Birds of Praise

I woke up to a chorus of praise this morning coming through my open window. As the sun rose, the birds began their day with a joyous song of praise to their Creator. My heart too, bubbled up with praise as I heard them. My heart heard the call to join in with all of creation in praise to our God.

Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 147:1

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:1-3

I was pondering Psalm 136 the other day. I've been intrigued by it for many years. It tells the story of our great God and how he delivered the people of Israel out of bondage. After each phrase, the refrain "for his steadfast love endures forever," is repeated time and time again. Could you imagine telling a story of a happening in your life and inserting "for his steadfast love endures forever" mid-sentence throughout the telling of it? I was wondering why the Psalm was written that way. I think I might know.

Maybe it's because that's the whole point of all of life. "His steadfast love endures forever." In all His greatness, and majesty, and splendor, it's His faithful love that makes Him worthy of praise. We can marvel at His power and His beautiful creation, but if we miss that God loves us with an unending, unwavering love... that's simply.... very sad...empty...meaningless.

God loves us. God loves us. God loves us. And He always will.

Maybe being called a "birdbrain" isn't as bad an insult as intended... for even the birds know that it's fitting to praise Him. :)

God is...

For the past few weeks,  I have been in contact with four or five young girls who are struggling with deep issues in their lives.  One has told me she has tried God and it didn't work.  Another can quote scripture to me but has not been in church since she was a child.   Another one tells me she is mad at God.  She blames Him for her current rebellion.  Another is dealing with the loss of her mother and trying to stay strong in the Lord but is at a very dry place in her life. 

Two of these girls are dealing with sexual abuse that happened before the age of 15.  Both have been doing drugs to cover the pain they can't deal with.  Two have lost their mothers before the age of 18.  Another, was given up for adoption at birth and is struggling to find her true identity.  To cope with her feelings of uncertainty, she finds comfort in alcohol.  One young girl I have been talking to is 15.  She has a baby who is over a year old and is in foster care.  She says she has not had anything to drink in about four months and is trying to get her life on track again.  

Sometimes, all I can do is listen to these young woman when they call me or email me.  I cannot take away the sorrow they are feeling, but I can tell them what God has done for me.  Hearing what God has done in the life of someone else, often encourages us and we realize if He did it for them, He can do it for us.   Sometimes, all we need to know is that someone has been there and we are not alone in what we are going through.  

As we walk through the pages of the Bible... we read story after story of God's faithfulness.  As we read the scriptures and get to know Him... He is our lifeline. He is our hope.  He is our joy, He is our peace.  He is our contentment, He loves us.  He has always been with us, through every trial and every sorrow.  He has guided us through the darkness of night and the deep depression that overcomes us at times.  He was with David, Ruth, Paul, John, Job, Peter, James, Martha, Mary.  He is... and always will be.  The hope that we have is through Jesus and our relationship with Him.  He is...

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.  1 John 1:5 

This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. 1 John 3:19-20

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  1 John 4:16

A new mind, please.

Yesterday....my mind was causing me alot of trouble.  If I could have gone to IKEA and bought a new one... I would've.  I love IKEA...everything seems so simple, new and fresh there. 

Anyway....money can't buy you a new mind.    

So,  I am in the life-long process of 'renewing' my mind, which is exactly what Jesus prescribes for a mind that is causing us trouble, which in my case, seems to happen alot.

I have learned that pretty much everything I do or say, begins with a thought that starts in my mind.  If my thoughts aren't based on truth or what is good and right...you can usually count on my emotions, attitudes and actions following in the same direction. 

Romans 12:2 says

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

But what does that look like?  How do we become transformed by the renewing of our minds?

Without writing a book here, the simplest way I think about it is this:

Out with the old...and in with the truth!

We've 'renewed' alot of things in my life.  Currently, we are renewing an old tent trailer we bought on Craigslist.  For its age...its in pretty good shape...structurally, everything is fine, but it needs a good cleaning...some of the older things in it need to be pulled out and some new things need to be put in.

Don't let your mind think whatever it wants to.  Listen to your thoughts, write down what you hear.  If what you hear in your head doesn't line up with God's truth....if it's not good and right, confess it and get rid of it, and then replace it with his truth.  Write out a bible verse that relates to what you are battling in your mind and carry it with you or post it all around your house...meditate on those words instead, say them out loud and pray the words from the verse asking God to renew your mind and believe Him to do it.

Philippians 4:8 says

Finally, brothers, (or sisters) 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.

Let us seek the Lord daily to renew our minds....believe me, its worth it.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Don't allow your mind to listen to lies....Seek the truth.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth, will set you free." 

 John 8:32

What are you hoping for?

I've been thinking about hope.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Definition of assurance: Full confidence; freedom from doubt; certainty
Definition of conviction: A fixed or firm belief; the state of being convinced

Allow me to paraphrase accordingly:
Now faith is having full confidence and certainty of the things that you hope for, being convinced of the reality of the things you cannot see.

Unfortunately our English language is limiting, at least in the way we use the word "hope" today. We say we hope the weather is nice for the weekend. According to the biblical definition, that is not hope at all. Hope without a known end, is just a wish, with no satisfaction or peace attached to it. If you are not fully convinced that what you hope for will come about, you are making a wish.

The other thing about this is that one rarely, if at all, hopes for bad things. We don't hope, even in the wishful sense, for negative outcomes. We hope for good things. Hope is the certainty that good will come to us. Faith is having hope, being fully confident that the promises of a good God will come about, being fully convinced of the certainty of the things we cannot see, but know are true because God has said it.

Is your faith based on the assurance that the good things God has promised will come to pass? Do your words and your actions come from walking in that kind of confidence? May God grant us this kind of faith, that we will know that we know that we know that what he says is true and will not disappoint us.

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

Today I got a speeding ticket. I was completely zoned out driving on a road that I could drive with my eyes blindfolded. I've driven this road so many times in my life and have never encountered a police radar trap on there yet. Speed limit is 60 km/hr but I was clocked in travelling at 85 km/hr. My kids were in the van with me and I had tuned them out and allowed myself deep in thought when I saw this crazy guy waving at me.... only to find out he was the police officer pulling me over. I gave no story or excuses but apologized and accepted responsiblity for my mistake. I have no idea how fast I was going but I am trusting he did his job and is judging me accordingly.

This hasn't sat well with me all evening since I got this ticket. $136 is an expensive consequence to a rule I chose to break. I had a great opportunity to explain to my children that when we choose to break rules that the consequences can be costly. Adults as well as children sin and make choices to sin.

This is what the LORD says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
"I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea."
~ Isaiah 48:17-18

This got me thinking about rules. Why does Jesus give us the Bible? Does he give it to us so that we can read it and twist things to make it work for us? Even though the street had a speed limit of 60 km/hr I chose to cruise down the street at my own speed that I felt should be the speed limit. We can't take the Bible and pull things out so that it fits our life. The Bible is, and always will be the infallible, unchangeable Word of God.

Most of us can "cruise" through all the Bible stories and retell them because we've heard them so many times just like I drove the road so many times in my life. We can zone out like I did while driving and go through our daily walk with Christ, not paying any attention to those around us until something catches our attention and catches us in disobedience and we end up with consequences to our sin. Consequences to sin can be costly. They can even get us a seat in hell if we turn our backs on God.

Why does God give us rules? He gives us rules to help us, His children, avoid the pitfalls and dangers of life. The rules are for our good, to keep us safe from things that we might not realize that could harm us. God wants us to enjoy life and include Him in our life and let Him lead us so that we will be following the safest and best path.

I live with regrets... "if only" I had been paying attention.... "if only" he had let me off on this one.... "if only" it wouldn't have happened... "if only"...

I would not have been taught the lesson I needed.

Just like there's speed signs to keep us safe on the road, God has His Word to keep us safe in our walk with Him. God wants us to pay attention to Him!... to his rules... He does it because He loves YOU!

Follow the Father

As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.  Psalm 103: 15-16

Man is like a breath; 
      

his days are like a fleeting shadow.  Psalm 144:4

“Time flies.” How many times have you heard this said? Or…“There aren’t enough hours in a day.” Our days are like a fleeting shadow. We flip the page of the calendar and wonder where the month has gone.

So what do we do about that?

Follow the Father… today. Listen to His voice and walk with Him… today. Discover the joy of being in that kind of relationship with the One who knows all things and is the giver of Life. Discover the joy of daily walking with the One who loves you completely. And when you look back over your days and don’t know where time went or remember what you did, it won’t really matter because you’ll know that you followed the Father – your Father – one day at a time.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

though I am weak...yet I am strong

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.  The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.  The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.   Psalm 145:13-14

Years ago, my husband and I had the honor of seeing a man in our remote community come to Christ.  He walked away from everything that He had known to follow Jesus.  His people, his friends, his family... could not believe that he had turned his back on his ancestral religion.  He studied the Bible faithfully with my husband.  Soon his wife started coming to our home.  She wanted to study the Bible too.  She had seen a remarkable change in her husband.  Both decided to follow Jesus.  Everyday they would come to our home and read and study the Bible.  We were so excited!  Word soon got out into the community of what they had done.  One day, the man came to our home.  He was driving erratically and could hardly get the car to stop.  He did not look well.  "Something is wrong," he told my husband. "I am losing feeling in my legs."  As we helped him, out of his car and into ours, my husband drove him to the doctor's office.  After the doctor examined him,  he said the man needed to get to the hospital right away.  We lived in a small town and the only ambulance was in use and not available.  "Can you drive him?" the doctor asked.  Two hours later, they reached the hospital.  It would be the last time this man and my husband would walk together.  Just before entering the hospital, the man's legs began to give way and my husband had to hold him up.  He was later diagnosed with a tumor on his spine.  Some said it was because he had left the old ways... But, he was never to walk again and died within the year.  My husband cared for him as a baby in his last months.  He was baptized and stayed strong in the faith until his death.  I do not recall him ever questioning why this happened to him.  We have been blessed to see his grandchildren come to Jesus.  

 Because he put his hope in God's unfailing love, he now has family that will one day join him.  He suffered immense pain before he died... but he never gave up and he never let go of the promises of God.  His strength left his body but his spirit remained strong.  

We may be the link that brings our children, our grandchildren, their children to the saving grace of Jesus.  May we walk strong in the faith and not waiver. 

Real Life

I was overjoyed the other morning to see this beautiful mama bird making a nest in my flowering cherry tree right outside my kitchen window.  I had been spending some time with Jesus...listening to his heart for me as I read the Bible and sharing my own heart with him as I talked to him in prayer.  Grabbing a cup of coffee....I saw her...only a few feet between us and a piece of glass.  I stood in awe watching her work...so carefully and diligently....full of amazement at God's creation.

I left her to finish and came back to my spot spread out with Bible and notebook.  But my joy, soon turned to frustration as I heard her banging up against my window.  I was so afraid she was going to hurt herself.  I would hear her trying and trying to fly into the reflection she saw in my window.  Then I would get up and go stand there and pray that she could see that what she was pursuing, wasn't real....I prayed that she would turn around and see real life behind her.  I think she would eventually see me and leave the window alone for a while, but a few minutes later, she would forget the pain that flying into glass had caused and she would try again.  I was so afraid that she was going to wound herself so badly that I would find her on the ground.  I kept going to the window when I would hear her and I would talk to her...."sweet little bird...turn around...everything you need for life is in the other direction....what looks good to you and what you think you see isn't real...it is only going to hurt you....please turn around."

I could not help but think of all the times that I have pursued things or relationships to try and meet the deep desires of my heart.  I would pursue what I thought I needed to make me happy but all the while...I was banging up against a reflection that wasn't real.  Jesus was in the other direction calling to me...praying for me...desiring life for me.  He was there to mend up the bruised and broken places of my wounds...and show me that there is a whole world out there for me to live and grow and fly in....Once I experienced 'real' life in Him...the window of deception didn't look so big and glamorous....in fact, I was able to see it for what it really was.

And this is my prayer for you today...

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Ephesians 1:17-19a

Look to Jesus....He will open your eyes to real life.

When I was a young girl and sick or hurting, I remember my mother saying to me, "I'm so sorry you hurt. I wish I could take your place." When I was a kid, I wished she could, too! But now, being a parent, I have thought that same thing myself many times. Oh how I want to relieve the suffering of my kids. I would much rather be the one suffering than to see them in pain. I just want to hold them, and through our touching, have it transfer over to me.

While that is impossible for me to do, I know someone who does it.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows... Isaiah 53:4

Jesus, the son of God, not only identifies with our suffering, but takes it onto himself. He did it on the cross, once for all of us, and he still does it today. While the subsiding of our pain may not be instant, he makes it complete, leaving us whole, healthy and free. This does not happen apart from him, through time or any other means.

And while we are in the midst of it, we are identifying with him, "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:10-11

He suffered with our sorrows, took them into himself that they would be replaced by joy. In our temporary suffering, we identify with him, sharing his sufferings for us so that we would know the power of his resurrection. The transfer - our suffering for his joy, our death for his life.

He took my sin and my sorrows,
He made them his very own.
He took my burden to calvary
and suffered and died alone.

How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song will ever be.
How marvelous, how wonderful is my savior's love for me.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." - Acts 4:13

Peter and John were proclaiming Jesus' name and were taken in front of the Sanhedrin to be questioned. From the words they spoke upon being questioned, people were astonished and took note that they had been with Jesus.

Wow... food for thought. How am I living my life that others see that I have been with Jesus?

Most often God uses the simple, ordinary people to make a difference. You don't need a degree to live like Jesus did. You don't need fancy words to talk like Jesus did. God just wants our heart. He wants us to live and walk what we believe and be a witness in our every day life.

Have you been with Jesus?

Two things matter

Life is complicated and can be confusing. So many voices telling us what to do. Lists abound. Top things to do, say, eat, not do...5 easy steps, 7 steps, 12 steps...what to do when, how to say what, and the lists go on and on about everything imaginable.

What about the Christian life? What does God require of us? We have our lists too. Pray. Read your Bible. Go to church. These are all good things, but if we're missing the main thing they don't mean much.

The people came to Jesus with this question: "What is it all about?" What message was Jesus bringing to mankind?

Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one whom he has sent." John 6:28-29

I love this verse! When our kids were little and we were choosing a verse from each of the books of the Bible to memorize, this was the one we chose from John. Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: that you believe in the one he has sent." He tells them/us plainly what the main thing is.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'", and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

Luke 10:25-28

"Do this and you will live." Love God, love each other. Because of His love for us, and knowing this love, we love others.

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just he has commanded us. 1 John 3:23

Two things matter. Walk in the love that God has lavished on us through Jesus Christ. Love Him and love others. That's keeping the main thing the main thing.

"prepare for landing"

We were on a flight yesterday from Seattle to Chicago.  Our layover city was St. Louis.  Due to weather conditions, we were delayed arriving.  When we finally did arrive, we rushed to our departure gate only to find out that it was delayed.   Eventually we were able to start boarding the plane to Chicago.  The delay had been due to severe thunderstorms and tornado watches.  Tornadoes had already touched down in several states and flights were being cancelled everywhere.  We were on the last flight to Chicago.  

As we were finally preparing to board, and all of us eager to get on the plane,  we "gathered" near the entry to the departure door.   While standing there,  I noticed there were two lanes available to get to the flight attendant.  They were roped off,  but both lead to the same place.  One said "General Boarding," and the other one said "Priority Access."  If you have not had the experience of flying very much... there are categories of importance on boarding a plane.  The "elite" members,  the first class flyers, and the frequent flyer members are allowed to board first. The next priority of boarding is families with small children or those needing assistance.  Yesterday, the flight attendant announced if you had "priority" stamped on your ticket, you were allowed to board.  Then it was on to groups.  There are four levels in the groups and we were group 2.  That meant we were not the last seat on the back of the plane but we were very near the back.  An Asian family must have gotten confused about when they were supposed to board and moved forward and gave their ticket to the flight attendant.  They had several small children.  She publicly humiliated them in front of everyone and told them to stand aside.  She did the same to an older lady.  She yelled at them as though they were trying to steal something that was not theirs.  We passed them as we gave the flight attendant our ticket and I felt sorry for them.  The little children looked frightened and the parents looked down as we walked by. 

Finally, we were all aboard... only to wait again.  Flights were grounded in Chicago and we had to wait until it was okay to land there.  The young man sitting beside my husband by the window was very concerned.  To be honest, I was a little concerned myself.  Especially after a forty-minute flight became an hour and a half long.  He ordered a vodka and juice, and throughout the flight would periodically make a sign of the cross.  A few times I became nauseated from the turbulence.  It had been a while since I had gone over the thoughts in my mind...  do the kids know where the "will" is or where the  insurance papers are.  A mother tried to quieten her child to the left of us... a husband reached across the aisle to hold his wife's hand and give her assurance...  

Sometimes, we all think of moments when we will leave this world.   As we all entered the door of the airplane, there was a priority order.  Had our plane not made it to Chicago,  none of that order would have mattered.  The wonderful thing about God, is...  He is no respecter of persons... we are all the same to Him.  We all enter heaven the same way.  Some just  get there ahead of us...  Heaven is completely "first class."  We do have to make arrangements with the "kind" flight attendant though.  He has given His life to make it possible for us to enter this incredible place.   

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the  Father except through me."  John 14:6

..."No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."  1 Corinthians 2:9

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you."   John 12:1-2

Hide and Seek

Two words from a child's game that I used to love to play came to mind this morning.  

There are a million things that I love about God and over time I am going to attempt to tell you some of them but one of the things that I really love about Him is that He is a God that does not hide.  He is a God that wants us to find Him.  

Psalm 70:4 says:

May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you!  May those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!"

Jeremiah 29:12-13 says:

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

I guess the amazing thing to me is that....God wants us to seek Him....and yet He's not hiding.  He is so big and so wonderful and so extraordinary and so powerful and so amazing that we need to keep seeking to discover all of the precious things about Him.  We couldn't handle it all at one time...so we seek to know Him...and He reveals who He is a little at a time in the most wonderful adventure ever.

It is the best 'Not-Hide and Seek' game I've ever played.

My Heart is Full

I don't know where to start today. Anonymity is hard to keep when one's experience has become fairly well known. And I don't think anonymity is a good servant all the time. So my recent experiences, as I share about them, may give away my identity. That's okay with me.

Like I said, I don't know where to start. My heart is full of praise and thanksgiving. Maybe that's enough to say for today. My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.

I learned yesterday that a lump in my breast is just a cyst. "Nothing to worry about" were the words of the ultrasound technician. This is great news, but it is not the reason I am rejoicing. As I lay on the examination table, my heart was not pounding, I was not sweating or shaking. Hearing the good news did not fill me with a huge sense of relief. It was what it was. The Lord had so comforted me, loved on me, and used the preceding time of the unknown to prepare me, strengthen me, and fill me with trust in him and desire for his will to be done through me that I was ready to praise him for having cancer.

That is amazing to me. That is peace that passes my understanding, and it is real. I can honestly say that I never had to work at not being afraid. I just wasn't. The hardest part was seeing my family anxious and hurting, but I was the recipient of a joy and peace that was not my own. What a gift. What an amazing, wonderful God! It is hard to express my gratitude with my own words. I am thankful the Spirit intercedes for me in these times.

I do not know the full ramifications of this month long experience in my world, but I know that I am not the same.

My deep desire is for you to know joy and peace in believing in Jesus Christ, that he will make you glad with the joy of his presence. May you trust in the Lord, and through his steadfast, unfailing love, remain unmoved. You belong to him and he is so very good.

Be Happy!

This is the day that the LORD has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

I remember back to when I was young and first married. One day as my husband kissed me goodbye as he went off to work before I did, he said, "Have a good day."
"How can I have a good day when I'm not happy," I responded with a frown.
"Be happy," he replied.
"Humph, 'be happy.' I'm not happy." I muttered.
Then he said something I had never considered, "Choose to be happy."
Shaking my head at his naivety, I informed him, "You can't just choose to be happy. You either are or you're not. You can't help what you feel!"

He left for work, and I was left thinking. Could I simply choose to be happy? What about my feelings. Do I just pretend to be happy... deny my feelings?

If I wasn't happy about my circumstances, I wasn't happy. I've learned over the years though, that it's about so much more than the temporary, in my face, about me and my wishes circumstances. If that's what it were about, yes, we'd have most days or greater parts of each day being down. But life is about God, His purposes, His love for us, His goodness, His glory, and our hope of glory... all the eternal things that are sure. And since this is true, we have every reason to be happy... to rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing all you who are upright in heart!
Psalm 32:11

And for those who feel they can't sing the ESV says it the following way:

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 32:11

Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
1 Chronicles 16:10

Life is a whole lot more fun when approached with a joyful spirit and a thankful heart. God is good!

Be happy...and smile!

Are you "shaken" or "shaking"?

Quite a few years ago, our family was offered a place to rest for a week at a cottage on the beach in the San Juan Islands.  It sounded pretty exciting!  Even the drive and ferry ride was an excitement to the kids.  It was free!  All we had to do was get there.  We knew absolutely nothing about where we were going or would be staying.  We just knew it was a house on the beach and the kids could play in the sand.

We had driven all day and fortunately was able to catch the last ferry to the island.  As we arrived, it was moving on towards dusk and we knew that we had to find our contact person to get the key to the house.  It was such a cute little town and I could hardly wait to explore it the next day.  I was eager to check out all of the antique shops and gift stores.  The kids could hardly wait to get on the beach to look for sea shells and hidden treasures.

We found our contact person and got the key...We had been told we needed to hurry though, because it was hard to find the path in the dark.  You mean we can't just drive up to the house?  "Oh, no," she said,   " You park on the hill and follow the path down to the house."  Actually, once we got there, it was quite a  walk from the car to the house with all of the luggage, food, and  beach accessories for the kids.  The house was sitting  on stilts and it was backed up to a bank.  If you looked out the windows on the backside, all you could see was dirt and weeds.  The windows on the front faced the ocean and it was a beautiful view.  It was a very rustic cabin and sparsely furnished.  I noticed though that there was only one door going into the cabin.  As I looked around,  the side bank came out far enough to enable the owners to build steps and a landing to the door and then steps going down to the beach.  

We unpacked, ate a light dinner and settled in for the night.  As I pulled the covers around me, I could hear the sound of the ocean crashing against the bank underneath the cabin.  It took a while for me to go to sleep.  We were awakened around 2 o'clock in the morning by the wind and the shaking of the house.  A storm had developed during the night and had increased in intensity.  As the thunder boomed and lightning flashed all around us.... the kids woke up and came running to the living room where we were.  We had gotten up to check and see if we could find candles if we lost power.  The ocean had brought in huge pieces of wood that kept hitting against the stilts of the house.  Each time they hit, it seemed like the cabin moved... The ocean was in full force as the waves crashed against the shore, underneath us and around us.  I went to the door and looked out.  There was no landing to see, no steps... when the lightning came, we could tell that we were completely surrounded by water.  There was no way out.   

Sleeping was not an option anymore at this point.  None of us could even think about going back to sleep.  As we listened to the rumble and roar of the storm, we prayed for safety and calmness.  Here we were, our first night of "rest," and my heart was pounding as I prayed that the cabin would stay on those stilts.  I'm sure the dwelling had weathered many storms such as this one, yet all I could think of was getting through the night and wondering if this would be the storm that carried us and the cabin out into the ocean.  

I guess my fears weren't too unfounded as I asked someone in the village the next day why the cabin we were staying in was the only one on the beach.  "Oh," she said, "Storms took the other ones out.  There were quite a few houses on the beach but they are now gone."

Sometimes,  a storm appears in our life that we have no control of.  It can leave us "shaking" with fear.  As I was reading Psalm 62 this morning, the word "shaken" caught my attention.  

As we prayed during the storm on the beach that night, our family rested in God alone.  We trusted Him to be our rock and our fortress, our safe place.  

My soul finds rest in God alone;

My salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress,  I will never be shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2

God is not just our protector in a storm... He is the salvation of our hearts.  We find peace and rest in His love.  He is our strength, our helper.  His promises are true... He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

 

Jesus My Joy...Part 2

Goodmorning Sisters and Brothers....

I'm glad you've joined me in the kitchen. As I look out the window, I smile to myself and say, "The sun is not shining...it's too wet to play...but Jesus is still my Joy on this cold, wet, rainy day."

Last week I wrote about Jesus being my Joy. I have been working through some painful areas in my heart that He has been showing to me as I pray and seek Him...things that are deep rooted and need healing. As I was working in my flower beds last week, I was thinking, "why is it that the weeds always show up first?" It's spring...I want to see flowers. I thought of all the weeds that I pull up out of my garden...some of them are easy to see right big and showy, growing up in an open space and I yank them out...others are tucked right into the plant and it feels like I'm doing surgery to remove it as not to rip up the flower roots right along with it. Some of the weeds I pull just keep coming back over and over because I've pulled the top off so they don't make my garden look ugly but I failed to get the roots. After a while....those roots get really deep and its a lot harder to get them out. I believe this is a word picture of my heart, and Jesus the master gardener has been waiting for me to ask Him to pull some weeds.

A few days after I posted last week...a dear sister emailed me and questioned some things that I had written. I was grateful that she did because I went back and re-read my post and agreed with her. What I was trying to get across was worded in a way that said something totally different. Let's take a look:

I have been asking God to reveal His truth to me...to show me areas in my own heart, my inner being, my soul, that are not well and need healing so that I can be free and beautiful in His eyes. I want to dance in freedom before His throne, be a daughter bringing joy to her heavenly Father...I want to serve without hinderance and love without reserve....

Dear one...Jesus does want to heal you from anything in your life (sin, hurts, unforgiveness, or lies that you have believed)...anything that shows up like a weed in your heart sucking life and nutrients out of the garden of your heart. But you are already beautiful in His eyes...with or without the weeds and believe me, until we get to heaven, there will always be some weeds. Jesus loves you the way you are. He doesn't ask you to get your life together before you come to Him. If you have given your heart to Him...He has made you free...and you bring Him much joy. And you still bring Him joy when He shows you things in your life that need working on. I think what I was trying to say last week...but didn't word it quite right was that the things in my life that need healing keep me from joy. He has joy in me because I am his beloved daughter. But when I hold on to 'weeds' in my life, they rob me of dancing with joy and freedom before His throne. The weeds entangle me and I feel held back.

Jesus is our Joy and we are His. Give Him all of you so that you may grow and dance in joy and freedom.

You are precious.

Today, I am thinking about sounds. Not just all the differing sounds that greet our ears everyday, but the way sounds influence us, particularly our emotions. Sounds can arouse anger (kids fighting), frustration (snoring in your ear when all you want to do is sleep), curiosity (an unexpected doorbell), anticipation (gurgling coffee maker or boiling kettle), happiness (laughter in your house). They can cause us to be sad, embarrased, afraid, excited, thankful. Sounds can rile us up or calm us down. Sounds that are agreeable to some may be obnoxious to others. Sounds can trigger the remembering of past experiences, painful or pleasant.

Interesting. We are feafully and wonderfully made.

This thinking all started this morning wih the sweet sound of singing I heard coming up the stairs from my daughter below as she got ready for work. "I sing for joy at the work of your hands. Forever I'll love you. Forever I'll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in you." It roused in me delight, thanksgiving, and a desire to worship along with her. I thought of sounds I never tire of hearing - smooching lips, whispered I Love Yous, the word "Mom", the key in the door as my people come home, laughter, the name "Jesus", the gentle crunch of my duvet as I settle in for a night's sleep.

But there's a sound that I can hardly wait to hear. One that stirs my heart just to imagine it. One that I've never heard before and don't know when I will. This sound will be the only thing that matters at the time.

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17


What will his command be? What does the voice of an archangel sound like? And the trumpet? I believe it will be unmistakeable to those of us who are waiting to hear it. What emotions will this sound arouse? I anticpate thrilling excitement, deepest joy, overwhelming amazement, pure wonder "...when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed." 2 Thessalonians 1:10

Are you listening?

A Princess for Today

Girls of all ages are drawn to princesses. To their beauty, grace, elegance, their gowns, and of course...the crown. For it's the crown that makes us know for sure that she's a princess. How many little princesses have come to my door on Halloween for candy, their facing glowing through makeup, wearing their beautiful gown and tiara.

As we get older, graduation, weddings, Christmas parties, maybe as a bride ourselves, we dress up and express what's inside of us - the desire to be a beautiful princess. We're not delusional in dreaming of this or wishing for this. In fact, you are a modern day princess. Most people don't know it - and maybe you aren't aware of it - but it's true. As a daughter of the Most High God, and an heir with Christ Jesus, you are royalty. And you have a crown to prove it!

Let's take the crown out of the glass case and oooh and aaahh over it, OK?

who redeems your life from the pit

who crowns you with love and compassion

Psalm 103:4

For the LORD takes delight in his people;

he crowns the humble with salvation.

Psalm 149:4

and provide for those who grieve in Zion -

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:3

As I see the contrasts in these passages - rescued from the pit to being crowned, the humbled being raised up and crowned, beauty rising up out of the ashes - don't a lot of the fairy tales echo the truth of Scripture? God has done so much for His children, for those who can now call Him Father because of Christ's work on the cross so we can have forgiveness.

Kathryn Scott's song At The Foot Of The Cross (Ashes to Beauty) really hits the message home for me.

Trade these ashes in for beauty

and wear forgiveness like a crown

Wear forgiveness like a crown. I imagine that after dressing in the morning, doing the hair and makeup thing, I put on the crown...of forgiveness. The greatest thing I take pleasure in. A marvelous crown of beauty set with stones of love and compassion... pure grace. And I stand up taller and walk throughout the day aware of my crown, being careful not to be careless and have it fall off. Remembering what God has done for me.

What beautiful princesses we would be if we wore forgiveness like a crown. People would see us being kind and gracious, generous of heart, compassionate and loving. And our Father, THE KING, would get all the glory. May this be so!

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

I was raised on this verse. It was my Dad's life verse. Above the family room fireplace, the wood mantle piece was boldly engraved with the words Trust in the Lord. As I look at these four words, I can't think of a better, wiser way to live life.

A couple of lines from an old hymn are in my mind as I meditate on Proverbs 3:5&6.

Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

I have a story from my week that I think applies.
I have been struggling with a lot of pain in my teeth for the last couple of weeks. Well, it's actually been longer than that. At first I thought it was just gum sensitivity to hot and cold but by this week it was at the most random times when I wasn't eating or drinking anything.

For about the last week I had pain radiating along my jaw, and extending from my ear down my neck. I couldn't really isolate from where the pain was originating until Tuesday. I knew then... and just felt like ripping out that tooth - bottom right, 2nd from the back. I couldn't stand it anymore. I called the dentist that day, and since I got an appointment for the next day and had pain killers, I thought I'd try him first.

The next day at the dentist, after x-rays and his tapping on my teeth to find which one hurt - uh...every one of them! - he determined that it was the upper right, 4th one. An hour later, I left the dentist office with a lopsided frozen mouth and a root canal. More procedures to follow, but the pain was gone.

If I didn't have access to a dentist, didn't believe in dentists, or was too impatient to wait, my bottom right... 2nd from the back... tooth would be gone and I'd still have the same problem and pain. I'd actually have more of a problem.

In our country with our medical system, that wouldn't be as likely to happen as the generation of my parents when they lived in Russia, or those now living in third world countries. This unfortunately though, is exactly how we in our generation and culture deal with other suffering and pain we have. We figure it out on our own and deal with it on our own. Maybe it's because we don't really trust that God cares about how we feel. Sometimes it's that we don't want to do it His way because it will require something of us that we are unwilling to do.

May we see the futility of this way of thinking and acting, though, as ineffective as pulling out a wrong tooth. May God help us to trust Him. May we lean into Him instead of doing it our own way. God promises to be with us and to help us. He cares. He loves us.