Pray Without Ceasing

            The older I get, the more I realize that just about everyone has something difficult in their lives. I have always been super sensitive to the hurts of others, but now I see them in a different way than I once did. I use to look at others and sort of rate their lives – “they have it all”, “her house is cleaner”, “their lives are a mess”, “why me and not someone else?” and so on. I know, that sounds horrible, but I bet you do the same thing in some form or another. We all do it. We all compare our circumstances and situations to others. We all wish for greener grass at times.

            Now, however, I try very hard, by the grace of God, to remember that what we see on the outside might not be true of what is really going on in someone’s life. Usually, there is a lot more than what we might see. Recently, a sweet friend of mine was deeply honest about her current circumstances. I sensed that something was going on in her life and I was right so I prayed. She is dealing with a very heart wrenching, life altering situation. When I read her story, it made my heart ache. But, something else happened; I realized a couple of things. First, it helped me to remember again, that what we see on the outside or what we may perceive may not be the whole story; secondly, I saw a picture of her heart and her beautiful faith and trust in our God, it also gave me a more specific way to pray. Finally, reading her story sent me directly to my knees for her and her family, as soon as I read her words, I prayed.

            This happens more often with me these days. Instead of my old reactions to someone’s pain, instead of comparing, or even forgetting to pray, I’ve learned to pray immediately and often. I have always been and will be an intercessor, but God has taught me through my own heartache and pain and through the heartaches of others, that prayer is the best thing I can offer someone. I don’t just tell someone that I’m going to pray for them, now, I really DO pray for them. Every time someone comes to my mind, I pray for them, even if I do not know why I’m supposed to pray. I pray for family, friends, those who are far away and those who are near. I pray for strangers and I pray for those who are dearest to me. I pray for my church, our pastors, our nation, and at times I even pray for our enemies. (I know, that’s a strong word, but we all have enemies) I pray for those who read my simple blogs. I pray for you!

            There is much joy in this life, but there is so much heartache too. I have so many people on my heart right now who I want to pray for that sometimes I have to create a list in order to keep up with them all. I have dear friends and loved ones who are fighting huge battles - physical, emotional and spiritual battles. Sometimes I cannot sleep at night because my heart is so heavy for them, so I pray. Sometimes I cannot physically be there for them because of my own life stuff, but I can ALWAYS pray and that is my best gift to them. I know that God hears and answers prayer. I know that prayer makes a difference!

God’s Word promises us that He hears us. Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them…” and 1 John 5:14 tells us that, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” What beautiful promises! God, who created all things, who keeps the stars hanging in the night sky, who sees and knows all things, hears us and will answer. That blows my mind. And so, if this is true and I believe firmly that it is and have seen evidence of it all around me, how can I not pray for those whom I care about and even for those that I do not even know? I am compelled to pray!

            I have a few close friends in my life who I call upon regularly to pray for me and for my loved ones. Sometimes I probably wear them out asking for prayer, but that is because I strongly believe in the power of prayer. I am so thankful for my praying friends. I do not know what I would do without them. (You know who you are! Thank you!) I am also grateful for the privilege to pray for others. I spend a lot of time in my Pink Room praying. I pray alone, I pray with others, I pray at church. I pray without ceasing! I pray in the morning, at night, when I’m washing dishes and when I walk our dog. I love praying Scripture. (Check out “Praying God’s Word Day by Day, one of my favorite prayer devotions) I love being in conversation with my Heavenly Father. I am convinced that prayer is the answer to everything that lays heavy on my heart. I also try to keep a list of answered prayers, so that I can continue to thank God not only as I wait for His answers, but when I see Him answer. He is so faithful and good. Life is not always good, but He is and He loves us enough to listen and to answer when we seek Him. He will provide for our deepest needs. It may not always be in the way we want or expect, but His answers are always best for us. He knows exactly what we need. We can trust His answers, even when they do not come in the way we desired. Right now there are several Scriptures that are flooding my mind. I do not have room to write them all out here so I’ll list some of my favorites. Please take the time to look them up and learn them. I believe they will encourage your heart if you do. And, if you have something on your mind and heart that I can pray for, please leave a comment and I will pray for you. God bless you! Thank you for reading.

 Philippians 4:4-8; 1:3-4; Jeremiah 29:11-13; I Thessalonians 5:17; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 1:3; 4:2; James 5:13-16; Romans 8:26; Matthew 18:19-20; Matthew 6:9-13

 "There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God." Brother Lawrence

                                   

Waiting for Prince Charming

            I woke up this morning reflecting on how blessed I am to have a husband like mine. I am I do not understand why God has given me such a gift, but I am SO thankful. He is my Prince Charming. J (I know…oh brother…) I am a hopeless romantic and I thank God for every day that we get to spend together. We have been married for thirty-two years and dated for a couple of years before that. He has been so many things to me and our family through those years. I could never list them all on a single blog, but I will attempt to at least list some of them here, but before I do that I want to say a few things about waiting for your “Prince Charming”.

            God knows me better than I even know myself. He knew exactly who I would need in my life and He knew who my husband needed in his. This reminds me of the story of Creation, in Genesis, when God created Adam and Eve. God knew that Adam would need someone who was made specifically for him, someone who would fit him perfectly. In fact, God created Eve from Adam. I believe God granted my husband and me that same blessing. I feel like we were truly meant for each other. He is my soul mate. I am so glad that I waited for him all of those years ago. I had a few other “boyfriends” but none of them would have been a good husband. God protected me from some serious consequences when He led me away from them and to my sweet husband. In a way, my husband rescued me.

            My advice (not that I’m an expert) is that if you are a young girl, anxious for a relationship, or even a mature adult longing for someone to do life with, please go to the Lord in prayer, and please ask Him who He has for you. Please seek His guidance and wait patiently for His answer. He will answer, I promise. His Word tells us that if we seek Him, He will answer and we will find Him. Trust Him. He knows what and who you need. Do not be in such a hurry. This is one of the most important decisions in your life other than accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I know so many young ladies who are desperate to have a boyfriend, to have a baby, to be in a relationship, to just have a guy on their arm that they often sacrifice so much and then end up alone and disillusioned. It makes me so sad to see girls get so deeply hurt because they did not take the time to seek God first in their relationships. What is the hurry girls? You have your whole life ahead of you!

            Marriage is a lifetime commitment and it takes a LOT of work. It is not for wimps! J It is not a 50-50 thing like some folks say. It takes a 100% commitment from both people in a marriage, but when you devote yourself first to the Lord and then to your spouse and eventually your family, it is SO worth it. It can be wonderful. Of course, no marriage is without challenges, but when you face them together with God’s guidance and help, they make you stronger and your love grows through them. There is no perfect marriage because there are no perfect people, but there is a perfect God to guide you.

            Well, I guess I’ve preached enough here and I want to save some space for mentioning a few of the reasons why I appreciate my sweet husband so much. I love him so much and he brings such joy to my heart. He is truly a gift from above!

 …he loves Jesus

…he is so loving and kind to me, our sons and everyone.

…he is so funny!

…he is so generous to everyone. He constantly gives all that he has for others.

…he is a very hard worker and a great provider.

…he cares for us in so many practical ways.

…he always says that he is happy when he knows I’m happy.

…his is an incredible father to our sons and MANY other young folks.

…he is so supportive and understanding of me and my arthritic disease (and so faithful to massage my aching joints when I have a hard time dragging myself out of bed in the morning!)

…he has devoted his whole life to taking care of me, our boys and now our sweet daughter-in-law, and so many others.

…I love our walks together, our talks together, our weekends away, our Cheese Shop lunches, our cheesy Hallmark movie nights, our “Once Upon a Time" nights, our frozen yogurt nights, working alongside one another, sitting beside him in church, and I enjoy every minute with him. I never tire of spending time with him.

…he is so helpful.

…he is so smart.

…he is always willing to lend a hand with so many things – dishes, yard work, planting our veggie garden, working on our house, taking me back and forth to doctors…and he even makes sure that there is always toilet paper! What a guy! (Who else does that??)

…he is amazing! (He is human just like the rest of us, but he is pretty amazing!)

…I love him so much

…and finally, he loves me just the way I am and for that I am eternally grateful.

 I pray that this encourages someone in some way. I pray that you will always seek the Lord first. He will be a Father and a Husband to you if for some reason you find yourself alone. Wait patiently on Him, take your deepest desires to Him, for He cares so deeply for you.

 God bless you!

Worry Wart

This morning, (November 7, 2012) like so many Americans I woke up with the election on my mind, wondering what the outcome was, although I had a feeling it would turn out as it did. I was right. As soon as I rolled over, picked up my phone and checked out who our next president would be, my heart became anxious. I tend to be a bit of a worry wart. The truth is, I went to bed with an anxious heart. I started worrying about my loved ones jobs, about the loss of values in this country, about our kids futures, about my friends who have struggling small businesses, and about the possible cuts to our military families who give so much to protect our freedom. My worry became anxiety kept me awake last night for several hours. When I do not place my focus in the right place, I tend to go to my worry place, and that is not a good thing. Worrying gets me nowhere. Ever.

In Philippians 4:6-7, (one of my favorite verses) it reminds us that we are not to be anxious about anything, but rather, to take our requests to our Father, with an attitude of thanksgiving and as we do this, we will receive peace that surpasses all understanding. Following that, in verse 8, God’s Word tells us what we should focus on instead. I have found that if I focus on the right rather than worry, not only does it calm my heart, but it gives me peace. For me, finding peace in this unstable world boils down to one thing, who do I put my trust in? Is it other people, a president, money, things, or other various “idols”? Well, last night when I went to bed, I think my mind was more focused on some presidential election than on the power of God. Peace was hard to find because I was not focusing in the right direction – upward.

            This morning, after I crawled slowly out of bed, I fell (gently) to my knees, and spent a good deal of time in prayer for our country, our president and for those I love who will be most affected by the outcome of this election. I agonized in prayer for our hurting nation. I went out to the kitchen for a hot cup of tea and some oatmeal and then I went to the only place that I could – God’s Word. I quietly searched for Scriptures about trust. I found many verses. I found peace, I found hope, and I found a God that is bigger than economic instability, bigger than my fears and worries, and bigger than any presidential election. God is still in control. He never stopped being in control. God is able. God is faithful. If we are His children, we know that He already has the victory, that His hands are upon us, and that He cares about us. He is stronger!

            This is not a political post. So please do not read it that way. It is not about who won or who didn’t. It is about the hope of Jesus Christ. It is about trusting the only One who is trustworthy. The president is not and never will be our Savoir. He is just a man. We should never put our trust and faith in any man. Every man will eventually fail. We must put our trust in our God. He is our only HOPE.

            I am not going to lie, I am concerned about the outcome of our choices in this nation. Does it break my heart knowing that our current president supports the killing of innocent babies? Absolutely. Do I believe that we are on the brink of an economic cliff? I fear that we are. Do I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman? Yes I do. Do I fear that my husband, son, daughter, or friend could lose their jobs? Unfortunately, I do. But, the bottom line is, that in spite of all of these things, I know that I can still put my trust in God. He cares deeply about the lives of the unborn babies who have been killed and I’m sure He grieves deeply. He sees the financial state of this nation. He hears the cries of those who can barely make ends meet. He feels the pain of the homeless. He understands the trials of the unemployed. He also sees the heart of every man and will deal with those who act contrary to His Word. He is good, but He is also just.

            I want to leave you with the verses that helped me find peace this morning. I urge you to meditate on them and to renew your trust in the Lord. I am going to do the same in these uncertain days. I say uncertain, but the truth is that they are not uncertain. God already wins in the end. God is victorious. He never changes. There is no uncertainty about the future for us believers. We are His and He is with us. Do not lose hope. He is bigger, and He is stronger. May God bless you with peace in the coming days. May these verses point your heart and your eyes in the right direction. As always, thank you for reading.

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

 “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation” Psalm 13:5

 “My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors” Psalm 31:15

 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”Isaiah 26:3-4

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

 “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God”. Psalm 20:7

 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

 

 

 

             

Silver Lining

This past week for some strange reason, I lost my voice. I’ve never really experienced this before. I’ve had a cough before or maybe a scratchy throat, but I’ve never lost my voice. It has been interesting.(I'm sure others have enjoyed it more than I have!) I’m not sure yet what the cause is, but I really hope it gets better soon. If you know me, I love to talk and sing and it has been really hard not being able to do so.

Like many things, if you look hard enough, you can find some kind of silver lining. Well, I’m looking, but I am not sure I have found one yet. However, this morning, I did have an interesting experience and maybe it was actually a silver lining after all. I usually sing on our worship team or in the choir at our church. I LOVE to worship the Lord through music. It is my passion, my ministry and it brings me such great joy. I cannot imagine my life without it. My iTunes account is filled with over two thousand worship songs! That’s how much I love it!

Today when my husband and I went to church, we sat out in the congregation rather than being up on the stage in the choir like normal. I’ve had to do this before and it always gives me a different perspective on things, as it did today. I was not physically able to sing with my voice because I do not have one right now, so I had to “sing” in other ways. I am usually pretty expressive in worship anyway, but today I found myself wishing that I knew sign language so that I could express myself through that kind of “words”. At first, I found it hard to worship because I am so used to singing during worship. The choir sang a beautiful song and I grieved because I wanted to sing with them so badly. Then we moved on to the worship set. One of the songs that we did is a song called “From the Inside Out”. The lyrics and music are beautiful. I eventually closed my eyes and tried to focus on the lyrics and on the other voices around me. I went from grieving to worshiping pretty quickly. I had to work hard not to sing, but once I closed my eyes, my focus shifted. I began to really think about the lyrics. I found myself praying what I was “singing” in my head. Soon, my heart was fully involved in worship. I could feel God’s Presence in our Worship Center and in my heart. It was an incredible experience as I worshiped Him quietly. He is so worthy of our worship and praise. Every part of me was worshiping Him. I got lost in the moment. It was beautiful. It was not about me at all, but about HIM.

I really look forward to getting my voice back, but I am thankful for the worship that I experienced today in spite of my not being able to sing out with my voice. I am thankful that God prepared my heart through other people’s voices and got me ready to hear His Word being preached, and what a message it was! I am so thankful for our pastors who spend hours studying the Bible, and planning worship services so that we can learn about and worship the Lord in spirit and truth. I am also thankful that God is changing me from the inside out. (after all, what is in the heart is what comes out in my behavior-another blog for another day) My prayer is that He will consume me from the inside out like the song says, and that He will continue to transform my heart. I want to make Him first in my life. I pray that my offerings of praise will be pleasing to Him. He deserves our very best and that is what I want to give Him, whether it is with my voice or with my hands. Today gave me a new appreciation for being able to worship through singing. In some ways I have taken that for granted. God has put in me such a deep desire to worship Him through music. I look forward to getting over this crud and being able to sing to Him with everything I am worth. The Bible says to make a joyful noise. Well, today I was not able to do that physically, so I did it with my hands and with my smile. I lifted my face up to Him and offered Him a different kind of song – a quiet expression of worship from my heart. Even though I missed singing, it was a blessing to experience worship differently and quietly today.  I’ve included the lyrics of the song I mentioned. They are beautiful. Even as I type them now, I am listening to the song and my heart is worshiping Him again, quietly, without a single spoken word. I am so thankful for the gift of worship!

"From The Inside Out"(Hillsong Music – Joel Houston)

 A thousand times I've failed

 Still your mercy remains

 Should I stumble again

 Still I'm caught in your grace

 Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades

            Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul

 I give you control

 Consume me from the inside out

 Let justice and praise

 Become my embrace

 To love you from the inside out

 

Your will above all else

 My purpose remains

 The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

 Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades

 Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul

 I give you control

 Consume me from the inside out

 Let justice and praise

 Become my embrace

 To love you from the inside out

Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades

 Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

 And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise

 From the inside out

 Lord my soul cries out

 

I write because...

I write because…

 …more than anyone, I need to hear it. (I’m preaching to myself!)

 …I want to share what God lovingly places on my heart.

 …writing is like worshiping to me, I have to worship through music, it is part of me, it is in my blood and I have to write for the same reasons. I cannot stop myself!

…it helps me to remember and apply what God is teaching me through others and through His Word.

 …I know there are so many people in the world without hope and I want to share the hope that I have, praying that they might also find it.

 …it helps me deal with the things of this world that are so difficult to understand.

 …there are people out there just like me who might need a word of encouragement. I know there are days when I do. Maybe something I write will encourage just one person.

 …writing is like sitting down with a hot cup of tea, homemade biscotti and a good friend.

 …I sometimes need to find my way back to the Source.

  …I’m a real person with real joy and real pain and it helps to write about it.

 …I desire to make a difference with my simple words for as long as there is breath within me.

 … His light is not meant to be hidden under a basket, but to be shared.

 …it is like a pressure valve on my heart.

 …I must!

 I am just like the rest of you, a real person with real feelings, real joys, and real pain. I love Jesus and I want to share His hope with you. I love life and I want to enjoy and treasure every moment of it, even the hard times. My words are simple and they may not be grammatically correct or brilliant, but they are meant to encourage and bless anyone who reads.

 I am grateful for every person who reads, whether you read one time or whether you read faithfully and I am so thankful for your kind comments. They encourage me greatly!

 I will continue to write as long as the Lord continues to give me things to write about.

 God bless you with peace and grace!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As it was meant to be...

            These last few weeks in my Bible study, we have camped out in the first few chapters of Genesis.  We will be intensely studying that entire book this year, along with other Scriptures. I thought I knew quite a bit about those chapters, and the history of creation, but I was wrong. As I worked on my study questions this past week and as we discussed them in our small group time and large group lecture, I realized just how much I do not know. This may not surprise you, but it did surprise me a bit. As I lingered in these two chapters over the last few weeks, there was SO much there that I had not seen before. I am shaking my head as I type this. Once again, I find myself overwhelmed with what God is showing me through His Word. Our study notes were filled with incredible things that I have combed right over in the past, missing the deeper meanings of His Word. We can miss so much if we do not look closely enough at the context and original intent of the Scriptures. I’m so thankful for all of the new things that God is showing about Himself in this study.

            This week we looked closely at the characteristics of God that can be seen between Genesis 1 and 2. In chapter one, we saw that He spoke creation into existence. We re-discovered the majesty and power of the triune God, the Creator. In chapter two, His Word characterizes Him as tender, loving, generous and personal. He lovingly “forms” Adam, and then right from Adam’s ribs, He creates Eve with great care. He created everything that the two of them would need just as any loving parent would provide for his own children. What a beautiful reminder of Who our God is. He is powerful enough to speak trees, rivers, stars, the sun, animals and all of creation into existence, yet tender and loving enough to intimately form man, and then carefully breathe life into his nostrils. Again, I find myself completely overwhelmed with that picture, the God of the Universe tenderly holding Adam in His hands and gently breathing life into him. I cannot imagine what an artist would put on a canvas if he were to try to paint this picture. It would be a beautiful piece of artwork if someone could capture it, but who can humanly capture such a thing?

            One of our questions this week asked us how our study of Genesis 1 and 2 impacted our thoughts and lives. As I have reflected on this, I realize that I just do not have enough time or room on this page to put it all into words, but I would like to share at least a couple of thoughts before ending. If the God and Creator of the Universe cared enough to give us life, and then to give us dominion over this earth, shouldn’t we live more like we believe this? Shouldn’t we live as though we have the Spirit of God empowering us with all we need to do His work? If the same God who hung the sun, moon and stars and who put order into the Universe is willing to speak to me through His written Word, then shouldn’t I pay attention and do what it says? I am preaching to myself here more than anyone! (One of the main reasons I write!)The bottom line for me is whether or not I really trust Him to guide me and to give me purpose in life. Do I trust Him even when I see so much brokenness and pain in the lives of people who I deeply care about? Do I trust Him when I face yet another season of life not knowing what is around the corner for me and my loved ones? Do I trust Him not matter what?

            For me, the answer to all of these questions is “YES”. I MUST trust Him. At least, I desire to trust Him that much. How could I not? Do I trust Him all of the time? Of course not, but I am learning to. When I look deeply into the words of the first few chapters of Genesis, I have to believe that He is trustworthy. Even though He knew that Adam and Eve (and the rest of us) would disobey Him, He breathed life into Adam anyway. He forgave them anyway. He knew that I would fail Him so many times too, and yet He forgives me and has saved me. HOW CAN I NOT TRUST HIM? He has been so faithful in my life. No, not everything is good or easy, but yes, I am so blessed, and so grateful. When God created man, He never intended all of the sin and brokenness that we have around us then or now. He intended something very different. He intended for Adam and Eve to have eternal relationship with Him in the Garden, freely walking and communicating with their Creator, and having everything they could ever need and want. Because of their disobedience, they lost it all and then had to work and toil for their own needs. But, there is good news! God made a way for them (and us) to be restored back to relationship with Him. He sent His Son to die for us. And that my friend is amazing love! Well, I’ve ventured beyond the number of words that I intended to write and I try hard not to do that, but there is just so much to say and so little space. So, I would like to close with one of my new favorite songs. A dear friend reminded me of it recently, but I had not listened to it for a while. It is called “Endless Hallelujah” by Matt Redman. Here are the song lyrics. Hope you’ll take time to listen to it soon and as you do, just try to imagine what life was meant to be like in the beginning and what it WILL be like when we get to see our Lord face to face one day. No matter what you are going through right now, there is hope. The Creator of all things is working and has a plan. One day soon, it will once again be as it was meant to be! AMEN!

Endless Hallelujah

When I stand before Your throne

 Dressed in glory not my own

 What a joy I'll sing of on that day

 No more tears or broken dreams

 Forgotten is the minor key

 Everything as it was meant to be

 

And we will worship, worship

 Forever in Your presence we will sing

 We will worship, worship You

 And endless hallelujah to the King

 

I will see You as You are

 Love You with unsinning heart

 And see how much You paid to bring me home

 Not till then, Lord, shall I know

 Not till then, how much I owe

 Everything I am before Your throne

 

 And we will worship, worship

 Forever in Your presence we will sing

 We will worship, worship You

 And endless hallelujah to the King

 

No more tears, no more shame

 No more sin and sorrow ever known again

 No more fears, no more pain

 We will see You face to face

 See You face to face

 

And we will worship, worship

 Forever in Your presence we will sing

 We will worship, worship You

 And endless hallelujah to the King (Matt Redman – 10,000 Reasons, Sparrow Music)

 

 

In the Beginning...

What a glorious day it is! The weather is beautiful after several days of nasty rain and storms. I’m always grateful when the sun comes back out. I am a sunshine kind of girl for sure! I haven’t written for a while and my mind is full today with thoughts, too many for just one blog. Sometimes I lay in bed at night thinking about blog ideas. I know that sounds crazy, but they sometimes pop into my head, or at times they bubble up deep from within my heart. They evolve from great joy and at times from deep sorrow. I keep a tiny notepad on my nightstand to write the ideas down. Some I use and others never go any farther than my little notepad. I love how God sends me these thoughts and then expands them into writings. This one bubbled to the surface after I read my Bible study notes this morning, and after a long walk through our neighborhood, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. Creation truly does display God’s glory and it makes me want to write!

Today, I am feeling overwhelmed by the majesty of God and His creation. Last week, my ladies Bible study started back up and as I think I’ve mentioned before, we are studying the entire book of Genesis this year. I am SO excited about it. I cannot wait to dive into this beautiful book that is the foundation to all of the rest of God’s Word. There are two to three hundred ladies and about one hundred children who will be studying together from now through the end of next May. Within that group, I meet with a smaller group of about fourteen each week. I look forward to getting to know the ladies in my present group. Some of them have been doing BSF for more than eight years! I am in my second year and I know that I will learn so much from them. I know God has so much in store for us as we systematically study His Word together this year.

We have met for two weeks and I am so excited that I can hardly stand it! Last week, our teaching leader gave us an overview of the book of Genesis. This week, we learned about creation, our amazing Creator, and the different views on how creation began. I was not aware that there are SO many different views about how our Universe began. I knew of some, but not so many. I have always believed by faith that God’s entire Word is true and that He is our Creator, but not everyone believes that way. Our lesson notes taught us about those different views, but mainly they taught us just how incredible and powerful our God is. Reading through my lesson notes and back through Genesis 1 reminded me this morning that God’s name is mentioned over thirty times in that one chapter! He is the main Character of creation! The lesson also reminded me that God “created”, He “said”, He “saw”, He “called”, He “made”, He “set” and He “blessed”! And, He did all of this from nothing! When you and I make something, we already have something available to create start with. Not so with God. He is the Creator of all things! He started from scratch! This truth comforts me because it reminds me that if God says it, He will do it! In other words, if He thinks it, plans it, ordains it, promises it or commands it, it will happen in His way and timing. That is an incredible promise that we can count on!

One of the many other lessons that I was reminded of this week in our studies is that if we are His creation, and we are, then He has a beautiful purpose and plan for our lives! All over the book of Ephesians, one of my favorite books, we are reminded that God chose us before creation, He adopted us and made us His sons and daughters. We are His “workmanship”, created for the works and purpose that He has for us – and that purpose is to bring Him glory with our lives! (see Ephesians 1-2) God loves each of us so much that not only did He create us, but He created this magnificent earth as our home and for our delight, to meet our needs and to fulfill His purpose. He gave man dominion over the earth. He also created this earth so that His only Son could come here in human form to save us from eternal death. He is a loving and generous God! Now, there is one catch – we must choose God and His plans, He leaves that choice to us. He will never force Himself on us. I believe that if we choose otherwise, that life will be without true meaning and purpose. In my mind, a life without God will be a wasted life. I have always found that when I am following God’s purpose for me, I am most fulfilled and find the most joy. His plan is best! We were created for His delight and for His glory! I do not want to miss His best plan for my life.

I am no scientist or great theologian, but I do have faith and though some days it is only the size of a mustard seed, I firmly believe, without a doubt that God created all things including me, and since I believe that, I desire to start living more like I believe it. I want to live like I believe that He still has an incredible purpose for my life. As long as I am taking in air, I want to live for Him and serve Him. I want to seek direction and wisdom from Him as I continue to walk through the ever changing seasons of my life. I want my life to always demonstrate that I was made by Him and for Him. I want my thoughts and my actions to glorify Him. Just as God spoke light in the world, He has spoken light into my life and I want to live and walk in that light and spread that light to others. God is always doing a new thing and I do not want to miss it! I do not know what He has next for me, but I am excited and I want to trust Him in it and hopefully I am ready for it. But, even if I am not, HE IS! May He continue to give me grace to walk through whatever it is. God bless you and thanks for reading!

God is ENOUGH...mustard seed sized faith.

            God is enough…easy to say, harder to live out, at least for me anyway, I don’t know about you. I love the Lord. He is everything to me and if you’ve read any of my blogs before, you already know that about me. I cannot live in this crazy world without Him. I would never want to. However, I do not always live like I really believe this. Sometimes my faith is smaller than a mustard seed! Last night, during our mid-week service, one of our volunteer teachers gave us a message on that very subject, faith. He covered a lot of Scripture in a short time, he shared from personal experience, and he talked a lot about “mustard seed sized faith”. (that’s a tongue twister if you say it fast!) He even brought a bunch of tiny mustard seeds for each of us to see and touch. I am one of those hands-on kind of girls, so the seeds really helped to hammer things home for me. Holding something in my hand always helps me to grasp ideas or concepts a lot better.

            I wish I had a recording of the message so that I could just share it here, but I do not, so I’ll try to share some the things he taught us. I don’t think he’d mind me sharing. In fact, I’m sure he’d be glad I did. He started the message by saying that it is easy to believe that God exists. His glory is displayed all around us in His creation. (See Romans 1:20) He continued his message by saying that we cannot earn our salvation in any way. Jesus Christ already did that for us by paying for it with His own life, our job is to believe and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. It is DONE! He did it! Nothing we can do will save us, because it is by His grace and His grace alone that we are saved. I think our speaker wanted us to remember those facts before he broached the subject of faith. He wanted to us to think about Who we place our faith in. Good reminders.

            Next, he talked a bit about what the Bible says about faith. He shared several passages from Scripture about different people and their faith; the Centurion in Matthew 8, the official and his dying son, found in John 4, and the possessed boy in Mark 9. (Of course he also mentioned the faith chapter, Hebrews 11 and others) As we looked at these passages, he kept talking about faith the size of a mustard seed. He closed his message with some other thought provoking points. One thing stuck firmly in my mind…God is enough. He tied it all back to Matthew 17:20 and Ephesians 6:16. He reminded us that we need to take up the shield of faith each morning and he said that, “if God equipped us with a shield of faith that is the size of a mustard seed, then Satan’s arrows must be a lot smaller than we think they are. (He held up that tiny little seed and said that we only need a shield that big, or small). We give Satan a lot more credit than we should.” This statement made me think too. Do I give Satan too much credit? Do I really believe that God is BIGGER and that God is ENOUGH?        

            Our faith is a gift from God, and as my teacher friend said last night, “He gives us this gift just when it’s the right time to open it.” In other words, our faith is a gift from the Lord, and even if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, it is enough, and God will give it to us at just the right time. We will be able to open our package of faith exactly when we need to. Just like Thomas, in John 20, Jesus met him right at his point of disbelief; He will meet us right where we are too, with our tiny amount of faith and take us from doubting to belief, from questioning to trusting, and from fear or worry to a place of peace. He is enough!

            If we trust Him and place our faith in Him rather than in some “substitute” (you name your own substitute here…), He will meet us where we are. He will “water” our faith if we let Him and grow it from a mustard seed to a mountain sized faith. I’d like to close these reflections with some other Scripture verses that God has given me in these last few weeks. They are precious words from our Father about faith, peace, and worry. I brought home three little mustard seeds last night after the message and they are in the fold my Bible, right in the middle of some of these very verses. I picked up the little seeds this morning and was immediately reminded of the message last night and of these verses and promises from our Father. I’m so grateful that He has blessed us with the gift of faith. I am so grateful that I do not need to be some spiritual giant in order to experience His grace and blessings. All I need is that little mustard seed sized faith! I have things in my life right now that are concerning me. Do you? I’m sure most of you do and I know that some of these challenges are bigger than the largest mountain, I know that these words sound so simple and I know it is easy to say and hard to do, especially when life seems so impossible to face at times, but, let’s agree together to take them all to Him in faith. He is the Great Provider. He hears us, He cares. He will answer and He will provide. We can trust Him. Thanks for reading. God bless you today with grace and peace.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16

“He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”Hebrews 11:1

 

           

           

Chased By the Storms

            Do you ever feel like you are being chased by life’s storms? The other night when I was heading to my music rehearsal, I found myself in the middle of a horrible storm. The rain was so heavy I could hardly see to drive. The ditches overflowed across the roads. It was a treacherous drive. When I got a couple of miles down the road, the sun was shining and it was beautiful! I got stopped by a traffic light and had to sit for a minute. By the time the light turned green, the storm had caught up with me! I had to stop at three or four more lights before I reached my final destination. As I reached each light, I managed to get a little ahead of the storm and see the sun for just a moment, but every time, before I pulled off from the light, the storm had chased me and caught up with me! It was crazy! By the time I reached the church there was no hope of getting inside without getting drenched, so I just went for it. I just could not outrun the storm.

 

            Sometimes it seems like life is like that too. Sometimes the storms of life chase us and it seems we cannot get away from them. They just pour down challenges one after the other. There are so many folks that I know right now who are being literally pounded by the storms of life. Some seem to be in a large hurricane of difficulties that just will not stop. I have one close friend who is walking through cancer. She keeps her chin up most of the time, and I admire her greatly for that, but she has lots of very rough days too. I have another friend who lost her precious husband after a horrible bout of cancer. Her faith and strength amaze me, though I know she sheds many tears as well. I could go on and on about the number of folks that I know who are facing what seems like insurmountable challenges right now. My heart aches deeply for them and I pray constantly for them. I do not have words for them, I cannot take away their pain, but I do my best to love them and pray for them. Though I cannot relieve their pain and suffering, I do Someone Who can. I know where my friend gets her strength. I know how she faces her husband’s empty chair each day and yet keeps walking forward one step at a time. She depends on the Lord. She clings to Him when her kids go off to school and she is alone in the house. I know how my other friend faces week after week of chemo and miserable sickness. They both believe that even in such suffering, God has a plan.

            The other night, as I tried to stay ahead of the storms, I was reminded of these dear friends who are hurting so deeply. I went to sleep with them on my mind and heart. I got up the next morning and searched the Scriptures for hope and for peace over these heart wrenching situations. There is no way that our human brains can fully comprehend this kind of pain. I will never understand how folks walk through these kinds of life storms without faith. I guess some attempt to. I am not walking directly in my friends shoes so I cannot say that I truly understand, however, I feel enough hurt for them that it causes me to run to God’s Word for help. Of course, there will be some things that we will not understand until we see Jesus face to face, but I did find some comfort in the Scriptures as I searched them.

            One of the Scriptures I landed on was Isaiah 43:2. It says this, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” I never like to take Scripture out of context, I always try to read a verse within the entire passage, and I did, but this one verse really comforted my heart. This was a promise to God’s children. He was so faithful to them, even in their trials and tribulations He showed them great mercy and love. He is the same way with us. He shows us great mercy. It may not always feel like it when we are being hammered by the strong storms of life, but He is always with us. I believe that He is also with my friends who are suffering so greatly.

            Another verse that I found was Deuteronomy 31:8. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Another incredible promise from God, we can be encouraged even in our pain because He will not abandon us, EVER. One final verse that really grabbed my heart and is one of my favorites is Isaiah 41:10. It says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Wow! The God of the Universe will give us strength and uphold us by His own hand! I really want that thought to penetrate my heart deeply and stick with me. I pray this for my hurting friends. I pray it for all who are lost, lonely, sick, depressed, struggling or afraid. God is so faithful. He is so good. I know from personal experience, that it is difficult to see His hand when things turn dark and stormy, but I believe it with all of my heart and I want to live it out in my life.

            I am reading a few different books right now and I didn’t realize it when I purchased them, but two of the books deal with the same subject - choosing and finding joy, even in difficult circumstances. Both books were written by women who have had their share of suffering and yet have found joy and abundant life in the midst of that suffering. I desire strongly to live that way, choosing joy no matter what storms come my way. I want to have faith like my friend. Even as I type this, I’m thinking to myself…please Lord…not suffering. I don't want to suffer and I don't want to see my loved ones suffer, but I do want to learn to trust Him even in suffering. The older I get the more I see just how quickly life changes and passes. We are not guaranteed the next five minutes and I want to live my life trusting that God will see me through whatever storm heads my way. I do not want to allow the storm clouds of life to darken my joy and rob me of the peace that God offers and promises to His children. I pray that as I study His Word and as I encounter His presence, that He will transform me completely and that I will choose joy. Then, I pray that I can share that joy with someone who may need it. May God bless you today with His grace, peace and joy. Thanks for reading!!

All Scripture from ESV or NIV1984 Bible

My Glaring Weaknesses

 

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV1984)

            Last night I was at a music rehearsal for a women’s conference that is coming up at our church soon. As we rehearsed I was reminded again of my own musical weaknesses. I am not formally trained in music, but I’ve been involved in our worship ministry for more than 20 years, I’ve learned so much in those years, and I’m so thankful for those who have taught me so well.

I have to spend a good amount of time to learn a new song or to learn a harmony part to a song that I already know. I do not play an instrument, but I can “pluck out” my own part on a piano to help me learn it. All of the songs that we were working on last night are familiar except one, but since it was a singing group of only women, we were all learning some new parts to the songs. It always makes me a bit nervous when I’m asked to sight read on the spot. But, I’ve learned to just be honest and request a little help to learn it or just ask if I can stick with the melody until I can learn the part on my own time. It has always been a dream of mine to play the piano or to learn music theory well enough to sight read better, and I would still love to do that, but I’ve also learned that my main instrument is my voice. I would not want to forsake worshiping with my voice in order to play an instrument. I have always LOVED to sing and I am especially and extremely passionate about worship. Music that worships our Lord takes me to a place where I can experience a little taste of Heaven on earth!

            Well, back to my story...at this rehearsal last night I was surrounded by folks with varying levels of music ability, some who I would call brilliant musicians (you know who you are!), and others with more or less limited music skills than me. I started to realize just how inadequate I feel when it comes to sight reading music. Almost immediately, I let Satan get a foothold in my head and I started thinking about how inadequate I am in many other areas of my life. My head begin to spin with thoughts about things I never accomplished, about dreams that had died, about things that I started but never finished, and about how God could ever use “someone like me” to further His kingdom work. I was immediately bit by the bug of “not-enoughness” (yes, I know that is not really a word, but hey, it’s my blog right??) I let my mind continue to wander deeper into the dark woods of self-doubt. That’s not a happy place by the way! I really do not like wandering into the tall trees of insecurity. I lingered in those dark woods long enough and something snapped me back into the Light. Funny how all it takes to step out of the darkness is to take one tiny step into the light!

We had a little break while the pianist and worship leader discussed some details so I took that opportunity to sit down for a moment and rest. While sitting, God gently and lovingly reminded me that while I do have plenty of weaknesses and inadequacies, He is fully sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9) He reminded me of the MANY times when I have felt and actually have been unequipped on my own to accomplish anything, yet, He is always able to give us all we need to complete anything that He sets before us. That has been the case throughout my faith walk, over and over again. I could write full books on the times that He has done that in my life! If He calls us to it, He’ll give us what I need to do it!

            Don’t get me wrong, I want to do all that I can to equip myself for God’s work, and to always work at growing in my gifts and abilities. I never want to stop learning. I love learning! (I still hope to learn more about music theory someday and I hope that maybe someone will help me with that J) But, I do not have to worry about being the strong one or the smarter one or about being the most brilliant musician in the room. What I do need to be concerned with is my heart, my motives and that I am doing all that I can do to offer the Lord my very best. That is what worship is – giving all we have, right where we are as an offering to Him, for His glory alone. He doesn’t want flowery gifts or fancy sacrifices, He just wants us and the best we have to offer, whatever that is. I do believe that I did that at last night’s rehearsal. I went prepared and I worshiped Him as we sang through each song and talked through the details. I feel so honored to have been asked to sing for this special event at our church and I pray that God will use me and my voice for His glory. I pray that others will be drawn to Him through genuine worship offered up by this small group of ladies and musicians.

I thought I had learned a long time ago not to compare myself to others. There is only one of me and only one of you and we are all special creations in God’s eyes. He made all of us uniquely and beautifully. We are His “workmanship”, created for a special purpose and His special work. (Ephesians 2:10) It is never a good idea to compare ourselves to someone else. It is also not a good idea to get caught up in the self-doubt game. Life is way too short for that kind of junk. We are a treasure in His eyes and there are so many out there who do not know Him. We need to get busy spreading the Good News. I find that when I am doing what I absolutely love, doing His work, that whether it is singing, coordinating our worship ministry details, taking care of my family, doing laundry, loving on someone who is hurting, working in our gardens, taking care of church business or dressing up like a nerdette for our youth group at church, I am always most fulfilled when I am doing it for His glory and purpose. Serving the Lord in my favorite areas brings me great joy! I pray that as I receive that blessing of joy in serving, that I will also be useful for His purposes. So, in closing, I want to say a couple more things. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? Do you know that God loves you and has wonderful purposes for your life? Are you connected with a local church where you can use the gifts and talents that He has given you? I hope so. J If not, please get connected now so that you can learn about the beautiful plans God has for you. So long insecurity, so long self. It’s time to press on in the work God has for us with confidence! (Confidence in Him that is!!) God bless you and thanks for reading!

 

Look Up, Rejoice and Be Thankful!

Philippians 4:4-9

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (NIV 1984)

            This morning I went outside on the deck to spend an extended time with the Lord. This week has been a bit challenging and unfortunately my quiet time has suffered. I’ve only found brief times here and there to get into God’s Word. I’ve spent lots of time praying, but not a lot of time listening and not nearly enough time in His Word. My heart is feeling the results of this. The last couple of days I’ve been “anxious” about many things. Forgive me for my honesty. It’s just who I am. Last night when I lay in bed asking God to give me a Scripture, or some word of encouragement, there was silence. So, I quietly clicked on my phone and went to my Scripture memory app and looked at this week’s verse. I read it over and over, but it didn’t seem to replace the anxious thoughts in my mind. I put down my phone and thankfully, after praying, God’s peace washed over me enough that I was able to drift off to sleep.

            This morning, when I awoke, I asked Him again for His peace and for some word of encouragement. I headed outside and sat down to study. It was peaceful and quiet. The tadpoles swam quietly next to me in the green, slimy pond on our deck, the humming birds fluttered by to the feeder and four o’clocks, and the beautiful butterflies busily worked each bloom of the colorful Lantana. But in spite of the peacefulness around me, my heart remained anxious. I was not sure where to start, so I started with two of my favorite devotions. (Praying God’s Word Daily, by Beth Moore and Jesus Calling by Sarah Young) That was a good place to start, but I needed more. I hungered to hear from my Father. I was starving for His Words to my heart.

            As I opened my electronic Bible, I was reminded of some of my favorite life verses. I use to read these particular verses every single day. But it had been a while. I did not even need to read them, they are written on my heart. But I did. There on the screen the Holy Spirit reminded me once again to cast my anxious thoughts to the Lord, not be anxious, but rather to be thankful, to take my every concern, hurt and joy to Him, the One who cares the most about me and those I care about. These verses also reminded me to think about  what is noble, right, true, pure, praiseworthy..., and finally to put into practice what I have seen, heard and learned. Wow! All of that in just six little verses!

           Well, there is one more thing that really blessed me this morning from these verses. I believe that it is a promise from our loving God. Right in the middle of these wonderful words, it says that if we bring our concerns to the Lord, “with thanksgiving”, that His peace will come to us. And not only will His peace be with us, but it “will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Well, I don’t know about you, but I needed that reminder this morning. Although none of the things I am anxious about have changed, one thing has, my mindset. I can get up from my time with the Lord and know that if I take these concerns to Him with a thankful heart, He will allow His peace to wash over me and guard my heart and mind. I need that desperately today. I AM thankful. I pray that as I try to relax in Him now, that my thoughts will focus more on Him and less on my worries and concerns. I pray that trust will displace anxiety in my heart and mind. I pray that my heart will remain thankful throughout today and every day. I pray that rather than dwell on my own worries, I will entrust them to Him and spend that time praying for others instead. He will be faithful to hear my concerns and answer them I know. He will do the same for you. I hope that somehow these words have encouraged you. God bless you and thanks for reading!

God Uses the Mucky Waters

            Well, I know you may be tired of my “outdoor” stories, but I’ve got another one, so hopefully it’ll encourage you and not bore you to tears! I was outside this morning enjoying our flowers and doing a little weeding. We have some guests coming in for dinner this weekend and if you are anything like us, sometimes we put things off until we know someone who has never been to our house is coming over. Well, I was making a mental list in my mind of what really needs to be done before they visit, when I walked by our small fountain on our deck. What I saw was pretty disgusting at first. It was green and slimy. Yuck! Well, I’ll add that one to my husband’s list, I thought. I’m not sticking my hand in that green mess! But, as I looked a little more closely, I saw something that really surprised and astonished me! Down in that green slime, were dozens of tiny little tadpoles! Wow! I called my husband outside and we both gazed in amazement at the sight in our tiny pond. My husband asked me what I wanted to do about it and I told him that we could not possibly kill all of those little fellows and the cleaning would have to wait. We both decided that our guests would just have to look at our messy little fountain, and we came to the conclusion that it would at least make for good conversation if we run out of things to talk about. (Not that this is ever a danger with me J) Who would have ever thought that our disgusting, green fountain would produce life!

            Well, of course that reminds me of my relationship with God. Isn’t that what God does with us? He takes us, sinful, yucky messes and offers to clean us up and make us new creatures! The Bible says that none of us are righteous, that we are all sinners, that we all deserve death. And, it took His Son’s death on the Cross to make us clean, to wipe our sins away. He offers each of us a clean slate, a new life, a second chance, forgiveness of our sins. He can bring life from death and light from darkness! Just like those little tadpoles were born into that green slimy mess, and will eventually turn into some kind of interesting little frog, Jesus takes us and breathes new life into us, making us new creations in Him! He uses the mucky waters of life to teach us and grow us into His likeness. You can read about this in several places in the Bible, Romans 3, Romans 6, and 2 Corinthians 5 among many other places in God’s Word. He turns us into His “work of art”, and has specific work prepared for us to do! We are His masterpieces! (Ephesians 2:10)

            I tried to take a picture today of those little swimmers in our fountain, but they are so tiny that it didn’t turn out so well with all the green slime. I’m going to post it anyway so that you can get a mental picture of just how awful the water is in our fountain. Well, my life was just a gross before I became a follower of Christ. Don’t get me wrong, I still need a LOT of work, but I belong to Him and one day I will be complete in Him. He is transforming me day by day and from glory to glory! I hope and pray that if you do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior that you will find a Bible and read about Him and His amazing grace, love and mercy. He wants a relationship with you. After all, He knows you best! (Warts and all…no pun intended! hehe)

God bless and thanks for reading! J

Bugs in the Pool

I’ve always been a huge fan of the underdog. I always root for the least likely winner. I love to see God use ordinary folks for extraordinary things! If I see someone or something hurting, I want to reach out and help, even if it is a bug in the pool. Let me explain the bug thing. We have a very old above ground pool in our back yard. When the water reaches a certain temperature, I really enjoy exercising in it and just relaxing. It is so peaceful floating and listening to the birds sing around me. (although, every now and then I see a vulture flying high above me, checking to see if I’m road kill or something and I immediately flail my arms so that it’ll know that I’m alive and kicking!) Sometimes I feel like I’ve escaped to an exotic peaceful place when I’m quietly floating around. Being in our pool has multiple benefits. I have bad joints and the movement in the warm water helps to ease the pain, and it gets my very out of shape body moving. That’s a good thing.

I’ve noticed the past few times I’ve been in the pool that all kinds of little bugs find their way into the water, especially one particular kind of tiny bee. They fly in and find themselves struggling to get out, but have little hope of doing that on their own. I don’t know what possesses me to do this, but I find it necessary to try to rescue them. I scoop them up in a handful of water and take them safely to the side rails of the pool. They regain the senses, right their little bodies and fly off to freedom. I do not even like bugs! I’m pretty surprised that I’m willing to pick them up and help them out. I risk the chance of getting stung or bit, but I do it anyway. That’s kind of the way it is with people. Sometimes when we reach out to help, and we get “stung”, but it’s always worth it!

Like I said, I like to help people, especially those who are hurting. It is my desire to help them see the hope of Jesus Christ. The hope that proves that even when they feel like the deep waters of life are overtaking them, there is Someone who cares and who will reach down, scoop them up and set their feet back on solid ground. He loves to rescue us, just like I like to rescue the little drowning bugs. He sees us floundering down here, trying to do things on our own, living in ways that are not according to His Word, and running from the very Hands that can save us. He can take us from waterlogged to safe shores! His Word can guide us from darkness to light. If we ask Him to, He will enter our hearts and stick with us closer than any brother or friend ever will. He will never leave those who belong to Him. He will show us how to go from the depths of despair to the freedom of life in Him.

Now please don’t hear me saying that life will be all white sandy beaches and smooth sailing if we become His children. That is not true. He tells us in His Word that we will have trials in this life. We should expect them. It is part of living in a fallen world, but, we will not fight the waves of life alone, ever. His Spirit is here to guide us and His Word is available to teach us His perfect ways.

I will continue to rescue the little bugs in our pool. (unless of course they are spiders…they are on their own!) Every time I rescue a poor little drowning bug, I will remember how my Savior has rescued me and how He walks with me through life every single moment of every day. This is so reassuring. The waves of life get pretty tall sometimes. Things are constantly changing and not all change is pleasant or easy. It is easy to be overtaken by the storms of life, but if we are His children, the waves will never overtake us! What an incredible promise!

This week in Vacation Bible School at our church, we learned that “Everything is possible with God!” and that “No matter what happens, we can trust God!” We learned several songs this week about how we can trust Him, and that we can take Him at His Word. We also learned that “Nothing can keep us from His love”. These were all great songs, and great lessons. I watched almost two hundred K-5 kids, a group of pre-schoolers and one hundred fifty-plus adults learn about trusting God. Some of them asked Jesus into their hearts for the first time! It was amazing to witness what we might call “the faith of a child.” I'm so thankful to have been a part of this! We could all take a good lesson from these precious little ones. We really can trust Him! It doesn’t matter how young or old we are. It’s never too late to start! God bless! Thanks for reading!