Walking Changes Everything

According to Yahoo, it is 258.33 miles from my house to where my grandchildren live and should take 4 hours and 26 minutes to get from here to there.  Actually, I can drive door to door in 4 hours with no stops.  On an average trip I will take (holidays are a whole other subject)

1. A suitcase – even if I am only staying a weekend I need a good size suitcase – just shoes take up more room than you would think.
2. Gifts – just a few things I have picked up since my last trip
3. Camera – you never know when there will be a Kodak moment
4. Knitting or crocheting to fill time
5. Book to read
6. Bottled water
7. Snacks
8. GPS
9. Dog

Anyway you get the picture – the whole back of the car is jammed full.  Now according to walking maps, (yes there are actual walking maps) it is 232 miles from my door to my grandkids door and will take 3 days and 3 hours to walk. That is if I walk 24 hours a day, and that is not happening.  So let’s break that down.  The average woman walks a 20-minute mile and the average person on a pilgrimage walks about 15 miles a day.  SOOOOO that means 232 miles divided by 15 miles a day it would take me 15.46 days walking 5 hours every day.  NOW THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING!

1 John 2:6  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Of course, I realize the depth of meaning in that verse speaking to the transforming power of God in our lives, but the fact of the matter is, that Jesus actually walked.  How did Jesus walk?  Well, He wasn’t dragging six bags everywhere He went.  His concern was for that day. He wasn’t burdened with a lot of extra stuff just in case an unexpected need arose.  His pace was unhurried.  He had deep relationships with those who walked with Him.  He was always teaching and instructing His disciples as to the ways of God. 

So today as I prepare to walk with Jesus.  I have no bags, no extra supplies, and nothing that is not absolutely essential.  I am not frazzled and moving at warp speed.  I am spending time with Jesus and being instructed in the ways of the Lord.  So for now – see you next Thursday.  I am going for a walk.

Matthew 11:28 -30 (The Message) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

The really good thing about writing a blog when you are older is that you have so much to draw from.  Here’s another one from my pool of life experiences.  As every woman knows, there are just certain housecleaning duties that have to be dealt with immediately. The day-to-day stuff that just cannot be avoided.  Dirty dishes in the sink have to be taken care of otherwise you run out of clean plates and spoons.  The spilled milk on the living room carpet probably has to be dealt with ASAP, or the smell will linger forever.  Bathrooms have to be cleaned on a regular basis or they just get so gross you can’t enter.  But then there are some housecleaning jobs that can remain on the “to do” list for a very long time.  For me, one of those duties is cleaning out the refrigerator.  I occasionally wipe down the shelves or clean up a spill, but that full scale cleaning can only be done on garbage pickup day or the day before earliest.  Why you ask?  Well, that brings me to my other confession.  I cannot bring myself to throw out leftovers.  There is just something inherently wrong with throwing out perfectly good food.  My mother’s voice (now from heaven) still echoes in my head “You know there are starving children who would love to have that food.”  So I get out my little containers and all leftovers get put safely into the refrigerator.  Wow, I didn’t realize how much confessing this blog would require, but here is another one.  I don’t really like to eat leftovers.  Yes, some of you are already ahead of me and you know what then transpires in deeper and lighter shades of disgusting green mold that eventually covers the once honored leftovers.  When my son was in high school, he would frequently bring a friend home at noon for lunch and raid the refrigerator.  I can still hear his laughter and see the twinkle in his eye as he would reach into the inner most recesses of the refrigerator and bring out a small container and as he opened the lid would declare with great gusto “There is fungus among us.” 

Almost everything has an expiration date.  Milk and eggs are clearly marked as to how long you have before they spoil.  Even fruit and vegetables tucked in the bin marked "crisper" will eventually wilt.  I once cleaned out my pantry (another job that is low on my to do list ) and found canned vegetables that were no longer good for human consumption.  Vitamins and prescriptions are all marked as to when they are no longer effective.  I have even read death notices like the one that said, "Mary expired on May 14, 1968."  Yikes!!!

I am very happy to report that I do know of at least one thing that is good forever, and that is prayer.  Prayer never expires.  God doesn’t go down through my prayer requests and get out a big red marker and say "Sorry this prayer has reached its expiration date” and mark it off His list. 

2 Peter 3:8

 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 

God is not bound by time and remembers the prayers prayed by my Great Grandma that I never met and every prayer my Grandma Treese said for me.  He remembers the prayers my mom and dad prayed over me when I was born.  He remembers every prayer anyone ever prayed on my behalf and I am blessed this very moment because of them.  Prayer transcends time and space because our God transcends time and space.   As I sit here today and pray that those of you who take the time to read what I write will be blessed, I know I am speaking eternal blessings over your life.  Prayers never go bad, wilt, lose their effectiveness, get stale, or expire.  I challenge you to give the gift that will last throughout eternity. Say a prayer today for someone that will last forever, but just remember the glory does not belong to the one who prays, but to the Almighty God of grace who never forgets and answers.

God Gave His Word

We are new parents!  At least that is what my daughter tells me.  A while back, we were going to her home for the weekend and she asked what was our ETA. I told her I thought we would sleep in and then head out a little later.  That was when she first had the thought “who are you and what have you done with my parents?!” Her parents do not sleep in.  Her parents are up before the sun and have more done by their 10 a.m. coffee break than most people do all day.  Then I told her I thought we would just take our time. Her suspicions went up another notch.  When she was a child her parent’s vocabulary did not even include the words “take your time,” when there was travel involved.  Upon embarking on a trip, the decree went out that everyone was to get a drink, go to the bathroom and have whatever was needed in the car, because there would be no stopping until we had to stop for gas.  As she was wrapping her mind around these new parents, I let it slip that I thought we would stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  At this point she was sure her parents had been abducted and I was some alien.  When we traveled all stops involved 1.  Getting gas 2.  Going to the bathroom 3.  Fast food.  There was never even a thought given to stopping at a sit down restaurant, especially one that did not have a gas station attached, and having a leisurely breakfast.  She would definitely have a lot of adjusting to do because these new parents were nothing like her old ones.

Our lives are always being moved along by the winds of change. Change happens to everyone and in every aspect of our lives. Some change is fun and exciting and some change is life altering and threatens to destroy us.  This past Sunday our country remembered the change that was thrust upon us all on September 9, 2001.  That was one of those life-altering changes that threatened to destroy us. Change is inevitable in life but God has not left us without hope.  As we grapple with difficult changes in our own personal lives like a new school, a new job, a move, a loss of income, a bad medical report, a rebellious child, and on and on, it is good to remember that our God does not change. I am sure you all know the saying that the two things in life that never change are death and taxes.  Today I add the third.  God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

1 Samuel 15:29 (NLT) And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!”

Malachi 3:6  “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.

Hebrews 6:18-20

The Message (MSG)

God Gave His Word

When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, "I promise that I'll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!" Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.

We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.

Whatever change you are grappling with today that you fear you cannot survive, I challenge you to grab hold of the unbreakable spiritual lifeline from an unchanging God and hold on.  You will be ok because God Gave His Word 

Expect A Harvest

 I had posted on my facebook page “To all my city friends – combines are in the field and harvest has begun.”  What was obvious to me living in rural America was not obvious to those tucked away in cities and towns. I had watched since early spring as anxious farmers began uncovering their equipment, opening up their shops, and bringing tractors, discs, and planters out of barns after a long winter making sure everything was in good repair so when the time came for them to be in the field, they would be ready.  Long white anhydrous tanks made their way into fields putting nutrients into the ground that would help feed the corn plants. I watched as the first tractor pulled into the field with a planter hooked behind it and seed was put into the ground.  I talked with my neighbors as they watched the weather forecast and tried to anticipate if there was going to be too much rain, not enough rain, and when would it just be too late to plant.  Finally all the crops were in, but the work was far from done.  Sprayers with high wheels, that look like All Terrain Armored Transports or Imperial Walkers from Star Wars, go up and down the field spraying and later the hum of airplanes flying low over the fields making sure the crops did not have to compete with weeds for moisture.  Day by day the corn grew taller.  When I was growing up the saying was that the corn would be knee high by the fourth of July, but with today’s advanced technology and hybrid seeds the corn is well above that.  I watched as slowly ears formed on the stalks and tassels topped each plant.  By mid August, the watchful eye could see that the corn was beginning to turn brown and harvest was getting closer. As harvest draws near, the farmer is taking notice of the corn as it begins to dry, the ears begin to droop, and the moisture level goes down.  They are getting out their combines and checking belts, greasing bearings, and changing oil and making sure they will be ready.  Anticipation hangs almost as heavy as the August humidity.  They are measuring the moisture levels and watching as the ears of corn drop lower.  They are watching the weather.  Harvest time is near.

 Then one morning I heard the sound of a combine in the field and looked out to see dust billowing up  like a mini tornado coming down the field and the corn being sucked up into the hopper and the stalks chopped and spit out the back. All the hard work had paid off.  Harvest had begun.

My mind, like an old computer, slowly brought Galatians 6:9-10 to the forefront of my thinking, “So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

God was allowing me to see with my physical eyes the reality that had become blurred with my spiritual eyes.  A harvest of God’s richest blessings is ahead for me if I don’t give up or give in.  I know a lot of you are weary and wondering if harvest time will ever come in your life.  The answer is yes a thousand times yes. 

There can be a long process between sowing and reaping.  I am reminded that the celebration of harvest did not come about over night.  There were days of preparation, long days of planting, days spent preventing weeds, and guarding against disease and bugs destroying or lessening the yield.  There were anxious, worrisome, stressful days of wondering if the crop would receive the necessary amount of rain and sun.  The farmer does all this without the promise of a harvest.  Rain can flood fields, hail can destroy crops, drought can ravage plants, and disease can all rob the joy of harvest.  But God has promised that if we don’t give up or quit we will reap a harvest of blessings.  So today I call to your mind and mine God’s laws of harvest.

1. You have to sow in order to reap.
2. You will always reap more than you sow.
3. There is always time between sowing and harvesting.

What harvest are you trusting God for?  Have you prayed for years for someone’s salvation and you are still waiting?  Have you been a faithful steward of the money God has given you and now you are unemployed waiting for God to meet your needs?  Are you sowing seeds of love into broken relationships, sowing seeds of faith for healing, praying and believing God for miracles?  Whatever it is don’t allow Satan to rob you of the blessings that God has promised.  Expect a harvest!

Galatians 6:9-10 

“So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

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Connect the Dots

Dot 1 Start Here  There was something hidden in my life that God wanted to bring into focus so He began to arrange circumstances in my life so that I would see what He saw.

                                                         Dot 2   God’s desire is to transform me into His image and is always pointing me in the direction that will give me the information I need to truly see myself and change. He doesn’t just wave a magic wand and make me perfect but He allows me the joy of discovery. God had put in my heart a desire to do a study on humility.  I read Slave by McArthur, Absolute Surrender by Murray and then the Power of Humility by Kendall.  I read James 4: 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” and other scriptures on pride versus humility and I proudly said Amen!  Each book brought out some excellent points that I concurred with wholeheartedly and the scripture was perfectly clear on where God stood on the issue of pride.  I was certainly amassing a large volume of really good information to share with others.

Dot 3  God is not interested in my intellectual agreement.  He wants personal and practical application that brings change. Mine came on a pretty typical hot and muggy Thursday in August with just the ordinary list of things that needed to be done.  I mentor a 7^th grade girl named Angel and I had arranged to meet her for lunch.  During our conversation over our McDonalds’ hamburgers, she mentioned that the day before had been her birthday.  I was so upset with myself for having missed her birthday.  Why wasn’t that on my calendar?  How did I let that slip?  I pride myself in remembering birthdays and special occasions.  So not like me.  I came home and later in the afternoon went out to get my mail and there was my gas bill.  Nothing unexpected as it was time for it to be due.  I opened it up and it said I owed twice as much as I had expected.  I am on budget billing so it wasn’t like I had just used more this month.  How could this be?  I pride myself in paying bills on time. I ran and got my check register (yes I am still balancing my own check book and paying my bills with checks and that is a blog for another day) and there it was.  I had written the check for my gas bill so why did they say I owed?  I would have to call and straighten this out.  They had apparently made a mistake.  Then…I looked in my little basket where I put my outgoing mail.  When I receive a bill and it isn’t due for two or three weeks, I write the check, put the due date in the corner, and mail it 7 days before it is due. I pride myself in being very efficient.  Somehow some cards had gotten put in front of the bills.  Yes, not just my gas bill but three or four other bills.  They were all late.  I jumped in the car and took them personally to the post office so they would go out ASAP.

                                          Dot 4   At some point there are enough dots to know what image is being made and dot 4 was my aha moment.  As I was rehashing all this with God, I heard myself say, “I PRIDE MYSELF!”  There it was. PRIDE was what this dot-to-dot picture was going to reveal. This was my connect-the-dots between the sin God saw in me and was teaching me through His word, through books, and through my everyday experiences. Before we can be humble, we have to see our pride. My pride still wanted to say that I had just a little pride in my life but that is like saying you are a little pregnant.  Throughout the next week God brought to my mind one area after another where  “I PRIDE MYSELF.” 

  

Dot 5  Without God no life picture will ever be completed.  Unless I connect with God and allow Him to bridge the gap between my sin and His transforming power my life will never reveal the completed picture that God sees.  I now had the revelation that God saw pride in me, allowed me to gather information, opened my eyes so I could see what He saw, and then invited me to connect with Him.

                                                                        Dot 6   Do you remember the joy of finishing a dot-to-dot picture as a child and proclaiming what the dots revealed?  Well, my joy was not in the fact that there was pride in my life since these were only six dots among the millions it will take to finish my picture but my joy was in knowing that my life is not just a bunch of random dots. All my life experiences have purpose and meaning that God desires to connect so that one day my completed life picture will be revealed.  I am so thankful that God sees me as a work in progress and is not finished with me yet.  He is still connecting dots.

“The more you find of the truth about your own self, the more you will be set free…free from improper evaluations of your worth, free from false pride that seeks to cover recognized flaws. You cannot be truly humble until you have a deep sense of being loved” Come Away My Beloved by Frances Roberts

So are there some supposedly random dots in your life that God is trying to get you to connect?  Take a little time today and connect some dots and see what God wants to reveal to you.