Flowers for My Father (article)

I understand it’s been raining where you are….I mean REALLY raining. Life-storms can
sure dump on a person, can’t they? I know all about that.

Recently I found a little verse in Psalm 71:20—“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again.” David knew about storms. And like him, many of us have had our share of “troubles, many and bitter.”

I’ve certainly had my portion.

I lost my husband to cancer. Ten weeks from start to finish. Yes, it was hard. It was a tornado. Yes, that storm re-arranged life as I knew it. But it has long since settled down and God has restored many things.

I struggled to regain my strength after a stroke. The neurologist told me I should have died. I didn’t. That storm wreaked havoc in my life. But, like David, I knew God would restore my life again.

He did. And today, though I should be dead, you would never know I ever had that stroke.

The year after I married again, our newborn son was diagnosed with severe Hemophilia. We were not prepared for that deluge…and we wondered if we would make it. But we did, and we have learned to navigate those uncharted waters.

In spite of the heavy rains in my life, there has been an abundance of blessing…sort of the “flowers after the showers.”

I have seen the FAITHFULNESS of God and I have seen my own FAITH grow. I know that regardless of what the storm looks like, my anchor is held firm in my Rock and my Salvation. What He promises, He will do.

I have learned to LAUGH and to have joy in the middle of the downpour. Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” I have a cheerful heart and it is well with my soul. Laughter of the heart can transcend the deepest grief.

There have been lessons in OBEDIENCE. What peace there is in obeying God’s call, and obeying His word to stand firm! A portion of Deuteronomy 6:3 tells us to “…Be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you.” God knows what He’s doing when He leads me down a path that’s unfamiliar. He made the map…I will trust His directions. I will have no fear and it will go well with me.

I discovered a new level of WORSHIP. Psalm 108:3-5 — “I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.”Worship opens our hearts to God in new and intimate ways. It allows Him to fill us with his love, forgiveness and healing.

I know how to EMPATHIZE with others who've been through storms. I understand grief. I understand physical pain. I understand fear of the unknown. I understand depression.

I’ve learned that through my heartache, I can offer help and hope as others face similar trials. Galatians 6:2 (NLT) calls us to “Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” If we’ve “been there, done that”, as Christ-followers it’s our call to share the pain of our brothers and sisters and walk alongside them in their struggle.

I have learned to REST in the peace of God. “When you demand answers, you sacrifice peace.” That’s His word to my aching spirit. There is REST when you leave the answers up to Him. I rejoice in the REST found in His strength, care and in the miracle of His life-changing power.

One more thing I’ve found is STRENGTH. I have learned that, like Paul, “I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.” (Philippians 4:13, NLT). When God calls me to pain, He provides the power I need to get through it. I am stronger now than before the showers.

Have you noticed? My discoveries spell F-L-O-W-E-R-S. It’s a mixed bouquet, but I’m tying a ribbon around it and offering it to my Father. I think He’ll love it!

Model Open (article)

MODEL OPEN

Ephesians 4:1 – “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling…”(NLT)


I live in a small but fast-growing suburb of Chicago. New-home subdivisions and retail developments are popping up nearly every time you turn around. Go away for a week or two and when you come home—voila!—something new on a once-vacant corner.

In some of the new subdivisions one of the first things you’ll see is a Model Home. Often there’s a row of houses, showcasing the various styles available from the developer. The idea is to create a desire, a picture of what could be for you and your family. You may see a flag or banner shouting the invitation, “Model Open!” Once inside, you’ll see the builder and decorator have pulled out all the stops to entice you to buy the lifestyle they are selling.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are the models the world will view. Like the lifestyle a new home offers, life in Christ offers a beauty and a peace we cannot enjoy living the old way.

Do our lives reflect God’s grace, His forgiveness and His mercy? Do our lives model Christ-like values and attitudes that create a desire in others to have what we have; or do we demonstrate the aggressive behavior that has become part of our culture?

Road rage is a term we’re familiar with these days. But how about check-out-lane-rage?

You’re in a hurry at the grocery store. You get in the Express Lane with your limit of 12 items. There is someone in front of you who obviously cannot read the sign or count – she has 15 items. You know because you counted them. What do you do?

Do you: a) Shift your weight impatiently from one foot to the other; b) Sigh loudly; c) Look at the people behind you and roll your eyes; or d) Mumble, “Come on,” under your breath, but loud enough for those behind you to hear, and agree with you!

Some of us might think, “These people don’t know me.” But how can we be sure?

What are the chances one of these shoppers visited your church and you didn’t see them but they saw you? I know as a former member of a worship team, I could not possibly see all the faces in the congregation…but they certainly could see me. More than likely, they would recognize me outside the context of the church.

There are many non-believers who think Christians are a bunch of hypocrites. Without the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, we easily fall prey to the pressures of our busy lives and become impatient. We can forget that we are called to BE Christ to a dying world and to model His love and grace to people who don’t know Him.

I want my life to be worthy of the calling of Christ Jesus. I want my life to shout the irresistible invitation, “This model is open. See Jesus inside.”

Take The Keys Out of The Door (article)

I recently read a story about a woman who heard a knock at her front door. She looked out the peephole to see a man standing there. She asked who it was and he replied that he had a package for her. She asked to see the package. Then she asked to see his ID. He wearily said to her, “Lady, if I wanted to break into your house, I would have just used these.” He pulled out the keys she’d left in the door.

This makes me think about my spiritual life. It causes me to think about those areas of my life that are vulnerable to the enemy. I often think that just because I haven’t committed any heinous crimes that I am above blame. I am so careful to guard against the blatant temptations of life and I am eager to believe I have my “house” locked up tighter than Fort Knox. But it isn’t that simple.

Like many of you, I stand condemned of at least a few of the “Seven Deadly Sins”: PRIDE, ENVY, GLUTTONY, LUST, ANGER, GREED, SLOTH. I am only fooling myself to think otherwise. It certainly isn’t fooling God.

Its so easy for me to view myself as a model of spiritual perfection because I want to think sin is only things I do. This attitude is tantamount to leaving the keys in the door of my heart, knowing the enemy of my soul is watching and waiting for an opportunity to walk in and pull up a chair. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 27 tells us, "don't give the devil an opportunity." What are we doing that is, indeed, giving the devil an opportunity?

We are like the Pharisees Jesus warned in Matthew 23: 25-28 – “…You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy – full of greed and self-indulgence!” And, “You are light whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. You try to look like upright people outwardly but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Pretty harsh words, don’t you think? But I know in my heart of hearts, this often applies to my own life. My failures come in my attitudes toward others whose sin is “worse” than mine. They come by my attitude toward my husband or children when things don’t go my way. I am guilty of impatience as I’m driving down the streets of my city, or standing in line at the grocery store.

To believe my human weaknesses are not sin is a danger to my walk with Christ. The Spirit that dwells within me deserves a place that’s surrendered completely to His will and to His Presence. He cannot live where sin abounds. By overlooking the “log” in my own eye (Matthew 7:3) I can easily fall prey to Satan’s advances and his goal for subtly wooing me away from my Savior.

I want to take the keys out of the door. I want to do all I can to protect my life from those things that would keep me from all God has for me; to remove any opportunity for the enemy to come in and steal, kill and destroy.

This comes by being wise to the enemy’s schemes and protecting my heart from his lies. It comes from DAILY asking the Holy Spirit to make me aware of those areas that I can so effortlessly ignore or excuse. I want to be a vessel that’s clean on the inside AND on the outside. I want my life to reflect the living presence of the Holy Spirit.

I’m taking my keys out of the door. Where are yours?

ATM (article)

ATM

Recently, while my husband and I and our two boys were running errands, we stopped by our bank’s ATM.

From his car seat, our two year-old asked, “What doing, Daddy?”

His six year-old brother answered, “Daddy’s making money, Connor.”

My husband and I had a nice laugh over that one. Boy, if it were only that easy.

You know, God Himself has an ATM….and what that really means for us is: All That’s Mine.

As a child of God we are “entitled” to all His bounty offers. I don’t mean that in a self-centered way…I, for one, tend to run the other way when it comes to claiming all God has for me. I want the balance of being content in my current circumstances but also living in the plenty God ordains for me.

And notice I said, “in the plenty God ordains for ME.” I believe God gives differing measures of ‘plenty’ to each of us. That’s why we are not all rich, nor are we all in poverty. I don’t have the calculations for any of that, nor do I pretend have a universal explanation for it, but this one thing I know: God gives good gifts to His children.

As a Christ-follower I have at my disposal all God has. It is not based on what I put in: my charity, my gifts of time or talent…nothing. It is all the GRACE of God lavished upon me.

Unlike the bank’s ATM, where I have to make deposits before I can make withdrawals, God’s account for my life is continualy filled by His grace – by the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, and my acceptance of that Truth and my life in Christ Himself.

Another way to look at this is by considering that God generously supplies All That Matters. This goes WAY beyond the material.

God does not yearn for our comforts. He yearns for our maturity. He offers gifts that will get us closer to that. Gifts that will enable us for the journey. Gifts like:

* Love—John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes on Him will have eternal life.”
* Wisdom—James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
* Peace—John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
* Comfort—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation…”
* Forgiveness—Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
* Deliverance—John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Need I say more? The list goes on and on. God’s supply for all that matters is endless.

There are no guarantees that we’ll have all the material possessions we think we ‘need.’ But God’s word does promise us that He will BE all we need in every circumstance of our lives.

What are you asking for? God’s ATM is open 24/7. He offers EVERYTHING that matters – life and hope and peace. What more could you want?

God Moves Mountains

I moved this from the homeschoolblogger:
_________________________________________________________________

Here's something that's been stirring in my head for a long while...finally took time to put it to 'paper':

Sometime ago my husband and I attended an event kicking off a “Capital Campaign” for our church’s building program. At that event, the tangible part of making that sacrificial commitment to give was presented in the form of ‘rocks.’

The point was that God can move mountains…even if its one stone at a time.

I picked a large rock. Small enough to hold in the palm of my hand, but large enough that it wouldn’t be overlooked or lost in a pocket. I knew what we felt challenged to give was, indeed, a huge mountain in our lives. We would need God to move a few stones in order for us to see that pledge fulfilled.

To this day I hold that rock in my hand during my prayer time every morning. There is NOTHING mystical or magical about the rock, but it is merely a physical reminder that the Lord is at work in my life, moving my ‘mountains’ one rock at a time. Sometime those mountains are blasted out of the way, almost miraculously, and other times, He just does it one-rock-at-a-time, over time.

And with that in mind, I bought a bag of creek rocks. My intention is to select a rock, or two or three from that bag, wash them up, and present them to various friends in my life who are facing difficult mountains these days…assuring them that God is at work – CONTINUALLY – and is moved by the prayers of His people, to work and to act in the lives of those in His care.

Certainly we may not see Him at work, but He IS working. When we can’t hear Him, He’s at work. When we can’t feel Him – He’s at work. Always. Never sleeping. Continuously aware of every little detail of our lives, and working to bring all things together for our good.


Please know, Reader, that God IS at work in YOUR life. Every day. The mountains you see all around you are nothing to the One whose strength is great.

So, this week, find yourself a rock. Maybe even a couple. Put them in places you’ll see them often during your busy day. Let those rocks remind you that God is moving mountains on your behalf. Sometimes the wait is long, but in the meantime you are becoming stronger. And one day you’ll realize the mountain isn’t in your horizon any more. God moved it, and now you can continue the journey toward becoming more like Jesus