Month: June 2017

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

I understand that I may not be the best baker in the world, but things got a little ridiculous here yesterday. I came out to the kitchen to find my family taking one of my baking sheets, placing wood (yes, the stuff you find in a forest) on that baking sheet. As I watched with a strange kind of interest, they did the unthinkable. They put it into the oven to bake!

I had to assess the situation to see if this was some sort of weird dream that I was having or if they were really baking wood in my oven. It wasn’t a figment of my imagination; there was actually wood in there! Why? I’m not too sure and frankly, I wasn’t willing to ask too many questions. Consider me rather leery of the male mind.

Concern was expressed on my part, but my very responsible hubby told me that there was nothing to worry about. Alrighty then, my job was complete. I got assurance the house wasn’t going to burn down, so that was the most important thing. I think that fell under the “don’t worry” category… Don’t think I didn’t keep a cautious eye on that oven though. Later, the whole house started to fill with a nasty smell. Enough was enough! I could just picture flames coming out of my oven door because they put KINDLING in the oven!

This morning I’m sitting here and still don’t know the purpose of baking wood in the oven. I provided lunch, so I don’t think they were that hungry. I don’t have the full picture to the puzzle, but I do believe I have a few pieces. Number one, my oldest was whittling a stick outside. Number two, scout camp is coming up. Number three, he wants to receive an award that requires a bow drill to start a fire. Number four, he was having trouble getting it to work. I believe these are all pieces to the puzzle that somehow make one conclusive picture.

This brings me to some brilliant advice that I got last night that has to do with life. I need to start looking through binoculars instead of a magnifying glass. Since I’m so quick to come back with brilliant responses, I said, “Huh?” I didn’t get it. They both make things appear closer than what they really are, right? Nope, I was made aware of something we already know, but don’t really think about. There’s a big difference. We can focus in on only a small area, but we can’t see the whole picture using a magnifying glass. With binoculars, we see a much larger picture close up.

The truth is there are limits to what our eyes can see, but there’s no limit to what God sees. He has the whole picture just like the guys in my family did, while I had a magnifying glass that gave me a very clear view of a small part that didn’t make sense on its own.

Sometimes reading the Bible can confuse us. We can’t let that happen! So why are we getting confused? Well, are we using a magnifying glass instead of binoculars? A magnifying glass might bring one verse into view, but we’re missing the whole picture, which can lead to confusion.

I challenge you to let God reveal the whole Bible through those binoculars instead of getting confused with that little magnifying glass you’re using.

 

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Job 33:4

When I was growing up, the area behind my house was a strip mine. You could sit on the top of that basin and see quite far. Hundreds of thousands of acres had been left barren in my state with only rocks and dirt surviving the mining that took place. My house was on a border of a state park. There was acre upon acre of undeveloped land that was mostly woods and a huge lake.

Those woods and a large lake provided many enjoyable activities for a heap of people. Yet, there was the place behind my house. Let me paint a picture of just how open it was. One day, there was a loud noise in that strip mine. When we went to investigate, we found a small plane that was having trouble had crashed there…or landed there. I’m not really sure which, but nobody was hurt. Why? Well, one reason was that there were no trees to cause an issue!

I remember my dad would sit with me on that top, and we’d look down while watching for wildlife. Big, beautiful snowflakes would be falling around us, giving the land a fresh, clean look. He used to tell me that the land was like a cake, and those snowflakes were the icing on the cake. He helped me appreciate and enjoy the land God made.

I’ve recently walked back into that barren basin where I grew up and couldn’t see a thing except large trees and an area teeming with wildlife! The land was reclaimed and is alive again!

It made me realize how we go through periods of time that seem quite barren. It could be from human hands, sin, complacency, boredom, disappointment, bitterness, heartache or never having received Jesus into our lives…to name just a few.

When we are in a season like that, we feel pretty empty and there doesn’t seem to be any growth happening, but all it takes is God to breathe new life into us in order to become alive again.  It could happen immediately! However, don’t give up if you don’t see results immediately because some seeds take more time than others to sprout and grow into trees.

As God is preparing your heart for new growth, He might choose to use that season to build your character as you’re waiting to see the new life that is already coming up through the soil to reach the light.  No matter how alone and empty you feel, you aren’t.  He never, ever, never leaves us when He’s our Lord.

Please trust me when I tell you that if God can create the heavens and the earth and all in them, His breath can give you new life…turning your barren time into a time of growth, fullness, and abundance.  Ask for Him to breathe new life into you.  Then, start learning and agreeing with His promises He’s given just for you.  Wait expectantly with new hope that you’re about to see those seeds sprout into a lush forest!

 

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (New Living Translation)

I was highly focused on my preparations to begin a job that I was looking forward to when the phone rang. Thinking that it was my hubby, I answered. It’s been quite some time since I’ve answered a phone call with a stranger at the other end that took me away from completing my task. Sure enough, yesterday was one of those times.

It was a survey and I immediately hung up. As soon as that button was pushed, my eyes got huge as I realized there was a small chance that was an actual person on the other end of the line and not a machine. I thought it was a machine, but I was incredibly rude if it wasn’t! I automatically prayed, “If that was a real person, I am so sorry!”

I got a pretty quick stirring in my spirit! I felt like I heard, “Boy, you did that in record time. Didn’t even have to think about it did you?” I didn’t feel like I was being scolded though. It was more a fact being stated.

The next thing I heard was, “Too bad you aren’t as quick to do that with all the other distractions that take away your time from the assignments I’ve given you.”

Wow. Alrighty then, I guess there’s an area that God isn’t too pleased with me that I apparently need to work on.

Later in the day, the hubby and I had eye appointments. This time they had a little questionnaire to fill out that focuses on dry eyes. It’s still pretty crazy around here with allergies, so I checked a few boxes that had to do with typical environmental irritations. I’ve also experienced some blurry issues over the past year. So I checked that.

The next thing I knew, my hubby was looking over at my sheet. Trying to see my answers I tell ya, which led to him bragging about how he only checked one box. Seriously! Apparently that was a competition too. Men!

Anyhow…getting back on track…I found out I was having problems with the tear layer in my eyes. When I first look at something, it can be a bit blurry before it comes into focus. The mornings tend to be the time I really notice it. I learned that it was probably from the Lyme disease, and as it keeps getting better, so will that problem.

There are times that it’s definitely to our advantage to take a second in order to let things become clearer (to get into better focus) before responding. Yet, I’m starting to believe that there are also times when God wants us to immediately cut off those things that take our focus off his plans for us. He wants us to be as quick to respond as I was with that phone call yesterday.

I challenge you to pay attention to what you’re focusing on today. Does it get you to where God wants you to be? Remember that most people’s attention is like my eyes. Once they move them onto something else, it takes a while to refocus and have a clear picture of what you were doing to follow God’s orders.

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– Ephesians 2:8

Grace is a word that has come to mean so much to me. Why? What draws me to grace? I’m so filled up with the Holy Spirit when I hear that word that I’m at a loss for what to say. We know that grace is undeserved favor, but do we really get it?

We received a gift in the mail a few years ago when my hubby got home from work. Ok, it wasn’t “in the mail” so much as it was delivered to our house. It was gigantic and we couldn’t imagine what it was. Did they have the wrong address? It was most definitely our name on that package. We opened it up to find a big television for our bedroom! Did we need a big television in our bedroom? Nope. Did we deserve such a gift of thoughtfulness? Nope. So why was it given to us? It was simply a show of undeserved favor.

It was a gift of love.  We didn’t need it, but someone wanted to bless us with it. Have any of you ever had trouble accepting gifts graciously? Do you allow yourself to feel that excitement of being on the receiving end and expressing amazing gratitude or do you feel an overwhelming condemnation upon yourself because you don’t think you deserve what was freely given?

When I give a gift, I just want to know that I was able to bring joy to someone’s life. I get so disappointed when someone tries to give me money to pay for it or doesn’t want to accept it. It isn’t because it wasn’t liked, it was a feeling of inferiority in them. Have we done this? Can you imagine how many bubbles we’ve burst just because we allow that inferior feeling to come over us and we didn’t accept the gift with excitement and joy? Why not accept grace for what it is…undeserved favor.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle in this area. I always falsely believed it was rude if you didn’t say, “Thank you, but that isn’t necessary. I really appreciate it, but please give to someone else.” What I really meant was someone who’s more deserving of the gift. HELLO…a gift isn’t something that we deserve. That’s the whole point. It’s called a gift not a payment.

How many times have you felt you didn’t deserve God sending his Son to die for your sins? You’re right, ya know. You didn’t deserve it, but that’s what God’s grace is all about. It isn’t payment for you doing a good job. It’s a gift! When you don’t simply accept it by faith, then you’re basically telling God his Son’s death was for nothing. Oh wow!

I challenge you to start looking into that one word…grace. What’s it all about? I guarantee you it’s even bigger than you are able to comprehend. I know that’s the case for me!

 

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11 (English Standard Version)

We have over 250,000 words in the English language. If we have so many words at our disposal, why do we understand less and less?

Men, we know that you occasionally look at us as if we’re speaking a different language. At least I’m pretending in my mind it’s only occasionally. Ladies, take a good look at these guys you’re talking to. Do they really look like they’re paying any more attention to that fifth chapter of your dissertation where you’re reiterating what you’ve already expressed in the first, second, third, and fourth chapters? Nope, they were gone after suffering through much confusion when trying to figure out what you were trying to convey with your topic sentence, even though you went on with your monologue for several minutes.

Is there a nice juicy steak waiting for dinner? Is there a big buck on your trail camera just waiting for you to see its antlers? Are there fish biting down at the stream? Is there a new email you need to deal with? See, that’s what you were starting to think about, right? You were gone after all that rambling I just did; try to focus for just a few more minutes before heading outside, to the fridge, or to your email. You women were determined to see this post to the end even though your mind might have started drifting too. Am I right? I’m not even sure what that paragraph was saying, and I wrote it!

Sure, there may be a whole bunch of words to choose from when talking, but are you choosing the right ones? Are we speaking to be understood or to satisfy some need in us to sound smart? Hey, someone could have something really important to say, but never get it across because how it’s delivered. I guarantee that repeating something over and over that wasn’t picked up the first time isn’t going to help.

Check it out! Does this work? J’ai froid. J’ai froid. J’a…i f…r…o…i…d. J’AI FROID. J’AI FROID! If you don’t know French, it doesn’t matter how many times I repeat it, how slow I go, or how loud I get, you will not know (unless I act it out) that I’m cold! Yet, isn’t that what we do when we feel that we aren’t getting through to each other?

In the same way that we expect people to speak so that we can understand, we must search out the best way for us to understand someone or something. Let’s take the Bible for example. No matter how much reading we do, if we don’t understand it, sometimes we need to do more than just read it over and over to get it. We need help. The Holy Spirit was put inside us to give revelation in the words written in the Bible. Without that resource, we don’t understand what we’re supposed to be learning. Ask for discernment and revelation!

So many things are out there to help us in understanding the Bible also. There are several translations that might be a little easier to read than the one you have. Get one that works for you. I’ll be honest that I struggle with one that has every other word being “thou” or “thy” simply because I don’t speak that way, so it’s unnatural for me to read that way. We’re supposed to grow in God’s word, not get frustrated and walk away more confused than when we started.

I’ve been learning a language that’s English based, but the people don’t speak the exact way we do. Not too long ago the New Testament was translated into their language and someone said, “For the first time, God talked to me the way I talk.” That’s what I want for you!

Since I’ve been reading their New Testament Bible (which was based from the original Greek manuscripts), I’ve been rewarded with a new understanding due to its clear, straightforward language. Don’t rule out the unusual in order to see growth. Who would’ve thought this is what I’m using for understanding! I know I’ve learned a great deal from my children’s Bible studies too…who knew?

I challenge you to stop doing what doesn’t work! If someone doesn’t understand what you’re saying, say it in a different way that helps who you’re talking to. Next, stop becoming frustrated (or simply tuning out) when a certain type of communication isn’t working for you. Instead of giving up, strive to find another way to understand. Don’t let a blank stare and “Huh?” be your main language.

 

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. James 3:16

When I started dating my hubby, I was not used to cats at all. I grew up in a household where cats weren’t looked at too fondly. I was the odd one out. You give me an animal, any animal, and I get excited! I simply was ignorant about a cat’s behavior. I mistakenly believed that cats were all sneaky, spooked easily, and would scratch you without much reason. Sure, a few can be like that, but they can also be absolutely fantastic.

I learned the beauty of cats the first time I was visiting my hubby’s family. I was sitting on the floor when all of a sudden, I had a cat in my lap! After looking up with big eyes thinking I was about to get mauled or something, I asked what he was doing. I was reassured he was friendly, although I don’t think he was usually quite so friendly, and I pretty much fell in love…with the cat!

That precious cat was also a jealous cat! He could’ve cared less that I was taking some of his family’s attention, but he didn’t like it when they had mine. If my hubby tried to sit close to me, Mr. Chaperone would push him out of the way and return to my side. I didn’t realize cats could give dirty looks, but I believe this one did…to his own family members (especially my hubby). The best part would be when he turned back to me with an angelic look on his face asking for attention.

We found out his true jealous nature after I went on a trip to bring a couple puppies to his house. I was outside snuggling, holding, and loving on them that day when he peaked his head out to see what was going on. Looking back, I realized that he didn’t bother coming over to me like he usually did. He just turned around in disgust.

It was a little odd that I didn’t get a greeting from my buddy when I went into the house, but I didn’t think much of it until I was getting ready to leave. I had a nice, shiny black car when I arrived. When I left I didn’t own a nice, shiny black car. I owned a car with dusty cat prints all over it! I’ve heard of cats walking over a car, but this was something entirely different.

I could just picture it… He went outside and found an area that contained quite a bit of dirt. He took those paws and rubbed them all through it. Then, he looked around to see if anyone was watching while thinking he’d show me. He didn’t just walk one time on my car. He covered my car in his little paw prints! He danced on my car!! He was determined to show me what he thought of my traitorous behavior. I was amused, but annoyed at the same time.

It took a couple visits before he decided he was finished pouting and I got my sweet, lovable cat back. I went from not being able to do anything wrong to being shown disgust all because of jealousy. My vehicle proved the disorder that happens when jealousy comes into play.

I challenge you to not show the envy that cat did over the attention I was paying to the pups when you feel left out. It only makes you look bad because you’ll say or do something that will just get someone annoyed at you. When we act out of jealously, we make wrong decisions. Act out of love, and don’t miss out on the time that gets away when pouting is going on.

 

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

I remember when I was young, my great-aunt had a friend from France that came to visit quite often. She spoke English very well, but we had the occasional mix-ups! Let’s just say there are a few words in her language that mean something very different in our language. She answered the phone for my aunt one day and slipped a French word into her English conversation that made us all laugh at what she told the caller.

There are times when our communication with one another leaves a lot to be desired. We could be trying, but we just can’t seem to get out what we’re intending to say. That happens occasionally between men and women and between teens and adults. I know, I’m telling you revolutionary stuff here. This communication issue just happens. How do we move on from it into an area of understanding?

Yesterday I learned a very important lesson from God. I felt He was urging me to walk in love and be quiet. There’s got to be a time when we realize that the continuous barrage of words aren’t helping us communicate, they’re making us sound like the teacher in the Charlie Brown cartoons saying, “Wah wah wah wah wah…” We’re putting people those that we’re trying to reach to sleep!

I wanted to make things better with my teen son yesterday, but I was at a loss on what to say because our communication went off track somewhere in the day and more talking from me would’ve just dug us deeper into a hole of misunderstanding. I learned that when we substitute love for words to communicate, it reaches all languages and all ways of thinking. My son and I could’ve just gone about our day, but we weren’t in a right place. Neither one of us felt very good about it.

I got the strong urge to just be with him. I didn’t feel like we needed to have a big conversation, rehashing what wasn’t working, but just be together. I asked him if he’d sit with me outside. He immediately came and we just sat there watching and listening to the wildlife. I didn’t feel the need to straighten anything out, just be with my son.

An amazing thing happened! He started talking. We gently, with few words, made everything right. Love was much better than a bunch of confusing words yesterday. It allowed the Lord to fight for our relationship. We turned over the frustration and confusion to Him. We got still and the transformation took place.

A bunch of words and constant talking can make people tune us out, but a strong, silent love can speak volumes. Don’t keep talking when someone can’t comprehend what you’re saying. Be still, trusting in the Lord, and let Him fight to bring about understanding. I challenge you to love instead.  Just love.

 

They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. Genesis 45:26

What a day! There were so many people and I wasn’t even sure what I’d be seeing. There was a hope like no other, expectancy in the air. A show was about to be performed telling the story of Joseph from the Bible. Teaching of dreams and wisdom. Showing there’s possibility even when it seems like everything and everyone is against you including family and people you trusted.

I’ve heard wonderful things about the productions that were performed in this beautiful theater, but it was our first time attending. I was there with my hubby and boys, and I wasn’t quite sure how they’d react. They aren’t big fans of sitting around while watching the action going on around them. They’d much rather be a part of the action!

Within the first couple scenes, they were hooked! It actually felt like we were part of that action with the big, gorgeous horses coming down the isles, the bright, beautiful birds beside us, and the wonderful views of everything. We learn and grow so much from the Bible. It’s one of the books that fills us up with the supernatural. We’re in action when we’re reading the Bible…we’re growing, we’re learning, we’re even having a conversation! At that moment we had the best of both worlds…the Bible and seeing it come to life.

That’s one of the things that I want to tell you about today. Are you reading to learn and grow (action) or are you reading to escape your reality? I LOVE to read, but I felt that it was taking up my time the exact same way television can do nothing more than take up time when we could actually be living. When we get out and experience life we grow.

When I was reading, I felt like I was being told that it should be in order for me to grow rather than “escape” for a while. I believe there isn’t anything wrong with reading purely for enjoyment occasionally, but it can’t be taking away from us living the life God meant for us to live. I think I was being scolded by God a little…

As we were getting out to do something quite out of our normal realm, we learned and grew by opening our hearts to an art that put us amongst the pages of a book. That is where a story happened many years ago, but is so relevant in our lives today. It was seen so thoroughly, that my boys could give a detailed account of Joseph’s life still today.

It made us actively think about how Joseph must have been so devastated to feel the hatred of his brothers, yet have God give him the courage to forgive, accept, help, and love them in return. We learned so much about hope and never giving up that evening. We learned that God never abandons us and always has a plan. We learned that great things come out of devastating situations. We also learned that no relationship is too damaged to mend.

I challenge you to put down the remote or the book where you’re only living someone else’s life without learning anything and exchange it for a life that is action based. Action that opens the door for growth and opportunity, giving God room to direct the scenes.  Without action, there’s no growth.

You see…we can read a book that grows us, but if it doesn’t lead to action on our part, why waste time? Read for growth, then take action!

 

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

In the summer of 2013, a panda named Lun Lun at the Atlanta Zoo gave birth to twins. They weren’t any bigger than a stick of butter, and we were fascinated! We were homeschooling and it became a regular part of the school day to check in through the computer to see how they were doing and growing.

There were regular updates posted on their website that helped us learn a great deal about pandas and what went on behind the scenes. Also, we got to see how a mother panda takes care of her young.

As the twins started to grow into little balls of fluff, my boys wanted to visit them. I smiled and told them how we got to visit them everyday through a camera the zoo had in place. It wasn’t good enough though, and they continued to talk about how they wanted to see them at the zoo before the twins went to China. You have to understand that we felt like we knew these pandas because they were in our classroom every single day.

It wasn’t even on my radar that the possibility existed for us to see them in person, but God took my boys’ requests seriously. The next thing I knew, my hubby was going to Florida for work and we were invited along. Guess where we were passing through? You got it…we were going to see Mei Lun and Mei Huan! It was an unforgettable experience that still holds a top spot in our memories.

We stood there looking at the two little miracles that we’d watched for months over the computer. We could hardly believe they were right in front of us! I never imagined we’d be standing there, but God has all kinds of wonderful blessings for us. My young boys knew that it was the Lord that often puts the desires in our heart, so they always believed that same Lord would see those desires come to pass.

Get excited about what God can do for you. Even if you see no way possible for a desire in your heart to be fulfilled, just give it to God. Delight in the Lord and wait for an answer. Sure, it may be no, but it just might be yes. Don’t tie the hands of God from making desires become a reality. If the boys didn’t ask and believe, I’m sure we wouldn’t have been standing in the Atlanta Zoo looking at those two precious pandas.

 

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

When we were travelling and my hubby was driving, I had a little issue of not having a clear view of the road. I’m sure he thought that wasn’t a bad idea because if I couldn’t see, I couldn’t “help” him, but it drove me a little nuts.

Before we left, the guys decided to clean the inside of the car, and it looked great! One problem…the cleaner that was sprayed onto the dash, misted onto the passenger side windshield leaving lots of spots. It happened even when the spray wasn’t being directed there!

Whoever was driving could see perfectly fine, but the passenger (when at a certain height) had some troubles. We had to use cleaner to fully remove them because if we just used a rag, we would’ve had a smeared mess worse than the spots.

People are a little like that windshield. We could be in the presence of someone who shoots out some words that aren’t very pleasing and that we may not even agree with, but it reaches us. It can leave some sort of spots. Just like the windshield, they stay there until dealt with. If not dealt with, they leave some unattractive marks that sometimes we aren’t aware of, but those talking to us are. It doesn’t look to good on us.

If you think those around you can’t affect you because you’re too strong to allow anything that others do touch you, just give a kid a hose and see what happens. You’re not taking part in any type of game or encouraging the child to turn the hose on; however, you quickly have water dripping off of you. You didn’t have anything to do with the hose, but you need to dry off! It affected you didn’t it?

I pray for insight and discernment to come upon you when in contact with anything that could spot your windshield! Be careful not to spread those marks by just wiping them around, but fully treat them with the wisdom that comes from God above.  I want you to be pure and blameless…and streak free!