Doctor, my eyes!!

Hebrews 12:1-3 states: Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  

“Hello?”

“Hi.  I’d like to make an I appointment, please.”

“Of course.  Have you been here before?”

“No, ma’am.  Although I probably should have called a long time ago.”

“I see.  May I ask the nature of your visit?”

Sigh.  “Well, you see, I have this I problem.”  I hesitated.

In an exasperated tone, the receptionist replies,”Most folks do who call our office.  Can you please be a little more specific?”

Sigh again.  Okay, lady, you asked for it!  “Well, you see, as I explained, I have an I problem.  I can’t seem to stop taking pictures of myself.  If there’s a photo op, I’ll be sure to stop for it.  If there’s not one but I think a cool picture could come from it, I’ll pull over, get out my selfie stick, and take some.  Why, just the other day at the Hobby Lobby, I passed this section that had mirrors with the word SELFIE already on it.  So, of course, I had to get out the camera and take one.”

“Ma’am?  Is this some kind of a joke?  We are here for people who have VISION problems.”

“That’s what I am trying to explain to you!!  I get seem to get I out my eyes!!  Instead of seeing what is going on around me, I only see what I want to see.  I need some serious help, ma’am, and I’d appreciate it if you could get me seen as soon as possible.  Oh dear:  I just made a pun.  Did you get it?  ‘Seen as possible’ could be re-written as ‘seen as possible'--as in I see you.  Oh, I crack myself up.”

“Lady, I don’t know what kind of game you are playing, but I don’t have any more time to waste with you.  I suggest perhaps you call a clinic that deals with mental issues and see if they can help you!”

“Oh, please don’t hang up on me!  This is not a joke.  I really need some help.  For you see, I am a child of God.  I am supposed to be looking up and fixing my eyes on Jesus.  Instead, I seem to find that I am looking for love in all of the wrong places.  I can’t seem to focus on His Word because my eyes keep seeing things around me that require my attention.  I just cannot seem to concentrate on the things above instead of the things down here on earth.  If you could just fit me in this afternoon, I know a doctor could help me.  Hello?  Hello?  She hung up on me.  Oh!  Now what will I do?”

You've got (fe)mail!

August 28, 2015

Good morning!  Tell me something:  how do you start your day?  No, not the details about what you have to do before getting the kids and hubby ready, but your day?  Do you start off with a quick run to the bathroom?  Do you start the coffee pot and read/journal/pray before the others wake up?  Do you check your email and Facebook and such to see what you missed overnight?

If you’re like me, it’s mostly a combination of those things.  Depending on if I wake on my own or by way of the alarm clock, I tend to check my phone for “pertinent information” that I just “need to know” before my day starts.  However, once the hubby is gone and once I have gotten my eyes to better focus, I tend to go a little deeper.  I’d like to say that I immediately start praying and doing a devotion or some other deeply spiritual activity but alas!  I’d be lying if I said I did that. And oh how the devil loves to throw it in my face and try to make my day start off with his dear friend Guilt.  “If you really loved God, you wouldn’t put anything in front of Him!”  Oh Guilt:  why don’t you go on back to where you came from and stop nagging me?

Anyways, back to my original thoughts as to how I start my day.  Generally, I check out Facebook, in particular the messages received.  For you see, I have this great church family and we have a prayer message chain that we update as necessary--and if you know us ladies, there are many things that are constantly being added to this conversation.  And that is what I want to talk to you about this morning.

Psalm 133:1 writes “How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!”  I couldn’t agree more!  Do you know what a comfort it is to wake up and see that others are already lifting up needs and praying on behalf of the requests that have been made known?  Do you know how wonderful it is to know that one sweet soul can add to this list at any time and the responses come almost immediately?  Do you know how my heart smiles as I think of these women who have become so vital to me?  Ahh.  Happy sigh.

The picture I used for today was from a couple of months back when we had a Ladies Tea in order to get to know one another better.  This was our “goofy” pic ‘cause--like the song says--“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!”  And while that is true, girls also want someone to share with.  They want to know that they aren’t alone.  They--I--need to know that when there is a need, there is an able-bodied woman there to provide instant consolation, understanding, and who will pray for that request without hesitation.

So, wonderful gals of Clarks Chapel Baptist Church and my Facebook Friends who respond when I cry out:  thank you.  Thank you for showing me Christ through your actions, through your faith, and through your love for the brethren--and sistren!  May your day be as special, sweet, and sincere as you are.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray this.  Amen!

Take a good look at my face

August 27, 2015

It’s almost that time I again.  I can already feel the dread in the pit of my stomach as the day approaches.  Seven years.  Seven years?  Yeah, tomorrow marks the anniversary of the day my sister Mary left me, left her family, and left this world.

Sigh.  I miss her.  Not just on anniversary dates and not just on her birthday or on holidays. I miss her on a daily basis.  Time has eased much of this sense of loss but there will always be a portion of my heart that also died on that date, August 28, 2008.  While in our past, Mary left me with a visual scar or two (that’s how I got my middle toe on my left foot marred), the scar on my soul is not evident, and is not easily seen with the naked eye.

Scars are fascinating things when you think about them.  If your body was revealed with all of yours, what history lessons would we learn?  I told you about my toe.  The back and top of my head have a couple as well, from my brother Billy.  He thought hitting me with a See-And-Say toy was a good idea, as well as pushing me off of the bed and accidentally knocking me into a trunk.  Stitches were required, just as they were that time Mary swung her Brownie belt round and around and nipped me in the skull way back when.  And the time my dad hit a line-drive right into my eye.  Were you to see my belly, you would see where my darling daughter was removed from me over thirty-one years ago via a C-section.  On my left arm, if you look closely enough, you can see the fading line of where our first dog, Flossie, in her exuberance to “love” me, had her mouth open, slobber fully oozing down her chops, and teeth exposed as she tried to jump up on me and welcome me.  Other scars I have include one on my neck, from when I had surgery to repair some residual damage from a car wreck that could have been so much worse than it was back in 1985.  The surgery itself wasn’t until 1999, the year I finally graduated from college.  Still more proof that I have lived, that I have survived these injuries, are on my face, my arms, back, stomach, and legs where pre-skin cancers have been removed--some more than once.  There’s this one on my right shoulder that resembles a scorpion, my astrological sign (if I went for that kind of thing, that is).  I joke and tell folks it’s my tattoo.  If you studied my face, you could see the long line on my left cheek that goes from my eye to my ear.  When I first had it and it was still so vibrant, I’d joke that I was in a bar fight.  

Okay, Stef, what in the world is all this jabbering about?  Who really wants to know about your scars, your war injuries, and the pains of your childhood?  Or from adulthood, for that matter?

Honestly?  Not many.  Not many of us want to see and hear the others’ tales of woe and such.  But you know what?  You cannot go far without someone having one to show off, some new blight on their body that they must share with someone else.  Steve had this Uncle, Sherley, who was like this.  Oh my cow!  If he had a new scar, he wanted the whole world to see it but if you tried to share with him yours?  He’d cringe, physically walk away, and avoid it all costs.  When Mary, my beloved sister, used to be beaten by her then-husband, she’d show us all her wounds, her bruises, and her injuries--almost proudly--as we all just kind of stood there and shook our heads, wondering when enough would be enough.  I guess the keys dug into her scalp and the loss of a tooth or two finally were enough to convince her that Frank was not going to change.

Okay, Stef, you are rambling again.  Can we just get on with this?  Please!

Sure; here goes.  Remember our Lord Jesus Christ?  Remember how He was beaten for crimes He was accused of but didn’t commit?  Remember how He was whipped within inches of His life?  Lastly, do you remember how He was hung on a cross for my sins and when He finally gave up the ghost, just to be sure, a sword was thrust through His side to ensure that He was really dead?  I remember.  And I cringe at these scars that His precious body underwent for the likes of me.  I try to not conjure up those images in my mind.  Watching the movie “The Passion of the Christ” is not one of my favorite past times because it shows so vividly what Christ suffered in a way that leaves its own scar on my mind.

Thomas, the doubter, though, was one of those rare people who had to see something of this magnitude to believe it.  John 20:25 tells it like this:

The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he

said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put

my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.

Jesus’ response when He and Thomas were again face-to-face was this:

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands;

and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless,

but believing.  And Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen

Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Friends, some of us are this way too.  We won’t believe something until we actually witness it with our own eyes, touch it with our own hands.  And some of us just have to--we cannot help ourselves--we just have to show and tell others what has damaged us.  Maybe it’s to use as a witness that we are survivors?  Maybe it’s to show that what didn’t kill us made us stronger?  Maybe it’s just as a testimony to the great grace God had in our lives that He saved us from these harms and let us live to give Him the glory?  I don’t know.  But, what I suggest, is the next time that someone wants to show you his/her blemishes, the next time someone has a story to tell that is just vital for them to share?  Listen.  Look, if you can.  For you see, you are acknowledging their pain, their purpose, and their presence.  God kept them here for a reason.  Maybe their story will have the effect on you of allowing you to see that your story might help others too.  There are lessons in those scars.  From my own, I learned many:

• Don’t mess with someone bigger than you
• Don’t go near dogs who are too excited
• Don’t play with those whose idea of fun involves weapons
• Stay out of the sun without protection
• Don’t let your husband or significant other hit you

Sigh.  It’s no use thinking we are going to escape life without a few bumps and bruises.  Studies have even proven we won’t get out alive--if you can believe that!  Seriously though, my friends, there are going to be times in life when it hurts.  And in those times, our pain can be so extreme that we must share our boo boos.  Our miracles are so miraculous that we must tell others how God brought us through.  And those scars that are bitter reminders?  Yes, they must be shared too to hopefully warn others that it doesn’t have to go that far.  

Will you pray now with me?  Thanks!  And thanks for reading this to the end.  My hope is that my blogs will be a blessing and an encouragement to you.  We aren’t in life alone, no matter what the devil whispers to us.  Remember that!

Dear Lord God, this was another of those hard to write blogs.  I pray that my words will have the desired effect of revealing to others that it’s not what happens to our bodies on the outside as much as what comes forth that is important.  From Jesus’ flowed life and water as He was pierced for us.  Healing came as the blood washed away our sins and the water provided cleansing from them.  May our wounds too ease and comfort others as we show them off--and as we listen to those whose hurts must be shared, may we let them know that we care, that we are sorry this happened and that they had to go through it, and mostly, that we acknowledge them.  Some wounds we will never see and I thank You for that.  If we truly saw each other and the things we have all survived, we might just give up.  But we aren’t quitters, Father!  No:  we are believers and fighters and with Your help, we will make it until You call us home, wounded and weary, and praising You all the way for what You have brought us through.  May it be so, Lord.  Amen.

Country girls gettin' down on the farm

Good afternoon!  I hope things are going well with you today.  My day started off normally enough, what with getting up and fixing the ol’ man’s breakfast and such.  But then, I had to get myself ready and go see the doctor for an annual physical.  Everything seemed to go pretty well and for the most part, she and I are both pleased with my well-being.  However, there’s this one issue we both knew about and tried to not discuss but there was just no way around it:  my weight.  The elephant in the room was not to be denied.

Now, this was not a surprise to me--this weight issue.  I didn’t have to be told what the health repercussions were from carrying around this extra baggage for you see, I have heard of it before.  Quite a few times actually.  I didn’t have to be reminded that lack of exercise was detrimental to my well-being because I have already listened to that line of chatter before.  In fact, I’ve been “all ears” before to the latest fads, the controversial surgeries, and all sorts of other plans that are out there to help one lose unwanted pounds.  What did surprise me was that my doctor read between the lines.  She knew that I--a fifty-one-year-old-woman-- was not a dummy.  She knew that I was aware of the situation.  She comprehended without me speaking to her about the above that we both knew the situation and what the best course of action was for me at this stage of the game.  She heard what I didn’t say and then she compassionately spoke with me about it and we made a game plan of sorts.

So, what does this have to do with the parable that Jesus told His disciples in the Book of Mark?  Plenty!  How many times have you been told to do something--whether it was to increase your knowledge, to better your skills, or just because someone told you to do so?  You knew what was being said was correct and you may have even acted upon it so as to get those folks off of your back or because...because you knew in your heart it was the right thing to do.  Your ears not only heard what was being said, your mind listened to these simple truths and you made the choice to react in the way that would create a better lifestyle for you.

Jesus told His twelve that they were specially chosen to hear His words.  He explained the mysteries that many of us are still trying to figure out.  He gave them special care because He knew He wouldn’t be around for much longer and someone was going to have to be able to keep His story going.  And what did they do with this harvest of knowledge?  Read your Bibles and find out!  The stories are numerous; the countless lives changed because Peter learned what it meant to really love Christ.  The doubts of Thomas were empathized with when others heard his tale of how seeing to believe something was not always the best act of faith.  The ones who had been defrauding one another learned numerous lessons from the old tax collector who sought to make right his wrongs.  On and on the stories go!  And the reason they do so is because these men listened.  They had ears to hear with. Their acts of faith in what they listened to brought forth much grain.  

So now it is our turn.  I mentioned above how old I am.  Should Jesus call me home today what would I have to show for my education?  How many rows of corn could I show Him were tended to under my farming?  How many people were fed on the produce I produced?  

My doctor was kind and gentle with me this morning but some of the last words out of her mouth were that she would be holding me accountable for the decisions I made.  Not as a threat but instead as an encouragement.  She cares.  She wants what is best for me.  She wants me to be my best.  Hmn.  Kinda sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it?  He is compassionate.  He is mindful of my condition.  And, He too wants my life to be the finest that it can be.  Plus, He will be beside me each step of the way to motivate me and to hearten me on my way.  Aww shucks:  with such a Friend like this, I think I can get out and hoe my rows of corn so that my barns may be filled with future nourishment for those that I get to feed.  He didn’t let you read this blog for nothing, right?  So, let’s get to it!  Ready or not, He’s coming back soon.  Let’s show Him we weren’t foolish with the things we have heard and have been taught.  Who knows?  Maybe we can have a popcorn party when it’s all said and done!

Let’s pray!

Oh Lord, thank You once again for using the everyday occurrences in life to teach me invaluable lessons.  Thank You also for a doctor who hears, who listens, and who treats me personally and not as just some corny redneck fresh from the farm.

Father?  I know there are many areas in my life that I have been told to do things differently at.  Not just physical things, Lord, but personal ones that You have been repeating to me and I have been basically either covering my ears and humming while You spoke or placing my hands over my ears and saying “What?  I can’t hear You.”  Help me to be still, to tune my ears to Your commands, and then to get up off of my duff and follow You.  Help me to be a doer of Your Word, Father.  In the name of Jesus I pray.  Amen.

A new covenant

August 24, 2015

Dictionary.com defines the word covenant as “an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.”  God has made several of these with His children throughout time and I myself have made a few with Him that have proven true.  So, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?  I thought I’d do it again.

Yesterday, Steve and I went to Mills River to visit with some family who were visiting from Michigan.  We had a fun time and enjoyed seeing our families reacquaint themselves with one another as new generations have been brought into the fold.  Prior to the get-together, though, Steve and I went to Pap’s house to check things out and to see how it looked.  For those of you who aren’t regular readers:  shame on you!  How am I supposed to have a successful blog if you don’t remain faithful?!  Aww, I’m just kidding.  Mostly.  Anyway, for those who aren’t aware, Steve’s dad passed on Valentine’s Day and we are trying to sell his house.  We’ve been praying over it and have felt hopeful each time we get a notification that it is being shown by realtors.  However, we aren’t happy with the time it is taking to complete this process so a little over a week ago, we decided to go into a covenant prayer with our Lord for the sale of this house, as well as another matter that shall remain private for now.

Yesterday, though, on the way up the mountain, I told Steve that in the past, whomever I had made a covenant prayer with, we usually had set a time period on it.  Not to limit God:  oh no, my friends.  We all know it is His timing that is best!  But, He’s not dumb either.  And with all of the requests made to Him on a daily basis, He doesn’t need to be reminded of the same thing over and over.  So,we concluded we wouldn’t pester Him with this covenant any longer, though we would still be waiting to see it come to fruition.

As we were leaving Clyde’s house yesterday, and Steve was walking out the door, I snapped this picture of him.  When he got back to the car, I told him that I didn’t want to ever see him leaving this house again.  Overcome with emotion and eyes filled with tears, I told him I was done with it, done with trying to make the sale of the house go my way, done with trying to think how the realtor should and shouldn’t do things, done with...done with my control issues of trying to have everything my way.

As we sat there together, I asked him to not speak and I began to pray.  “Dear Lord:  You have blessed this home for many years.  There have been good times, sad times, fun times, and a few bad and we thank You for them all.  And now, as we turn this home over to You, we ask that You give it to a new family.  May the next time we see it be as a “drive by” and see kids playing in the yard, a couple of rocking chairs be on the porch, and a happy family enjoying this home.  Lord, we give You this home and now ask that You give it to someone else.”  Something to that effect.  My heart was overcome with emotions and...and peace.  

Don’t you know--do you not know--that God wants His children to be full of peace, full of trust, and to be complete in Him?  Whatever the situation, whatever the need, we are to go to our Father, tell Him what we want, tell Him why we want it, and trust that His answer will be for our good.  Not every prayer request is house-sized, though.  Some of us are trying within ourselves to make the situation work out when what we really need to do is just ask God to take care of it.  His timing may be a little longer than we desire but there’s a purpose for that.  Whether He’s working out something in you, me, or the unknown benefactor, He’s got this under control.  When I release Him to do this (and for control freaks like myself this is one of the hardest things to do), it’s just so much nicer.  Easier.  

Let go of your houses today, friends.  Turn loose of those kids, that co-worker, that friend that has you pulling your hair out.  Release those loved ones that you are striving over.  And those material possessions you are aiming for?  Give God your ammo and let Him decide if you really need them.  He may say “yes” or He may say “no” but until You leave the decision in His hands, you are just making strife that doesn’t have to be in your life.  Let go.  Let them go.  Let it go.

Dear Lord,

Whew!  My head feels so much better today as it is not beating against the brick walls that I have self-imposed.  Thank You for peace, for understanding, and for assurance.  May the walls, the homes, the kids, the hubbies, and the whatevers all be turned over to You as we trust in Your yoke today is my prayer for me and those who are reading this--and even for the ones who aren’t.  In the sweet name of Jesus I pray.  Amen!

This is the day!

Good morning!  I don't know about you, but I sure am grateful for the rains we received around here this week.  It's so nice to have the yuck washed away and the ground replenished, don't you think?

Psalm 147:8 says "He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills."  As you ponder on the different scenarios across the United States, you can't help but wonder why God allows drought in some areas, flooding in others, and wildfires to wreak their havoc in various parts.  Also, there's the threat of Hurricane Danny to disrupt the peaceful weather we are experiencing in my neighborhood this morning.

I have no answer for this.  I have no answer for the discussion of the degrees of hell and the different reward tiers in heaven.  I can't even begin to explain the mindset of us Americans as we go through the process of electing new leaders and guess what?  I don't care.  Not in a mean, sarcastic way.  What I am saying is that I don't have the inclination to get involved with things that are over my spiritual pay grade.  Some things in life are just better accepted at face value as we focus on the wonders of God and His creation rather than trying to figure out the particulars.

On that note, I wish you a happy day.  Enjoy the beauty provided to you.  Love on those whom you get to spend time with and for those you've not seen or heard from in a while?  Give 'em a call.  Write them a letter.  Let them know they are on your heart.  It only takes a few minutes and that is something that I indeed know about and realize the effects of.  Remember:  if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, thank You for the marvelous and majestic scenery around me.  The sunrises and the sunsets, the pretty flowers, the green grass, and the wondrous skies are all provided by You for Your children to enjoy.  

As You know, I have many souls asking me and others for prayer today for either themselves, friends, and/or family members.  Father God, may Your will be done for them and in them.  Whatever situations are going on, my hope is that we will love as You love and that that comfort will show the world that we are different and that we have a hope that they too may cling to.  I love You, Lord, and praise You for the great and mighty things You are doing.  In Christ's name, amen!

Everybody knows you are a good woman

 

"Everybody knows you are a good woman." That could be the title of this blog today but can it be the title of my life? There is the real question.

Ever since attending Clarks Chapel Baptist Church regularly, the morning services have been on the book of Ruth. It was quite enlightening to hear in depth (and I mean great depth) this story in such detail. I guess what stood out to me in large part was the relationship between Naomi and Ruth. I mean really: who follows their mother-in-law to a strange land--especially when she is in a "mood"--and then does what she tells her to in such specific detail? Who goes to such extremes to place such high regard to her words and her plans with blind faith?

Ruth did. She did to the letter what Naomi dictated to her and look what it got her: her kinsman redeemer. Without going into too much detail (although you may reference these messages at https://vimeo.com/user18243660/videos), Ruth went and gleaned in the fields, made herself known to the workers and thus to Boaz, and exemplified the role she was to fill in the annals of history by her obedience. Some liken this story to the one of Jesus Christ (our very own Kinsman Redeemer) being portrayed by Boaz and the Bride of Christ as being Ruth. And Naomi? She is compared to the nation of Israel. It's quite fascinating and I hope if you aren't familiar with the story that you will be incited to discover it for yourselves.

But here's what I want to focus on this morning: Ruth 3:11. "And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman." Boaz said these words to Ruth as she lie there at his feet, waiting for him to redeem her. Wow. "I know that thou art a virtuous woman."

What a reputation to have--not just to a few but to the whole city! I've heard that expression of "your reputation precedes you" but to have the one who matters most to know it of you? Wow. To do what is asked, simply because you have made such an impression by your character speaking for itself so much so that others can't seem to stop singing your praises? Again I say "Wow."

So, now to the crux of it all: what do others say about you, about me? When our names are uttered, are they done so with much fanfare, much enthusiasm, and much inspiration? Compare it to how some folks would feel if their favorite singer/actor/religious person was coming to town. How many folks would immediately try to do all they could to just be in the presence of such wonder? The other day, for example, I was told of a couple who are interested in becoming members of our church. Dumbfounded--since to my knowledge--that had only attended once (and I wasn't even there), I persisted in asking a few questions to make sure they knew what they were getting involved with. Not in a mean way because who wouldn't want to attend Clarks Chapel Baptist Church? No, rather it was because I was...hmn. What's the word? Not surprised, and certainly not awed nor amazed. I was...astonished, yes that's the word! I was astonished that they could decide so quickly to join but then again I shouldn't be. After all, our church is filled with great folks. The Word of God is taught completely and without any covering up of God's truths. The choir is great! The people are friendly, welcoming, and open up their hearts easily. After all, they let me in, so they must be pretty special. The reputation of my church had drawn them in--and they liked what they saw!

In conclusion, I'd like us all to take a couple of moments and remember that others are always looking at us. Many are often speaking of us. Mostly though, we are constantly preaching a sermon with our lives. Are we enticing others with our pleasantness to want to know us better or are we repelling them away from us with our bitterness? What needs to change? What needs to be continued? I've blogged before on the song "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me." Someone is, friends. Someone is.

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, how wonderful and proud I am to be a part of a church that allows others to feel welcomed with just one visit! Thank Your for leading Steve and me to Clarks Chapel and for the love we feel from the congregation each time we enter--as well as the love expressed when we aren't able to attend. May our church continue to grow, to flourish, and to shine under Your care.

Now Father, I ask something more personal. Will You please help me to be a part of that? Will You create in me a clean heart, a loving spirit, and a welcoming attitude? Will You temper my heart and my mind to focus on You and will You help me most, Lord, to love like You do? I want my reputation to be without blemish, Lord, but I know my past has ways of exacting its ugly self up at times to try to tear down whom I am today. Thank You, Father, for rebirth. I am not whom I was and I am proud of the works You have accomplished in me (although we both know there is still so much more that needs to be done!). May I continue growing, learning, and loving is my prayer today, asked in the name of Jesus because there is no one else who can do this for me. Amen.

Back to school time!

I Peter 1: 24-25 "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

Good morning!  It's coming.  The end of summer.  The start of fall.  You can feel it in the air and you can see it in nature.  The grass isn't needing to be mowed each week.  The fruits on the vine are not as fruitful.  The flowers are giving it all they've got but...but seasons change.  The nights are not as bright and don't seem to linger like they did a month or so ago.

We can't fight change.  The kids have to start back to school and the leisurely summer days are dwindling down.  If we aren't careful and don't prepare ourselves, we will find a hectic pace awaits us as we battle the clock to get them to school on time, to get ourselves to work without battling the extra traffic, and we will find ourselves harried as we struggle to do more in shorter amounts of time.

Why do things have to change?  Why can't it just be summer forever?  Why does man get to mandate when the kids are to be educated and playtime is only for a couple of months in the year?  I guess it's so we will appreciate those vacations, those breaks, and those times of refreshment.  If, for example, kids went to school from January to October, then that means they'd have the winter off.  For many, that would mean more indoor time, less exploring outside, and fewer ways to entertain one's self.  The days are much shorter so the bodies wouldn't be so tightly wound as the natural order of rest affected us.  No crops are growing then so it would just be a great time to refresh and to rest, right?

Sigh.  There are many reasons that this idea wouldn't work.  And just because it might make sense to me does not imply that it is the best way to go anyways.

The grass withers.  It gets hot and dry because of the constant shining of the sun and the heat of the day upon it.  This causes the flowers to fade also.  Their brilliance is diminished as their roots begin to lose the vitality they had in the earlier days of spring.  All flesh is like grass and our glory is like that of the flowers. We come to the ends of our ropes and eventually we will just drift on off.  Our works and the things done in the flesh will burn up and what will remain?

The Word of God will.  The lessons we teach our children and friends will go on.  They will not be lessened nor return void.  They will endure.  They will last.  Their beauty will never fade.  

Too many of us, though, seem to throw in the towel too early.  When it gets hot, we quit trying.  When it gets dry, we don't seek refreshment from other sources, such as church and other ministries.  We hibernate in the fall and winter months and burrow in our comfy yet staid homes.  We exist but we don't live to the fullest.

Even though this blog today seems a bit depressing, I want to encourage you to consider that the coming months don't have to be ones of drudgery.  Just because more rules are in effect and are trying to mandate when we can relax and when we have to work doesn't mean that there can't still be joy, that there still can't be great times.  Seasons change and there are times appointed for all things under the sun.  Allow the coming months to be times of harvesting.  Our work is not done, friends.  There is still so much to do!  Don't fade and wither:  shine and stretch, stretch your arms out to our Father in glory, and let Him continue working in you to do His good pleasure.  I know He's still working on me.  Will You allow him to perfect you as well?

Let's pray!

Lord, I hope this had made some sense, for as I am writing it and reflecting upon it, it has me all confused.  I don't even have kids that go back to school nor a job to go to so the rat race that is about to ensue next week doesn't really affect me.

Ugh.  Do what You can with my words, Lord, and help them to encourage others to keep persevering for You, to keep teaching their children about You, and to keep serving You regardless of how much daylight there is.  As for me?  Well, You've got Your hands full trying to straighten me out!  But I'm willing, Lord, for You to work in me.  I'm waiting, Father, for Your call.  I'm here, God.  Do with me what You will so that I may be fruitful and shine for You is my prayer.  Amen.

It's finger pointing time

August 18, 2015

Somebody has a boo boo.  Okay, it’s me.  I’m the one with the injury.  The other night--against my better judgement--I bit my fingernail.  Some old habits are just so hard to break--or bite.  So, I suffered the consequence when my cuticle decided it was just too attached to the nail itself to let go.  And it didn’t.  It refused to budge.  Finally, painstakingly, I had to rip it from my finger.  To say “ouch!” would not do this hurt justice.

I have rewritten the above paragraph numerous times because of this one little blight on my hand.  This one little portion that is bandaged keeps me hitting the backspace button over and over as it lights upon the wrong keys as I try to type.  The throbbing of it throughout the night was intense.  The way it catches on fabrics has been more than annoying.  All of this inconvenience from one blessed fingernail??

I Corinthians 12 tells us all about this, about how one part makes such a difference in the whole.  Read it with me?

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

In case I ever doubted how vital my role in this Christian walk is, this reminder of size mattering cleared it up.  I mean really:  how many of us think of the cuticles in our churches?  How many of us consider the minute things that cannot be done when this portion of the body is injured?  

How about you, friends?  Ever think you don’t matter, that your contributions are so teeny that they don’t even make a difference?  You would be wrong.  You would be misled.  You would be tricked.  For you see, some of us only have a little to give.  There just has been so much poured out through the years that it seems that if one more soul asks us to do one more thing that we will just quit, that we will just go into hibernation mode, and that we will just suck on our little thumbs ‘til the cows come home and wallow in our misery.  We’ll hide our aches in our flesh-colored bandages and hope no one notices them.  Right?  Because if someone did notice, then we might have to tell what happened.  We might have to reveal our weakness in avoiding old habits that lead us to new anguishes.  We might have to share how this boo boo does not need to be repeated and perhaps our story might help them out in letting them know we don’t have to be perfect to perform.  It’s easier to just sit and burrow, isn’t it, nursing our wounds, and letting others keep us on our shelves, never dusting us off, never picking us up?  When we keep believing we are useless, that there is no more use to us, then the devil wins.  The body suffers.  The crusade of Christ is lessened.

Are you really going to fall for that, friends?  Are you really going to continue thinking you have nothing left to give?  If yes, then shame on you!  Sometimes life hurts!  Sometimes life is unfair!  And yes, some of our pasts are so ugly and scarred that we think they are best left in darkness, left where no one will see them or notice them.  Sigh.  

I think it’s time to pray.  Join me?

Oh dear God!  Thank You for this tearing apart of my flesh to reveal Yourself to me once again.  Thank You for the throbbing in my finger that reminds me of the blood it takes to save my soul.  Thank You for the clumsiness that now avails as I try to type because it makes me be more careful with my words.  Thank You for my weaknesses in returning to old sins to show me that I cannot in my own body make it on my own, that I am in constant need of the other members to function.  Thank You for lessons learned, Father.  May whoever reads this realize they are vital, that they are needed, wanted, and mostly, that they are loved more than they know.  In the name of Christ Jesus I pray.  Amen!