A Walk with God

If God gave out speeding tickets to us when our lives got so busy that we ran past His mini delights, would we learn our lesson and slow down?

I've known people who get many speeding tickets. They pay the fine and keep right on racing down the road. Then there are people like me who have only had two, yes, two speeding tickets in my whole life. I am very aware of the speedometer and constantly check the signs so that my speed does not pose a traffic problem or a danger.

In life we can sometimes get so busy that we find ourselves speeding through our Bible reading and study. We don't slow down to enjoy the little worm that somehow dropped onto the car and attached itself by a tiny silky thread as we drove down the road. Maybe we need to get out of the car and take a walk. A walk with God can be a speed bump that helps us to slow down long enough to hear and see him working in our lives.

I think today is a good day to get out of the race and take a walk. Being alone with God will be a breath of life into my activities!

It has been a busy week, Lord. I have raced through my time with You so that the things of this world could get accomplished on or before the deadline. I now realize that deadlines don't make life exciting, they bring a death to my relationship with You. You are my lifeline! I need You to accomplish the very things that seem so pressing! Today, I put You first!

Golden Moments

I do not agree that silence is golden. It can be said, however, that silence can be golden. The difference is that there are times when silence is a killer of relationships more than a golden moment.

My wonderful husband and I have been married for 35 and a half years. I like to ask him questions. He likes to sit in the silence. If I never pressed him with questions, our relationship would be trying to survive on the information we knew of one another back when we said, "I do."

Is it possible that some of us married couples forget how mysterious and intricate our partner is? Experiences change our way of thinking, acting and beliefs. It is because Patrick is a deep well of feelings, experiences, beliefs and thoughts that I go exploring and find surprising treasures along the way! I would like to someday be surprised with his explorations into my thoughts and feelings too.

You might wonder where to get good questions. Well, if I come across something during my day I wonder how my beloved might see it so I ask. We happened to watch one of Dr. Phil's shows about premarital counselling. There were some good questions there. I printed them off and plan to take them on date nights, trips and have them handy for an intimate moment.

When my love opens his heart and thoughts to me I am delighted to receive those golden moments as gifts of love. I have a store room full and intend to keep adding to my treasure as time goes by.

God of Love and Giver of all good gifts, You have made each of us a treasure chest of wonder and amazement! You made us to fellowship and rejoice in the discovery of one another. What joy that brings to my soul! You are the One I find when I look into the heart of my beloved and see Your love working to make Him more like You! Thank You!

Work & Worth

I sit here wondering how to speak out without sounding like I am complaining or even trying to defend some of us. I don't want to set anyone above another but I do want to express something I have thought about frequently.

The subject has to do with work and worth. One of the questions most commonly asked when meeting someone for the first time is "What do you do?" It may be phrased , "Where do you work?" The two questions are meant to be a barometer of where you stand on a scale of how important you are or what you are worth to the person asking. For me this has always been an uncomfortable question.

I have felt uncomfortable telling others I've been a stay at home Mom and now a stay at home Grandma. Oh, I know people make grand statements about the importance of Mothers' work but in reality after that bit of information gets leaked, there is little else others will talk to you about. It does not matter how well versed you are in another subject besides diapers, school functions or shopping at the grocery store. If you are not bringing home a pay check there is not much worth placed on you as an interesting person. I hope I am an isolated case, but I tend to think this happens across the board.

Okay, so the perception is that some people have greater value than others just by reason of their work status and ability to make money. I see this happen with those who are unemployed right now. They even think less of themselves because of the difficulty they are having getting work that pays. What is the truth?

The truth is that our worth comes from our Creator. He decides our worth and His word says that He is no respecter of persons! Could it be true that my little income for taking care of my grandchildren and selling my poetry, cards and being a speaker has no influence on Gods' view of me?

My work is an eternal work. My Grandchildren are hearing Gods' word through me every day. My writing is meant to convey Gods' truths and hopefully inspire and impress others to seek a deeper relationship with their Creator. I do not make a huge salary and I suppose I should be more concerned about that, but I cannot devalue myself because of my lower status on the economic grid.

Father, I am deeply grateful for Your love and pride that You take in my work. I thank You for providing all things that I need and most of what I want! You give me purpose and I rejoice in knowing that You value me though I am not worthy of it.

Random Thoughts

How do losers win elections?

Why is it that my long list of faults makes me more grateful to God and more loving to my neighbor?

Isn't "living sacrifice" an oxymoron?

Why do we fight sleep?

Will we ever know and see all the shades of green, red, blue, orange, yellow and purple that God created?

Why do I love Jesus? Is it only for what He has done for me? Is that not a shallow love? When do I start loving Him just for who He is? Will it take a tragedy in my life to find that kind of love for Him?

Just wondering!

Lord, I wonder about many things and I thank You for answering some of my questions. I am equally thankful that You keep some answers to Yourself. It is then that I pursue You deeper! Besides I know that You do all things good. I don't need answers. I need You!

Love Learning

Learning is a lifetime chore or habit depending on how we look at it. Each day we are given an assignment in life and it is our responsibility to learn from what takes place. It is not always easy.

Watching my grandson learn to walk and talk, or my granddaughters to learn their math facts, is an expression of learning life's lessons of character, relationships and love. Sometimes it is trial by error. Other times it is just stick to it and be creative in how to make it work. And then there are the times when we just need to put our heart and mind into it, learn the lesson and move on!

Some of our lessons, like math, come in steps of harder challenges as time goes on. In math we learn the numbers, then adding and subtracting . We then move on to multiplication and division before we can ever understand algebra and trigonometry. Come to think of it, almost all lessons come packaged this way. Generosity is learned in steps of sharing our toys before we can come to the place of giving out of our own need.

One of my greatest gifts received from my parents was to learn to love learning! I have been determined to teach my children that same lesson and hope that it will be passed on to many generations. To love learning is to love living. It is an abundance of life we will receive when we embrace the lessons of each day and fill our hearts with gratitude for the adventure of the new experience.

My question in my March 30, 2009 blog is married to this one : Am I Teachable? You might want to check it out.

Thank You, Teacher God, for giving me lessons to learn and making it an exciting journey! You surprise me each day with something new! It makes life interesting and enjoyable! You are a grand master at teaching! You make even my failures a lesson to learn, a lesson in learning! I want to live every day seeing my experiences as assignments from You so that I can learn about life and life abundantly!

Gratitude

It is always time for gratitude!

Thanksgiving should be with us year round. Our hearts should overflow with the abundance of gratefulness for all God has given us. It is truly a terrible thing to forget the good we have when only some things in our lives are going wrong.

How quickly we forget to thank God for the lessons learned from past experiences, good or bad. In all that is given to us in our lives we can find a blessing. Yes, it may take some distance or a length of time, but because God is good all the time certainly we can see His help, His teaching, His love, His protection, His presence, or just HIM.

It is when we clothe our minds and hearts with gratitude that we are finally able to experience love. We can be loved and give love more fully!

God, You are love! You are all good! You have made Yourself known to us. I praise You today and always for everything that happens in my life. Open my eyes to see the blessings I have each day. Fill my heart with gratitude. I choose to see all my life from Your point of view so that I will know the good outweighs the bad! Thank You!

Limits

I am limited. As I get older I have more and more physical limitations. UGH. Not a pleasant thought. I am not a genius in any capacity or specific area, so my thoughts are limited to my own understanding. I guess that means I have a lot of questions and few answers. I am even limited in my emotions. Now this one seems not to be true on the surface because I seem to have plenty of emotions! But, the truth is that I do have limits on my ability to empathize with others or to feel the feelings of others.

Most of all I am limited in my love. My love is shallow at times and even selfish. It does not live up to the God standard of love. Gods' love is all encompassing, complete, whole and good. It is without thoughts of selfish ambition or desire. Gods' love is a giving of Himself entirely. Though I am called to do the same I cannot say that I have reached that perfection. I have not given of myself entirely. I limit my self-giving, holding back a part of me for me!

Maybe it is in my limits that God must enter and fill with His unfailing love. Love is bound to faith and hope so that it can be more than we can give. Without faith it is impossible. All things are possible to them that believe. I can love as God loves because I believe in His love!

God of love, you have given all for my sake. You have chosen to love above all else and You fill me with Your love so that my love can be complete. Set me free from the limits of earthbound love. Flood my being with your limitless love!

Loving God

I know God loves me! He gave me life through His sons' death. He speaks to me, and is always with me. He shows His love for me every day. Wherever I turn there is a reminder that He loves and cares for me, wanting the best for me.

I read his word, see creation, fellowship with His people, see His changing power work in me and in others through me and I know He loves me. Even in the tough times I do not doubt his love. Even as I wonder what good can come from this trial, I cannot question His goodness and His care. He deserves my love. He loves me fully even when I didn't love Him or when I fail to love Him as I should.

How do I love Him? I choose His life! I listen to His voice. I remain close to Him and believe in who He is and what He has done for me. I obey Him and follow in His footsteps of service and sacrifice. Yes, I am not perfect at loving Him but these are my goals.

Father God, Lover of all and Giver of life, I love You! I love You for all that You are and for all that You are making me to be. My love is imperfect, but I give all. Like the old Gaither song says: All that I am and all that I am not I give to You! (sorry if this is misquoted). You deserve my very best!

Shining Lights

The world is full of darkness. There are wars, rumors of wars. We are in the midst of so much evil perpetrated on the innocent. The earth groans with eruptions, quakes, firestorms, and floods. In the middle of it all God wants us, His children, to shine like stars!

I love to look up into the night sky and see the brilliance of the stars against the dark and seemingly endless sky. The stars are the place where our eyes rest. They bring light to the shadows and chase away the overwhelming cover of night. How can we be like the stars?

To be like the stars, to be the light the world needs in these dark times, we must do what we need to do without grumbling or questioning. Our light comes from obedience to our Father in Heaven, the obedience that is wholehearted and does not complain.

Right now, for me, that obedience is to let go unbegrudgingly. Letting go of things close to my heart that must be let loose so that I can do what God has said for me to do. tough assignment, but I already feel the light shine through me and lift me up.

Lord, God, Maker of the stars and the heavens, I join with Your creation in being a light for the dark world. It is Your light that shines through me! It is You who lifts me up! You are the fulfillment of my destiny!

Be Like Christ

Often overlooked words in the scripture can sometimes surprise me by their power and timeliness. Such was the case today as I read Phillipians 2:1.

It seems to be saying that in Christ we have encouragement, comfort from His love, a participation in the Spirit, and affection and sympathy. I had a need for all of these but did not find them with friends. I found them in the word and sat there reading and rereading these precious words of encouragement, comfort, love, Spirit and sympathy. Like I've said many times before, my greatest joy comes from hearing His voice!

It is His whispered words that bring me back into peace and joy when friends fail me. It is okay, because He will always come through and be what I need. The question is, why do I even seek from others what He already gives?

Lord, God of encouragement and comfort, be glorified in me as You are lifted up far above all others. You are Lord and You are high and lifted up! no one can match You in filling my every need! I want to always remember You first.

Courage

Have you ever wondered what the most difficult part of Christs' sacrifice was for Him? Was it the betrayal? Could it have been the pain of his body being tortured? Maybe it was Peters' denial, the weight of sin or facing death. Whatever it was for Him it must have taken much courage to finish what He began when Gabriel announced to Mary that He was to born from her womb.

Courage. We see courage in a soldier defending his homeland or family from harm. There is courage in hospitals on both sides of the sick bed. It takes courage for a parent to say "No" when they know it will hurt their child, but it will also be for their good. Courage is within us when we fight the battle against evil or oppression and abuse. It may be all around us and we fail to see the courage of those with which we work or go to church. Courage always comes hand in hand with fear.

Courage also lives with integrity and conviction. Without its companions what we see as courage is only rage at the fear we face.

Almighty God and Father, You are courageous and bold in the face of our enemy. You stand firm without wavering at his attempts to break Your children. There is no hope for victory without You!

I have experienced courage this week. Not the courage of Jesus facing the cross but certainly given to me through the power of the cross. Facing a fear and standing firm knowing that God alone will deliver me and bring me through is strength to my soul. Like a powerful weapon, courage because of Jesus and His promises, slays the fear and puts to rest the doubts that stand in my way! Thank You Lord for the courage to face the cross and the courage You placed in me!

Prayer Garden

This has been a tough day for me so far, not the day I had planned and certainly not the outcomes I wanted. The only thing good about today so far is that I can finally put to rest a controversy in which I've been involved. And then there is the Word of God that has come to me in spite of all my struggles with pride and anger.

Gethsemane. A garden of olive trees. A place of solitude and a place to get close to God. Jesus went there often and found it the place where He could accept the will of the Father over His own fears of pain, humiliation, rejection, and betrayal. It may seem odd but today this place at my computer is my garden of prayer.

His words stir something in me: "Sit here, while I pray." I sit here while He prays for me! He is interceding on my behalf. I am just here. I am with Him. I need His prayers and I feel at peace.

"Remain here and watch," He told Peter, James and John as they went a little further away from the rest. Remain here. Watch. Watch Jesus pray. Watch Him commune with His Father. Remain. "I am the vine you are the branches, If a man remains in Me and I in him he will bear much fruit. Apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 I remain with Him. I allow His life to flow through me. I can do nothing without Him. He has given me a promise of much fruit.

Then talking directly to Peter, Jesus says "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation." Watch out for the temptation. Watch for the weakness of the flesh. Sleep comes when I should watch. I may miss my moment, my God moment. Pray. Prayer strengthens my spirit and my bond with my God.

No matter how many times I sleep when I should watch and pray, Jesus is always at prayer for me. He never fails. He is always ready for anything that might come. He is strong when I am weak.

Father, forgive her she does not know what she is doing! She does not know that I take the cup of her sin. She does not know my love for her is complete. She does not know that my plan for her will be fulfilled. Forgive her!

A Different Night

"Why is this night different from all other nights of the year?" This is the question asked in Jewish homes at the beginning of the Seder meal. It seems an appropriate way to begin our time of remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

The Passover celebration that marked Jesus' death was different from other Passovers' because the fulfillment of it was complete in Him. Jesus offered us the cup of blessing, the cup of deliverance, the cup of redemption, and the cup of acceptance through His shed blood.

The traditional matzohs, lamb, a roasted egg, along with bitter herbs are fulfilled in Jesus being the bread of life broken for us, the lamb of God, a peace offering, and the bitterness of our sins.

Jesus is why the Passover is different now. It not only reminds us of the freedom of the Israelite's from the slavery of Egypt, but also every mans freedom from sin if He would receive Jesus' offering.

When the disciple asked the question why this night was different, they did not fully understand the duel meaning in all Jesus did. Do we?

Father, as You watched Your Son share the Passover with His disciples, You were there making the final preparations for the complete fulfillment of the Passover for all men. Just as Abraham suffered at the thought of offering His son on Mt. Moriah, You suffered at offering Your Son. Your love for us (for me) made this night the most different of any nights in all of history. Your love bled over my sins and passed over my guilt so I could be resurrected with Jesus and live forever in Your presence!

My heart is broken for my sin, full of gratitude for the giving of Your Son, and rejoicing over the new life I live in You!

Withered Fig Tree Faith

Remember the fig tree that was cursed by Jesus? Well, the disciples and Jesus again passed by the tree and found it withered away to its roots. Good old Peter pointed out to Jesus what He had done as if Jesus wouldn't believe that His words would be so powerful.

It is as if Jesus replied to Peters' observation by saying:" You want to see power? I'll show you power! This is how you can have my power." It was then that Jesus spoke words that had the power of dying words, teaching words that simply spoke the message Jesus came to give.

"Have faith in God." Jesus spoke the most powerful of these words at the onset of this teaching moment. He is God! He is telling all of us to have faith in Him, trust and believe.

He then tells us that there will be challenges, like mountains, we need to overcome. They can be removed just like the fig tree dried up: Words, spoken in faith, believing in and trusting God will hold power to remove the obstacles to having faith in God.

Again, Jesus tells us that if we ask in prayer and believe we will have faith.

Finally, Jesus wraps it all up with forgiveness. He asks us to forgive anything and everything so that the Father will forgive us. This, too, takes faith.

Jesus teaches us that to find faith in God we must remove any obstacles by speaking our belief, praying and finally forgiving. What a beautiful lesson to learn under a cursed tree: Have faith in God.

God, You are the place where our faith begins and ends. It is taught at the foot of a tree You cursed for our sakes. I humbly thank You!

Cleaning House

Jesus spent one of His last days before His death cleaning house. It wasn't even His house technically. It was His Fathers' house. I am not certain I would be doing that as one of my last acts but He thought it very important.

After His night in Bethany Jesus traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem and saw the mess that was there. He took authjority over it and demanded that the mess be cleaned up before He died. He was one with the Father in setting right the purpose of the Temple.

There soon would be no need for further sacrifices. He would be the sacrifice. Soon the Temple would be moved into the hearts of His followers. He would send His Holy Spirit to live in them.

As I read these words I am aware that this is an act of a condemned man. He would soon take on all our sins, be tortured and die so that not only His Fathers' house could be clean but each of us could be made clean.

Father, You wanted Your house to be a house of prayer. Certainly Jesus also wants His Holy Spirit dwellings to be houses of prayer. You have cleansed us, You have made us holy and You have done it all with passion, authority, determination and love. You deserve my cooperation. May I always welcome Your cleansing.

A Week to Live

What would you do if you had only a week to live?

In the gospel of Mark we are told that Jesus came to Jerusalem knowing He would die. He was celebrated as He rode in and went to the Temple. He simply looked around and then left to go to Bethany with His twelve closest friends.

The next day He left Bethany to return to Jerusalem and stopped at a fig tree because He was hungry. Because there were no fruit on the tree He cursed it.

This story seems so insignificant for someone who is about to die, but in Gods' way I am certain that this act was done with great emotion and authority. Jesus was in control of the situation. He had the power to make figs appear, but He didn't. Within this simple story can we see Jesus revealing a truth that He expects us to be what we were created to be, and to bear fruit in being? He was not pleased that His beloved creation was bound by sin. Sin had made a great divide between the creation and the creator.

Revelation 22:2-3 tells us that in the new Jerusalem the trees will bear fruit each month. Could it be that Jesus saw the real purpose for the fig tree? Did He look past this week and long for the fruit that would be available to Him whenever He wished?

When we enter Gods' Kingdom through baptism, we should begin to bear fruit that never goes through a season. So, shall we repent from saying that we are just going through a season? I think so. In heavens' economy our fruitfulness is eternal, not seasonal.

Father , You are the vine dresser. You prune and cut away that which does not bear fruit. You see potential in each of us, and yet we fail You. It hurts to be pruned, Lord, but You do it all in love and with great care for our best. I offer up my fruit for Your enjoyment.

Palm Sunday

Did you shout praises to God today? Did you rejoice in His greatness and triumph? What will you do tomorrow?

Yes, tomorrow comes and the routine falls back into place for most of us. We seldom take time to sing Gods' praises or even whisper an alleluia throughout the day.

My friend Will is stricken with MS. It has affected his vocal cords and so he is unable to9 speak much, but the words he uses are praise to God. He does not waste his precious few words in complaint, questions or idle chatter. He simply says "Alleluia"

I am convicted that many of my words could be seen by the Most High God as fruitless and even harmful. Today I did shout my praises like the people shouted out "Alleluias" to Jesus as He entered Jerusalem. Tomorrow I must not forget who He is or I may find myself following the crowd to Golgatha shouting "Crucify Him!" Everyday must be focused on Jesus' Kingship over my life.

Most High God, Your praises are to be shouted every day. You alone deserves the constant adoration from my lips. Let it be so!

To all Blogger Friends

I must let you all know that I am trying to make comments on your blogs. Either it is my computer, the connection, or the website makes no difference. I have written and pushed the submit button only to find that all has been lost and my voice of agreement or encouragement has not been heard by you.

Now, there have been a few that have been posted, but I think the majority have been lost in the inner space of my computer brain. I will keep trying. I thought it would be nice to know that your words are heard and I do care enough to respond, or at least try to!

Father, Your children have much to say to each other but sometimes communications fail us and we feel so alone in our thoughts. Help us to be like You, full of patience and kindness, forgiving the times when we don't hear what we want to hear. Teach us to listen to Your voice and be satisfied with the whisper in our ear that You are pleased with our efforts. Bless my fellow bloggers and let the true words they write be sent far across the globe for Your glory!

In a Minute

We all know that our lives can change in just one minute. Accidents, diagnosis of a serious illness, a relationship broken. These examples all seem to be circumstance driven. What about the changes we can make by our choice? It only takes a minute.

Have you ever heard of the "Would you rather..." game? You ask each person questions like would you rather be a fish or swing on a star? The person answering must be truthful for this to be an insightful game. In playing this game I think of questions that look down the future and ask things like, "Would you rather be a martyr for your beliefs or be carried away in the rapture?" It is quite obvious what most of us would choose, but do we really understand that a relationship with God gives God the right to interrupt our plans any time He wishes?

The one moment of God speaks to us, directing us down a certain path He has planned, could be a defining moment in our lives. Whatever the path, we can be certain it will be an adventure beyond our imagination if we embrace it fully. God does want the very best for us. We can trust Him. Our job is to respond and follow Him down the path marked with our name written in His blood!

Eternal God, who is timeless and all knowing, each of my minutes are in Your hand when I choose to allow You to be my Lord. Teach me to number my minutes as well as my days so that i might live a life fully in Your presence!

Fool for Christ

I've been reading Erwin McManus' book "Uprising." It has given me much to think about. The book takes a look at the character of God and what we as Christians need to know about following in His footsteps of character.

Integrity is one of those qualities God has asked us to live out in our lives. It is being the same on the outside as we are on the inside. It is being the same with all people, not changing who we are or what we think depending on who we are with at the time. Not easy when we are flawed. Showing our weakness as well as our strengths makes us vulnerable.

That is where being a fool for Christ comes in. To show Christ to the world we must live with integrity. It takes convictions that we cannot compromise. When we open up our true selves to the world holding strong convictions that reflect God we become fools for Christ.

Now that is the kind of fool I want to be! And this is no April Fool!

Amazing God, there is no foolishness in You, yet the world is fooled into thinking it is hopeless to believe in You. Today, I want to be Your fool, letting the world see You through my actions and words. I seek the integrity that You have.