Imperfect-Progress-Wrapped-In-Grace-Ungluedness!

“ . . . let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” 

Hebrews 12:1b-2 NLT

I recently read the book “Unglued,” by Lysa TerKeurst, and am now doing an online bible study.  Our memory verse for Chapter 1 is Hebrews 12:1b . . . I added verse 2 for me to memorize.

I love how these verses read in the Message Bible . . .

“Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.”  Hebrews 12:1b-2  Message Bible

A year ago, at age 65, my husband and I made some lifestyle changes in order to lose weight, including journaling what we eat, exercise, and adding vitamins and nutritional supplements.  We started walking again . . . 2 miles per day, working up to 7 miles per day.  This spring, we cut back to 3 miles and started doing 1-min “runs” the last 20 minutes of our walk.  You have to understand, I have never been a runner and said I would never be a runner.  My daughter was a runner.  She ran cross country and the 2-mile races in track.  I always told her my idea of cross country is to get in the car and drive cross country! 

Never say never! 

 

This spring, it was a miracle for me to finish one 1-minute segment.  A minute / 60 seconds is a long time, and I was sure I was going to meet my maker sooner than later!  But my husband kept encouraging me and even took my hand the last 30 seconds saying, you can do it . . . just a few more seconds.  Now I can run eleven 1 to 1 ½ minute segments with a 1 minute walk in between!   

As I run, I have to keep an eye on the uneven sidewalks and streets so as not to trip and fall.    AND in order to finish each run, I have a mail box or sign or something at the end of each minute segment on which I keep my eyes while my husband calls out the last 20 seconds. 

 

This is one of my 1-minute run segments.  Can you see the red sign WAY at the end of the sidewalk?

 

 

 

I don't lose sight of this . . . my goal . . . my focus point . . . to finish this one-minute stretch
   

 

 

 

The same holds true in my imperfect-progress-wrapped-in-grace-ungluedness! I have to keep my eyes on Jesus and my mind on His word in order to run the race set before me.  It’s not easy.  I trip and fall . . . A LOT . . . but . . . He gives me “do overs!” 

The hardest-imperfect-progress-baby-step for me is learning to stop rehashing.  I repent . . . forgive . . . decide to move forward . . . and up pop those emotions . . . AGAIN!

BUT . . . I remember . . . there is an enemy . . . who is not flesh and blood . . . who loves to bring to my remembrance . . . !  And when he does, it's my choice . . . 

"We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”  2 Cor. 10:5  Message Bible

Praise God . . . I’m a work in progress wrapped in grace!

 

Starry Nights in Kenya

A clear, starry Nebraska night sky is beautiful;

but it is NOTHING
in comparison to a clear, starry night sky
away from all artificial light.

Each time I’m in Kenya
and see the night sky
on safari or in rural Kenya
away from all artificial light . . .
which is darker than dark, by the way . . .
it takes my breath away
and leaves me speechless . . .
a miracle of God!

Every single night! 

I stand in awe of the Creator of all!

When I see the Milky Way

in the Kenyan sky,
it makes a believer out of me
that it has 300 billion stars!!!

300 sextillion stars in the universe!

that is
the number 3 followed by 23 zeros
or
3 trillion times 100 billion

Boggles my mind!

“Look up into the heavens. 

Who created all the stars? 
He brings them out one after another,
calling each by its name. 
And he counts them to see
that none are lost or have strayed away. 
O Israel, how can you say
the Lord does not see your troubles?”
Isaiah 40:26-27  NLT (emphasis added)

God

brings the stars out
one by one
calling each by name
counting to be sure
that none are lost or have strayed!

Think about that.
If God knows each star by name,
surely he knows me . . . knows you!

There are 7,035,526,956 people in the world

as of 18:43 UTC (EST+5)
on August 27, 2012

And God knows

each name
each voice
each laugh
every thought before it’s thought
every tear
every detail
of each one of the 7,035,526,956+
people on the earth

And God knows

who is lost
who has strayed

And God cares . . .

about me

about you

For God so loved

that He sent His only Son
for each one of the 7,035,526,956+

Eternity . . . a heartbeat away.

When the beating stops,
eternity begins!

Where will you,

your family, friends,

neighbors, co-workers,
the strangers passed in life
spend eternity?

“For if you confess with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For it is by believing in your heart
that you are made right with God,
and it is by confessing with your mouth
that you are saved.”
Romans 10:9-10  NLT

Look At Your Hands & Remember . . .

Think God doesn't know who you are?

That He has forgotten you?

Each time you look at your hands, remember . . .

But the city of Zion said,

"The Lord has deserted me.
The Lord has forgotten me."
The Lord answers,

"Can a mother forget the baby
who is nursing at her breast?
Can she stop showing her tender love
to the child who was born to her?
She might forget her child.
But I will not forget you.
I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
Your walls are never out of my sight.  

Isaiah 49:14-16 NIRV (emphasis added)



The Word Became Human

“Only the Word is the answer
to rightly reading the world,
because The Word has nail-scarred hands
that cup our face close,
wipe away the tears running down,
has eyes to look deep into our
brimming ache, and whisper,
'I know. I know.'

The passion on the page
is a Person,
and the lens I wear of the Word
is not an abstract idea
but the eyes
of the God-Man
who came and knows the pain.”

“One Thousand Gifts”
by Ann Voskamp . . .
a must read book!

Also . . .
check out her blogspot . . .
www.aholyexperience.com

God Knows Us

Psalm 139  (NLT)

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.

² You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

³ You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.

⁴ You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.

⁵ You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!

⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.

⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.

¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—

¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!

¹⁸ I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

 
¹⁹ O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!

²⁰ They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.

²¹ O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?

²² Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Rooted & Grounded . . .

Wickedness never brings stability,
but the godly have deep roots.

Proverbs 12:3  NLT

Its spreading branches
made it majestic and beautiful.
Its roots went down deep
to where there was plenty of water.

Ezekiel 31:7  NIRV

I pray that he will use his glorious riches

to make you strong.

May his Holy Spirit give you his power

deep down inside you.

Then Christ will live in your hearts

because you believe in him.

And I pray that your love will have deep roots.

I pray that it will have a strong foundation.

May you have power with all God's people

to understand Christ's love.

May you know how wide

and long

and high

and deep it is.

And may you know his love,

even though

it can't be known completely.

Then you will be filled

with everything God has for you.

Ephesians 3:16-19  NIRV

Who Moved My Bookmark?

having moved my “book mark”
I began paging through the
2nd Corinthian / Galatians neighborhood
to find where I had been reading

my bible is so marked up
that I cannot rely on
“if it’s not underlined
then you haven’t read there”
method of finding my way
along the road I am traveling!

reading my underlining
in the 2nd Corinthian / Galatians neighborhood
this scripture stopped me
exactly like
when I’m on my 7-mile walks
enjoying the yards landscaping
when a landscape bed
or specific landscape detail
captures me!
when this happens,
I’m thankful for Ken walking beside me,
watching that I don’t trip and stumble

“Now I am coming to you for the third time,
and I will not be a burden to you.
I don’t want what you have;
I want you.
And anyway, little children don’t pay
for their parents’ food.
It’s the other way around;
parents supply food for their children.
I will gladly spend myself
and all I have for your spiritual good.”
2 Cor. 12:14-15 NLT
(emphasis added)

The words I have in bold

"I don’t want what you have;
I want you"

"I will gladly spend myself
and all I have for your spiritual good"

are literally “in bold” in my bible . . .
meaning that in addition to
underlining with a red pencil,
I color solid specific words
or phrases allowing my attention
to be caught as I page through my bible.

Who are the “little children?”
new believers
immature believers
hurting believers
backsliders
those unskilled in the Word
unsaved

do I care?
am I willing?
here I am, Lord,
use me?

for the “little children’s”
spiritual good” ???

Am I willing
to set aside
my agenda
my time
my self (spelled that way on purpose)
my whatever
for your spiritual good ???

God doesn’t want what I have
God wants to BE through me
God wants me
His vessel
to labor

Being a laborer is
hard work
inconvenient hours
without pay
maybe or maybe not
seeing the harvest or fruit

planting
weeding
watering
watering
weeding
watering
watering
weeding
watering
watering

but the question remains . . .
do I care?
am I willing
to be “spent”
for your spiritual good?

God is willing
I am willing

He walks beside me
I am a co-laborer with Him

Who believes what we've heard and seen?
Who would have thought
God's saving power would look like this?

The servant grew up before God—
a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.

He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.

But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.

We're all like sheep
who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing,
gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins,
everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.

Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?

He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.

The plan was that he give himself
as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—
life, life, and more life.

And God's plan
will deeply prosper through him.
Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—

Because he looked death in the face
and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders
the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

Isaiah 53
Message Bible

Faith Expressed In Love

“For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus,
it makes no difference to God
whether we are circumcised or not circumcised.
What is important is
faith expressing itself in love.”
Galatians 5:6 NLT
(emphasis added)


The cross . . .
the ultimate expression
of faith and love!

Jesus
seeing the end result
expressed His faith
in love

mocked
spit on
beaten beyond recognition
a crown of thorns
spikes driven through His wrists
and His feet
He died
to pay the price
the sacrifice without blemish
for me
for you
all without a word

Jesus expressed His faith
in love
How can I not?

“This is my command: I loved you.
This is the very best way to love.
Put your life on the line for your friends.
You are my friends
when you do the things I command you.”
John 15:13 Message Bible


“This is how we've come to understand
and experience love:
Christ sacrificed his life for us.
This is why we ought to live sacrificially
for our fellow believers,
and not just be out for ourselves.”
1 John 3:16 Message Bible

Loved . . . Chosen . . . Adopted

“Long before
he laid down earth's foundations,
he had us in mind,
had settled on us
as the focus of his love,
to be made whole
and holy by his love.
Long, long ago he decided
to adopt us
into his family
through Jesus Christ.
(What pleasure he took in planning this!)”
Ephesians 1:4-5
Message Bible


Long before . . .
God loved me
you

Long before . . .
God decided to adopt me
you
into His family

as His
very own
valuable
eternal person

whole

holy

through Jesus’
death
burial
and resurrection

“And this
gave Him (God)
great
pleasure.”
NLT

Think about this!

How great a love is this
that God
would sacrifice
His only Son, Jesus
for me
for you

and it gave Him
great pleasure!?!

Beauty Treatment

Of my Lutheran background
I truly miss the
celebration of the season of Lent
a time of preparation
and application
of myrrh
followed by sweet spices

Myrrh . . .
an oily extract from a bush
symbolic of the Holy Spirit
symbolic of grace
a healing salve
Hebrew word means “distilling in drops”

I picture an IV bag automatically dripping
myrrh, as needed,
for the dealings of God in our lives

Drip drip drip
our need for grace again
again and again

And we emerge with
a broken / surrendered
contrite
teachable
heart
having exchanged
our self life
for the Christ life
dying of carnal flesh
in exchange for the spiritual

Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise.
Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice.
Psalm 51:16-17 Message Bible

Crown of Thorns

I stack chairs and straighten others
oblivious to what’s taking place around me
two of my sisters sit nearby
one quietly talking
the other listening, allowing space and time

the talking ebbs into
near silent tears
unleashed deep from within her soul

I’m drawn
sit down
pray quietly in the spirit
for my sister
hurting . . .
soul leaking down her face

The depth of her cry
strangely familiar
an echo of my own soul
not many months ago
but as I listened,
I realized
healing had peacefully arrived in my own soul
the scab replaced
with a scar of compassion

We prayed
continue to pray
for healing and wholeness
of her soul
provided by the crown of thorns
which pierced Jesus’ head

Easter . . .

"It wasn't so long ago
that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin.
You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living,
tell you how to live.
You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief,
and then exhaled disobedience.
We all did it,
all of us doing what we felt like doing,
when we felt like doing it,
all of us in the same boat.
It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper
and do away with the whole lot of us.
Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love,
he embraced us.
He took our sin-dead lives
and made us alive in Christ.
He did all this on his own,
with no help from us!
Then he picked us up
and set us down in highest heaven
in company with Jesus, our Messiah."

Ephesians 2:1-6
Message Bible

A Gift From the Lord!

Children are a gift from the LORD;
they are a reward from him.
Psalm 127:3 NLT


Every mom . . . & dad . . .
need to memorize this verse
because
as sure as the sun comes up in the east,
there will be moments
when you need to speak it out loud
reminding yourself and that child . . .
“you are a gift”
“you are a reward”

We began to say to our children
from the moment they were born
“You are a blessing,
and
you will be a blessing!”

It was a warm spring day in May 1972
when we heard the words
you are not able to have children

Etched forever in my heart is
that moment
the house
the very room where I sat
and prayed . . .
God, if you give me a child
I will raise that child for you.
Within a month I was pregnant!

February 15, 1973,
a cold but snowless wintery day
a beautiful, baby girl
Heather entered our lives and our hearts

The promise to God kept
Heather is a beautiful woman
inside and out
walking in God’s love and grace

child of God
daughter
wife
mother
a Proverbs 31 woman
speaking to her children
“You are a gift”
“You are a reward!”

Happy Birthday, Heather!
We love you and thank God daily
for His gift of you to us!

P.S.
Another miracle child
a son
given to us June 19, 1980
his story later

A Love That Keeps on Giving

Valentine’s Day!
romance
roses
chocolate
candlelight dinner
Valentine card

We strive so hard this one day each year
to create and experience the
“perfect” expressions of “love”
unrealistic expectations
we put on ourselves and others!

Don’t get me wrong . . .
I love Valentine’s Day
and roses and chocolate!
It’s good to express kindness and love
on Valentine’s Day!
But I am being challenged

For God so loved . . .
that He gave

I, in return, am to love by
loving God with all my being
loving myself because God loves me
giving a smile
truly listening to the person who just needs to be heard
being patient, kind, and understanding
encouraging with my words
praying for and loving my enemy
forgiving and loving the person who hurt me

So tomorrow
on Valentine’s Day
and every day
use me, Lord,
to be the human expression of
your love
a love that keeps on giving!

45 & Counting!

February 11th . . . 45 years and counting!

How have we been able to reach this milestone?

"We love each other because He (God) loved us first."
1 John 4:19

And driving separate vehicles!!! Hehehe

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart (Ken Hiatt)
You are a true reflection of God’s love
I thank God always for you!

I love you more today than yesterday
but not as much as tomorrow!

I Can Do All Things?

Excerpt from . . .

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional
YouVersion Reading Through the Bible Plan


“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

Through Christ Who Strengthens You

Philippians 4:13 is a very popular scripture that is often quoted out of context. It says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That doesn't mean you can just do anything you decide to do because you want to do it. Paul was talking specifically about how he was able, through the power of Christ, to be content no matter what his circumstances were.(Emphasis added)

I do believe that, by God's grace, we can do whatever we need to do in life. I think that's a mindset we need to have. There's nothing that's too much for you if you're trusting God. You can handle whatever comes your way because God promises that He'll never put more on us than we can bear and deal with.

So keep a positive attitude no matter where you are right now, no matter what's going on in your life. Cheer up, God is on your side. Stop being upset about things you can't do anything about.

God wants you to know that He has an individual plan for your life, and He wants you to accept His unique plan for you and not compare your plan with anybody else's. (Emphasis added) You have to trust God knows more about what you need and what you can handle than you do. After all, He knows you better than you know yourself!

Prayer Starter: Lord, like Paul, I want my contentment to come from You, not my circumstances. Show me every day that Your plan for me is perfect and that I don't need to worry.


"I must continually ask myself . . . what "all things" am I applying this scripture to that maybe are not things God has given me to do???

In the bleak midwinter . . .

My daughter, Heather, commented on this picture saying
“The snow on trees and objects affects the ears and eyes.
The quiet stillness . . . new dimension/fullness”

Her comments drew me back to
standing outside after snow has stopped
or pausing while shoveling
taking in the pureness of snow’s beauty
captured
etched into memory
through the windows of my eyes
the delicate touch of snowflakes on my face
taste and smell of newly fallen snow
its deafening quiet
stillness
solitude
peace

totally enveloping me
and my heart sings . . .

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone,
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

a song learned through many Christmas seasons
in the Lutheran church . . .

and again . . . I am in awe of God
these snow sensories
mirrors of God, through Jesus
a command from God to

“Be still, and know that I am God!”
Psalm 46:10a NLT



In the bleak midwinter
By Christina Rosetti
1830-1894

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.


A Christmas Carol
Alternate Title: In The Bleak Midwinter
Words: Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894)
appeared posthumously in
The Poetical Works of Christina Georgina Rossetti,
Poem #426, 1904.

Music: Gustav Holst, 1874-1934
Tune: CRANHAM, Meter: Irr.

7 Ways to Practice Peace

7 Ways to Practice Peace

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life: A Daily Devotional
(YouVersion Bible Reading Plan)


“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 NLT

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 Message Bible


Living in God's peace is vital to enjoying life. I believe that one of the keys to living with peace in your life is taking small steps toward peace every day. Here are a few tips you can use to develop a more peaceful lifestyle.

1. Be selective with how you spend your time. You may be trying to do too many things and end up doing none of them well. Hurrying is the flesh trying to do more than the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. Be led by the Spirit.

2. Be prepared to say "no" nicely. Sometimes we take on things we shouldn't because we're uncomfortable saying no. Ask God to give you the words to say no when you need to.

3. Resist the spirit of procrastination. God's Word tells us to exercise self-discipline. Do what you know you need to do now so you can fully enjoy your times of rest.

4. Eliminate key distractions. If you know you are prone to certain distractions, such as watching TV, set some guidelines for yourself.

5. Set appropriate boundaries for interruptions. Life is full of interruptions, but you can learn to set boundaries that help you manage them in healthy ways, such as scheduling times when you are "off limits." Schedule time to give yourself a break.

6. Modify your life. Ask God to show you out-of-the-box ways to save time and trouble. For instance, when I don't have time to do the dishes, I use paper plates!

7. Pray and listen. If you can see that your plan is not producing peace, go back to God, pray for peace in the now, and for the wisdom to make changes that will benefit your life

The bottom line is to make peace a priority, take practical steps toward it, and let God lead you every day into His perfect peace that passes all understanding.

Prayer Starter: God, lead me into Your peace that passes all understanding. Show me the daily steps I can take to walk in Your peace for me.

Stressed? Personal Plans Spoiled?

“As soon as Jesus heard the news
(about John being beheaded),
he went off by himself in a boat
to a remote area to be alone.
But the crowds heard where he was headed
and followed him by land from many villages.
A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat,
and he had compassion on them and healed the sick. ”
(Matthew 14:13)

Have you ever been resentful because
your personal plans got spoiled?
And you acted out in anger
at whoever
because you didn’t get to do
what you wanted to do?

Jesus could have been resentful.
After all, He just wanted some “down time,”
some time out of the office!
He wanted some alone time to pray,
but instead
He had compassion
He healed the sick.

Jesus was able to handle the pressure
and his plans being interrupted because
He stayed connected to HIS source . . .
“I live by the power of the living Father who sent me;
In the same way, those who partake of me
will live because of me.” (John 6:57)

Jesus was God-focused . . . not self-focused
thus able to focus on others and to serve them.

“Immediately after this,
Jesus had his disciples get back into the boat
and cross to the other side of the lake while
he sent the people home. Afterward,
Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray.”
(Matthew 14:22-23a)

While Jesus was praying
the disciples, skilled fishermen / boatmen,
got into serious trouble on the lake!
Strong winds. Heavy waves.
At 3am, Jesus went to them through the storm
and said to them . . .
“It’s all right. I am here! Don’t be afraid.”
(Emphasis added)

Those words jumped right off the page
and slapped me right alongside my head!

Do I understand that Jesus

is not standing on the outside of the storm watching
but rather that he is in the storm with me?

is no respecter of persons!
He comes to me, and He comes to you,
right smack dab in the middle
of every bad-hair, stressed-filled day,
and He speaks those same words of comfort

I will stay connected to my source, Jesus,
through the word of God
through prayer
and I will be still and hear. . .

Dear Arlene,
"It’s alright!
I'm here!
Don’t be afraid!
Love,
Jesus"

Truths Remembered

From a young age, I have had a love / hate / love relationship with keeping a journal . . . one you actually write in. Journals are so enticing with their beautiful covers and lined pages just waiting to be filled with a person’s life! When I step inside Barnes and Noble, a giant magnet snatches me to the journals in the stationery section . . . come look . . . hold . . . daring me to write.

After nearly 50 years of typing, my handwriting is ugly, to say the least. Handwriting seems archaic, a lost art. So why don’t I journal on my computer, you ask? Good question. Maybe the answer for both a paper journal and journaling on my computer is I don’t want to give “voice” to my thoughts and feelings. But in reality, this blog, “Reflections,” is a journal . . . about who God is to me and what He is speaking to me.

With that in mind, I’d like to share some reflections about the Great Sahara Desert and me and God.

Looking out the window of the airplane during our February 2011 flight to Kenya, all I saw for hours was the nothingness of sand, sand, and more sand! Until I saw a black line in the dessert. A river! Soon, another black line . . . a wide black line . . . the Nile River . . . winding through the Great Sahara. As we neared the southern edge of the Great Sahara, the sand gave way to farm fields and larger communities, then to tropical growth.

It takes several hours to fly over the Sahara, giving me plenty of time to wonder . . . what keeps the Nile River from being totally consumed by the hot and thirsty desert? The Nile's source is greater than itself, Lake Victoria. It also pours into something greater than itself, the Mediterranean Sea!

I saw communities here and there along the banks of the Nile and the green of trees and grass . . . proof that life and hope exist even in the desert! I think to myself as we fly over, stay close to the source, trees and grass and people, or you will be consumed!

Second, I wondered . . . why do rivers travel like a snake instead of a straight path? Obstacles! Every river has obstacles in its path, trying to stop the river from reaching its destiny! But the river just goes around, over, or through the obstacle. Resistance is futile!

2011 was a year-long desert season in my life. What got me through it? Truths remembered while 37,000 feet in the air, looking through a small window at the Great Sahara . . .

5. There is life and hope in the desert if I stay connected to my source: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

4. Nothing & no one can stop me from fulfilling God’s plan & purpose for my life except me.

3. The Holy Spirit, like the wind and river, carves a path to follow.

2. The desert season gives way to growth, spiritual growth!

1. God is greater than any desert, even the Great Sahara!

Rocky, Thorny, Fertile?

One of my passions is landscape gardening. As a child, I put soil in a little paper cup, next a seed, then water, and then put the cup in the window. Then the not-so-patient waiting began. The seed looked dry and dead. But the power of life God has put inside the seed to break forth and reproduce itself in multiples, given the right growing conditions, has never ceased to WOW me!

In my lifetime, I have started many new vegetable and flowerbeds. The prep work needed to start new beds is hard work. One particular vegetable garden bed stands out above all the others . . . so far. It was at our new house in a new subdivision. Only a very thin layer of topsoil had been returned to the lot after our house was built.

In the fall, a friend came with his garden tractor, tiller attached, to till up my new garden plot (20 feet x 40 feet). This was no baby tractor and tiller he brought, yet the tiller tines bounced along the surface during his first pass . . . and the second pass. But eventually, he was able to break up the ground. Ken and I then cleared out the rocks and dug in, as best we could, horse manure and leaves and left the bed to winter’s freezing and thawing. Our friend came back in the spring and tilled it again. We repeated the tilling in of horse manure, leaves, and grass clippings each fall. Our reward: the most beautiful, black garden soil ever . . . the first part of the right growing conditions for seed.

What a graphic visual for me as I read the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.

The footpath (hard path) . . . God’s word bouncing along the surface of a heart lacking in understanding. Seed snatched away before it can even sprout.

The shallow soil (rocky soil) . . . get all excited about the word of God, which begins to grow but “topsoil” has too many “rocks” (life’s problems and persecution) to retain water and sustain growth. Wilting sets in.

The thorny ground . . . sidetracked . . . too busy for God . . . the cares of life and the lure and pursuit of wealth / things crowd out God and His word. No crop/fruit.

The fertile soil . . . teachable heart, accepting the word of God into my spirit, producing a bountiful harvest, not just for my life but to share with others!

When I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, here’s what God did . . .

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

“I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” Ezekiel 36:26 Message Bible

Now it’s up to me. My heart, like making good garden soil, is an ongoing process . . . a tilling up of my heart by the word of God and the Holy Spirit exposing those things . . . doubt, fear, unbelief, offense, cares of the world, pursuit of wealth / things, etc. . . . which keep the word of God from producing fruit in my life.

Know Jesus? Know God.

I’m reading,
and may re-read,
the gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Why?
Because
Colossians 1:15 says
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
So if I know Jesus
I’ll know God!

Life is made up of
daily
opportunities
tests
showing me how well I know God

I first need to know that Jesus wants to . . .

Man with leprosy: “Lord, if you want to, you can make me well again.”
Jesus: touched him . . . “I want to,” he said. “Be healed!”
And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Matthew 8:2-3

Do I trust the power/authority of His Word . . .

Roman officer: “Lord, my young servant . . .
paralyzed and racked with pain.”
Jesus: “I will come and heal him”
Roman officer: Just say the word from where you are,
and my servant will be healed!”
Jesus: “Go on home. What you have believed has happened.”
And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 8:5-8, 13

Power in the laying on of hands?

Synagogue leader: “My daughter has just died,
but you can bring her back to life again
if you just come and lay your hand upon her.”
Jesus to the crowd at the home:
“Go away, for the girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
But the crowd laughed at him.
When the crowd was finally outside,
Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up!
Matthew 9:18, 23-25

Confession, faith, and corresponding action . . .

Woman with hemorrhage:
She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought,
“If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
Jesus: “Daughter, be encouraged!
Your faith has made you well.”
And the woman was healed at that moment.
Matthew 9:20-22

Two blind men:
They went right into the house where he (Jesus) was staying.
Jesus: “Do you believe I can make you see?”
Two blind men: “Yes, Lord, we do.”
Jesus: touched their eyes and said,
“Because of your faith, it will happen.”
And suddenly they could see!
Matthew 9:27-29

These are examples
of healing
but the same holds true
for
every area
of my life!

God
wants to
and will
meet me
at my point of faith!

God Has a Dream for You!

Last week, this quote by Joel Osteen was on facebook. I'm reading through the year with Joyce Meyer, and the devotional below was Thursday's, January 5th. I wanted to share both. (Emphasis added)

‎"God has set up seasons in our lives.
It’s easy to get frustrated when
our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable,
but every season is not harvest season.
There are plowing seasons.
There are planting seasons.
There are watering seasons."
Joel Osteen (Leviticus 26:4)


Joyce Meyers Daily Devotional
Thursday, January 5, 2012 (emphasis added) . . .

What is the dream that God's placed in your heart? I'm not asking if you have one, I already know it's there because God gives all of us dreams.

I've seen people do all kinds of things to their dreams. Some people bury them so deep in their hearts in order to protect them from the criticism of others. Some people set them out of sight so they don't have to think about them anymore. And some people finally just give up on their dreams because it hurts too much to hold on.

If your dream needs a jump-start, there are two things I want you to remember. First, you need to get a vision that's clear. And second, you must keep your vision in front of you at all times.

But having a vision doesn't mean that it will instantly appear. God's as interested in the process of vision as He is in the end result.

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 that he had learned how to be content and satisfied to the point where he was not disturbed by whatever state he was in. In other words, he never allowed himself to get upset with where he was at the moment, he was always looking forward to where he could be.

That means you, like Paul, need to find a balance between contentment and ambition. Here's the key: Learn to enjoy where you are on the way to where you're going.

When you have a dream or a vision, you have to keep it in front of you. If it helps, write it down. And remember, God will help you live the dream He's given you, step-by-step, one day at a time.

Prayer Starter: Jesus, even though I don't always feel like it and life tries to get me to quit, I believe You have a great plan for my life. I choose to trust You to help me live the dream You've given me more than I trust my circumstances.

* * * * * * *

God's Word Says in Proverbs 29:18. . .

Where there is no vision, the people perish:
but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. KJV

Where there is no message from God, the people don't control themselves.
But blessed are those who obey the law. NIRV

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.
But whoever obeys the law is joyful. NLT

Without God, Change is Futile!

January 1st
A date to mark my desire
to change whatever in my life?
Or just the start of another year.

January 1st looks much like
the second day of a diet . . .
well, I messed up
so I won’t count today . . .
I’ll think about that another day!
Just call me Miss Scarlett.

New Year’s resolutions . . .
repeats
year after year after year after year
Insanity!
Doing the same thing over and over
expecting different results!

Resolution reality check . . .
I cannot change anything in my own strength!

January 1st . . .
just another day
with no power to bring change

But God
wants to
can
will
bring change
in my life
and in the world around me

Go ahead, make my list!
share my desired changes
with God and see
if they line up with
His desired changes for me!
Spiritual change
will bring the change in my natural world!

But with God
All things are possible!