not refer to poultry, "laugh lines" weren't from a comedy skit, and "baggage" is what fits right underneath my eyes nowadays. What I actually needed was duct tape and Spackle rather than CoverGirl and MaryKay.

I plopped the magnification mirror up on the counter and scared myself. There was my eye, 12 times its normal size, with the surrounding wrinkles making me look more like my friend's Chinese Sharpei. I wish makeup was a paint-by-number set...I don't do well with freelance. But there I was, pulling feverishly at skin folds, contemplating the pros and cons of botulism injections. Maybe I should use tape along my forehead like one of my friends do for her wrinkles. I mean...packing tape came in tremendously handy as a substitute belt when I was pregnant. The small strips I had attached from my pants to my tummy held up great during one morning's church service. If it didn't crunch so loudly when I walked and hugged people, I would've used it a lot more often.

Time was running short. I realized I was bordering on obsession and quickly prayed, "Lord, I just wanna look nice for my honey. Could you help Scott see past my newly painted clown face and exaggerate his color-blindness for my apparel? Could you blur his vision from seeing my very tired, aging eyes?"

I'm here to say, once again, that God answers prayer. The restaurant's lights were so dim, the whole meal was spent conversing with his silhouette. He would often lean forward and ask me to repeat myself as his hearing is going bad and he couldn't read my lips in the dark. Afterward, we'd stopped for coffee in a well-lit place, but within minutes, his allergies erupted and he could barely open his watering eyes. We quickly had to make our way home. As soon as we walked in the door, the smell from a candle I'd forgotten about hit us like a caramel tsunami and Scott began to wheeze asthmatically. We thanked our gracious babysitters and apologized a thousand times over for the obnoxious smell...which was now making me nauseous.

As I watched my handsome husband make a beeline towards the bedroom, his eyes were closed, swollen, watering, and his breathing was labored. Within minutes, the lights were out, his head covered and he'd drifted off to sleep. It was 9:15.

God answered prayer. Not exactly the way I thought He would...but He always answers prayer.

"What I Tell You in Darkness..."

2010-09-08T09:28:00.001-04:00

About four years ago, I was going through a somewhat "dark" time that would eventually become darker in the days ahead. One morning, after I had had a disturbing dream, I searched through the Word diligently for comfort and reassurance, but felt spiritually deaf. Looking back on it, I was probably more like Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus. She was weeping so hard that she did not recognize the Lord, but thought He was just the gardener. Jesus may have shown me many things in the Word that morning, but I missed it because of my grief. I later came across a poem that took on the Lord's voice and spoke straight to my heart. It was written by a woman that had debilitating arthritis and suffered greatly; Annie Johnson Flint.

It still greatly encourages me today, so I'd like to share it with you.

"What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in the light."
My words of consolation, my songs in the night;
When the shadows have vanished and the morn breaks again,
Go tell what I have told you to the children of men.

"What I tell you in darkness," when the wind whips the sea,
When the waves overwhelm you and you cry unto Me;
When My voice stills the tempest, My words calm your fear,
That tell to your brothers, their fainting hearts cheer.

"What I tell you in darkness," when I answer your call
Where you walk in rough places, and stumble and fall;
When My Word lights your pathway, a lamp to your feet,
To those who fall beside you, my message repeat.

"What I tell you in darkness," hold fast in your heart;
From the desert place of waiting, when I call you apart,
From the stillness and the shadow where you were so blest
Go forth and speak to others who know not My rest.

"What I tell you in darkness," in the long night of fear,
When I wake and watch beside you, and no other is near;
In the gloom of the Garden, where you echo my prayer--
That speak to those around you who agonize there.

I Can't Help

2010-09-02T11:38:00.001-04:00

With a list of things to do longer than the paper I wrote on, I grabbed my coffee, gave it a fresh dose of radiation, and started at the top. Within a couple of hours, I looked at my little girl and said, "Now we're going to do something fun! I really would like your help. Let's go into your room and take down all the toys off your shelf and..."

"Noooooo!" she interjected. "Mommy I can't help you today. I have things in my hands." She lifted up a big plush lamb blanket and her little stuffed Peep. As a smile crawled across my face, a frown stomped across hers and she continued, "I mean it. I can't do anything with my hands full!"

If our heavenly Father graciously invites us to help Him in some way, I pray our response is not "I can't Lord. My hands are too full." What are they filled with?

Corrie ten Boom once said, "Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open."

Eph. 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Songs Of Grief

2010-08-28T13:24:00.010-04:00

A friend of mine lost their spouse not long ago. They sent me a text message one day "Why is it so much easier to praise the Lord when the sun is shining in life?"

I know their love for God and faithful service for many years. The last thing I wanted to do was to give some trite or inappropriate response to their sincere pain and vulnerability. I prayed and asked the Lord if He had anything for me to share with them. Only one thing came to mind and I typed...

A heavy heart of grief and mourning plays a different song of praise. It's not filled with clapping, but played in minor keys from the heart, while sung with silent sighs of trust.

Joni's Battle with Cancer

2010-08-10T20:50:00.082-04:00

Many of you have heard of Joni Eareckson Tada. Writer, singer, song-writer, artist, international speaker, founder of "Wheels for the World" and Jesus-loving quadriplegic. If not, here is a link to her website (Joni and Friends). I've followed her for many years and was shocked when I heard of her recent diagnosis with breast cancer. To be honest, I began to weep. I've read enough of her books to feel as though she is a distant friend and mentor.

The books, "When God Weeps" and "The God I Love," have made significant impacts to my Christian walk. I recommend the first book to nearly everyone I know. I just went to her website and listened to her 3 minute update on her cancer. I've known many unnamed heroes that have battled cancer glorifying the Lord. Grace is on their lips, praise is in their hearts, and the things that God does in and through them are living testimonies of the power and reality of a Savior. But only those closest to them get to hear their testimonies. So I thought I'd post one of Joni's updates so you could taste and hear of God's goodness through her testimony.

Cancer Update #2 | Radio | Joni and Friends

If you'd like to read or hear more, click HERE.

The Path to Blessing

2010-07-29T09:37:00.000-04:00

I loved today's Streams devotional. Thought I'd share...

"To him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon because he hath wholly followed the Lord" (Deut. 1:36).

Every hard duty that lies in your path, that you would rather not do, that it will cost you pain and struggle or sore effort to do, has a blessing in it. Not to do it, at whatever cost, is to miss the blessing.

Every hard piece of road on which you see the Master's shoe-prints and along which He bids you follow Him, surely leads to blessing, which you cannot get if you cannot go over the steep, thorny path.

Every point of battle to which you come, where you must draw your sword and fight the enemy, has a possible victory which will prove a rich blessing to your life. Every heavy load that you are called to lift hides in itself some strange secret of strength. --J. R. Miller

Staying Far-Sighted

2010-07-24T22:53:00.003-04:00

I think we've all heard this song 100 times but I needed to re-direct my focus on eternity tonight. The "temporary things" in our individual worlds can keep us very short-sighted if we allow them. So here's a reminder of what lasts forever.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18

A Simple Day at the Inferno

2010-07-18T23:15:00.056-04:00

"God sets the solitary in families..."

Psalm 68:6a

I don't know how I graduated from college. I actually thought it would be a great idea to take my daughter to a huge outdoor park after I had seen the weather forecast for full sun, spray paint humidity and 90 something degree heat. Being the planner that I am, I believed a few bottles of water, sunscreen and a great snack was all that any child would need to have fun.

I was right...it was all she needed. Me on the other hand...

About 30 minutes into this Sahara Desert excursion, I started to get a headache and felt a bit nauseous. Then I realized I was surrounded by a giant flock of mothers...my son's age. Not a one of them looked like they used hair coloring for the same reason I did. They each wore stylish shoes or fashionista sandals, while I donned my best pair of sneakers. I needed help climbing around the jungle and scaling walls without being an insurance risk. I rubbed my arthritic shoulder while I pushed M. on the swing, then leaned over to someone behind Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses and said, "Is this a special Mom's Club hangout or something?"

"Oh no," she replied. "But if you come here long enough, you get to know us regulars and now we're all friends."

To be honest, I began to slip into a mild dose of adolescent insecurity as they all laughed and shared the latest news and updates with each other. So I started to pray. It's not just a principle I learned in Sunday School-my God never leaves me. He is a Friend above all friends. Maybe I'd have some opportunity to reach out to someone despite feeling as out of place as our President would be at a Tea Party rally.

As time passed and the rubber on my Nike's melted into the wood chips, I listened to conversations about TV shows, movies, purses and kids toys that I have never heard of. There wasn't one occasion I could have jumped in and added my own superficiality nor directed the conversation spiritually. I just continued to smile while periodically catching my daughter when she'd fall off things.

Then, I didn't catch her. Screaming is an instant magnet on a playground. As I lifted her up and pulled wood from her hair and mouth, I saw an ocean of eyes glaring over the tops of sunglasses. I wiped M's tears, kissed her dirty nose and set her right back up on the elevated catwalk so she could face her fear. It was an important battle...

As lunch approached, M. and I packed up our gear and headed for the car. The other mom's had everything from portable refrigerators to coolers with fans attached. I'll learn. I turned the van key on and looked into the pavilion where everyone was sitting. I felt miserable physically but sad at the thought I couldn't connect with one life. Then a woman caught my eye with 2 little boys in tow.

She had worn out tennis shoes, ankle socks, frumpy shorts and rebellious curly hair. Her expression looked like she needed more than V-8 juice. Another one like me from the land of misfits. Just when I thought I should warn her of what lie ahead, her T-shirt told me she'd already been here and conquered this land of make believe. It read "Today is SO tomorrow."

Instant smile. Next time I come, I'll make sure my vanity is left at home while my cooler is packed with lunch. I'll also be lookin' for this lady.

Coffee Thoughts

2010-07-13T07:46:00.007-04:00

The air was thick, hot and made your skin feel like the sticky side of tape, but it didn't stop us from having fun last night. Daddy played the guitar and sang songs, ranging from country knee-slappers to worship music, while our 3 year old danced with moves that have never been created by another human being. It must be my husband's side...

By the time we tucked her in bed, I was convinced that all three of us would fall asleep once we closed our eyes to pray. Nevertheless, we made it half-way through when my daughter stopped us and said, "I can't pray."

"Why can't you pray?" I asked.

"I can't work anymore. I'm done working" she answered.

Once she learns the scriptures, I bet there's going to be some interesting conversations in our future. But I was thinking about prayer this morning. Prayer is definitely work. Yet, it's to be motivated by love. When you take any act of service or duty or responsibility and add sincere love to it, then it's transformed into delight, rather than drudgery. It causes joy rather than resentment. It blesses the heart of God.

Whether it be prayer, going to church, cleaning floors, doing laundry, or working in a Godless environment in the world, may our hearts be motivated by love for Jesus. Enjoy your day!

Lesson From History

2010-07-05T15:32:00.003-04:00

I'm going to post something out of the ordinary. I felt a strong nudge from the Lord to brush up on "prophecy" issues about a month ago and snatched a few books out of my honey's office. One of them had a quote attributed to A. F. Tytler and I'd like to share it.

The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.

Civilizations are made up of individuals. Individuals don't need 200 years to walk through this cycle on a personal, spiritual level. Just a thought.

Weeds and Seeds

2010-07-02T16:22:00.006-04:00

Taken from Matt.13: 24-30 "Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away... The owner's servants came to him and said..."Where did the weeds come from?'" "'An enemy did this,' he replied."

I've never had a garden before. I can make silk flowers wilt and cactus cry. But leaner times call for courageous creativity and practicality. So I decided...I must garden. It's the right thing to do.

My education came from one conversation last fall with a master gardener who seemed to speak about vegetables using their Latin names. By the time spring rolled around, it was all Greek to me. I tossed the notes.

I channeled my education from YouTube, gardening magazines and an old copy of the Farmer's almanac. I think I'd be doing better if I'd studied "Gardening for Dummies." Nevertheless, there is food outside. Some of it looks happy...some abused. Torrential rains, bugs with big appetites, and lettuce loving slugs are a few of the enemies in my garden. Then there are those wicked weeds.

Why is it that weeds grow better than food? Feast or famine; floods or drought; hot or cold-they thrive. As I was pulling them near my pepper plants yesterday, I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Poison ivy popped up everywhere! I shouted out to my husband, "I can't believe it's emerging now after 3 months of constant weeding!" He calmly replied, "Poison roots grow deep."

Poison roots grow deep. He didn't mean to sound that profound, but I did the "loving-wife-admiring-her-husband" smile and listened to those words echo in my mind. In Jesus' parable, the weeds were sown while everyone was sleeping. Unaware that an enemy was close by. Unaware that harmful seeds were being sown right next to good seeds. Unaware of the long-term intention of damage and destruction of the crop.

In Luke 8 (Matt.13), we know that the "seed" Jesus spoke of is the Word of God. We also read how the "soil" is likened to our heart. We see that our enemy sows "weeds" right next to the seeds in order to harm whatever type of crop is growing for the Lord. We also read that it was done while those who are tending the garden were sleeping. Interesting...

Romans 13:11 "...knowing the time, that now it is high time to wake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."

Psalm 199:148 "My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word."

1 Cor.15:34 "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God."

Prov. 4:23 NIV"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

These are the days we can't "sleep." There is one goal of our enemy...to harm, damage, or destroy anything that is grown of eternal value for the Lord. He's relentless and will thrive in any condition...if allowed to grow.

What To Do Today...

2010-06-27T14:44:00.000-04:00

"And Jesus called [to Him] the throng with His disciples and said to them, If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me]."
Mark 8:34amplified

Heaven's Bank Tellers

2010-06-27T08:04:00.002-04:00

About a year ago, I was driving to the grocery store thinking, not praying, about a particular person. As my husband would say, they had more talent in their pinky finger than we did combined. Outwardly beautiful and inwardly more so because of Jesus, I wondered would God would do with them in the coming days.

Instantly, the Lord switched the channel of my thoughts and a brief scenario played in my head. I was standing next to Him when He handed me a very large bag stuffed with unknown contents. He told me to go down the road a bit, stand on a small platform, and when a crowd gathered around, open the bag and give without restraint the contents to everyone that came. As I stood on this small platform, people came of all ages and types. Some weak, some sick, some young, some not-so-young, some very depressed and discouraged, while others seemed to be well-groomed, successful and happy. I then reached into the bag and pulled out fistfuls of $100s and $1,000 bills and began to give them to the people. I was as surprised as they were, but I met their words of gratitude with "The Lord gave me this for you." As I patted my pockets, I realized I was a pauper myself...I didn't even have a penny.

The vision disappeared as I was pulling into the parking lot. In my thoughts I thanked the Lord and said "Wow. I will share that with _________ so they will remember with all the talent you've given them, they truly only have what came from Your hand."

But the Lord showed me that this is for every one of us. His Word says that we have nothing unless we have first received it (Jn.3:27). It says that without Him, we can DO nothing (Jn.15:5). Romans 7:18 says "I know that in me dwells no good thing."

Yet...2 Cor.4:7 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." And finally in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

So don't be surprised when God puts you in a place where spiritually needy people are. Where they may be sick in their sin, discouraged about the world, depressed in darkness or swimming in the world's temporary counterfeit pleasures. If you have Jesus, you have "all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" that's ever existed. You have heaven's wealth and the fulfillment of every longing soul-Jesus. Just open up and dispense whatever God has given you to share and remember...we don't have a penny's worth of eternity to give in ourselves.

Mark 8:6 "So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude."

Parents Have Eyes but a Child Knows

2010-06-08T22:39:00.002-04:00

I can't remember how many years of my childhood I believed the saying that "Mothers have eyes in the back of their heads." Since the percentage of getting caught when I did something wrong was nearly perfect, I didn't need to see them to believe it. I may have fallen for that much longer than my belief in Santa Claus.

Yet, never once was I told...warned...that "children are born with parent sensors." These hidden, internal alarm systems that know exactly when to go off and cause a child to act, react or refuse to act at the worst possible moments. Let me give you proof.

As an infant, this internal alarm will wake the baby up and cause them to cry EXACTLY at the moment your sleep-deprived brain shuts off and you begin to dream. Though they can't utter a word, just try and lift a video recorder and watch the smile disappear and adorable behavior a mere memory. Just when you're heading out the door to go to church, breathless while trying to make it on time (for once), their little sensors let them know they have a new outfit on that has yet to be "baptized" with their breakfast. See? Psalm 139 says God knows our "down sittings and uprisings." So do they.

As a child grows, this "parental sensor" becomes even more astounding in its inopportune precision. Try and tiptoe to the bathroom for a 2 minute pit stop while your child is deeply enthralled in a video. That sensor will alert your Johnny (no pun intended) so that the moment you take your seat, there will either be a knock on the door or a little munchkin in front of you saying, "whatcha' doin' Mama?"

Don't ever try putting hair coloring on without another adult in the home. Their sensors must react to the chemicals because some kind of problem invariably will ensue to make you miss your rinse time. I narrowly escaped looking like the poster girl for a bad radiation experiment.

Yes...the following parental activities are guaranteed to trigger those internal alarms and cause some kind of cataclysmic event:

Talking on the phone

Talking to your spouse

Talking to anyone other than them

Starting dinner

Standing in a checkout line

Trying to read...anything

Getting out of the house for an appointment

Stepping into the shower or tub

Needing to concentrate

Dressing them in a new article of clothing or something WHITE

Saying things like "Be careful" or "Don't touch that."

The list is actually infinite. I'm not bitter. I just felt the need to notify others who were never warned about these supernatural gifts given to....parents? It must be one of the top ten instruments in God's toolbox to bring out the fullness of James 1:4 "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Patience.

18 years will seem like 18 seconds in hindsight. I'll regret the lump on my forehead from hitting it into the wall but I'll never regret all of the gifts tucked inside this child to teach me how to be more like Jesus.

Psalm 127:3a "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD..."

Giggles, Grandma then Glory

2010-05-24T09:35:00.003-04:00

We had a gorgeous evening one day last week. There was a breeze pushing the perfect temperature through the trees with background music from birds "singing for their supper." I grabbed my little girl's hand and said, "Let's take your ball outside and play until the mosquitoes come to visit."

I threw a football through the trees for the dog while kicking a giant pink orb high into the air. Some made up game ensued and jiggling giggles began to fill the back yard. Every now and then, there would be a pause so dandelion seeds could be blown into the air or a bug could be watched like the paparazzi.

Then out of nowhere, that 3 year old threw her head back to the sky and thrust her bear-hugging arms out wide and shouted, "GOD, I LOVE YOU!" And as her arms dropped, she just stared at the sponge-painted clouds in the sky for a minute and whispered "That's heaven up there mommy."

Pure, spontaneous love. We were quiet for a while...

That night, as we knelt by her bed to pray, in the midst of all kinds of blessings invoked for family, friends, stuffed animals and toys, she said "And thank you God that Nani (her grandma that went to heaven 6 months ago) has joy in heaven and you sing with her."

How did she know that? What did she hear as she stared so long into the heavens?

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zeph. 3:17

Glory Follows Suffering

2010-05-19T07:54:00.004-04:00

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18, NKJV

Bad things do happen to those Jesus loves. But remember this spiritual principle: Glory follows suffering, and life follows death.

Miss Audrey Wetherell Johnson was a woman greatly beloved of God. Born in England, educated in Europe, delivered from agnosticism, and transformed by God's grace into a gifted Bible teacher and preacher, she answered God's call to the mission field in China during the 1930s. After years of teaching pastors and church leaders in a theological seminary in Beijing, Miss Johnson was scooped up with other missionaries and placed in a Japanese concentration camp for three years of intolerable and unmentionable suffering. Yet once again we glimpse God's glory when we learn that Miss Johnson was finally released, came to America, and began Bible Study Fellowship, an international ministry that now has approximately one million men and women who use her material and format to study God's Word each week.

If something bad has happened to you, would you look forward to the glory that IS coming?!

(This devotional was taken from Anne Graham Lotz)

CLICK HERE for the song "The Way to Joy" by Sherri Youngward.

Cup Wars

2010-05-04T15:25:00.001-04:00

Mark 14:36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." (NKJV)

John 17 is truly an amazing passage to me and one in which the Holy Spirit continually brings to remembrance. I will never fully comprehend the depth of unity Jesus spoke of which He had with His Father and the Father with Him. A unity that is perfect, pure, unhindered and undiluted in its intimacy, yet one in which He prayed that EVERY believer would have with one another and with Himself.

Taking this into account, what we read about in Mark 14 shows us that we have a Savior absolutely acquainted with all of our ways¹. He loved His Father, did nothing independently nor outside of His Father’s will, yet He did not want to take the “cup” that the Father was giving to Him. We are fairly detached, being only an outside observer, of the wrestling that took place in the garden of Gethsemane. It can even be hard to imagine when we read about Jesus sweating great drops of blood.

We know the work of the cross was accomplished when Jesus said, “It is finished,” yet the victory came before-hand, when He said in the garden “nevertheless.” Just a reminder...in case you’re wrestling in agony with a “cup” that you’ve been handed. It’s ok to wrestle, as long as our heart bows in submission to the same word of victory. Then, like Jesus...after the cross, will come the power of His resurrection. “For the joy that was set before Him, He endured...”

¹Ps. 139:3

From Hard Rock to Worship

2010-04-30T15:22:00.002-04:00

“And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.” Gen 28:11b “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." Gen 28:16

Jacob was on a journey out of obedience to his father when one night, as the sun had set, he tried to find rest on a pile of rocks. Can you imagine the difficulty?

Yet, have YOU ever come to a time when the "light" of God's path seemed to have disappeared, “darkness” came, and since you couldn't continue forward, you tried to find rest but it was far from comfortable? Jacob did not see that it was in that formidable place that the LORD was with him, just as He had been his entire journey. Darkness and light are the same to God (Ps. 139:12), though it can seem very different to us. But our God will be faithful to reveal Himself to us and we will say, "Surely, the LORD is in this place!" though we did not know it.

Once Jacob woke up to that realization, those stones were immediately converted into an altar of praise and worship. Verse 18 says "And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it." When we are unaware of the Lord being with us, the hard things we try and rest upon can be very difficult...even painful. But when we find that Jesus is our Rock (Dt. 32), He has become our "rest" (Heb. 4), and this Rock was "anointed with the oil of gladness (Ps. 45:7), then we discover that there is no stone of difficulty that cannot be turned into an altar of praise and worship. Gen 28:15 "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.”

Little Miracles...

2010-04-22T19:17:00.001-04:00

I’d like to share a personal prayer request for a dear Christian family that could use some extra prayer support. I met Mike and Trudy Carmody about 18 years ago and we became very close friends. They had a gorgeous, healthy baby boy named Michael that brought lots of joy wherever he went. The Carmody’s ended up moving to Ohio and I moved to New York not long afterward, so we lost contact. Recently reconnecting, I’ve heard the story of their little miracle daughter Gabrielle and the long, health journey the Lord has had them on. I’d like to put a brief synopsis from their Caring Bridge website here so that you could pray along with me. If you actually log in and read the journal, you’ll see a perfect demonstration of God’s grace, strength, faithfulness and love through some of the most difficult trials in life. Here’s a brief intro...

Gabrielle is our miracle child. She has overcome numerous challenges in her thirteen years of life. She has been diagnosed with Severe Idiomatic Infantile Scoliosis. Her spinal curvature is 150 degrees. She has a lateral "C" curve that rotates to her left side. The size of the curve has caused a severe distortion of her chest cavity. This distortion has had an impact on the development of Gabrielle's lungs and has altered the path of her esophagus. As a result, Gabrielle has had trouble gaining and maintaining a healthy weight. At one point not long ago, she was down to 32 pounds.

Gabrielle was in traction for a little over 2 months. For the 14 hour surgery that occurred on April 13th, they removed 2 ribs on the left and 3 ribs on the right. They then started the vertebral resection (removing the vertebrae). Throughout the surgery they had monitored Gabrielle's spinal function. All was going well until they had removed 1/3 of the first vertebrae. 2 of the monitoring points dropped and a third (motor skills) stayed high. At that point the decision was made to stop progressing. They installed 2 rods to reinforce her back and closed her up.

She has been slowly progressing in a special facility just for this disease in Texas, but Mike had to return to work in Cleveland, Ohio, leaving Gabrielle and her mother Trudy in Dallas.

You can imagine the heart ache...but in every journal entry, the grace of God is more than evident. They love the Lord with all their hearts and because they want to bring Him glory through all of this, would you please join me in prayer for this amazing family? If you’d like to see more, read more, be in awe of the photo’s...then log on to Caring Bridge’s website yourself at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gabriellecarmody

Too Busy To Eat

2010-04-20T21:23:00.002-04:00

Mk.6:31 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

In Mark 6 it is amazing to read about the things the disciples were enabled to do by the Lord for a short-term missions trip. Can you imagine their excitement as they shared with others the good news of Jesus Christ, and then healed the sick or cast out demons? Then, like little children replaying the day's events to a parent, they shared all that they did and said to Jesus when they returned. The fields were ripe for harvest and there was an abundance of ministry opportunities.

But then we see that Jesus suddenly shifted the disciples focus. They had their time to serve, but now was the time they needed fellowship with Him alone and to "eat" for themselves. They had been so busy feeding "spiritual" food to impoverished people that they were tired and hungry themselves.

We might think that the “need outweighed the cost,” but Jesus did not sacrifice His disciples for their service. Rather, His love for them knew the greater need of the moment. They would have time in the future to minister and serve again, but for now, the Shepherd was causing His sheep to lie down in green pastures (Ps 23).

Let’s always remember that times of rest or solitude called for by the Lord are no less important than “much service.” His love will always look out for what is best for His child, since the poor and needy will always be among us (Matt. 26:11).

"Be Anxious For Nothing"

2010-04-15T21:13:00.000-04:00

Choking on Size 7's

2010-04-08T21:23:00.005-04:00

Peter wasn't the only one who knew what a foot tasted like. I left a meeting recently with my size 7's hanging from my mouth. A friend of mine calls it her "gate problem." When the mouth swings wide open without your permission.

"I need a better latch. Wait. Make mine a padlock" I responded. Half of my drive home I asked the Lord's forgiveness while trying to send a back-peddling text message of apology to my friend.

In Mark 1:41-45, Jesus cleansed a leper that sought to be healed. (NAS)

And He (Jesus) sternly warned him... “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest...as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas.

Have you ever identified yourself with this leper? I have. Newly cleansed from a horrible disease that has kept him separated from family and friends and he's supposed to "say nothing to anyone?" I can almost feel the floods of emotion that overcame him and drowned out the Lord's command. But by not keeping his mouth closed like Jesus asked....even though it may not have made sense to him...look what the consequences were:

He missed an opportunity to be used as a testimony to the religious leaders that Jesus was the Messiah. His actions would have spoken volumes more than his words.
The thankful testimony of the leper reached many ears and stirred curious minds, but the hearts of those in the city were unreached by the Lord (at that time).

Sometimes, I need the Lord's boldness and the Spirit's power to give me the right words to speak to others about the gospel and truth. But always, I need to be obedient when the Lord has told me to be quiet. His ways are above our ways and oftentimes, past finding out (Isaiah 55:8).

I really need to get my hands on that poster that says "Preach the Word always. When necessary, use words." In the meantime, I hope I'm done flossing with shoe laces.

Getting Our Hands Dirty

2010-03-21T08:03:00.107-04:00

"Mama! I'm all messy!" My daughter had a dot of oatmeal on her hand and nearly panicked. Is this normal? She's only 2. What she has deemed dirty, messy and uncomfortable, since she was able to express herself, are trademarks of toddlerhood to me.

On her first birthday, I plopped my lopsided attempt at a cake in front of her and scooped up my camera. Surely I would have classic pictures of her face smothered in vanilla foundation, her hair streaked with Elmo icing highlights, and both hands wrapped with gloves from Duncan Hines!

But no. She meticulously picked apart her piece of cake, using only a few fingers on one hand and thereby leaving a mere splotch or two of white icing around her lips. I'll have no pictures to embarrass her with when she's being courted by some handsome young man in her 30's. Did 30's slip out?

But I thought about this in lieu of a conversation I had not long ago. A woman had been homeschooling her children for years and volunteering at church whenever she could but she had to return to the workplace. She said "I hate the filth of the world. I hate hearing the language and working in an office full of gossip and back-biting. I always go home feeling so dirty and depressed."

I don't wanna minimize what she goes through each day at all. MANY of us as Christians, do now or have in the past, worked in the world surrounded by people who don't know Jesus. Their lifestyles, habits, conversations, motives, and actions can sometimes be worse than most network TV shows. BUT...where would each of us be without the grace of God?!

I don't necessarily want to change my daughter's disgust for dirt, but I am constantly trying to change her perspective. What if we saw each person as a possibility rather than a problem? Potential for eternity rather than a pitfall for us? The Word does tell us "Greater is He that is within you, than he that is within the world" (1 Jn.4:4). Every person we encounter is an individual opportunity to BE JESUS to them. Does that high of a calling grip you? We often pray for the Lord to send forth laborers into the field, but we don't want to be the laborer. Or we'd like a different field.

But the field was cursed in Genesis due to sin. So when you work in the world, it may be embedded with weeds of wickedness, roots of bitterness, entangled tares and various diseases of the heart. It may be intense spiritual labor on your part (in cooperation with His Spirit) for the Lord to receive a harvest. But what are your tools?

There are too many to list...but here are a few. You have prayer that begins to fertilize the soil and fasting that breaks the enemies hardened ground. You have the Word which will plant seeds and you have the Son which will cause those seeds to grow. "A soft answer" can be a gracious gift with a daily watering of mercy in one form or another. And the greatest gift of all is love. It was the goodness of God that led you to repentance (Rom. 2:4). It may sound trite or oversimplified to you, but when we remember the cross, it should become more clear. I wallowed in more mire, guck, and filth than I would ever want to write about.

And yet, here was God's heart when I was deepest in my sin - Ezek.16:8-10 "Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine," declares the Lord GOD. "Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk." Please read that chapter for yourself. What a love God has for us. Our filth for His forgiveness. Our failure begot His favor. What an exchange.

"Prodigals and Their Moms"

2010-03-14T17:51:00.002-04:00

When I was a child, there were certain words that had very little meaning to me: divorce, infertility, cancer, miscarriage, death, and prodigals. But as time passed, each of those words came to life as uninvited guests and now hold a very significant place in my heart.

Though none of those circumstances are ever desired, the Lord has many "treasures in darkness and riches in secret places" to share with us during those times (Isa. 45:3). I just watched an episode of the "Today's Faith" program, hosted by Cheryl Brodersen on HisChannel.com, and the topic centered on "Prodigals." My personal prayer list has prodigals from coast-to-coast, as do many of yours. But this was such a wonderful and rich interview that I had to post it for others to glean from. If you have a prodigal child, know someone who does, or just want to gain a deeper insight into this particular area, please take a moment to watch. As Cheryl states in the interview, the fact that Jesus even tells the story about a prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, should bring great comfort and hope to any parents heart. He knew this would be a very real circumstance in many people's lives.

Click here for "PRODIGALS" on Today's Faith program

Miracles and Motivators

2010-03-05T14:01:00.012-05:00

John 6:2 "Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased."

Signs. I remember as a little girl, my Dad used to take me to "healing" meetings. There was one night in particular, a young teenage girl with long, wispy hair, was pulled up to the platform and all of the lights in the audience were dimmed. She hobbled over to the so-called "faith healer" who sat her down in a chair, carefully pulled her right leg up and then slid another chair underneath it. I promptly got out of my seat, pardoned and excused myself as I pushed past, crawled over and scooted through the legs of every individual between that platform and I. Something BIG was about to happen...especially since the music intensified.

Though I learned later the guy was a con, I wanted to go back the next night, and the next, and so on. To see a miracle happen for others meant that there might be a miracle for me. I had a great desire to see a miracle in my childhood.

So it's easy to understand why "multitudes" began to follow Jesus. He was touching lepers with lethal disease. He healed bad eyesight, paralysis, anemia, the deaf, those with crippled limbs, and even raised the dead. There was no limit to His power and not enough books to contain all that He did. I would have followed.

John 6:25-27 "And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled."

Now there's a difference. Initially, they followed Him for the signs, but once the Lord performed a miracle that "filled their stomachs," their motivation changed. For every one that says they follow Christ, "motives" will be periodically checked by the Holy Spirit. Circumstances in our lives can surface the real reason we say we are Christians. Is it because we want to see Him do a miracle for us? Is it because we believe following Him will give us good health, decent wealth, protection from injury, deliverance from hard times? Is it because we have goals and ambitions and want His blessings on them so they do not fail? Why do we follow Jesus?

Hear Job's wise reflection, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10)

May our motivation to follow Jesus be solely for WHO He is. "I Am the Good Shepherd." Jn.10:11

Fellowship With Our Eyelids

2010-02-15T09:45:00.014-05:00

It's Monday. Normally, I'm at church for women's prayer and my girl is off playing with one of her adopted aunts, but it's the season where colds spread at the speed of our national debt. So, I get to play nurse and fight germ warfare for homeland security instead. It takes some mighty big bacteria to knock that toddler off her feet, but I got extra time in the Word this morning as a result.

Remember the passage in Luke 9:28-32 "And it came to pass...(Jesus) took Peter and John and James...to a mountain to pray." Now pushing our Sunday school responses aside, you have to admit, THAT is a special prayer meeting! Have you ever really imagined yourself in one of those disciple's places? Picture yourself right there. Jesus looks over and says, "Let's you and I go with James and John to the top of this mountain to pray." I can visualize jumping to my feet, fighting pride (in complete futility), and walking up the side of the mountain with Jesus. Once there, I probably would have done a lot of listening and agreed with everything the Lord said. Whatever His words were, He was right. If my eyes were closed, I would've peeked. If I would've peeked, I'd have seen what those three honored guests missed.

"And as He was praying, the appearance of His countenance became altered (different), and His raiment became dazzling white [flashing with the brilliance of lightning]."(Amplified)

You know the story...Jesus' humanity instantly changed and Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Him. What did they say?! Sometimes, we read over scriptures and miss the stunning revelations because of our familiarity. It must have been a phenomenal experience...that Peter, James and John were missing because they were asleep. Asleep!

Just when I think "I'd never...how could they?" the Lord reminds me how many invitations to pray with a few friends I didn't show up for. He reminds me how many times I've gone to prayer and didn't listen, but voiced my petitions and left. He reminded me of the many ways that I have also "slept" and missed out on opportunities to see Him glorified.

But we have a gracious Savior Who still allowed those sleeping disciples to see and hear the "glorious" once they woke up. They also heard the voice of the Father speak to them directly afterward. No matter where we find ourselves today, we can pray. We can ask the Lord to give us ears to hear His voice. We can ask the Lord to keep us alert and spiritually "awake". We can ask Him to show us, if we have forgotten or do not realize, the gracious and innumerable privileges we have by being able to pray and talk with God.

John 20:29 "Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

"Daisy's in Fall"

2009-10-16T15:52:00.009-04:00

As I look out my living room window, the leaves are making their majestic wordless announcement that autumn has come. Crayola may have identified these colors, but they'll never be able to recreate the splendor. Prolific writers, poets, painters and musicians have used their talents to try and display autumn's cornucopia of beauty, yet they fall short of what I get by walking along wooded paths or sitting beside the canal amidst the infantry of trees. Experience always triumphs with the sights, smells and tastes of fall.

Personal experience also triumphs in the realm of the spirit. Jesus never intended for us to be outside observers of His salvation, "readers only" of His grace or mere onlookers of His mercy. His Word is not meant to remain a collection of black and red letters on white pages. John wrote in 1 John 1:1"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life..." And because of his rich experience with Christ, we are all richer for it. I just listened to a tremendous teaching from Britt Merrick, who is walking through a devastating experience with a heart passionately in love with God and His Word. I'd like to share it with anyone who has some time to listen...you will be richer for it as well.

When My Heart Is Overwhelmed from Reality on Vimeo.

This is his daughter's website for those who'd like to see pictures and follow her journey through cancer. Pray For Daisy

God's Prescription for Fear

2009-09-15T14:31:00.009-04:00

Daughter fed, watered, changed, and napping. Check.

Husband fed, laundered, given TLC, Aleve, warm rice bag and propped on couch correctly (his back is out). Check.

Fish fed, tomato plants watered, kitchen cleaned, laundry folded, groceries put away, bills paid, phone calls returned. Check.

Where's my coffee? There...double check.

Email says...oh my. Forwards about crime, news reports about Islam, the government is doing WHAT? They found the body where? Urgent prayer requests for who? Ugh...

"Lord? I'm so thankful the Holy Spirit knows how to interpret my groans. I also thank You that I know You in these unbelievable days. I can't quite wrap my mind around all of this atrocity in the world. I know what your Word predicts...but it's so hard some days to read, hear, and watch all of the lies, deception, greed, murder, abuse...and then be touched in different ways from the suffering, pain, weariness, and such in those that I love. Please speak to me Lord. I want to hear from You."

Psalm 18:4-6 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Such were my thoughts only moments ago. I opened up my devotional and had to copy it here for anyone that may have a day similar to what I was having. And if you aren't, you STILL will be blessed by this incredible truth for days that lie ahead. God bless you...

Christian, you ought not to dread the arrival of evil tidings; because if you are distressed by them, what do you do different than other men? Other men have not your God to fly to; they have never proved His faithfulness as you have done, and it is no wonder if they are bowed down with alarm and cowed with fear: but you profess to be of another spirit; you have been begotten again unto a lively hope, and your heart lives in heaven and not on earthly things; now, if you are seen to be distracted as other men, what is the value of that grace which you profess to have received? Where is the dignity of that new nature which you claim to possess?

Again, if you should be filled with alarm, as others are, you would, doubtless, be led into the sins so common to others under trying circumstances. The ungodly, when they are overtaken by evil tidings, rebel against God; they murmur, and think that God deals hardly with them. Will you fall into that same sin? Will you provoke the Lord as they do?

Moreover, unconverted men often run to wrong means in order to escape from difficulties, and you will be sure to do the same if your mind yields to the present pressure. Trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Your wisest course is to do as Moses did at the Red Sea, "Stand still and see the salvation of God." For if you give way to fear when you hear of evil tidings, you will be unable to meet the trouble with that calm composure which nerves for duty, and sustains under adversity. How can you glorify God if you play the coward? Saints have often sung God's high praises in the fires, but will your doubting and desponding, as if you had none to help you, magnify the Most High? Then take courage, and rely in sure confidence upon the faithfulness of your covenant God, "let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Now how excellent is our God? How excellent is His Word? How excellent is His name in ALL the earth!!!

It's a Daily Thing

2009-08-29T10:42:00.008-04:00

I love mornings like this. Though tomatoes and strawberries are growing out my back window and a hummingbird darts furiously around a feeder, the perfume of autumn is preceding fall's arrival. I love the colors, smells, tastes and textures of fall. Many link this season with New York's seemingly eternal winter close behind, but I rather soak up each day of autumn and deal with winter when it announces itself.

That in mind, I had a moment to pick up my Christian's Daily Challenge devotional and would like to share with anyone who cares to read. It just seemed to piggyback on this light fall fragrance in the air...

"I must walk today." Lk.13:23
"Give us THIS DAY our daily bread." Matt.6:11

Apprehension sometimes comes from looking too far ahead. How few of us really live in the present! Most of us are perpetually saddened by looking back upon our past, or filled with apprehensions from looking forward into a dim and shadowy future. We are crippled in our exertions because we fail to seize vigorously upon the present. Let us learn to live now. What peace of mind it produces, what weight of character-"I do one thing at a time."

A Christian can no more take in a supply of grace for the future that he can eat today to last him for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at once to sustain life for a week to come. We must draw upon God's boundless stores of grace from day to day, as we need it.

Hearing the Voice of the Lord

2009-08-21T21:13:00.006-04:00

As jelly-covered fingertips pulled on the back of my hair in a seeming salon attempt, a little voice whispered, "Ohhh, I love you mommy. Petty hay-uh." I could wear blackberry jam highlights anywhere on those words. Eight years after Dr.'s reports seemed to finalize the impossibility of my ever being a mother, this little toddler, playing tug-of-war with my hair strands, speaks words these days I thought I'd only hear in my dreams. I smile constantly from the joy and laughter she has brought into my life. I never get tired of listening to her speak...never.

But I have to admit, I've had the Lord in my life for much longer and to describe what HIS voice does to my heart, mind and spirit, is not even comparable to my sweet little girl. He's absolutely everything to me...and to hear Him speak is life-changing.

I watched a video of a recorded interview with Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham, the other day and was stunned to hear her say that she only reads about a paragraph of the Bible each day. She went on to explain the reasons for this and then shared how the Lord seems to speak to her through His Word more than any other way. I love that. It made me jump to her website where I found a free Bible study resource entitled "Learning To Hear His Voice." There is a 9-page worksheet with an accompanying video clip to help anyone learn how to read the Bible, understand what it says and then listen for the Lord as He practically applies the Word to your heart and life.

I watched the video twice and was so deeply touched, I had to share this with anyone who may benefit. Though you may already do this kind of reading and application, it's a great resource to send along to others.

CLICK HERE to go to Anne's website for the free resources with the video link at the bottom of the page.

God's Waiting Room

2009-07-14T07:53:00.008-04:00

When I added several nights of interrupted sleep due to shouts of "Mama!" every other hour, plus days consumed with non-stop demands, abnormal physical labor, and several emotional conversations, it equalled absolute exhaustion. By 7:00 p.m. the other night, I ached from head to toe and started to fall asleep sitting straight up on the couch. I had a flashback of my Dad falling asleep in his chair years ago; mouth hanging wide open and full throttle snores that sounded like a southern thunderstorm. I slithered off the couch with a vague memory of toothpaste and pajamas, but darkness hit halfway down to the pillow. I slept undisturbed until the next morning.

It's amazing the difference when our exhausted body receives the rest it desperately needs. Clarity of thought, better perspective, lighter emotions, and renewed energy are just a few of the positive changes that can come. This morning, the Lord reminded me of a verse I think I could actually recite in my sleep.

"But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew [their] strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Isa.40:31

By "waiting" on the Lord...one simple, decisive action...the Lord has said that His people will have:

Renewed strength. Are you feeling weak today? If it be physical, God will never ask us to do more than we are physically able to. He is the same Lord referred to in verse 11 of this chapter-a Good Shepherd that carries "lambs" and gently leads those with little ones. He's understanding and leads at a pace we are able to follow. Verse 29 promises "HE gives power to the weak and to those who have no might, He increases strength." Are you going through a trial today and need emotional strength? Whatever area of life we feel weak in, He longs to show Himself strong on your behalf (2 Cor.12:10, 2 Chron.16:9)
Mounting up or soaring like an eagle. This is a study in itself. Do you need a better perspective on your life? Do you desire to be able to soar above the storm clouds like an eagle does?
Running without weariness. Is this not the pace of life for many today? While I often think being younger would be the solution to my exhaustion at times, Verse 30, reminds me "Even the youths shall faint and be weary," This weariness is a particular word that comes from the type of fatigue from hard work or continual labor. When we give out, whether over and over repeatedly or with great effort, the result is this type of weariness. Even the most "fit" people have a limit. Whether we are talking emotionally, physically, intellectually, spiritually, etc. As life in the Bible has been likened to a race, running it without weariness reflects an endurance that is supernatural.
Walking without fainting. The word faint is slightly different than weary, but it is a type of fatigue. In one area of scripture, it is "grief." Before I had reached verse 31, I had read verse 26 repeatedly:

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these [things], that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that [he is] strong in power; not one faileth.

It's the greatness of God's might, strong in power, that not one of those individually created and named stars and planets, fail or is missing (NKJV). Each one of those inanimate creations of God has His attention, a unique glory (1 Cor 15:41) and is kept by His great power. The reality of that thought helped me this morning. I hope it helps you too.

Anyone else wanna join the Lord's waiting room? We never leave the same...

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2009-06-05T07:58:00.007-04:00

It's been a small millennia since I last wrote an entry here, so I'm mainly posting for my own benefit. In my reading this morning, Jesus was having a dialogue with people who believed they were very spiritual with a rich, Godly heritage. They believed in the One True God and doubtless, they adhered to the religous ordinances established by Him and according to the scriptures. In a sense, I'm with them.

"If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples...but you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you." John 8:31b,37b

They had murder in their hearts. A desire to do Him harm. There was anger building within them that they would not acknowledge. They ignored His truthful diagnosis and focused on arguments to protect their reputation. Their defensiveness surfaced in their words. "How dare you accuse us...?!" Jesus spoke to them about their spiritual condition - they barricaded themselves behind their outward form of religion and history.

This came close enough to me that I had to stop a little while and muse. I'm well aware that Jesus said if we have hatred in our hearts, it's the same as murder. I don't have hatred, but I have fought bitterness and anger against others recently. Like a poison ivy seed planted in my heart, it will spread, infect and wrap itself around what God desires to be His throne with love growing instead.

I could actually take that one verse..."but you seek to (whatever sin I'm struggling against) , because My word has found no place in you." There's the weed killer. The accurate diagnosis for any of our sins. His word does not find a resting place in our hearts. Heb. 4:2b "the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." So many Bible studies, so many sermons, so much fellowship, and still...the petty things I allow and make excuses for in my life. God's grace amazes me. Jesus continued to tell them the true issue in their heart and there was time for them to repent and make it right. We don't know who turned and softened versus those that continued in their pride and self-deception, but we will some day.

       "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own        selves."
James 1:22

Time for some gardening...

Can They Pick Us Out?

2009-03-20T21:31:00.013-04:00

As I pulled into the parking space, I glanced up into the mirror and said, "Maddie, let's pray before we go inside, ok?" "NO!" came the response over a protruding bottom lip and furrowed eye brows. I quickly calculated the risk factors of this mood and nearness of nap time versus how much time I had left to buy birthday gifts. I decided the gifts necessitated the risk and I'd fly like the wind.

After a quick, Nehemiah style prayer for help and God's grace for my STRONG-willed toddler (emphasis on purpose), I dashed across the parking lot, through the front doors and plopped her into a shopping cart. You know the story...not five minutes into my expedition, Maddie began exercising her vocal chords while arching backwards angrily in the cart with such strange contortions, I thought "gymnastics might be in her future". Then I noticed it...

I could pretty much tell who were or had been mothers versus those who probably had not. Not 100%, but up there. One woman leaned across the aisle with a piece of Bubble Yum saying "Can she have this? It might help!" "No, but thank you. She's not two yet and she'd swallow it." Madigan saw an attempted transaction of a treat denied, so when the woman's hand withdrew, her decibel level increased. "Ohhhh, I wish you'd try it!" the woman said as she shoved the gum back in her purse and u-turned in the opposite direction. The next passerby gave such a disapproving scan, I almost blurted out, "If you just ignore her for a few more minutes, she'll stop!" Having way too much experience with child abuse cases, I didn't feel like risking being arrested if I used the spoon on my daughter's hand in public. Yes...I thought of going to the bathroom with her...after I got home.

But when I finally got to the shortest of two very long checkout lanes, I looked down at a pair of gorgeous, chestnut brown eyes blinking at me from a 3 year old girl. Her mother looked up and said "You know, mine just had an explosion on the other side of the store, so don't feel bad." I guess it was all over my face. The lady behind me chimed in with condolences and a sweet, Mother Goose figured lady in the next aisle nodded knowingly behind a tender smile. Ahhhhhh...my soul breathed a sigh of relief as I found myself encompassed by a crowd of "been there, done that" moms. An attendant quickly opened a new checkout lane and everyone hand-motioned me through first.

I was thinking, it should be just as easy to identify those who are the Christians in this world than those who are mothers in a store. Jesus said that the entire world will be able to identify us by our love. John 13:34, 35-"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." The love we have for one another and a passionate love for our God. It should be easy in a world filled with the kind of people described in 2 Timothy 3-selfish, proud, pleasure lovers rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power.

Wouldn't it be great then, when you find yourself in the midst of a trial or circumstance that has you stretched beyond your limits, you look up and find yourself surrounded by other Christians with tender smiles, encouraging words, and reassuring glances with willingness to help? Your eyes see other eyes that let you know they've "been there, done that" and can't wait to offer you the same comfort? I wanna be like that.

Don't think I'm gonna shop anytime soon though.

Our Tour Guide

2009-03-11T09:55:00.008-04:00

Our church has one of the best tour guides when we go to Israel. Amir is a born-again Jew with a love for the Lord, the scriptures, and his native country. He has a fairly good singing voice and would often break out into Hebrew worship. I never sensed it was out of pride, just spontaneous love. The last time I was able to go to Israel, we were making our way through the lush, rolling hills of the upper Galilee during the poppy covered spring, and he stood in the bus with his convex chest and out-stretched arms rhetorically asking, "Isn't God's country the most beautiful place in the world?!"

Years as a tour guide helped him to know every mile of this nation and its history better than I know my own neighborhood. On a different day of the tour, we began to approach a military checkpoint and I saw Amir close his cellphone, stand with a creased forehead, down-turned eyebrows and give us detailed instructions of "do's and don't's". As the bus rolled to a stop, we were boarded by several armed soldiers who began to examine us and our bus thoroughly. My eyes were not on my husband...

They were glued to Amir. He knew the land, the people, the language, the dangers, served in the IDF (their military), and he'd just received current information that no one else had but him. We safely proceeded and Amir told a few of us later that he'd received a heightened security alert from the military and extra precautionary measures were being taken.

The scripture on my coffee cup this morning was Ps 32:8 "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." If I count on a tour guide for guidance, wisdom, direction and protection in a foreign country like Israel, how much MORE do I need to depend on the Lord in this country that is not my home? Our heavenly Father knows this worlds history current events and future. He has a relationship to the land as its Creator, sustainer, counter of its grains, and waterer of its flowers and grass blades. He knows the beauty of His creation that He'll draw our attention to often and He knows the precautions we need to take in its pitfalls and danger zones. He also knows every occupant in the land-their thoughts before they think them and the plans that are devised in every heart.

Jesus is such a wonderful guide for us that He's known as our Good Shepherd. He's promised to instruct, teach and guide us, but one thing is needful. "...I will guide thee with My eye", says the Lord. Eye contact is a prerequisite. In this particular verse, it's not His mouth or speech, but He invites us to look at Him. I know the difference between talking "at" Him and talking "with" Him. The difference is in my love level. He knows that if there is love in a heart, there will be eyes that long to look into the eyes of the one that heart adores. It's why He tells us, Ps 33:18 "Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy." Ps 34:15 "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous". He loves us with a depth that defies description or understanding, but true nonetheless.

May the eyes of your heart stay more fixed on the Lord's never-closed nor diverted eyes than I did Amir during our brief tour.

Lazyboy Recliners and Reality

2009-03-10T04:08:00.002-04:00

I've erased my comments about the following video too many times to count. When in doubt, I don't...so I'll let you watch, "ponder", pray and whatever else the Lord shows you to do. Despite what you're about to see...remember this devotional from Spurgeon today,

"God is a Sanctuary For His People"

Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. (Ezekiel 11:16)

Banished from the public means of grace, we are not removed from the grace of the means. The Lord who places His people where they feel as exiles will Himself be with them and be to them all that they could have had at home, or in the place of their solemn assemblies. Take this to yourselves...God is to His people a place of refuge. They find sanctuary with Him from every adversary, He is their place of worship, too. He is with them as with Jacob when he slept in the open field, and rising, said, "Surely God was in this place," To them also He will be a sanctuary of quiet, like the Holy of Holies, which was the noiseless abode of the Eternal. They shall be quiet from fear of evil. Wherever the Lord has planted His people, though they feel alone, they are never alone but safe in the sanctuary of Himself.

What more do we need? O Lord, fulfill this promise and be ever to us as a little sanctuary! Now on to the 2 minute video...

Momentary Glimpses

2009-03-07T06:52:00.021-05:00

Despite my battling illness on two fronts, the heat wave of 55 degrees was a royal invitation to come out of hibernation. Maybe "cabin fever" would qualify as a third illness, but there were no hurdles I was not prepared to jump. With a freshly fed baby, loaded diaper bag and upbeat worship music in the background, our salt covered van became heaven's chariot to remind me what life looked like outside of igloo walls in NY.

Whenever I drive I always tilt my rear view mirror in order to see the baby as well as out the back window. She's at the age where conversation is becoming a constant, with intermittent times of singing the alphabet song or Psalty's greatest hits. As I sat at a stoplight and glimpsed up in the mirror, I was struck by profound truths in mere seconds.

"Past roads glimpsed through dirty glass memories,
Future paths beckon in tinted window possibilities,
Reality stares in reflections of the present."

The Lord seemed to show me so many applications of His Word in that one glimpse that it filled my entire day with thoughts of Him and the scriptures. I'll leave it in His hands to expound to you individually if He'd choose. But I'm sure at least one verse is right at the edge of your thoughts as you read...

Home Inspections

2009-03-03T07:04:00.014-05:00

For many years I worked as a home inspector for insurance companies. The essence of my job was to have specially trained eyes that looked for places on the outside and inside of a home that may be potentially hazardous, areas in need of repair, and then submit a report about its overall condition-from the foundation to the roof. The insurance company wanted to know if they should cover the property based upon the risk of future claims. It ruined my ability to ever again look at a house and see nothing but the beauty of it. When my husband and I looked at the home we have now, in interest of buying it 7 years ago, we got into the car afterwards and he asked me, "So honey...did you like the kitchen?" I was stunned. I'm the wife and yet had zero recall of that area. I remembered the heating ducts, copper plumbing, insulation issues, the drainage problem and the foundation.

I was reminded of this when I came across that familiar passage in Matthew 7:24-27 today. Jesus was a master carpenter and he was concerned about the foundation which people built their "dwelling places" on as well. He was able to see past the outward distractions of lavishly holy veneers and hypocritical garnishes. The "white" exterior that glistened from the world's sunlight reflected death to the eyes of the True Son (Matthew 23:27).

Mt 7:24-27 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

The Lord says we are all builders busy about constructing our lives, but we fit in only two categories: either builders on a solid rock foundation or unstable sand. There WILL be times of torrential downpours that beat upon all of our lives. Times when the shifting and forceful winds of change and circumstance will push against us and try and knock us down. There will be times where we feel flooded and overwhelmed in the midst of life's trials. Jesus had only one concern-the foundation. If the foundation of a life is secure and built correctly, nothing that comes against that life will shake it, knock it down, or bury it. It will withstand it all in great victory.

Who would NOT want to live in a house with that kind of guarantee? How much more if it applies to our very own lives? Only one thing is needed. The Carpenter of our soul says "Listen to Me and DO what I say." That's it. If we read His Word, listen to Him in prayer or in Bible studies, it means nothing until we DO what we have been told to do. Obedience=Solid Rock foundation.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Ps 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the Rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

I'd love for the Lord to inspect my life and find that there are no cracks in my foundation or holes that make it vulnerable. If there are...there is always a remedy in the cement of repentance and sealant of obedience applied with the power of the Holy Spirit. God bless you today.

Word + Heart + Patience = Fruit

2009-03-01T06:19:00.008-05:00

After yesterday's retreat and recalling a few lessons the Lord taught me while on the mission field, I stumbled across a devotional this morning that I haven't seen in years. The entry was one that He had spoken directly to my heart in further preparation to leave the country. I'm going to copy it here and pray it blesses you wherever the Lord may send you today.

Luke 8:15 "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

An official of a mission board, who knew it takes more than just desire to make a missionary, was appointed to examine a candidate for the mission field. He told the young man to be at his house at six o’clock in the morning. The young man complied and arrived a six o’clock sharp. The examiner kept him sitting alone in the room until ten. Then he finally came in and said abruptly, ”Young man, can you write your name? A little taken aback by the simplicity of his question, the man paused. Before he could get a word out, the examiner blurted, “What, you don’t know what it is?” The mission board official put him through a series of questions of that nature and then went to report to the mission board.

“Okay,” he said, “he will do.” I tried his patience for hours and hours and he did not break down; Then I insulted him and he did not lose his temper. This candidate answered with patience, fortitude, and gentleness. His faith was vindicated by the very quality of his character. He will make a good missionary.”

Whether we realize it or not — we all are in the mission field. Our patience is bound to be tested in ways we’ve never imagined and we’ll most likely find it unfair and unkind at times. But standing strong in the Lord in the face of offensive treatment and enduring seasons of long-suffering is a testimony in and of itself — and that will win souls!

Are you weary from the walk? Get your second wind! Count it all joy! You have endured much and you will see victory! Not only here on earth but when we meet the Lord!

The Lord is Our Banner

2009-02-24T13:53:00.018-05:00

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, took another swig of water, and ran onto the basketball court. There were only seconds left to play in the game and our team was down by one point. As the referee held the ball, the noise from hundreds of screaming fans with elephant feet stomping on the bleachers ricocheted off the brick walls at a deafening level. The coach had lost his voice trying to yell above the crowd, so his hands waved furiously to get my attention and call a different play. Our opponent had sent in all of their biggest players. The referee's whistle pierced through the confusing clamour and I glanced up quickly to the stands.

There was my mom. Though a thousand voices shouted, I could hear her voice. Though a thousand hands were waving, clapping, playing drums and shaking pom-poms, I could see my mom wave directly at me, give me the "thumbs up", and mouth the words "you can do it!" She was always my biggest fan. Every sport I played, whether I played well or poorly, I could always hear her voice through the crowd and see her cheer despite any obstacle. She hasn't changed over the years. As I felt the ball hit my hands, the clock started its countdown and I aimed for the basket with a giant in front of me...

Psalm 60:4 "Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth." The Israelites were going through a time of great affliction when this psalm was written and the Lord knew they needed a rallying point. A banner was like a sign or flag representing that army (or their leader) raised on a pole in the midst of a battle to encourage the troops. As the soldiers would be fighting, one of the main strategies was to try and capture the opponent's banner to cause confusion, discouragement, and communicate that defeat was near.

So it is for us as Christians. The Lord has shown us that we are in a spiritual battle with eternal consequences...and only seconds left on the clock. 1Tim. 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called." 2Tim. 2:3 "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." But the Lord also knows...in any war, there are wounds that come. We have the term "battle weary" today as soldiers become weak, tired and weary from continual fighting. There are stresses, fears, and such extreme discouragement that come specifically from the battlefields that only soldiers can know of.

Therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah 11:10 says "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse (Jesus), Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious." If you are not on "leave" but thick in the battle these days, Jesus is our rallying point. He is our Banner that was lifted up on a "pole" to bring us all into His ultimate victory. Through the clamor of the world, amidst the yelling of many voices, over the stomping of distractions and various people giving directions...look up to the One Who is your Captain.

You'll see His scarred wrists and His mouth will speak words of love and victory. His rest is and forever will be glorious. The celebration at the end will be unprecedented and everything we endured here on earth will seem unworthy to be compared to what awaits us. I think of all the smaller battles that Christ has wrought victory in my own life and the greatest one was for my heart. I was conquered by Christ's love. That's what Song of Solomon says...Song 2:4 "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."

Heb 12:1 'Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Thankful Drivers

2009-02-15T00:09:00.004-05:00

I loved this picture when I first saw it. I was able to download it freely and actually converted it into a black and white photo. Then I pulled only the red color out from the tree on the left, printed it, framed it and hung it in our guest room. Looking at it now brought something to mind.

It makes no sense to me why the designers of this road made it to twist and wind like a snake...it's not as though this was a mountain with cliffs requiring the curves. Why not make it a straight shot? Shortest distance between two points is a straight line! I like to drive that way...efficient; get there; don't get nauseous or wear out the tires going back and forth. Saves fuel. It makes no sense to me when I look at it.

But of course, what do I know about highway design? I'm not the engineer that had to calculate for the safest gradient with a knowledge of the terrain, calculate the safest speed as well as lane and shoulder width, horizontal and vertical clearances, and stopping distances for those deer that come out of nowhere. Yet, I would want to drive right down the center, breaking traffic laws by crossing the solid yellow lines between the two lanes. I'm certain I know less than the designer...but at times, I think I know best and want to make progress my own way. I don't think I've ever praised the Lord or thanked Him immediately when I get pulled over by a Trooper that was watching. I do remember getting pulled over for a speeding ticket and with that small delay, I missed a very big accident just a couple of miles down the road. I thanked the Lord then.

I should thank Him that He's the Designer of the road I travel all the time; whether it's full of nauseating twists, hidden turns, boring stretches, dark tunnels or cautionary speed bumps to slow me down. The Holy Spirit is a great Trooper in life. Pay attention to not cross the solid yellow lines in scripture, stay watchful and pray about your "speed limit."

Pr. 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Rom.12:16d "Do not be wise in your own opinion."

Pr 3:5-8 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Isa 35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it...

Strolling Down Memory Lane

2009-02-12T22:04:00.004-05:00

I was missing my buddy Mary (Barrett) tonight. By now, I'd be itching to go down to Florida for the visit I always longed for but never made. She'd have rehearsed the temperatures to me during a nightly stroll with her dog Chopper and I'd say "Some day Mary."

I looked back over a few of the YouTube videos she made while they recorded her last CD coming out soon and I just love this one. It was the day before recording ended and 11 days before she went home with Jesus. The lyrics she is singing here are incredible. God made her a living testimony of His grace and power to the end. May you have a day full of Mary's exhortation-rejoicing in whatever may happen and whatever sorrows you bear. God bless you.

Weddings

2009-02-10T13:30:00.008-05:00

I love going through old pictures. I notice that hairstyles always seem to change (no repeats on Beehives held up with 2 cans of hairspray nor "shags" that should've only been for carpet) but clothing styles just seem to make periodic loops. My niece from Chicago and her husband were visiting over the weekend and she'd asked to see my old wedding pictures. After doing virtual gymnastics through crawl spaces and weight training in our arctic attic, I finally found the lone box of photos. Ugh. I see my tanning history in them and now don the wrinkled remains and leathery moles as an unattractive invoice. Oh well.

As I smiled at the pictures of a husband I barely knew then but am madly in love with today, I remembered how terrified and excited I was. Due to a near Halloween-level makeover in the past, I opted out of having someone else put on my makeup for my wedding day. Big risk with no insurance, but at least I had some control over the result. I leaned over the mirror at church cautiously adhering to the kindergarten rule of "staying within the lines" and put on a blouse over my wedding dress...just in case.

I was almost at the end of the whole procedure, when my hands began to shake from hearing the whispered alarm, "We're ready for you" from my nerves-of-steel wedding coordinator. Out from my fingers lept the black eyeliner and like a slow motion movie, I watched it fall against my shirt, then skateboard down the front of a long section of my spotless white wedding gown.

I sat there stunned at the black blemish from any wedding nightmare. There was no one to help, no microwaveable dry cleaner, not even a Shout wipe within my vicinity. The door behind me slid open a second time and I heard the music preparing the people for my arrival. I threw off the shirt and prayed a spasmodic "Oh God, help Scott not to notice!" and began my journey down the aisle, arm-in-arm with my dear stepfather.

You know the story. Scott never noticed the black roadway my eyeliner created down the front of my dress. In all of the photographs, the white of the dress was too brilliant to see the slightest blemish. The wrinkles of abuse were seeming reflectors of the silvery flashes from pictures being taken every few seconds. Nothing could rob the joy, nor taint the beauty of the day God created for Scott and I.

I was praying for the Lord's bride last night. Thinking about how excited and anxious He must be to come and call us to the wedding feast with Himself. Remembering the scriptures of His singing over us and knowing that if I could cry for joy in heaven, I would...weddings always make me cry. Especially when I know that the blackness of my sin, the stains of my iniquity, and the tears from transgressions that SHOULD litter the white garment I wear, has been washed by His blood and made brilliant by His pure perfection...it makes me cry. He sees nothing but the love of His life. A spotless bride. Nothing in our past, present, nor future, will rob the joy, nor taint the beauty of that day that God created for us...the fulfillment of our long awaited wedding day to Jesus.

Zep 3:17 "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

Hos. 2:19 "I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; 20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD.

Success and Failure

2009-02-02T19:27:00.010-05:00

When I was in college, a requirement for graduating with a psychology degree was conducting research and writing a fairly lengthy report. Though I wasn't walking with the Lord, adoration for children drove me to keep my job as a pre-school teacher while carrying a heavy school schedule. I decided to do my research paper on the 35 four-year old's in my pre-school and designed a study entitled "Learned Helplessness."

I divided the kids by gender and gave each of them an "impossible" task which they had to complete in order to get a reward. They were given 3 different puzzles that had a few pieces that did not fit. The boys responses were aggressive and violent. By the 3rd puzzle, they were angry and frustrated, throwing the puzzle on the ground, breaking pieces, or hitting things with their fist. The girls would end up crying or sulking, usually giving up after the 2nd puzzle and ignoring the 3rd. The 4th puzzle was designed to be extremely easy and they would be able to complete it successfully...if they tried.

I wish I remember exactly how many persevered and finished the fourth puzzle, but there were only a few. (Please don't worry about what happened to the kids-they were told at the end about the puzzles, given rewards and reinforced to the approval of "self-esteem" professors at the university.)

Repeated situations where success was impossible caused anger and emotional outbursts to some, while others became so discouraged they quit trying all together. Difficult marriage problems? Conflicts with teenagers? Employer never satisfied? Past attempts to serve the Lord brought heavy discouragement? Past financial mistakes? Failure...don't we hate that word?

I was talking with someone not long ago who had to shut down the family business. They loved the Lord and honored Him in every aspect of their business, but by having to close the doors and losing an extensive amount of money from their hard-earned savings, "failure" was stamped across their heart. More like...engraved deeply. How much tenacity and perseverance they have for future endeavors, only God knows. But I do believe this about our God.

There are no "failures" in the family of God. Once we're adopted He has stamped across our hearts "conqueror." Rom. 8:37 "...in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." He redeems our mistakes, bad decisions, detours, or circumstances that the "world" calls failure, with an aim to use it for a great testimony for His own glory and our eternal good. Sometimes, we've brought problems upon ourselves by acting out of the will of God....and in that, the Word says " Heb. 12:11-13 "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed." The Lord is a faithful Father-our responsibility is to be trained by our mistakes. If we learn from them, He has promised to heal us and bring spiritual fruit from our lives with peace.

At other times, when there has been no fault of our own but we seem to be met with failure on every side, but the Lord has promised, Rom. 8:28 "And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Whether we see it or not, understand it or not, God has a plan. Jer. 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." The world's measurements of success and failure is never God's standard. The way others view our lives, even Christians, is infinitely limited in sight or purpose. Whether mother, father, spouse, friend or foe have been disappointed in their expectations of you, the Lord is committed to you for a lifetime in love and support and failing is not a part of His vocabulary unless you forsake Him. Deu. 31:8 "And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

No matter what has happened in your world, don't give up. Of all the things to learn, don't learn how to be helpless. Persevere. Be tenacious. You're more than a conqueror THROUGH Christ who strengthens you. Continue forward despite numerous setbacks. You have a Bible filled with promises that GOD will never fail to fulfill. Hear Him cheering for you?

Ps 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Rom. 8:31 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

"My Name 'Jehovah' Was Not Known To Them"

2009-01-28T07:32:00.011-05:00

There are several things that have happened within the last year, as well as the last 24 hours, that have caused my heart to continually repeat, "I trust You Lord." I can't think of how many times I have said, with a somewhat self-righteous attitude, "Of COURSE I trust the Lord! Though all men forsake Him, I won't. He is Christ, the Son of the living God. Where else could I go? Only You, Lord, have the words of eternal life!" On and on the list could read of things I've said so easily when life was only slightly tumultuous. Days of temporary trials with ample recovery time. But I personally believe these are the days where "rubber will meet the road" for us all. What do we truly know and believe about our God?

In Ex.6:3, God spoke to Moses and told him that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were limited in their understanding of Who God was. They knew Him by the name "God Almighty (El Shaddai)" but they did not know Him by the name "Jehovah (the Self-Existent One)." There was an aspect of God's character that was going to be revealed to the generation Moses was with, which was entirely unknown to those who walked with God before them.

Changes in times and seasons can push us into a need to know God in a new way. When yesterday's understanding does not meet the need that we face today. When I was first saved, my earthly father passed away soon after from prostate cancer. There was a false sense of security I had by having a dad to fall back on if I needed something...even though our relationship was not very good. It was the week of his funeral when I began to pray for the Lord to show me He was my Abba Father. After many years of singleness and a brief, yet horrendous failed marriage, I began to cry out for the Lord to show me how He was my True Husband. I knew it in my head and learned the scriptures in Bible study...but I needed to KNOW Him as my Beloved Husband in a very real sense. I have found Him to be a faithful Deliverer, Redeemer, Great Physician, Shepherd, Shield, Rock, Friend, and so on...as He has allowed me to confront trials, obstacles and circumstances that precipitated my prayers to know Him better.

As I awoke this morning, I was overwhelmed with grief from being unable to reach my mother in KY who is in the midst of this treacherous ice storm. She's never been through one before and was not prepared ahead of time. Her heat, garage door, computer, etc. all depend upon electricity which will be out for a long time. While I watched her local news on the internet, they announced they were operating on a generator and were going to shut down. Even the cell phone towers out. The south is not prepared for snow and ice like the north is. The roads are now impassable with emergency crews unable to help anyone themselves. She is alone with no family close by.

"Rubber meets the road." What do I believe and know about God?

I believe He is an "ever present help in time of need." I believe He is able to reach anyone at anytime without limitations, barriers or impassable obstacles. I believe He is there with her supplying His grace and power and will work all of this out for the good. It's only the details I don't know yet. There is no hindsight....but with God, it's always 20/20 vision. He is El Roi..."the God Who Sees". I know Him by that name from past experience.

But I admit, I am looking forward to growing in my understanding of His name in an even deeper more personal way. Circumstances are pushing me to pray for more of Him. My heart echoes, "I trust You, Lord...with all my heart."

Sherri Youngward's "Scripture Songs" CD

2009-01-21T15:50:00.010-05:00

Isa 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Do you ever wake up earlier than you'd like because your mind's alarm clock has betrayed you? It happened the other day. The "snooze" button of my thoughts was broken, so I surrendered and grabbed some coffee, Grandma Rose's blanket, my hot neck wrap and started to pray. It didn't take long for me to discover that my vocabulary went on vacation and left my heart with no words to give to God. So thankful He understands my groans and heavy sighs (Rom.8:26).

I reached over to the radio knowing my new favorite CD was waiting to be played and turned the volume way down low. The words of Psalm 1 began to flow from Sherri's new "Scripture Songs" CD and the heaviness in my heart began to lift. The next song was from 1 Cor.13, then 1 John 4, Psalm 23, Philippians 4, and on the songs went...each with their own unique melody and tempo...but comfortingly familiar. What better words could be memorized in song than pure scripture?

The final song is named "Heaven" with the first four verses of Revelation 21 sung like you are halfway there, peering over the edge of this earthly realm to our glorious destination. It's where I launched off into prayer with the Lord finding the vocabulary of my heart had arrived through the music. This is what Sherri writes about the last song:

Years ago, my friend Debbi asked me to come sing to a woman who was in her last moments on earth. I sang at the foot of her bed, and Debbi climbed up and softly read Scriptures to her about heaven. Though the frail woman could not use words, her countenance spoke clearly. This song is for those who might wish to climb up next to a loved one and speak softly to them about heaven. Or maybe you are the one who needs to remember—that God will wipe away every tear...

Sherri is another one of my close friends and if there's one thing I know about her, everything she has and is wants to bless God and point people to Jesus. She's poured her heart into this project (along with some others like Danny Donnelly) while using life-giving lyrics. I've placed a direct link to her website if you click on the CD above.

Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord That Heals You

2009-01-20T08:00:00.002-05:00

Of all of the names that the Lord refers to Himself by, Jehovah-Rapha, or the Lord Who heals, is one that Satan has certainly done all he can to twist, distort and cause confusion with. As a young girl, I often traveled with my well-meaning but misguided father to packed out church services with so-called "faith healers." Why those men never go to hospitals where the sick are, rather than making hurting people come to them, always puzzled me. But I digress... The fact is, God heals sometimes and other times He says, "My grace is sufficient for Thee." There are those moments He seems to cut through crowds to physically touch one person while the rest look on with a deep longing for the same kind of touch. Gods ways...that's not what I could possibly explain. I'll just share a very personal experience where God chose to heal in a special way.

My neck was first injured when I lived in Chicago and a young man (strung out on drugs) jumped and beat me when I was around 20. Therapy was not possible and the Dr.'s prognosis was life-long pain and future arthritis. In my early 30's, I was playing volleyball and dove for a spike landing on my neck - this time, herniating a disc. For more than a year, I spent several occasions bed-ridden in pain until it finally ruptured and caused me to undergo surgery. Then in my 40's, I got miraculously pregnant and had a very chunky, tall baby which aggravates my neck to extremes at times.

Last June, with a one-year old busy girl that was not walking (didn't happen until 16 months), my neck went completely out of place. I felt it disobediently slide to one side and pain shot up my head and down my arm. The only way I got the slightest amount of relief for the next few days, was to cock my head to one side and look at everything a bit...tilted. Very hard to have a baby...a non-walking, need-to-be-picked-up baby...at this time. I continued to pray remembering that the Lord gave me the verse Deut. 33:25b "...as thy days, so shall thy strength be" when I was pregnant.

Finally one morning, the pain woke me up out of sleep and I went out to the living room to pray. My head was pounding so hard it made me nauseous. I had a Lidocaine patch on that was not helping and I took pain medication that didn't take one of the many knives away that seemed to be stabbing my neck. After about 10 minutes, I could no longer sit and laid down on my side. Like a rocket, as my shoulder put pressure into my spine and neck, the pain went through my head, down my back and arms and I cried out loud "JESUS, help me!" Just as quickly, right into my thoughts the Lord answered "Lay still and don't move. Relax and trust Me." I didn't move and my entire body was as tense as...oh, a mouse at a Cat Convention I suppose. I had to force myself to make my muscles relax and let go while they longed to spasm. The more I let go, the greater the direct pressure on the area of pain, the more tears began to stream down my face and then..."Pop, pop, pop."

My neck completed popped back into place. The knives fled and I sat up at once. I started to praise and thank the Lord when I heard Him speak to me again, "Shannon, there are times in life, not just physically, where I see you are hurting, wounded, or something is out of alignment and causing much pain. You may try to numb the wounds with your own patches on the situation. You may try and medicate in your own ways to take away some of the pain. You may learn how to partially function with the ache by leaning on your own understanding, but you will look at life through a tilted, limited view. Because I am the Lord that heals you, trust Me when I put pressure directly on that area of pain and want you to let go. It may hurt more at first as you face it, but I have eternity in mind with love in My heart. I Am also the One Who has promised to make the crooked places straight(Isa.45:2)."

It wasn't about my neck. He heals us...physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially...in every area. There IS a balm in Gilead (Jer.8) and His name is Jehovah-Rapha. God bless you...may we learn to trust Him more.

Do You Know His Name?

2009-01-10T11:09:00.008-05:00

I just wrote a letter last night to someone which included the statement "We do not have a foundation of trust with one another". I needed to write someone back who does not know me personally and has had a rough background, so the potential for misunderstanding was definite. I'm sure that every one of us has had our trust broken by another person at some point in our lives. Many of us have had it repeatedly broken to the point where we may be tempted to not give that gift to another person. Trust seems to have an umbilical cord straight to our hearts...when it's broken, our hearts are broken.

Psalm 9:10 "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD (Jehovah), have not forsaken those who seek You."

Don't you love this verse? It is plump with promises and an echoing exhortation. For the person who has learned through personal experience the reality of the Lord's name, they will find a safe and secure place for their trust. All others may...and will...fail us and break our hearts, but the Lord never fails us.

In a time where the news proclaims every day, a story about another leader who has failed, deceived, stolen, lied, or broken multitudes of people's trust through self-serving motives and greed, we have a Lord that we can 100% trust. The KEY is knowing His name. As most of you know, our God has many names, so in future blog posts, I am going to briefly reflect on some of the names of Jehovah. To write about all of the names of God would take eons and Jesus will have taken us home by then. I also won't pull you through some deep Bible study, but hope to take a fresh gaze on Who our Lord is through His name with by-products of trust and greater love. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Eternally Inseparable

2009-01-08T09:33:00.009-05:00

While attempting to subdue my belligerent hair this morning, I rehearsed a catalog of things to say to a friend who is walking through a very dark trial right now. Every one of them seemed trite, insincere and foolish in contrast to her suffering. As I began to pray, the Lord reminded me of my conversations with Mary the last couple of months of her life.

She had an entire gamut of things said to her by well-meaning people, but they had no idea what it was like to endure the pain she was in, nor the weight of the darkness that would come upon her at night, nor the sudden reality that she was going to die and leave behind many loved ones, some of whom were still unsaved. Sometimes, with right motives we attempt to put ourselves in someone else's place to empathize and offer encouragement, yet we forget that there will ALWAYS be a limitation to our understanding what they are going through...even if we've gone through something very similar. It's because we are all unique, with different backgrounds, ways we handle pain, thought processes, etc. This is the wonderful thing about Jesus.

He faithfully revealed Himself to Mary in the tenderest and most loving ways while she suffered. In the depths of His love for her, He didn't remove the pain but He gave her the grace to endure. He did not always extinguish the darkness that would blanket her nights, but He gave her the faith to trust Him in the midst of it. When she had overwhelming headaches from the chemotherapy, Jesus showed her He understood head pain when the crown of thorns was pressed deeply into His skull. When every breath was an agonizing effort and her nebulizers and inhalers were not helping, He reminded her that His every breath came through agony on the cross, with a nail through His feet and lungs near collapse.

On and on the revelations of Jesus came because He knew men's words could never meet the needs of His child. I know there are times we suffer when God seems mute. Those times have great and necessary lessons in each of the silent-filled days...but He is a good Father and is able to meet us exactly where we are. I wonder if Jesus' words in John 12:26 had a secondary application: "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be." As we follow Jesus in heart, when our physical service cannot continue, does He not still call us inseparable? Us with Him and He with us...our Immanuel...never leaving us, forgetting about us, or faltering in speech not knowing what to say. Like it says in 1 Samuel 3:10 "Then Samuel answered, 'Speak Lord, for your servant is listening'."

Ps 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

May His words be yours today and may your ears be open if He speaks. Bless you.

Prayer Quote

2009-01-07T22:52:00.004-05:00

“In prayer, I must wrestle like Jacob, thirst like
David, hope like Elijah,
be persistent like Bartimeus, and cry with tears like my blessed Lord.”
- Alexander Smellie

Just wanted to share this with you today. God bless your time with the Lord...

God's Possibilities

2009-01-05T13:57:00.008-05:00

Oh, I love Sundays. (Not ice cream...it's too cold.) I love driving to church in the morning, praying with Maddie for the service, the worship and the people who will be there, then pulling into the parking lot shouting "we're here!" while her little hands start clapping in the back seat. Scott and I pray that she develops a heart like David's in Psalm 27:4 "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple."

I remember praying about this scripture and thinking how marvelous it would be to be able to serve the Lord full-time, yet I never thought He would actually allow me that privilege. Much less, being able to serve alongside my husband...and even less than that, that my husband would be a pastor.

I never knew the plans God had because I was so consciously aware of my own insecurities and limitations, rather than understanding God's capacity and His sufficiency. The past convinced me I was disqualified for any future use...I had no understanding of the true extent of the grace and mercy of God. I wrongly interpreted many of God's "pauses", times of not being used by the Lord noticeably, as indicators of His displeasure, rather than a multitude of other possibilities.

Inadequacy is a requisite in ministry. Incapacity is God's opportunity. Weakness is an invitation for God's strength. Moses' stammering lips and difficulty speaking were a gift, though he perceived it as an obstacle too great for God to use Him as a spokesman. Gideon was hiding for fear of the enemy when God called him "a mighty man of valor." Mary called herself a female slave (handmaid) while heaven proclaimed her the mother of God.

It's good to walk in an awareness of our "smallness" rather than having a pride-filled estimation of ourselves. But don't ever let the past or the present cloud your hope in God's possibilities for the future. Nor view your own physical, emotional, intellectual, financial, or social limitations as mountains too high and obstacles too strong for God to overcome. It's easy to say "yes" to that in our heads...but believe in your heart...our God is limitless in His possibilities and power. His desire is to still get glory from your life and to grow deeper in your relationship with Him...or you would be in heaven with Him today. So may God bless you, keep you, and encourage you today.

Isa 40:4,5a "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed."

2Co 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

1Co 1:27-29 "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."

Sun, Moon and Stars...

2009-01-02T01:00:00.003-05:00

I was so blessed to open up my One Year Bible and start at Genesis 1. Isn't it true that we gravitate towards fresh starts and new beginnings? I have to admit, it was time for the Rose Bowl parade and I love our annual family tradition of "oooing and aaahhhing" the floats made with 100% flowers and seeds. My mother-in-law turned me on to it and now high-definition TV makes the details of each float a visual feast. But...I needed quiet time with the Lord. After walking through a darkly canopied, "wilderness" experience these last couple of years, I crave the Lord's Word, His Presence, and His soft voice as never before.

As He promised, He's a faithful rewarder to those who diligently seek Him (Heb.11:6). There, tucked between verses I have read over and over again for years, day one of creation - Gen.1:3 "Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light." It's not until the fourth day that the sun, moon and stars were created.

In our life times, we have only known the sun to be the sole source of day and night, morning and evening. The comfort I found this morning was in the fact that God didn't NEED the sun to provide light, but He created it as a vessel of His glory that is used continually to touch our lives. If the sun were gone, as it was before it was created, God Himself is fully capable of providing light, darkness, day, night, morning and evening. He is All-Sufficient, the Self-Existing One.

He doesn't NEED me to provide food for the birds off our back deck because there is two feet of snow on the ground today. He doesn't NEED me to tell my neighbor that there is a God Who sent His Son Jesus to die for her sins. He doesn't NEED us to give a tithe to the church to help spread the gospel and support His work. He would send food for the birds, speak to my neighbor's heart through some other means and provide finances from a multitude of other sources if I stopped. But He allows us to be a part of His plan in this world and be a recipient of the joy that comes through giving and to actually receive an eternal reward when done for His glory. He has no NEED for vessels of His glory, but I crave to be one...

So if the sun went out today...do we have The Son, the True Light of life? If there is no physician available to help...do we have Jehovah-Rapha, the God that Heals? If there is no way to reach a lost child, parent, neighbor or people...do we have prayer that is an unstoppable vehicle to deliver help from God to whomever may be in need?

I love that He made light, said that it was good, and has only used a small star called the sun to be the secondary provider of light for us. The Word tells us that one star differs from another in glory in 1 Cor.15:41, right?

Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Shine on friends...He doesn't need us, but He sure loves to use us!

Will You Gain In 2009?

2008-12-31T13:10:00.007-05:00

I was sitting on the family room floor, engulfed by a rainbow of yarn skeins, when my yarn basket suddenly began to hover and float across the room. There in its stead was a small, velvety blue M&M bag that my daughter has carried as a purse for the last two weeks. No one taught her how to carry one and Lord KNOWS I did not teach her how to cock her wrist back in a supremely feminine fashion. (My purse has been a diaper bag for the last 19 months!) Nevertheless...she not only knows instinctively how to be a "girly girl," but how to be discontent with what you have and shed it for something seemingly bigger or better.

She walked from the family room to the workroom and said "Hi Da!" while teetering unsteadily from side to side. During her U-turn back towards me, she stumbled and quickly realized the basket was way too difficult to carry. She ran to me frustrated and perspiring and said "Peez peeeeez!!!!!!!!" Her two Lego blocks at the bottom of this monstrosity were unreachable for toddler arms so a "mommy rescue mission" was called for.

A few moments later, I was once again adding yarn to my prodigal basket and Maddie had her M&M bag stuffed with blocks and a couple of neighborhood dominoes. All was right with her world again.

There is no telling what the year ahead holds for each of us. Only God knows our tomorrows and He has promised that He's already in them waiting for us. We may go through similar times in that we live in the same area...same nation...have the same rulers, etc. Yet, on a personal level, 2009 may hold a vast array of joys and sorrows with treasure-filled memories or moments of regret. One scripture the Lord stamped across my thoughts this morning, while watching Maddie groan and stumble trying to carry an over-sized basket she exchanged for her pint-sized purse, 1Tim. 6:6-8 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."

2009 holds a promise of "great gain" for me...IF I rest in contentment with what I'm given from my God Whose name is "Jehovah-Jireh." My Provider...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

The Way the Wind Blows

2008-12-28T20:55:00.014-05:00

After two different days of 50-60 mph wind gusts, our yard has become a mini obstacle course for the squirrels. There are long, Silver Maple branches, knobby knotted oak limbs and a variety of fall foliage tossed about like a wood salad. Maybe it was growing up in the south with annual tornado watches and warnings, but I detest high winds. I actually experienced a tornado touchdown within 1 block of where I was driving in Florida several years ago and the sound of an oncoming train still provokes me to dive for cover.

While I was surveying the damage to neighboring yards on the way to my in-law's last week, my husband said "Lord, blow the dead branches off of my life." Scott's comment has echoed in my heart ever since he said it. What's in my life that is a "dead branch?"

Only God can answer that question for each of us on a personal level. The branches that ended up on the ground were either detached from the tree to begin with, sick or diseased limbs, or extensions of the tree that didn't receive the water and nourishment it needed to thrive. When high winds shake a tree like a maraca, most of those limbs will come down.

The "winds of change" that blow across my life can cause me a lot of fear (like the tornadoes) or major frustration (since change is not comfortable sometimes). But I'm now inviting the winds to blow...

I know I'll feel the pressure of its push, the force of its persistence and the inability to know what will remain once it has passed through. But a God-sent wind is different than Satan's. Satan always means to kill and destroy while God is a life-giver...and that in abundance. If there are any "dead" extensions, sick sinful attachments, heavy weights not given by the Lord, and unnecessary burdens, I want the Lord to blow. No matter what form that practically means in my life...God knows the branches that need to come down...and the tree will be much healthier and able to thrive and grow in the spring.

Heb 12:1 Therefore...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us...

John 15:1b "...my Father is the husbandman."

Token Thoughts

2008-12-27T10:50:00.010-05:00

I did my usual routine this morning and slowly meandered out into the kitchen. My internal GPS knows the most direct route to the coffee pot and sitting next to it, as usual, my favorite mug with a scripture placed over the top. Whoever wakes up first in the morning gets the coffee going, pulls out a cup for the other person, prays for them, then randomly picks a scripture out of the "Bread Box" to place upon their cup. We've done it for years and automatically do the same for anyone that may come to stay with us (tea drinkers equally accompanied). It costs nothing but a moment of consideration and time to pray for the other person...God does the rest with His Word. And yet, whenever I'm the recipient of this little token of love in the morning, it still blesses my heart.

I believe the Lord sends us little "tokens" of His goodness all the time. Small indicators of His love and reminders that His thoughts are towards us continually (Ps. 139). It's just that they can be easily overlooked, missed because we're in a hurry, or sometimes taken for granted. I don't know how many times I have prayed, "Lord, open my eyes to see You today! Help me to hear Your voice and to be sensitive to Your Spirit in everything that happens." To see that ANY Godly friends I have in my life are because You have given me favor in their hearts. To see that I am surrounded by good, imperfect churches that are filled with sinners saved by grace like me. To see that I have clothes on my back, food that You've provided and some form of shelter over my head. I inherited a huge family when You adopted me. If I'm in America, I have freedom to worship.

I just erased at least two full paragraphs. I realized I could go on and on for a very long time. It did my heart good to think this morning on the multitude of reasons I have to be thankful, rather than listen to my flesh groan and complain about what it wants. It does my spirit good when I rest in the promise of His provision, rather than to listen to the enemy who wants me fearful and to believe that I am lacking somehow.

Since you stopped by, here are some coffee cup scriptures for you today:

Ps 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Ps 34:9 Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Ps 115:11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.

Only Two Things For Christmas

2008-12-24T06:00:00.004-05:00

Not long ago, I did quite a bit of research on the "wise men" (or Magi) which are mentioned in the scriptures for a Christmas message I was going to give at a women's tea or something. I remember sinking into the reality of the 900 miles or more that those Gentiles traveled...leaving their homes, families, friends, jobs and country for at LEAST a year to get to a newborn King that was prophesied about by foreigners. Did I mention it was on camel back rather than an SUV? The age of no cell phones or Blackberry's? Charles H. Spurgeon writes:

“Traveling was extremely difficult in those times. There were hostile tribes to avoid, the broad rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates to cross, and trackless deserts to penetrate; but they made nothing of difficulty or danger. They set out for Jerusalem, and to Jerusalem they came, seeking the King of the Jews."

All of that to do two things: to worship...and to give.

These men were not filled with the power of the Holy Spirit nor did they have the New Testament. They could not stand on all the promises of God when their lives were in danger or when they lost more than two years of their salary. Children were growing up without them while loved ones and friends were completely out of contact. They had no assurance that they would be allowed to get close to this promised King, but they were not content with just the knowledge that Jesus had come. They risked everything, including their own lives, to get to Him...to worship Him...and to give to Him.

We do not have to travel by miserable means across horrendous terrain battling enemies without and within to get to Jesus. It does not take a year to 18 months to be able to look up towards His face. It doesn't take incredible wealth and gifts of gold to bless this Messiah.

It takes a mere moment for the eyes of the heart to look across universes, skip through galaxies and traverse infinity into the very Presence of this gracious King. It takes one more moment for the heart to speak, with or without words, of its sincere love and devotion and gratitude to the One Who came 2,000 years ago.

I pray none of us are content with just knowing that He came this Christmas, but your heart makes a journey to worship...and to give...to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Elmo Needs Gram's House

2008-12-20T11:48:00.014-05:00

My mother and sister-in-law have a running joke between them. If my niece or nephews are given a very loud, obnoxious toy, it's automatically labeled "Gram's House toy". My mom doesn't seem too deterred by this as she still buys battery-operated mayhem in a toy disguise.

Something truly miraculous occurs all over this country that I have never seen nor read about in any periodical, medical journal, or Discovery Health show. As a mother gives physical birth, many grandparents give birth to a strange new level of tolerance and patience for clamor, noise, incessant blinking lights, and repetitiously high-pitched voices from dolls and characters. Yes...it's a miracle for grandparents and it's wrapped up and tucked in their love for the grandchild.

Our little miracle girl is 18 months old now and while shopping at Target two months ago, her eyes fastened on a large Elmo doll. I lost my rational thinking when I saw her eyes light up just as round as her opened mouth. I reached over and pushed Elmo's foot then watched him bow down and tell my daughter how much he loved her and then blew two kisses. Two chubby arms snatched Elmo out of my hands and wrapped themselves tightly around Elmo's box. Behind the box came the familiar words "Ohhhhhhh wwwwooooooowwwww!!!" and a relationship was made without my permission yet with my assistance.

Elmo arrived at our house two weeks ago via her Grandma visiting early for Christmas. He is not leaving because "Gram's House" is too far away...so he's a permanent resident. I haven't lost my sanity, nor my relationship with the Lord, but I believe I may be on to something that Jesus MUST...MUST...have coming in the very near future for me. My 24 year-old son is about to find a wife! This way, I can quickly become a grandparent and have birthed within me that miraculous patience, tolerance, and overall sense of peace and joy when Elmo says for the 6,824,369th time..."Elmo fell down. Can you help Elmo?" Yes, it might be all about me, but I can now imitate that little voice to perfection and that's not something you put on a resume.

Yes...I know. Bad theology, wrong doctrine, self-centered and not Biblical. Humor just helps me avoid harmful thoughts of small, red, furry mechanical puppets with high-pitched, loud voices is all. :)

A Tasty Reminder

2008-12-16T13:12:00.005-05:00

Oh myyyyyy....I estimate that there were at least 800-900 delicately decorated Christmas cookies, melt-in-your-mouth slabs of fudge, bakery-style sweet breads ...even chocolate dipped cherries mascarading as mice, sitting on the church counter this morning. A complete subalpine display of sugar coated calories. Yummmm. As women, don't we find near soulmates by our sweet tooths and fellow artisans in food decor? It was such a "sweet" time of fellowship after Bible study today. (Bad pun, I know.)

Driving home with Maddie, I thought about carrying her around all that temptation for 45 minutes this morning and not once did she ask for a bite. She didn't take a crumb from the corner of my mouth nor do her normal "back arch" when she wanted down to get her hands on what is close herself. Someone said "Wow! Maddie isn't crying for a bite of a cookie?"

I then told my friend how she'd never had a cookie before, plus she is highly allergic to nuts. Sugar doesn't make her hyper, (I can definitely handle hyper), it makes her very angry and upset, prone to cry for no reason and not easily comforted.

Isn't it such a great parallel to us as well? Since she'd never bitten into the amazing taste of a cookie, she was not tempted by it at all. God not only warns us about sin, he says "Don't even taste it." He tells us that it is only pleasurable for a season. Then, like that Lay's Potato Chip commercial aptly says, "You never can eat just one." And so one bite into sin usually leads to two...and before you know it, you want your own bakery.

The effects of sugar in Maddie are just like what sin does to me. I get miserable, frustrated, angry at others, touchey and not easily comforted. I can never receive true comfort when my heart has a prideful sin issue. But Satan loves to tempt us. I found one small cookie that actually looked a bit healthy. It had oatmeal, raisins, and what looked like apple bits in it and I thought "Oh THAT looks ok for her to try." When I picked it up though, I saw the little nuts and knew one bite could send her into anaphylactic shock and be life threatening if not immediately treated. Satan has a way of hiding the harmful, dangerous effects of sin within a sweet appearance.

I tell you nothing you don't already know. The Lord just needed to remind me this morning and I take His warnings to heart...and now I've shared them with you. May you be so "full" from eating His Word, feasting on His faithfulness and tasting of His love, that you can walk by a counterfeit feast of the world's delicacies and Satan's dainties and find that you are not tempted in the very least.

Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

My Friend Mary Barrett

2008-12-06T21:40:00.009-05:00

Everyone has gone to bed but myself. I've been trying for weeks now to write some type of memorial for one of the greatest friendships I've been given by the Lord. I can't do it. It may be too soon....but every time I write a sentence or hover over a paragraph, it turns out to be a poor reflection of what I want to say, portray or convey. The "backspace" button is nearly worn off my keyboard. I'll just upload a brief video I made tonight with a few pictures I have of Mary over the last few years. The majority of my pictures aren't digital. Her awesome "big hair" days are absent...

The song behind the pictures is special. As most people know, Mary primarily played the guitar. Though I completely believe she could've played a tennis racquet because it had strings on it, she also plunked around with several other instruments. A while back, she told me she was "learning" how to play the piano. Every now and then, she'd give me a piano update and I thought that I'd get to hear a perfect rendition of "Chopsticks" when I saw her later at the East Coast Pastor's Wives conference. One of the days of the retreat, I went to find her so we could eat lunch together and was stopped by the worship I heard in the main auditorium. When I peeked in, I was STUNNED to hear the incredible music that Mary was playing on the piano. I quietly snuck up behind her, jumped out and knocked her off the bench saying "Learning? You are LEARNING to play the piano?!" It would take me a brief eon to learn how to make my fingers dance on a keyboard like hers were in such a short time. Over the next 30 minutes, she sang and played several songs for me. This is the one that drew me to tears. The next week, I got an e-mail with the song recorded and attached. It's called "I Will Care For You."

No...I don't think I'll ever be able to express what Mary's friendship meant to me, nor adequately reveal the permanent imprint she's made upon my life. God's friendships are one of the most special "good gifts" He loans us by His grace. May yours be just as cherished, God-centered, and life-changing as mine was...I certainly can't wait to pick up in heaven where we left off on earth.

True Homeland Security

2008-12-03T10:54:00.017-05:00

Since I was born and raised in KY, with family and friends still living there, my heart sunk this morning when I saw the headline "Atheists Want God Out Of Homeland Security". Here are the first few lines...

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A group of atheists filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to remove part of a state anti-terrorism law that requires Kentucky's Office of Homeland Security to acknowledge it can't keep the state safe without God's help.

American Atheists Inc. sued in state court over a 2002 law that stresses God's role in Kentucky's homeland security...

Of particular concern is a clause requiring the Office of Homeland Security to post a plaque that says the safety and security of the state "cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God" and to stress that fact through training and educational materials.

The plaque, posted at the Emergency Operations Center, includes the Bible verse: "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

Aren't times changing at roller coaster speed? The South used to be appropriately called "The Bible Belt," Christian colleges used to believe in the inerrancy of scripture, only a blink of time ago we were able to say "Merry Christmas" and the name of Jesus could be worn on a kids T-shirt without suspension from school.

If a small group of people that hate God in KY win their case and strip any reference to security, defense and help mainly coming from the Lord, it still will not change its fact. I sat on a couple of wonderful verses this morning...

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Ps.121:1-2

Sometimes, we seem to be on "mountaintops" in life where the air is fresh, the view is vast, and the sun seems closer. When in battle the mountain also provides protection and advantageous positioning to see and attack a vulnerable enemy below. Yet, the psalmist wrote from the valley. We've talked about valleys before-those places where shadows of death like to taunt, darkness often covers the pathway, or a vague sense of fear can pursue the traveler's thoughts.

Yet here is the place we are encouraged to find comfort and safety. Let me speak practically.

Our help will not come from a mountain of finances, a strong portfolio or a strategic position in some place of business. Our security and safety will not be because of military might, technological advances, governmental intervention or your own shotgun. It will not come from the very best physicians, the most knowledgeable experts, nor the most intelligent advisers.

"MY HELP comes from the LORD"...the One that MADE the vast expanse of the heavens and the earth. The One that made the mountains and the valleys, the nations and the rulers, the physicians and the medicine. Can you picture any source of safety and security in this world sitting next to the Lord...and then hear Him ask you "Where do you want YOUR help to come from?"

"Lest the Lord keep the nation, the city, the home, the family, the marriage, the children...they watch and labor in vain that try and keep it." Slight paraphrase of Psalm 127:1...but true.

We're Being Watched...

2008-12-02T14:15:00.006-05:00

I don't have a little boy and I'm not a father...but this struck me and ricocheted in a dozen different heart directions.

1Co 11:1 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."
Eph 5:1 "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children..."

Weakness

2008-11-29T08:27:00.015-05:00

2Cor. 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The words "weakness" and "infirmity" are the same in this verse. In the original language it also means "frailty, feebleness of mind or body, or sickness." So weakness in us is the doorway for God to enter in and display His power and strength. There have been many times that I have detested my weakness, abhorred my feebleness and denied my frailty. But by the Lord's grace, we can see from it from a different perspective. It's an unattractive door until you glimpse past it to what lies on the other side. All God asks is that we open our hearts in trust and invite Him into our situation. He will never fail us.

A Heart For Disaster Relief

2008-11-28T11:18:00.014-05:00

If I were to say the word emergency or catastrophe in reference to a situation in my life, what kind of scenario would you imagine? If I were to post "We have had a disaster at home and would appreciate your prayers," I can just imagine the types of thoughts that would go through your mind.

According to the media, that oft-sought resource that helps shape American's thoughts, ideas and understandings of truth, I have sorely under-estimated the trauma that so many are going through these days. I turned on the TV this morning and saw "The Today Show" for the first time in years. They were doing a segment on "Quick Fixes For At-Home Disasters" and I stopped what I was doing to pay attention. Here is what they labeled as "disastrous" situations that can happen:

1. Your wet bar glass sticks to the napkin from moisture. (Salt is their quick fix for such trauma.)
2. If you break a glass, use several slices of bread to pick up the shards. (About half a loaf for a small glass)
3. When you have unexpected guests and need to chill champagne or wine very quickly...they gave some dry ice advice.
4. For the trauma of your dog traveling too long in a car or plane, a circulation rub-down can help.

After watching a Shih-Tzu get massaged in his designer pet bed, the TV went off. Where am I? Is this truly what Americans are struggling with today? It was "The Today Show" so I guess I am completely out of touch. My mind recalled what I heard from a British woman a year or two ago, "We see Americans as very weak people. The majority are in therapy needing drugs and analysts while we find gardening more than therapeutic." I then thought of a missionary pastor who said "In America, you think nothing of wasting the food we only dream about. We would never need a food disposal in our sink." Yes...I saw several slices of bread used to pick up a broken bar glass...home "disaster" averted. Lord, help us.

Before I went on the mission field, my pastor gave me the most excellent advice. He said "Shannon, if you stay on the mission field for a lengthy period of time, be careful that you don't come back to America with an attitude. You'll see poverty, tribulation and suffering like you've never seen or experienced here in the States, and it can tempt you as a missionary to come back with an attitude towards everyone around you. It's not other's fault that they haven't been exposed to what you have and their views have not been changed by what you've been privileged to experience." And don't you know...it was phenomenal and needful advice.

If you're a Christian, remember that you too, are a missionary (1Pet.2:11; Heb.11:13; 1Pet.1:17-19) while here on earth. We may get tempted to be cynical and sarcastic with those around us (like I did this morning!), but our exposure to true suffering, trials and difficult circumstances vary one from another. My "mountain" may be someone else's "mole hill" in comparison. The important thing is that we be like Jesus in a country that has taken much for granted. I need to remember that I'm an ambassador from heaven on a temporary mission trip to point as many people to salvation as I can. If your neighbor is like the rich, young ruler, Jesus response to his questions was, "Mk. 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him..." and spoke the truth to him. Your neighbor or friend might be like the poor widow (Mk.12:42) to which He honored by using her as an example to his disciples. Jesus said we will always have poor people around us.

To this day, Jesus doesn't look down in disgust or frustration at our inability to understand what HE suffered on our behalf, so I pray we have the same heart towards one another in these last days. Your neighbor may go from the disaster of a broken wine glass to a broken marriage...and I pray that we are people they're drawn to for help. Fixing our eyes on our heavenly home, let's take as many people with us as possible.

Heb. 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Thanksgiving Post-Part 2

2008-11-26T12:37:00.015-05:00

Ah well, it's confession time. For 3 days, I have scoured the Internet looking for some amazing Thanksgiving story, picture, quote or video, just so I could "copy and paste" it here (giving credit wherever it's due, of course). I have watched military slide shows that would melt the Grinch, read memoir's that were both inspiring and depressing, been refreshed with perspectives on gratitude only to become mentally coagulated from all kinds of poetry. I even read a nice pink floral blog on selfishness that made me feel like I'd been spanked with a giant turkey leg. Honestly, there is an abundance of material to "feast" on by people all over the web who write so much better than I do.

Like this for example:

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

In all seriousness, I want to encourage you to "surf" despite the winter weather. I've begun to compile a list of blogs I like to visit periodically. (Look down along the left-hand column of this blog). I never fail to find myself hitting links to blogs that THEY read and before I know it, I've traveled across the country eaves-dropping on Godly people's thoughts , conversations and personal reflections without ever leaving my chair. They have terrific Thanksgiving entries to enjoy.

I have to get back to my sad attempts at baking but want to wish everyone a very joy-filled Thanksgiving. My husband asked me last night, "Tell me the first thought that comes to your mind, straight from your heart, when I ask you the question 'What are you most thankful for in this last year?'" Immediately, my mind raced past the four children I've miscarried, my two half-sisters that died, my dear friend who just passed away and my dog that had to have a new home two weeks ago. I turned around and said, "I'm so thankful that I have Jesus. In spite of one of the most difficult years of my entire life, He has given me hope and is bringing me through it by grace. I have absolute faith that He is going to use all of these things in the future-somehow-for my good and His glory." I just stood there for a moment and realized that God was answering the cry of my heart...that though there has been much loss, I would feel no lack. Psalm 23...He's filling my life with more of Himself.

In a world where people come and go, money has swift wings, health is fleeting and fear levels are rising...the Lord is a faithful, unchangeable, immovable Rock that has rescued, relieved, revived and refreshed me. My thankfulness is tucked deeply within the invisible reality of all that is in Christ...the food, family, friends, etc are all of God's bonuses because of His goodness. He is SO GOOD...worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving. I guess I did start to ramble a bit didn't I?

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Help-Part One

2008-11-24T09:25:00.003-05:00

I've just learned that there are 30 days, 15 hours and 57 minutes until Christmas...that leaves me only a few seconds to talk about Thanksgiving before you're out shopping for gifts. Since I know the vast majority of you are going to be beyond busy these next few days, I'd like to help in some small way. Obviously, I'm limited with only a cyber connection...but I'll do what I can.

For Day One, how about some cooking help? No, no extra hands available, but there is a cornucopia of web resources I can pass along. I have found that "Allrecipes.com" is a great website for recipes that you can count on without trying them ahead of time. BUT...the secret is to look for recipes that have been reviewed by numerous people with a 5-star rating. For example, this VERY simple recipe for a Thanksgiving Turkey has been reviewed and rated 5 out of 5 stars by nearly 700 people. For their Top 20 T-giving recipes, including pies and side dishes, click here.

Don't forget that you can check out my friend's developing website and homemaker's forum called Twig & Feather. There are already recipes posted, but I bet there will be special Thanksgiving recipes. (I did post my mom's Southern Pecan Pie recipe). I made the unforgettable Homemade Granola recipe the other day...I confess...I've eaten it plain, with yogurt, with milk, and craved it with Breyer's vanilla ice cream. It's near idolatry.

Now, no matter what you think about Martha Stewart, she has a "Thanksgiving Workshop" on her website that is pretty good. It helps you pick your menu, offer decorating tips, choices for centerpieces, how to set a table, and recipes for every single food you would want (and some you don't). I really like what Epicurious magazine did online-The Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide. I don't know what they missed as far as food is concerned and they offer a host of instructional videos for those of us who need to "see it" before we ruin it. :)

Finally, here's a link to "How To Freeze Anything" from Good Housekeeping Magazine online. If you have a host of leftovers and don't want to throw them out (after you've eaten 5 days of turkey and 6 pounds of stuffing), then GH offers a printable PDF chart for freezing fruits, veggies and meats. I've been buying things in bulk with the higher food prices and learned that properly freezing food has produced a huge savings for us overall.

If you don't happen to have HGTV, the Food Network, and all those yummy channels on cable, they are still posted on the web and you don't have to miss a thing. Just click here for their all-time favorite recipes.

I hope these little tidbits help. I spared you my opinions on cooking and all the homegrown KY recipes I have that necessitate bacon fat in nearly every dish but the pecan pie. (For the BEST pecan pie...instead of light Karo syrup, use dark and half the sugar called for). Sorry about that. I couldn't help myself.

Ya Gotta Love Snow!

2008-11-22T10:18:00.011-05:00

People have really strong feelings about snow. You wouldn't think that frozen water would be able to surface more emotions than an hour with a psychologist, but it happens.

Take, for example, the depth of love and height of joy a child has when snow makes a "blizzardy" appearance on test day at school. Yet that same snow tempts the meekest man to erupt in anger or vent frustration in an airport terminal when it cancels his flight. Think of the longing and desire to see it on Christmas morning, yet the absolute abhorrence of it 3 months later. We have to admit, it's a "love-hate" relationship with snow...and with all kinds of conditions attached.

Since it's made such an early appearance this year...since global warming has not only been proven to be false, it's said we are about to enter "global cooling" soon...since we MIGHT see a whole lot of snow this winter...I'd like to try and start us off with a positive perspective. Call it mild delusion, but I say, whatever it takes to help us appreciate our little, white crystallized-friends-who-tend-to-overstay-their-welcome, then let's go for it! Feel free to add your own comments at the end. I bet we could all benefit.

1. Snow is the best color. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Isaiah 1:18

2. Snow is a great blanket to cover all of the ground's brown grass, dead leaves, decaying flowers and dormant spring life.

3. Snow makes me think of marshmallows, which makes me think of hot cocoa, which makes me think of cozy time with a snuggle blanket, family and friends.

4. Snow brings a great excuse to make a less laborious dinner called "soup."

5. Snow brings the material for snowball fights, igloos, snowmen, sleigh rides and ski accidents...I meant to say "challenges."

6. Snow provides FREE exercise rather than paying a gym membership for lifting heavy weight, tossing it from one side to the other, pushing it, pulling it, while traversing over and through it. This works essential muscle groups, benefit overall health and gives a sense of well-being...when taken in conjunction with Advil, Tylenol, or Ibuprofen.

Well, the baby woke up right when I'm on a love-fest with this white stuff. So how about your input?!

Wait and Trust

2008-11-21T10:32:00.004-05:00

Spiders and Good Phobia

2008-11-19T09:08:00.012-05:00

I hate spiders. I can handle snakes, rodents, bugs, and even slimy things of every shape and color. They are mere "inconveniences" in my life...and gardening. But when a spider crawls into my peripheral vision or I know the presence of one is close, my entire body goes on red alert and the "flight" reflex is at maximum warp. It wasn't always this extreme, but two things happened as a kid that have stayed with me into adulthood.

First, when I was really young, I saw a large spider crawling up the side of my neighbor's brick house. Inches away from it, I looked at all of the fascinating markings and big red dot on its back and yelled out to my friend Cindy, "Look at this spider! We gotta keep it!" As I went to capture the new friend in my hand, Cindy screamed "NOOOO!" and hit my outstretched arm so hard that I nearly fell on the concrete patio. "Are you crazy?! That's a black widow spider! You'll DIE if you touch it!!!"

So that was a little traumatic. Then the clincher came while watching a nature special on TV one day. A man had been laying on his couch snatching a quick nap before he had to go to work or something. When he woke up, he noticed some kind of "bite" on his stomach that itched and seemed a bit harder than a mosquito bite. Every day the bite grew larger until he finally went to the Dr. (Why I kept watching can only be attributed to a defect in my DNA.) In a split second, the Dr. pulled out a scalpel, lanced the oval mound and baby spiders poured out like a scene from a horror movie. Yep...that did me in..."arachnophobia" for life.

So what's the point? I was reflecting this morning on women's Bible study yesterday and our discussion about sin and repentance. The Lord told Adam and Eve to eat of any tree in the garden freely, but not to eat of the one that would certainly bring death. They did it anyway. The pain of their violating God's one command was sure and immediate. Romans 5:12 speaks of the generations of people that have followed Adam and Eve for 1,000's of years that have seen with their eyes, heard with their ears, and experienced in their lives the reality of the effects of sin. Clearly stated, "Sin against God brings separation, destruction, pain and death with certainty". (1 Cor.15:56a; Jam.1:15)

Back to the beginning of my story...the mere glimpse of a spider or the sense of its presence triggers heart palpitations and an immediate response to run to the next county. It was instilled in me years ago. I want to have that same fear in regards to sin in my life. The fear that grabbing hold of it and getting bitten by it will bring poison into the bloodstream of my relationship with God, my spouse, my children, family and friends. The fear that if not dealt with immediately, it will not stay dormant, but sin is fertile and breeds all kinds of horrible offspring (Gal.5:19-21; Col.3:5; 1 Cor.3:3).

The world and Satan don't want you to be afraid of sin. I actually found a web page that CNN, NBC and ABC news have all mentioned to help a person "overcome the fear of sin." From their own words, "we reprogram your unconscious mind to understand that sin is illogical with negative emotions attached." Ick. Romans 3:10-18 says MUCH about this. As well as Ps 36:1 "The transgression of the wicked says within my heart, There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes, That his sin will not be found out and be hated."

But...a healthy dose of "sin-ophobia" and hatred of more than just spiders would be a great thing in my own life. Praise the Lord for His healing antidote when I reach out and get bit.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Memorial for Mary Barrett

2008-11-18T13:17:00.007-05:00

Seeing I'm unable to travel and be there in person, would you like to join me in making the trip by prayer? It would be a great gift for Mary and her dear husband Joe, if we could lift up the service, memorial, and all of Mary's family and friends in loving remembrance before the Lord.

Click Here for more details...

After the Fire

2008-11-14T14:41:00.014-05:00

Somewhere between stage 2 and 3 of sleep last night, I was jolted awake by our phone ringing. When it's close to midnight, people don't normally call to chit-chat. The voice on the other end sounded familiar, frightened, and told me through tears...my youngest niece was caught in a fast-moving fire engulfing houses and buildings on Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. I realized it was my oldest niece and asked her to repeat what she had said. The kids were scattered about the college campus on a typical gorgeous evening when fire alarms went off to the shock of nearly 1,000 students. Within a matter of minutes, pine-filled embers were flying through flames 100 feet high, eucalyptus trees were bursting and kids were running to reach the temporary safety of the gymnasium. My niece called her sister from the gym and tried to talk to her amidst the chaos, cries and confusion but her phone was not well charged and soon disconnected. There were a few texts which followed with the last words "I love you so much" before the phone battery died and contact was lost. Hence, my phone call.

I immediately dropped to my knees in the dark and we began to pray together. The story in Daniel 3 was not just a Sunday school coloring page...it was the cry of my heart. For a young teenage girl with no parents or grandparents left alive, she needed to know the Father was there with her in that moment as no one else could reach her.

Dan 3:24,25 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

The Lord gave me peace that He was there in the midst and she would be delivered. When we finished praying, my born-again niece and I had prayed that all of those kids would see the reality of God and His power in the midst of destruction. They would know His grace, His protection, His goodness, mercy and that HIS beauty would be brought out of the ashes that remain today.

That school is not the same Christian college it used to be...it seems much like any other secular college around the country today. But I have hope. Just about an hour ago, we heard a testimony that in a particular area of the campus, some buildings (including the psychology and arts buildings), trees, and beautiful gardens were completely destroyed by flames, but in the center of it all...untouched...remained the original 40-seat "prayer chapel". As described on their website, the chapel was built to provide "a place to spend time with God and to pray and meditate in a quiet spot away from earthly noise and distractions."

God's protective hand was a shield over that place of prayer and quietness with God while everything around it was burned up like chaff. Click HERE for photos.

I don't want to cut this short...but I think if I stop here and just allow the Lord to finish this entry for you...He'd do a much better job than I ever could. Bless you.

Dan 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him...

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.

A Stroll to Repentance

2008-11-13T11:04:00.013-05:00

I was the last one to go to bed last night and the first to wake up this morning. The Lord had some things He wanted to discuss and He needed my undivided attention. (Once the baby wakes up my focused attention turns into multi-tasking and "division" is a necessity). So I grabbed my coffee, kept all the lights off, and cozied up in the corner of the couch to pray.

Prayer began like a nice morning stroll discussing different areas of life with the Lord until I began to think about the price that He had to pay for my sin. It had been a while since I truly stopped and meditated on that truth outside of a sermon. When I taught through the Gospel of John with the women's study a couple of years ago, the scene with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane had touched me in a fresh way. One of the blessings was the realization that even the Son of God had a time when He did not like the will of His Father for His life. He had asked the Father to not only take the cup from Him, but if there was any other way to accomplish His will, could He have "Plan B" so to speak. That uncovered a fresh reminder of the Lord's grace and understanding when I sometimes wrestle with "the cup" of the Father's will that He wants me to drink from. I tried to think about and visualize the intensity of Jesus' prayer, hear the cries of His heart and see such depth of wrestling in the spirit that sweat came out as blood. Yet...for love's sake...there was an ultimate surrender to the will of His Father in the word "nevertheless".

Then in prayer I revisited the cross and thought about Jesus' scourging, His beaten face, torn garments, the mocking, spitting, nails, weighted pressure of every sin of every human being placed upon Him, the torment from hell and torture of separation as His Father's face turned away in rejection. I prayed "Lord, I can't grasp it! It's too deep, high and wide in scope. I can't even imagine...but I want to be slain by the reality of it. Why don't I immediately repent when I think about the price You had to pay for my sin?"

The scripture immediately came to my mind, 1Cor. 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know..." Sunglasses...we have to wear them now because our eyes are too weak to handle the full radiance of the sun into our eyes. But there will be a day when there will be no need for the sun, nor glasses to protect our vision...the Lord and His radiance will provide all the light we need and we will NOT want to take our eyes off of Him. Yes...our vision of spiritual things is like trying to look through dark glasses or dust covered mirrors. Very limited.

But...love is not blind unless it's driven by the flesh and then should be called "lust." Love "sees" very clearly when it's from God. It doesn't see through dark glasses nor dirt covered reflections. Love is what motivated Christ to live a sinless life, resist temptation, persevere through affliction, obey His Father's will, and endure the cross while despising the shame. The Word says that Jesus could see past the cross to the reward of joy in Heb.12:2. Love. 1Cor 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

"Repentance"...the Lord had me come back full circle and sit there for a while. My sight of things may be dimmed in life. My understanding of circumstances may be skewed and unclear. The revelation of the cross cannot be accurately depicted by a movie nor described well enough by a book..or "blah-g." But God's love...that heart of pure love which looks on the object of its love with a vulnerable, abandoned, passionate sense of surrender. God wants my love for Him to be like that...rather than calloused, tainted, clouded, cold and dark. If this is my heart towards God, it's only because there is sin somewhere...which has brought death...which has not been repented of.

He pointed out something in my heart that was sin in His eyes...I repented immediately.

1Cor. 13:8 Love never fails...

Heaven's New Choir Member

2008-11-11T20:39:00.014-05:00

My very dear friend Mary Barrett went home to be with the Lord last night. After speaking with her briefly only days ago, hearing her struggle with every breath and the pain attached to each word, I rejoice that her suffering is over. She is looking into the face of the One she has sung to for years. The joy she must be experiencing! But I'm going to greatly miss my friend. I'd like to do something special on this blog in the future about her...there are many wonderful pictures and years of memories and funny stories I can share...I just need a little time. I know you all understand. Prov. 10:7a "The memory of the righteous is blessed." Click here if you would like to go to her website.

A friend sent me a devotional from the Updated Version of Streams in the Desert. It follows the same "flow" of encouragement the Lord has been speaking to all of us lately. I pray you are as encouraged and blessed by it as I was.

Seek Communion

"They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine" (Hosea 14:7).

The day closed with heavy showers. The plants in my garden were beaten down before the pelting storm, and I saw one flower that I had admired for its beauty and loved for its fragrance exposed to the pitiless storm. The flower fell, shut up its petals, dropped its head; and I saw that all its glory was gone. "I must wait till next year," I said, "before I see that beautiful thing again."

That night passed, and morning came; the sun shone again, and the morning brought strength to the flower. The light looked at it, and the flower looked at the light. There was contact and communion, and power passed into the flower. It held up its head, opened its petals, regained its glory, and seemed fairer than before. I wonder how it took place--this feeble thing coming into contact with the strong thing, and gaining strength!

I cannot tell how it is that I should be able to receive into my being a power to do and to bear by communion with God, but I know It is a fact.

Are you in peril through some crushing, heavy trial? Seek this communion with Christ, and you will receive strength and be able to conquer. "I will strengthen thee."