Out with the old, in with the new...

Out with the old, in with the new...

At one time or another, most of us have heard someone say, “Out with the old, in with the new.” Hearing this can trigger positive or negative feelings, depending on the circumstances that surround the statement. It can mean getting a shiny new replacement for something that is old and worn out, like a new car, or a new appliance. A new haircut or a new outfit can make any girl feel cheerful! However, sometimes it can mean being replaced at work, with a younger, smarter person, or perhaps finding out your friend has found a new friend and no longer wants a relationship with you. Sometimes we can even feel replaced in our safe places, like in our church or in our family. (Ouch, that really hurts!) “Out with the old, in with the new” can be a happy or painful experience depending on what or how something or someone is being replaced. But, I have some really wonderful news!

In the Bible, we can learn about a very beautiful replacement. In fact, that replacement is the best news that I have ever heard! Here it is…Jesus Christ came to earth as a tiny baby in order to die so that we could live eternally. He was completely sinless, fully God and fully man, and we are completely sinful, yet He stood in our place to save us from eternal death. Because of God’s rich mercy and grace, He sent His Son as a replacement for us, to bear the weight of our sin. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) We were enemies with God and He loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us! This was God's plan from the beginning when Adam and Eve sinned. The Bible is the story of redemption from the beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation. What a beautiful message to remember, especially at the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas!

The other really great news is that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He fills us with His Holy Spirit and we become a new creation in Christ! The Bible says this, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Christ justified us (paid for our sin) when He died for our sin. He imputed His righteousness to us. (because there is nothing we can do on our own to be righteous) Now, as His children, we have right standing with God through Christ. He is now sanctifying us (He is making us more like Christ). As we study the Bible, we learn more about God, we desire to be more like Christ and to live obedient lives, because people who love God want to be obedient to Him and His Holy Word. We do this because we love God and not to earn our salvation.

So, even though this world can sometimes make us feel like we are old, worn out, used up, and not valuable, this is not the truth (my friend would say, “this is a lie from the pit of hell”). The truth is that we have a Savior who loved us enough to die for us and He desires a relationship with us. If we belong to Him, we are always valuable to Him, and He wants us to be His hands and feet to the world. He wants us to love others and to show His grace to the world. He makes us useful! This is a great encouragement to me! I hope it is to you as well. God loves you! He has a purpose for you! If you have questions, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help. If you do not have a relationship with God, please find someone to talk to about it, maybe a friend or a pastor. It is the most important decision you can ever make! I hope you have a blessed Christmas season celebrating the birth of our gracious and loving Savior.

Life Lessons

 This week I attended a funeral of a dear gentleman who has been a testimony to us all in our church for many years. He and his sweet wife are such blessings and witnesses of faith to so many. He had been suffering for quite some time and his dear wife was his faithful, patient caretaker for many years. They have been through much together. Their patience with one another taught me so much. Their love for one another is a rare example of what marriage and genuine love is supposed to be. The way she cared for him, even when it was very difficult, was an example of sacrificial love in a world of people who mainly focus on themselves. Even in her grief, she was such an example of faith and strength. Their love and faith have taught me some valuable lessons.

God has been pressing something into my heart in recent years, maybe it is my own age that is contributing to this, but listening to this man’s life story this week at his funeral helped confirm what I have already been learning, and that is: to spend time with those who are older and spiritually wiser than I am. Yesterday, as I listened to the family members and pastor recount this gentleman’s life, it inspired me to live a better life myself. As I sat there listening and reflecting on all that he had done to make a difference in other’s lives, I quietly asked God to help me to use my hours and days more wisely, and to spend more time learning from those who are wiser than me. There are so many precious folks in our church who have lived way more life and faith experiences than me and they have so much to offer. Please do not hear me saying that all older people are wiser or that younger folks are less wise, but, I do believe that there is a generation gap that needs to be bridged and that those who choose to ignore relationships with the older generation are missing so many blessings and so much knowledge.

When I looked around at the funeral that I attended, I noticed only a few younger people (less than a handful), which grieved my heart. There was so much to gain from this dear gentleman’s life story. Like I said, his life was a testimony of faith and service. He was not perfect, because no human is, but he left an incredible legacy. Our pastor clearly communicated the Gospel message to those who attended as well. Though it was a sad day for his widow and family, and for those of us who loved him and will miss him, it was also a day of celebration of his life and his passing into eternity with our Lord Jesus. What a huge lesson for us all.

The next time you have a chance to be with someone who is older and wiser than you, please do not waste this opportunity. So many of the elderly sit in church by themselves, or wait in a nursing home for just one visitor. There are opportunities all of the time to sit and visit with someone who can pour blessings and wisdom into our lives. Take advantage of these opportunities. If you pass someone in the hallway or in the grocery store, make eye contact, smile and say hello. It may just save a life. It will certainly bless them, and besides, it is just common courtesy and respect. You never know how you might make a difference. Rake a yard, sit with someone at church, help your parents out, join a Bible study where there are different aged people or help someone unload their groceries. Be the one to start a conversation with an older person. They have so much to share with you and it will bless you richly. (And them!)

I’m so thankful for the people in my life who have shared their life experiences, wisdom, prayer, knowledge and hope with me. They are all gifts and blessings. They have taught me much and I look forward to learning much more from them while I still have the opportunity to do so. I only pray that I can be that kind of blessing to others. I pray that I can share what God pours into me with others. I pray that the generational gap will be bridged and that we will all do life together regardless of our ages. We NEED each other! This life is not easy, and no good comes from trying to walk it alone. Grab someone by the hand and do it together!! Young and old! God bless you and thanks for reading.

Proverbs 1:5 (ESV) “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance…”

The Crevices of Our Minds and that Spray Foam Insulation

Do you remember that little children’s song about being careful with what your little eyes see? Recently, I was talking with a dear friend of mine about how Satan loves to get into our heads and try to tempt us into believing certain lies and deceptions. It is so easy to let our minds wander to places of fear, worry, of being overwhelmed, of feeling rejected, or many other places of negativity. As we often do when we talk, we shared with each other about feeling heavy hearted, fearful, and disconnected with others around us, even when in a crowded room full of people. We talked about life, about so many that we love who are suffering so greatly, whether physically, emotionally, or even from great and difficult persecution because of their faith.  It would have been really easy for both of us to finish the conversation feeling totally sad, overwhelmed and defeated…just where Satan would have wanted us to be, but, thankfully, oh so thankfully, we often do something else when we talk to one another, we point each other back to Jesus and the Word of God.

As the two of us continued chatting, a very vivid picture came to my mind. I described it to her and I said out loud, “that sounds like a blog post to me!” She agreed. So, here it is. As you read this, I pray that you will feel both encouraged and challenged to fill your minds with the better things, the things of God and His Word.

As we talked about filling our minds with the better things the picture that came to mind was an image of an empty space being filled up with that insulation that builders use that expands as they spray it into the crevices in attics. It’s a foam type stuff that fills every crack in order to keep out the cold, and hold in the heat. This picture made me think about our human minds. After all, the battle often takes place in our minds, right? So, it makes sense, just like the insulation, that if we fill all of the crevices of our minds with the better things - the Word of God, then there will be no room for the deceptions of Satan to take over, or to take root in our thought processes, which can often lead us to sin. I keep picturing that insulation expanding in those attic crevices and then a picture of God’s Word filling the crevices of our minds, pushing out all of the lies that the world and Satan try to fill us with.

I can tell you that for me personally, I have to dive into the Scriptures daily. I have to saturate my mind and heart with God’s Word. My heart longs to know Him more, and to obey His commands. His ways are so perfect and wonderful. He knows us better than anyone. He created us and knows every hair on our heads. He knows our thoughts before we even think them, and therefore, knowing and following His ways are best for us. There are so many worldly things trying to push into our minds and hearts. We cannot let them in. We must fill our minds with the better things. We must fill our minds with the insulation of God’s holy Word.

So, I pray that this mental picture will encourage you to fill up your minds with the pure Word of God, so that in turn, the ugly, negative lies of this world will be pushed out and replaced with the better things, the most beautiful and wonderful things of God.

Some of my favorite ways to study God’s Word: Bible Study Fellowship International (a weekly in-depth study of the Scriptures – find a class near you here: https://www.bsfinternational.org/locate-a-class1); choose a few really good devotion books and dig deeper into the Scriptures using them (Jesus Calling, Streams in the Desert, Unto these Hills, My Utmost for His Highest, Praying God’s Word…); Scripture Writing (a scheduled process where you write out the Scriptures daily and read through them many times a day); a Bible reading plan (I love the 90 Day Bible); find a Bible study group at your local church or visit a Christian bookstore and ask for help finding a quality Bible study that digs deeply into the Word of God. May God richly bless you spiritually as you seek Him in His Word in this New Year!

“Show me Your ways, LORD; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

“O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (NASB)

“Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11 (NASB)

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (NASB)

 

What Does My Life Say?

Recently we became grandparents for the first time. It is difficult to describe what that feels like. When we go over to visit our new little grandson, we just sit and stare at him for hours while he sleeps and when he wakes up we fight over who will get to hold him next. Well, we do not really fight, but it is difficult to share him! He is so adorable and sweet, so tiny and precious! We look forward to every moment that we get to spend with him. It takes us back to the days of extreme joy when our own sons were newborns. It seems like yesterday. We love any opportunity to spend time with our kids and grandson. The thing about being a grandparent is that we experience the same joy that we had when our own children were born, but without the sleepless nights and the challenges of first time parenting. It’s a blessing!

Spending time with our precious little one has caused me to examine my own life in a different way these last two weeks. Right now, he spends his days sleeping, nursing, being cuddled and making dirty diapers for the most part. But, trust me, when he needs something, he lets you know quickly. As soon as his little eyes open from a nap, he lets you know he is very hungry or has a dirty diaper. His sounds match his actions. Thinking about this made me wonder if my words and actions match.

In my weekly Bible study (BSF), we have been studying the seven churches in the book of Revelation along with other passages that help to interpret Revelation. A couple of the churches received commendations from Christ for their continued faithfulness to Him and their faith, some received both commendations and warnings, and a couple received no commendation at all but only rebuke from Christ. Their words and their actions did not match. They claimed to be believers, but their actions and lack of love said otherwise. Their love for Christ and others had grown lukewarm. They became consumed with themselves and with worldly idols. But, even in that, Christ warned them with love and an opportunity to repent and to turn back to Him.

So, what does my life say to others? While waiting at the hospital for our little grandson to be born, I had a couple of conversations with my family members. I heard myself say something like this several times, “the things that matter most to me are Jesus, my husband, my sons and daughter-in-love, our grandson and the other people we love…” But, does my life really reflect that? Am I really committed to my First Love, Jesus Christ? Do my actions draw others to Him, or do they push them further from His great love? Are my priorities really my family, friends and those who need to hear the good news of the Gospel? Well, sometimes yes, but a lot of the time, not so much.

My deepest desire in life is to honor Christ with my life, to love my family and friends well, and to point those without Jesus to Him, but quite often I get it wrong. I get distracted or I let the world consume my thoughts and actions. I act much like the believers of the seven churches in Revelation. This saddens me because life is short and I want to spend my days on the important things of life. So, how do I do that?

God’s Word gives us many answers to that question. His Word tells us how to live in ways that please and honor Him and point others to Him. Here is a beautiful example of some Scripture that tells us how to live as faithful believers who shine the light of Jesus:

In Colossians 3, the Scriptures remind believers who “have been raised with Christ” to “set our hearts on things above…and to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things…” (v 1-3) It also says to, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature...” and to “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language…” (v 5-8) We are also to tell the truth, to take off the “old self” and to put on the “new self”. (v 9)  We are to, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…and be thankful…letting the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…” (v 15-16) In verses 12-14, we see that we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…bear with one another…forgive…and over all of these virtues put on love…” Finally, Colossians tells us that “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (v 17)

This is just one of many examples of how to live as faithful followers of Jesus Christ. There are so many other instructions in God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation about how to live well as His followers. I want to be like our sweet little grandson, where my actions match up with my words, or in his case, his little baby sounds. I can talk about being a believer over and over, but if my life does not display Christ-like actions, then my words are worthless. I pray that as I dig deeper into God’s Word every day, that it will transform and renew my mind, my heart and my life and that others will see Jesus in me, not for my own glory, but for His alone. Amen!

 

Where Oh Where Did My Hair Go??

We’ve had another crazy week, but laughter is good medicine right? And we’ve got to laugh! The older I get, the more I realize that the “golden years” are not for the weak at heart, but age does often makes us weak in the knees and other joints!

This morning, I sat down to spend some time with the Lord, which I am discovering more and more is what I need most. Oh those sweet times with Him fill my soul! How I love those mornings with Him. Later, I did some housework, went in, showered and then noticed that a little shelf in our tiny master bath needed cleaning. Yes, I get distracted more easily these days! Very easily. If I don’t keep reminding myself which room I am walking to, I quickly forget and have to retrace my steps until I remember again.

I went to move all of the cute little dust-collecting knick knacks off of the shelf to clean it. And to my dismay, what did I discover? Half of my missing hair! Oh my gracious! I still have not gone back in to finish cleaning the shelf because I had to sit down and write about this discovery. Have mercy! No wonder my hair is thinner these days! The shelf is wearing most of it!

This whole experience got me thinking. There is so much I could say. (There is always so much I could say, but most of the time, I just need to be quiet!) The first thing that came to mind is that growing older is not easy. My sweet husband and I have noticed this a great deal in recent months and weeks. Our bodies cannot do what they did when we were twenty-something, our minds are not as sharp, our kids are moving out, getting jobs and having babies of their own, and seasons are passing more quickly than our poor brains can comprehend. We have seen several dear loved ones suffer through many heart wrenching issues and we have witnessed joys beyond belief too. But all of this is part of living.

The second revelation that brightened my hair-thinning head is that this earth is not our permanent home. Those whose hope is in Jesus have a much better home waiting for them! Hallelujah! And, the older I get, the closer and closer I am getting to that sweet by and by. Now, I’m hoping that I’ll get to be here on this earth to see and enjoy our sweet grandbabies and even our great-grandbabies, but I do have the hope that when I pass from this life, I will walk into the loving arms of my sweet Savior. People, we are not home yet. That. Is. Real. Hope.

Finally, as I plucked my long, somewhat grey hairs from the tiny shelf, I realized that there is more of a focus and urgency on my heart these days. I want to treasure every moment that I do have here and I want to live them well and with purpose. Not my own purpose, but the ones that God ordained for me long before I was even born. You see, He knew before my momma birthed me how many days I’d have here, He knew what my personality would be like, He knew how many times I’d fail Him, and bring Him joy. He knew how many tears I’d cry, laughs I’d laugh and hairs I’d lose. He knew and He knows, and even knowing all of that about each of us, He loves us. No matter how old we are, no matter where we have been and what we have done, He loves us and our lives matter. All lives matter. He created each of us for His glory and for His purposes.

Open His Word today and read about His love for us. He will see you and I through every single one of our days, the early ones, the later ones, the ones when our kids move out and away, the ones when we get good news and bad news, and the ones when we discover that half of our hair now rests on tiny shelves in our tiny master bathrooms. God bless you and may you discover laughter today. May you also discover the deep love of Jesus.

P. S. I found the other half of my hair on the ceilings of the same bathroom! Oh well, it is what it is! J

 

 

My Frustration with Clothes Hangers

         

Have you ever had to fight with those metal or plastic clothes hangers? I have many times and it drives me crazy. Often, I get so frustrated that my husband comes to my (their) rescue and untangles them before I just throw them in the trash and start over. This happened to me this morning when I was hanging some laundry. I reached up to grab a hanger and the whole bunch fell into a tangled mess. The harder I tried to untangle them the more of a mess they became. What a nightmare I created!

Well, as I fought with the blasted hangers, a blog formed in my mind. Here it is…

These hangers reminded me a lot of people. Think about it. We are kind of like these hangers. We often allow ourselves to get into a tangled mess with each other. Something small is said that hurts us, or perhaps it is a big hurt, deep and real, and before long, we are at each other’s throats. Sometimes, we just withdraw our love or presence from each other. We call that the “cold shoulder treatment”. We stop going to family functions, miss church more often, stop calling and sending cards, or ignore one another as much as possible. Before we know it, there is a tall brick wall erected between us and those we care about. It often creates more pain than the original offense.

If we were honest with one another, we have probably all done this to one degree or another. It makes me so sad. It seems to allow Satan to have his way. It opens the door for more hurt and pain and often closes the door on God’s precious plan for our relationships. We have a theme at our church that says, “Together We Point to Christ.” I love this, it is so true. When we are united, whether in our blood family or our church family, we open the door for God to work so much more easily. His work will be accomplished regardless of our behavior, but think about what we are missing when we allow hurt or differences to divide us. People are watching and what they see is not pretty. Satan loves this I bet.

Why do we allow this to happen? It causes so much damage. It pushes people away. It hinders good things. When I fight with the tangled hangers, I often just want to give up and throw the twisted mess away, rather than practice the patience of gently and methodically untangling them. However,  in my relationships, I really want to invest the time, love, grace, and forgiveness that will mend the hurt places and preserve the relationship.

I realize this is not always easy and that it takes both party’s willingness to make it happen, but restoration is worth it. Thankfully, I do not have to rely on my own strength to do this. I have the Holy Spirit living in me to help me to restore broken relationships. If I ask Him, He will guide me in what to say and how to say it so that I and all of my huge warts do not get in the way. (yes, I admit…I am full of imperfections!)

God is so faithful to help us when we ask Him for help. Is there a tangled relationship in your life right now? Have you stopped going to church or to family events to avoid the pain of it? Are you letting your pride stand in the way of complete restoration? Please step aside and let God heal. Please take the time to make things right. Life is so short. No one knows how much time they have on this earth. Please invest in your marriage, or in the life of a hurting child, sibling or friend. It will be worth it. Not easy, but worth it.

"If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Romans 12:18

God bless and thanks for reading!  

Compelled

It’s been a long time, a really long time since I put words to paper and posted on this blog. A dear, sweet friend gave me a note recently reminding me that writing is important to me and encouraged me to do it again. It’s hard though, really hard. It’s hard because I wonder what impact my simple words will have – a good impact, a bad one, or possibly an offensive one? I pray that what I write here will encourage and spur each of you on towards love and kindness. Anything I write is from my heart. It’s from the deep desire that God has put in me to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and the hope that He brings. That is all - nothing more and nothing less. It is not meant to anger anyone, to fuel political views or to cause division. Only love. Only Good News. Only encouragement.

I am a simple lady who loves Jesus, hungers for more of God’s Word in my life, who loves people, loves encouraging others and loves sharing words that just might grab someone’s heart and lead them to the only One who can change their hearts and lives forever. And boy, do I need heart changes!

Recently, we have been watching a video series and reading a book at church called Counter Culture, by David Platt. It is rocking my world. Or at least I sure hope it is. We are talking about really tough subjects like abortion, sex trafficking, wealth/poverty and other similar and challenging conversations. Last night, we talked about abortion. I left feeling a bit sick to my stomach. Not because I hate anyone, or because I am judging anyone (who am I to judge?), but because I am so deeply saddened by what I heard and saw about the number of unborn babies who die every year due to abortion. It breaks my heart to watch the news, to see posts on social media and to hear people talk about their own heart wrenching stories.

I am discovering that we all have very strong opinions about these issues and it seems that they are dividing us more and more as a nation and even in the Church. That also makes me sad because these are not political issues, nor issues that should divide us, but issues that should bring us together, issues that should compel us to work together to change things. This is my deep prayer – that we would come together and make a lasting change, regardless of our political views or personal opinions. No more babies dying because of choice or inconvenience. No more sex trafficking of young people to fulfill the sinful desires of lust. No more hungry children or homeless families. No more broken families. No more. No. more.

I know this all sounds so negative and depressing. It is depressing. But, we need to talk about it and do something. We can each stand up for these precious lives. We can volunteer at a local pregnancy care organization, collect food for the hungry, write our representatives about laws that go against the very fiber of God’s Word and we can pray. Pray for these dear babies, children, women and men - and then put hands and feet to our prayers. I’m not sure yet how this is going to look in my own life, but I do know one thing - I will no longer sit on my hands and wonder how one person can make a difference. I will do something. I will pray and I will act. Together we can change the world. Together we can save lives. Together we point to Christ.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:35-40