Souvenirs of 2011

 The definition of the word souvenir is “a thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event.” A souvenir can be just about anything.  I have a drawer full of t-shirts that say "I Love" and then the name of a city or place.  Some people bring home key chains, state magnets, or event programs.  Shortly after we were married, Denny and I started collecting coffee cups from different places we visited. I would like to say it was for some well thought out reason but it was basically because they were cheap.  After we would get back home, we put the cup on a shelf in the kitchen to be used throughout the year as a reminder of our trip.  In the middle of winter, we could be drinking out of a cup from St. Thomas.  After a long hard day, we could grab a cup from London and remind ourselves of beautiful fairy tale castles. We have a cup from a Texas rodeo my entire family attended, a cup from a Florida alligator farm where Jake held a live alligator, state parks where we hiked trails and discovered waterfalls.  Each one still brings a flood of happy memories from times past.  

Writing a blog was my daughter’s idea and I will always be thankful for her encouraging me to try something new.  I am amazed at the souvenirs I have gathered during 2011 as I have written a weekly blog.  I have memories from some very difficult times, my brother going home to be with the Lord and one of my best friends being diagnosed with breast cancer, to a great memory of my grandson Kyle graduating from 8^th grade.  I will never forget the spiritual treasures I discovered watching Brianna and Jake hunt for hidden gold coins. I have blogged insights from the Lord through ordinary everyday butterflies, eagles, refrigerator fungus, red boots, and snowflakes. So much has happened over the course of a year. Each one of these blog posts is a souvenir I treasure.  It is a blessing to go back through and remember the goodness and faithfulness of God to me throughout 2011.  In just a few hours 2012 will arrive and I am wishing you all a year filled with moments you will treasure as souvenirs forever.

                                       HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Best Gift Ever

Gifts are a big part of Christmas and, I will have to say, one that I enjoy very much.  I love receiving gifts not knowing what is inside.  The excitement and anticipation build to the point that I have been known to shake a few presents under the tree well before Christmas morning.  As much as I love to receive gifts, I think I enjoy giving gifts even more.  I have been known to go on searches that border on insanity for the perfect gift.  I have stood in early morning lines, I have done doctoral level research to find where a certain gift can be purchased and I have risked life and limb on Black Friday to fulfill the wish of someone I love.  There is just something about being able to give someone a gift that will light up their eyes and bring a smile to their face that I just cannot resist. 

On this Christmas Eve, I hope that somewhere in all your preparations you have managed to find time to think about a gift for Jesus.  Christmas is a day set aside to celebrate His birth.  How would you feel if for a month you watched those you love make all kinds of preparations getting ready for your birthday with lights and beautiful decorations all through the house, all kinds of goodies being made, and packages of all shapes and sizes wrapped in beautiful paper with ribbons tied around each one.  Finally the day arrives and you rush downstairs, everyone is laughing and exchanging gifts, but there is nothing for you.  I can only imagine how Jesus must feel when once again there is no room for Him on His own birthday. 

But don’t be alarmed.  There is no need to panic and go on a high-speed google search for something the King of Kings might want.  No in-depth research is needed to come up with the perfect gift and there is no need to go on a death defying shopping trip to Best Buy on Christmas Eve looking for something to put a smile on the face of Jesus.  Nope - I have the perfect gift idea.  You!  You are the gift that Jesus is dreaming about finding under the tree on Christmas.  You are all He wants for His birthday.   So this Christmas join with me on Christmas morning and greet Jesus with these words “Happy Birthday Jesus I am ALL yours,” and watch His eyes light up and a smile spread all the way across His face.  This is going to be the best Christmas ever.

Happy Birthday Jesus.

Shine

We moved to Carlinville almost 9 years ago now.  I can’t believe how fast those 9 years have gone by.  There was a lot of adjusting to do moving from the suburbs of Chicago to 7 acres outside of Carlinville.  I made the adjustment from having 4 malls within 20 minutes of my house to one Wal-Mart 4 miles away.  I made the adjustment from being able to have just about any type of food – Mexican, Chinese, and Thai,  whatever - delivered to my door in less than an hour to driving into town for hamburgers.  I made the adjustment from shopping at huge bookstores to ordering from Amazon. All those things were really no big deal.  But the one thing that still stops me in my tracks is walking out my front door late at night and looking up at the sky.  To see the heavens filled with the brilliance of millions of stars never ceases to overwhelm me.  The suburbs of Chicago are filled with artificial light that diminishes the brilliance of the night sky, but now I am far from neon signs and streetlights.  That is what I want to talk with you about.  Stars that shine brightly in the night. 

Do you remember the star in the Christmas story? It has the leading role. It was the star that led the wise men to Jesus.  This is where the story gets really exciting for me.  Here are these Magi that some say are astrologers, some say philosophers, but for me that is not important. What is important is that they were Gentiles who were outside the religious Jewish community.  Not part of the “chosen” so what would draw them?  What would cause them to leave family, friends, and homes and set out on a two-year journey?  A STAR?!  They saw an extraordinary star.  A star like none they had ever seen before.

These were men who made stars their business.  These men came from a land where the people actually worshipped the stars but there was something different about this star that compelled them to follow and see where it would lead and to whom it bring them.  Would it lead them to a King?  You might say this was a heavenly birth announcement.  How many of you have received a birth announcement in the mail?  Proud parents telling friends and family of the arrival of their much anticipated child.  God sent the world the birth announcement of His Son by placing a star in the sky for all to see.  The star was God’s way of saying to everyone that His Son had arrived among us. 

The one star that the wise men followed to find Jesus was just the beginning.  I find myself living in a world that is filled with artificial lights that try to obscure the true light.  In our world we have sports stars, actors, and actresses who are stars.  We have singers and musicians all sending out a light that causes the true stars to seem to fade.  Where are the extraordinary stars that cause people to stop and think, “That star is different.  I have to find out where that star might lead me.”

We are called to be stars that shine in the darkness of our world and lead the lost to Jesus. 

So this Christmas I ask myself if I am consumed with the zeal of the Lord so that my heart burns within me?  Does my life give out the light of God’s love that causes men and women to wonder what is different about my life?

Daniel 12:3

And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

My prayer for each one of us is that the Holy Spirit will cleanse us from the mundane, fill us with fresh oil, and set us on fire to tell the greatest love story ever known to man.  

This Christmas I pray we SHINE!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCN893hzueQ

The Little Girl in Red Worshiped  -

                                                                                                I watched

It was a classic ladies’ Christmas banquet hosted at a Christian conference center. The scene for something magical to happen was set from the time I arrived.  The trees leading the way to the banquet center were covered in twinkling white Christmas lights.  A little bridge along the pathway was strung with colored lights shining in the cold night air. It had snowed a couple of days before and a skiff of snow still lined the pathway.  It would only get better as I went inside.   The room was beautifully decorated for Christmas.  A tree in one corner, place settings for eight around each table, napkins folded and the salad preset.  A beautiful Christmas decoration took center position on the table.  On top of all that, there was a huge fireplace with a wreath hung above with candles and angels on the mantel.  It was like a picture postcard.  The room was filled with women dressed in holiday sweaters decorated with Christmas pins and scarves draped around their necks. 

I was the speaker that night and I spoke about never allowing the telling of the Christmas story to fade.  The miraculous story has not changed but maybe those of us who are to tell it have lost some of our awe. I spoke of allowing the Holy Spirit to fan the flame of God’s love that is within us so that our lives would shine as that first Christmas star and lead those who are seeking to God.  Daniel 12:3 was my scripture base “And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

After I spoke, a musical group gave a mini concert.  They were not singing the traditional Christmas carols but worship songs. The room was filled with women who loved the Lord and they were quietly entering into a time to worship the one whose birthday we were celebrating. That is when it happened.

A little 3 – 4 year old girl dressed in a red dress, white tights, brown snow boots and a red bow attached to an elastic band around her head suddenly jumped up out of her chair and went right to the front and began to dance.  Now I don’t mean some nice little dignified swaying back and forth, oh no, she was jumping, leaping, flailing her arms, and spinning around and around.  By the end of the song her little red dress was ruffled, her white tights were sagging, and her elastic headband with the red bow on it had began to inch its way up the back of her head causing her hair to become scrunched up in a little poof.  To top it all off, she was exhausted but smiling from ear to ear. 

I would like to pass the next paragraph off on the others who sat in the room but I can only speak for myself.  My first thought was “Where is this child’s mother?”  Why is she allowing her daughter to distract from the worship time?  The Holy Spirit immediately brought to my mind a scene from His holy word.

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy.  While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”

 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me?  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.  She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

I heard the message loud and clear.  Just like the disciples, I was indignant at the sight of someone who worshipped with total abandonment. I am also sure that the Lord commended the little girl in the red dress.  She worshiped and I watched.

For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me. Matthew 18:2-5 (MSG)

I will be forever grateful to the little girl in the red dress.  I think she was probably my gift from God for the Christmas season.  I had talked about giving everything to God and allowing Him to shine through my life but she lived it out right in front of me.  It is my Christmas prayer that the next time God looks down He will see two little girls, me and the little girl in the red dress, dancing with utter abandonment before Him.  He is worthy.

My prayer for each one of you is that you never lose your child-like wonder.  That you never get so dignified that you miss out on God’s best.  I pray that you will see this Christmas through the eyes of a child and worship.

Let It Snow

How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated.  I should hardly admire them more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat.  Henry David Thoreau

Has anyone ever called you a flake?  Have you ever called someone a flake?  I will have to say that my best friends are flakes. I would like to submit that the comparison to a flake is a huge compliment.  Snowflakes are actually made of ice that has been fashioned into complex and symmetrical shapes determined by their journey down through the atmosphere.  They are not made on assembly lines, not cut from a press, and they are not fashioned from a blueprint.  No two snowflakes are exactly alike. Each snowflake is a spontaneous creation of mesmerizing pattern and form.  They usually have six primary branches and each branch supports additional side branches and just for the record, you will never find an eight-sided snowflake.  Physics, mathematics, and chemistry come together to create a one-of-a kind work of art.  Each one is a mini masterpiece that is uniquely fashioned.

For Christmas this year my Christmas cards say this, “Maybe snowflakes are letters God uses to write upon the winter sky a graceful script of peace, hope, and love…  Can you imagine sitting in your big comfy recliner with a cup of hot chocolate, with those little marshmallows floating on top, watching as God writes peace, hope, and love across the wintry sky.  Maybe that is exactly what is happening and we just don’t have eyes to see.  How often do we pray Matthew 6:9-10 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

God’s kingdom is filled with peace, hope, and love.  Every person, including you and me, that was ever born came down from heaven uniquely fashioned by the hand of God into a one-of-a kind work of art with the purpose of bringing heaven’s peace, hope, and love to the earth. Psalm 139:14  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

My daughter and I were shopping over Black Friday, (yes I was one of the crazies and I loved it) and I found a small gift box that had these words on the lid “Snowmen come down from heaven unassembled.”  In other words, some assembly required.  Have you ever read those words in the tiny black print hidden on the bottom corner of the back of a box?  Inside the box is a NASCAR® Turbostockers Speedway Slot Car Set for your son, the Exclusive Barbie Malibu dreamhouse for your daughter, or maybe a new book case you fell in love with at IKEA for your office.  Whatever it may have been, if you are like me, you thought how hard could it be?  The implication is that the hard part has been done and now all you have to do is just finish the assembly.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by parts without a clue as to how they all fit together.  I want to shout at the manufacturer that “some assembly required” is a gross misrepresentation.

So if you are still trekking with my flakey analogy, God sends billions of uniquely fashioned flakes to earth (that would be us) with His peace, hope, and love written on our hearts to share with this world.  Just like the snowflake, we are one of a kind works of art uniquely fashioned by the life journey we have been on. So now there are billions of us flakes covering the earth and some assembly is required.  God has taken on the mammoth job of assembling us all together to form one body or maybe just a snowman. 1 Corinthians 12:27  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

So as you sit in that big comfy chair with your hot chocolate watching those beautiful white fluffy snowflakes cover the earth, remember you and I have a lot in common with the snowflake.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made and are called to cover the earth with His peace, hope, and love.  We are meant to be joined together by God to form one body.  I am thankful this Christmas season for all my flakey friends and family.  My life has been made richer and fuller by being brought together with each one of you. 

Merry Christmas to all my flakey friends and family!

samarttiw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gifts From The Heart

Every Who

Down in Who-ville

Liked Christmas a lot . . .

But the Grinch,

Who lived just north of Who-ville,

Did NOT!

The Grinch hated Christmas!  The whole Christmas season!

Now, please don’t ask why.  No one quite knows the reason.

It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right.

It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.

But I think that the most likely reason of all

May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Sometimes I feel like my heart is two sizes too small when the Christmas season begins and I think about everything I have to do, every present I have to buy, and all the cooking and baking I have to finish.  It is all those “have tos” that cause my heart to get smaller and smaller to the point that the joy of Christmas could be squeezed right out of me, but then I go on a search for a Giving Tree.

Some churches call them Angel Trees, some places call them Secret Angels, or just Giving Trees, but no matter what they are called, the idea is the same.  Give a gift to someone you don’t know, someone who is not expecting a gift from you, someone you will never even meet and someone who will never pay you back.  You can walk into Walmart and see a Christmas tree covered with little tags.  On closer inspection, each tag is marked girl or boy with an age on it.  Sometimes there are suggestions as to what the child might like, but most of the time you are on your own to imagine what a girl age 7 might be dreaming of, or what is in the mind of a 10 year old boy.  Sometimes nursing homes give out gift lists for residents who do not have family that will buy for them at Christmas or prisons give out lists from inmates who do not want their children or spouse to wake up Christmas morning with nothing from them. The office where my husband works receives names from DCFS.   Every year I look forward to the day that Beth sends out the e-mail that says the names are in her office so I can pick out a child.  You might have thought I was going to write pick out a child to bless but that would be wrong.  I take a name because – like the Grinch – it causes my heart to grow three sizes. The blessing is mine.

 I will never meet this child. I am not obligated to buy a gift.  I am not expected to buy a gift.   I will not be there when the gift is opened.  It is simply a gift from the heart.  Heart gifts put everything back into perspective.  Instead of thinking of everything I have to do, I am humbled by the realization that I am blessed to be able to give a gift of love.  So this Christmas season, I challenge you to find a way to give a gift of love.  I can guarantee that your heart, just like the Grinch, will grow at least three sizes.

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

Crusts of Hearsay 

 Crumbs of Rumor

I like food and I am already dreaming about Thanksgiving dinner. I love the smell of turkey roasting in the oven lofting through the entire house almost as much as the real turkey - almost. I am looking forward to real mashed potatoes with homemade gravy and sweet potatoes covered with lightly toasted marshmallows.  Then, of course, there will be the traditional green bean casserole and salads and bread and pumpkin and pecan pie with lots of whipped cream.  I need to move on before I quit writing and go raid the kitchen.  You get the point that I really do love rich, good tasting, fattening food.  Everything was good until I hit 40.  Up until then I could eat anything I wanted and if I gained a few pounds, I would just take a week or two and exercise a little more and off would come the weight.  Then when I hit 40, it was like I had passed through the wardrobe door with Lucy in the Chronicles of Narnia into a strange and unknown land.  Suddenly the pounds came, unpacked their bags, and took up residence. They settled on my hips and refused to leave. I exercised but the extra weight would not budge. It was then I had to say goodbye to anything fried, farewell to all types of gravy, and adios to luscious desserts.  I entered the sparse land of crusts and crumbs and so I was taken completely by surprise when I found a friend in Job. 

I was reading through the book of Job, not so much for pleasure, but because it was what I was suppose to read in my Through the Bible in One Year.  In the past, reading Job has been like taking really nasty medicine.  Nowadays, kids get cherry flavored or maybe even bubble gum flavored medicine, but back in my day it was just straight old yucky tasting.  You know where you hold your nose and gulp it down quick.  Job was not my favorite book and I was not really expecting anything really good to show up, when I was accosted by this phrase in the Message Bible, “I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”  Wait just a minute.  How could Job compare his life to crumbs and crust?   Remember how the book of Job begins?  I did because I read through the whole book in one sitting.  I had applied my hold your nose and gulp method.

Job 1:1-3 (MSG) Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!

That wasn’t just Job’s opinion.  Listen to what God said about Job.

God said to Satan, "Have you noticed my friend Job? There's no one quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil."

Then when you keep on reading really fast you come to chapter 42 where you read…

Job 42 1-6 Job answered God: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything.   Nothing and no one can upset your plans.  You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water,  ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?'  I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.  You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking.  Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.' I admit I once lived by rumors of you;    now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!  I'm sorry—forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."

There it is.  Job compared his honest, totally devoted to God, hated evil with a passion, and lived under God’s favor and blessings life, to crumbs and crust.  I would think that his honest, totally devoted to God, hated evil with a passion, and lived under God’s favor and blessings life, would be compared to dining on the full Thanksgiving feast.  It certainly does not sound like crumbs and crust.  Job’s amazing testimony is that God used his trials to take him from a relationship that was based on rumors and hearsay, to one that was up close and personal.

We have all faced trials or are going through some right now.  God means to use them for our good.  God invites you and me personally to His banqueting table every day of our lives not just on Thanksgiving. We have a personal invitation to come and dine face to face with the Master in good times and bad.  No more crusts of hearsay and crumbs of rumor for me.  Like Job, I want to know God firsthand.  I will not be satisfied with anything less than my own personal, one-on-one relationship with God.

I stand with (my now good friend and one of my favorite books in the Bible) Job today and declare –

I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.

I pray you are feasting today on more than turkey. 

A Thanksgiving Thought

The training to say “thank you” began early in my life.  After receiving a gift as a child, the parental prompt “what do you say to Aunt Sally” would always follow.  Birthdays and Christmas were true tests of my training.  As I opened a homemade crocheted pink sweater that was at least 3 sizes too big and in my mind ugly, every adult eye was watching to see if I would smile and say “thank you” and every child was watching to see if I would break ranks and say what I really thought.  Saying thank you was mandatory even if the gift was not what I wanted or not something I liked.  When someone gives you a gift, you say “thank you.”  It is just an automatic. When I was growing up, handwritten thank you cards were expected.  Now there are not many handwritten thank you cards going out.  A quick thanks on facebook or in an e-mail will suffice.  So when the words “Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart” by Henry Smith came to my mind it got me to thinking.  I began to wonder if my “thank you” came from a truly grateful heart or was it just the result of years of training.

I began to think about a whole day being titled “Thanksgiving Day.”  A whole day set aside for the purpose of giving thanks.  In today’s society, that really seems excessive and lost on most people, including me sometimes.  Thanksgiving, like most of our holidays, has lost its underlying value.  A whole day to say thanks seems like way too much time so we fill it up with huge amounts of food, gearing up for Christmas, watching TV, and taking naps.  If we take a few minutes before we eat to go around the table and ask each person to share one thing they are thankful for, we feel like we have satisfied the Thanksgiving requirement.  I can’t speak for you, but if I am truthful, I would have to tell you that as I sit at the Thanksgiving table and give my answer I think my parents would be proud that their training stuck, but I’m not so sure it would satisfy the “give thanks from a grateful heart” criteria. 

I wish I had this whole thought perfectly worked out so I could share it with beauty, but right now it is pretty much still in the mixing together messy stage.  But here is where I am right now.  For me, being thankful seems to reflect back to me.  I am thanking you for helping me, sharing with me, encouraging me, doing something for me.  It is pretty much about me.  But saying thank you from a grateful heart somehow turns the thanks to God.   I take the time to realize that every blessing comes into my life from God.  He is the giver of every good and perfect gift.  It is not about me at all but all about God’s amazing love for me.  I am blessed because of the selfless sacrifice of Jesus.

Saying thanks from my head is actually pretty simple and quick but saying thanks from a grateful heart takes time and reflection. A thank you that comes from a place of gratitude is humbling and moving.  It comes as I recognize that all that I have is a gift given to me by God.  Gratitude floods my heart as I recognize it is not about me at all, but about my amazing Lord.  This Thanksgiving I am shooting for giving thanks from a grateful heart.

I have a feeling this is how God would have me live the entirety of my life but I have to start somewhere.

Wishing you all a heartfelt Thanksgiving Day.

Gratitude fills the heart when the gift has been understood and wonder fills the soul when gratitude is expressed to the fullest.  Ravi Zacharias.

Pilgrim Versus Tourist

PILGRIM      Versus     TOURIST

In 135 days, I am headed to Glory.  I am so excited. I am counting down the days.  I have my confirmation number and my room reserved. I can hardly wait.  It is going to be so much fun.  Slow down.  Don’t panic.  I am not predicting the end of the world or my demise.  I am just headed to Carnival’s cruise ship Glory.  We booked the cruise over a year ago and when I finally step on board Glory it will be completely paid for.  We have booked airline tickets for the day before the cruise, just in case the weather out of Chicago is bad, we are not missing this cruise.  We have booked a hotel in Florida and a shuttle for Sunday morning.  We have gone over every port, every excursion, and every nook and cranny of Glory on line.  All the arrangements are made and now I just wait.  On those dreary, wet, and cold days I think, but in 135 days I will be enjoying Glory.  When a rough day comes my way, I think this won’t last forever, because I am booked for Glory. 

I began to think about how much time, energy, and money I have put into planning my trip to the Carnival cruise ship Glory. I began to think about the impact having a cruise on Glory, bought and paid for, changed my outlook on a daily basis.  Funny isn’t it that I can so easily lose sight of the fact that one day I will actually go to my eternal home that will truly be Glory.   It too is bought and paid for, but someone else paid the price.  Jesus gave His life.  God began planning the day long before I was even born.  He has arranged history in anticipation of that day.  I believe He is counting down the days.  So why does the hope of eternal Glory not have a greater effect on my day-to-day life?  Maybe I am more of a tourist than a pilgrim.

There is a big difference between the life of a pilgrim and the life of a tourist.  A pilgrim is someone who is journeying to a sacred place for religious reasons, while a tourist is someone who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure. The Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower in September 1620 on a pilgrimage seeking a land where they could enjoy religious freedom.  It would prove to be a dangerous 66-day journey filled with sacrifice.  They brought with them only the necessities of life that would be needed when they arrived.  They very quickly ran out of fresh food; there was no provision for personal hygiene.  They would encounter fierce storms and hurricanes.  They were traveling with crewmembers that mocked their beliefs. The thought of a land where they could worship freely was what got them through.  I wonder if they counted down the days?  They were definitely not on the cruise ship Glory with the midnight buffet.  They were pilgrims not tourists.

 I wonder if someone watched my life for the next month if they would say I was a pilgrim on a journey to a heaven where I will be free to worship Almighty God unhindered, or a person traveling or visiting this earth seeking to find as much pleasure as I can and collecting and consuming as much stuff as possible?  

I pray that this Thanksgiving you enjoy your time with friends and family.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying and being thankful for the blessings and pleasures that God gives us here as we journey.  But just remember – this world is not our home.  We are pilgrims bound for Glory, and not tourists headed to the Carnival cruise ship.  

It's a "WONDER" Full Life

 

Loving Father,

Make my heart like that of a child,

Give me again the excitement and joy of wonder

How wonderful it is that I am even able to wonder!

Remove the scales from my eyes,

The stubbornness from my will,

The callousness from my heart,

And enable me to enjoy the wonder of it all.             

Deliver me from routine worship

From business as usual

From form without force and liturgy without life

May Your Holy Spirit energize that new creation

That is now within me,

And may life be ever new, ever wonderful

To the glory of Your Name.

Amen

Real Worship

Warren Wiersbe

Do you ever wonder where your wonder went?  Do you ever wonder where the carefree days of your childhood went?  Do you ever wonder where the days when you just hopped out of bed with no aches or pains went?  One day you just wake up and you realize the days have turned into years and life seems dull and drab and you no longer say that your future is so bright you gotta wear shades but instead you say “what future?”  Well, if that is how you feel today, there is good news for you.

God is a wonder filled God and is in the business of restoring rapturous wonder to those who ask.  So let’s look at where our wonder went.  Let’s start with our eyes, our will, and our heart.

My physical eyes need help.  I have worn glasses since grade school and every year I go get my eyes checked and my eye doctor adjusts my prescription to get me back to as close to 20/20 as possible.  So why doesn’t it occur to us to have our spiritual eyes regularly checked?  You know how the eye doctor sits you down in the chair and has you put your chin on the little ledge and your eyes focused straight ahead and then proceeds to show you two different versions of the same thing and asks which is better number one or number two.  Hop right on up into God’s examining chair and let Him begin to ask some questions.  Has your vision of who God is and what He can do grown larger or smaller over the past year?  Has the God of the universe become really small and limited in your sight or to you see Him high and lifted up in majesty and power?  Do the absolutes of who God is remain strong and bold in your vision or have they developed some carnival mirror curves?  Then allow God to make some adjustments.

“What I need today is a restoration of the vision of the Most High God.” A.W.Tozer

The next step to wonder is our will.  I confess I can be stubborn, and while standing fast in your faith is to be commended, demanding your own way is not. Remember how Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life begins –“It’s not about you.”  When your life has taken on the appearance of one great big “I” wonder fades fast.  Wanting my own way, wanting prayer answered according to my terms, wanting God to act within my time frames are all wonder killers.  The metaphor of being stiff necked is used frequently to describe Israel’s resistance to God’s lordship over the nation.  

 Remember how Jesus taught us to pray?  Matthew 6:10 …your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In order for wonder to fill my life, I have to surrender my will to the will of God.  When my life takes on the attitude of surrender, then worship follows, and wonder is released into my life.

It is amazing the extremes I go to take care of my physical body. I diet, exercise, search out the best doctors and medical treatments, but rarely do I take the time to have a complete check-up spiritually.  If I did, I might be terrified to find out my heart has grown hard and that is deadly both physically and spiritually.  What has happened in life that has calloused my heart?  Has the pain of betrayal rubbed against my heart for so many years that I am now unfeeling?  Have I felt the ache of abandonment and it has left my heart thick and hard?  Has the sting of disappointment been so intense that I am now numb to feeling?  Closing my heart off to pain, sorrow, or disappointment can cause my heart to harden and not allow God’s wonder-filled love to pulsate through my life. 

So if you are sitting today and wondering where your wonder went, boy do I have good news for you.  God’s check-ups are free, no appointment necessary, and guaranteed to heal and restore wonder. 

Go get your shades because God is ready to pour out some wonder.

Do It NOW!

Am I the only one who procrastinates?  We had lived in our home almost seven years without a handrail to help guide us safely to the basement.  Every time I went down the stairs I would think, “I wish there was a rail.”  When our grandkids came to visit, I would think we really need a rail.   But still day-by-day, week-by-week that turned into month-by-month and then year-by-year, we had no rail.  Then one day I said, “Let’s go look at rails.”  We found out that it would not be that expensive but we did not buy a rail.  Then one day we said “Let’s buy a rail” so we drove to Menards but I was worried about the rail hanging too far out the back of the truck and it would be dark by the time we got home, so we did not buy a rail.  Then one day we drove the 4 miles into our local lumberyard to buy a rail.  Still I hesitated.  We could buy the rail at Menards for $10 and I would have to pay $20 locally.  I don’t know why, but that day I threw caution to the wind and bought the $20 rail.  I now have a rail that guides me safely to my basement.  I smile every time I go down and I wonder why I waited 7 years for a $20 handrail.

Putting off buying a $20 handrail is one thing but sadly I have the same tendency in lots of areas of my life.  I know the most important thing I can do is spend time with the One who will guide me safely through life.  I keep thinking I will do it later and I have as many excuses as I did for not buying the $20 rail.   I am sure most of you have seen the picture of Jesus standing outside a door knocking. One of the amazing things about that picture is that there is no doorknob on the outside.  If the door is to be opened, the one on the inside will have to respond to the knock and open the door to allow Jesus to come in.  So many times I know the Lord is knocking but I keep saying later.

A Letter from GOD

As you got up this morning I watched you and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday.  But I noticed you were too busy trying to find the right outfit to wear.  When you ran around the house getting ready, 
 I knew there would be a few minutes
 for you to stop and say hello, 
 but you were too busy.  At one point you had to wait
 fifteen minutes with nothing to do
 except sit in a chair.  Then I saw you spring to your feet.  I thought you wanted to talk to me 
but you ran to the phone and called a friend
 to get the latest gossip instead.  I watched patiently all day long.  With all your activities
 I guess you were too busy to say anything to me.  I noticed that before lunch you looked around, 
 maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me and that is why you didn't bow your head.  You glanced three or four tables over 
and you noticed some of your friends 
talking to me briefly before they ate, but
 you didn't.  That's okay.  There is still more time left
 and I hope that you will talk to me yet.  You went home and it seems as if 
you had lots of things to do.  After a few of them were done, 
 you turned on the TV.  I don't know if you like TV or not, 
just about anything goes there 
and you spend a lot of time 
each day in front of it 
not thinking about anything, 
 just enjoying the show.  I waited patiently again
 as you watched the TV and ate your meal, but again you didn't talk to me.  Bedtime I guess you felt too tired.  After you said goodnight to your family 
you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time.  That's okay because you may not realize
 that I am always there for you.

I've got patience, 
more than you will ever know.  I even want to teach you how 
to be patient with others as well.  I love you so much that I wait
 everyday for a nod, prayer, thought, 
or a thankful part of your heart.  It is hard to have a one-sided conversation.  Well, you are getting up once again.  And once again I will wait
 with nothing but love for you.

Hoping that today you will give me some time.

Have a nice day!

Your friend, 
 GOD

Author Unknown

Revelation 3:20  “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

In The Morning I Will Give Him Glory

I am almost positive that there is a flower addiction intervention, that will be led by my husband, in my future.  Every fall after our first really hard frost, I head out to my berms, flowerbeds, and deck to get everything ready for the winter ahead.  Every fall, I swear that next year I am not going to plant any new flowers and I am not going to have as many flowers on my deck.  Then about mid-winter I start getting those spring catalogs from nurseries flaunting the new and improved varieties for spring and every spring I plant new flowers and add a few more baskets on my deck.  This spring would be no different. Early one morning I headed out to our light pole with a pack of tiny little morning glory seeds.  I carefully planted them at the base of our light pole with visions of the vine climbing its way to the very top of the pole and being covered with beautiful blue blooms.  After a few weeks, little plants shot up and I did my happy dance and watched over them like a momma hen over her baby chicks, making sure they were protected from the early spring cold air.  They began their climb upward and I smiled.  I placed string around the pole for them to climb on and here and there I strategically placed a nail for the vine to wind around.  The little vines continued their march upward.  They grew higher than I could reach so out came the ladder as I continued to make a way for them to go even further up the light pole.  I waited expecting any day for a bloom to appear.  Nothing.  I fertilized, I watered, I waited.  Nothing.  By midsummer there were still no blooms.  I googled morning glories to see why my little vines were not blooming and came away shaking my head.  I resigned myself to no blooms and debated whether to let them come back up from seed next year or buy a plant from the nursery.  Finally, it was late summer and still no blooms.  In October, we headed out to North Carolina to do a fall leaf tour in our vette up the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was breathtaking and I took one picture after another.  After eight states in seven days we came back home.  As we were unloading the car, I glanced over and to my amazement the vine on our light pole was covered with beautiful blue and white blooms.  On that gorgeous October  morning they blossomed in all their glory.  I think God saved them as a special bouquet for my welcome home. 

I began to think of my journey with the Lord.  When I was just a little girl, God came and planted a tiny seed of His love in my heart with visions of His love growing in my life until one day I would show forth His glory. I know that He rejoiced as He watched His love take root in my life and begin to grow.  Looking back I can see that He has always had His watchful eye on my life making sure that I was cared for and protected. I wonder if He ever shook His head and wondered why His glory was not blooming in my life?  I know that He has strategically placed me in churches, in friendships, in situations where His love could continue to grow in my life and He has waited.  

Today as I reflect on His loving and tender care I can’t help but proclaim His glory.  Today is the day to show forth His love in my life.  So today I give my life as a special bouquet to the One I love.

1 Chronicles 16:29  (NLT) Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!

Bring your offering and come into his presence.

Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.

His Praise Fills the Whole Earth

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;  where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.                                           

There are times in my life when I feel like Elijah when he was running from Jezebel.  It seems like the whole world has forsaken God.  It seems like evil runs rampant and unopposed.  It seems like Satan has the upper hand.  It is then, just like Elijah, I am reminded of the greatness of my God and I am reminded that God still has a people who praise His name.  I am reminded that the praise of the redeemed is still heard throughout the whole earth.  I am not alone and my life and my praise are only a small part of God’s amazing orchestra.

Have you ever had the pleasure of hearing an orchestra?  There is just something about the ebb and flow of beautiful music that touches the deepest recesses of my soul.  My musical knowledge would not even fill a thimble but there are just a few very simple observations I want to make.

A symphony or philharmonic orchestra has approximately 100 instruments and those 100 instruments are typically broken down into sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion.  The largest section would be the strings and they, oftentimes, provide the melody.  The woodwinds join in and weave warmth and color through the melody while the gleaming brass instruments scatter bright and majestic touches. The percussion section carries the music along on strong rhythmic underpinnings.  Each section brings a special element that is integral to the sound of the whole orchestra.  Without just one violin, one trumpet, one clarinet, one drum, or even one triangle, the sound and beauty produced would be diminished. 

If the world’s population were broken down into a 100-piece orchestra, there would be approximately 60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, and 5 Canadians and US.  When I see these numbers, I am humbled and I am reminded that God has children scattered throughout the entire world from every race and nationality and that Americans are among the least and then there is me.

God’s orchestra has multitudes of children whose melody of praise rises without putting limitations and restrictions on His response.  Their praise is unhindered and does not have to be either or but leaves room for God to be God.  It is as if their praise is the overriding melody of God’s eternal and unstoppable love. Then I picture those whose praise comes from a place of having known the depth and darkness of bondage.  Those who have known the cruelty of the chains of oppression begin to weave their praise in and out of the melody of God’s boundless love adding warmth and color to the melody of His eternal and unstoppable love.  Another section then joins in with deep resonating tones of reverence.  Cathedrals throughout Europe were meant to speak to those who entered of the majesty and greatness of God and the smallness of man.  From the lips of Europeans, comes praise ladened with majesty and glory and awe.  Now I can feel the eternal unstoppable anthem of love swell, warmed with the praise of those who know the reality of chains broken  and bright tones of majesty and glory scattered throughout.  But that is not where it ends.  The praise that comes from God’s Latin American children is one of great joy and exuberance.  Their praise is a celebration of the life they have in God that is not dampened by their present circumstances. And last but not least, Americans provide a loud and steady rhythm that moves the music along.  God has blessed us materially so that this anthem of praise can be carried to all nations. According to statistics, out of the 100 people, 5 would control 32% of the entire world’s wealth, and all of them would be US citizens. So as God’s children join together they sound forth praise that will stir the hearts of all who hear. God’s eternal, unstoppable, majestic, and joyous love is triumphantly carried around the world by His vast orchestra.

What I am trying to say is, I am not a one-man band but I am a part of an orchestra that is made up of different tribes, different tongues, and different nations and God stands as the conductor before us all.  God unifies us, sets the tempo, adjusts the volume, and guides us so that the blended sound of praise is greater than any one individual.  There is nothing that can stop the anthem of God’s love.

“Have you seen a symphony orchestra?...There is a chap at the back carrying a triangle.  Now and again the conductor will point to him and he will play “ting.”  That might seem so insignificant, but in the conception of the composer something irreplaceable would be lost to the total beauty of the symphony if that “ting” did not happen.”  Desmond Tutu

The whole world has not forsaken God.  Evil may be rampant but it is definitely not unopposed.  Satan does not have the upper hand and I am not alone.  In my mind’s eye, I see God’s orchestra coming to one final amazing crescendo that will usher in the return of our victorious Lord and King.  I am watching for Him to point my way so I can add the  …

TING!

I Am A Pumpkin

I once heard Bill Hybels talk about his book on personal evangelism called, Just Walk Across the Room. He had challenged his church to write out their personal conversion story in 100 words or less.  We all know how we came to know Jesus, but to refine our story to 100 words or less is hard.  When you throw out all the “churchy words” so someone who does not have the church vocab can still understand, what words do you use?

We all know that the opportunity to share with someone who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus comes at unlikely moments when we are least prepared.  We are just having a regular conversation when, all of a sudden, the other person is asking about our faith.  You strike up a conversation with a waiter, someone next to you on a plane, or waiting in the line at the DMV and out of nowhere the subject of God comes up.  At that moment, our brains go into overload as to how much information does this person really want?  How do I explain salvation, justification, and sanctification?  Is this like a child asking where does a baby come from and all they really want to know is which hospital or does this person really want to know all the details?   Or you are having lunch with colleagues and someone just casually makes the comment that they don’t believe in God.  You are already 30 minutes into a 45-minute lunch break so your hour sermon will have to wait.  Can you tell your story in under a minute? 

I think the challenge to refine and condense our story is a good one.  We are ready on a moment's notice to share our story and then, if the person asks for more we can give more, but if not we have planted a seed that someone else will water, and then someone else will harvest.  But remember someone has to plant the seed before there is a harvest.

My story is simple and short just like me. 

As a little girl, I was told about how much Jesus loves me.  I opened my heart for Him to forgive me and make me His little girl.  Jesus has been with me since that day.  I wish I could say I have been as faithful to Him as He has been to me, but that would be untrue.  There were times in my life that I kept Him at a distance but He was always watching over me.  Today I am so thankful for a God who still loves me and still thinks of me as His little girl.  

Until you can take some time and think through your own personal story, (and I challenge you to do just that) use this one. 




“What is it like to be a Christian?”

The co-worker replied,

“It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.”

October 29, 2009 by Rest Ministries