I came across a list of principles for living in my study Bible this week and my heart kept being drawn to one of them - Be faithful. I have been thinking about this all week. When I think of the word 'faithful' I think about loyalty. And while I do believe God desires and deserves our loyalty, my heart kept pondering that faithfulness in this context is something different.
What if God desires us to be faith-full - as in full of faith? The word faith in its simplest form means to believe God or to trust God. So an important principle for living is being found FULL OF trust and belief!
So the question becomes - how do I fill my cup? How do I trust Him more and believe that He is and can do all that the Bible says He can do? It comes from a relationship. We are created for relationship. God desires more than anything else for us to spend time with Him. To think about Him. To talk to Him. To enjoy Him. To worship Him. To love Him.
The only way I have found to trust and believe in anything or anyone has been the test of time. There is no substitute for history with people. You know who you can trust by your history with them. By the way they conduct their business, their pleasure and their family. God has recorded His history in His word - and you better believe, it is good and bad and ugly!! He doesn't try to cover up or airbrush a thing!
So being faith-filled comes from a relationship with Him. By sticking with Him through all the trials and wonders because He is worthy. But the benefits to you and me are much greater.
If we lived faith-full lives, we will have peace in trial. Joy in times of sorrow. Calm in calamity. Gentleness in times of harshness. Love instead of hate. Most importantly, we have HOPE. This is not all there is. This world, this body, this life, this relationship......we have a hope that defies the consumerism and commercialism that this world tries to sell us. IT - whatever IT is - will never happen here. But IT is coming! And when we fix our eyes and our hope on that "IT" - the coming Christ, Our King of Kings, an eternal Jerusalem, the redemption of our bodies - we are full of faith.
Colossians 1 says to "set our minds on things above." He is talking about heaven. Set your mind there. Set your hope there. You will become full. Full of a faith/belief/trust that will hold you until that day arrives.
A word of warning: we are leaky vessels. We will have to return to the fountain that never runs dry for refilling. He made us that way. Not to punish us or to remind us of our fallibility. He did it so we would come to Him regularly because He loves us and desires us. So if you can't find me in the days to come, I am probably at the Fountain of Living Water getting my daily fill-up. Hope to see you there!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Happy Mother's Day TO ME
After 28 years someone is having a baby at our house - and it isn't ME! Brandon and Kylie gave me this (see left) for Mother's Day and our precious little baby will be delivered on Thanksgiving!!! We were totally shocked. Totally taken by surprise. Totally overjoyed. What a gift!!! Mother's Day and Thanksgiving have taken on a whole new dimension. Since most of you know that my family is totally insane - I will share some of the shenanigans with you after the news was announced. Matthew (our precious middle child) went into a deep FUNK. He loudly bemoaned several GIVENS:
1. He and Amy's gift of a darling pink purse for my gift was hammered.
2. He, Amy, Brandon and Kylie were toast on the favorites list now, and last but most importantly:
3. Christmas for all of them was OVER!
Yes, he is mature and totally NOT materialistic or anything.
The next day he came over to play golf with his dad and told us that he had REALLY been thinking about 'the whole baby thing' and thought we should reconsider Christmas since they weren't messing things up by having the baby so they shouldn't be penalized. In his defense - he is the middle child.
Anyway......we are so stupidly happy. Truthfully, I was getting a little sick and tired of hearing about everyone else's grandchildren. (This is where Matt gets it!) So now I can be as idiotically silly and monotonous as everyone else. I am a real trend-follower. :)
I am going to be MiMi and Billy is going to be Pops. Delightful names, don't you think? Anyway......you are all so precious to put up with me - be excited with us and pray for us. We have had some tough and refining years but looks like we have some fun coming. Just like the Lord, don't you think?
I am working on some of those fancy stencils for the nursery: Dial 1-800-MiMi, If Your Parents Say No, Call MiMi, and Who Needs Parents? I Have a MiMi. Catchy, don't you think? Your thoughts and ideas are appreciated (by me, anyway).
I guess I better get off of here. I only have six months and I have a lot to purchase!!! I love you all and prepare to be bored as a gourd. I'm having a grandbaby!!!!
PS Brandon and Kylie - thanks for making me a MiMi!!!! I love you.
Matthew and Amy - I want a whole lot of them. :) I love you too.
Monday, April 26, 2010
BETTER THINGS ARE YET TO COME
In Psalm 78, the psalmist reminds the children of Israel of their rich heritage in the Lord and of His fierce anger at their faithlessness.
They were complaining about the lack of food when God was preparing to pour out manna from heaven on them.
They were complaining about living in tents when God was preparing to give them houses filled with good things that they did not build or buy.
They were complaining about the wilderness when He was preparing to give them the promised land - a land flowing with milk and honey.
They were complaining about what they could see instead of focusing on what God had promised them.
I'm feeling overwhelmed by my prayer chain requests this morning. I am reluctant to even place on 'paper' the huge needs that are out there. Children dying with cancer, a 6 yo recovering from his 6th open heart surgery, mothers miscarrying babies, cancer, cancer, cancer, a childhood friend who lost his son in a car accident, job loss - it is truly mind-boggling the amount of pain that is out there. And if we choose to focus on what we see instead of what God has promised, we too will begin to complain - will begin to lose faith - will run the risk of God's fierce anger.
If I had the ability to go back in time, I would go to the children of Israel and say, "Hold on! Unimaginable riches are coming. Better things are yet to come. He who promises is faithful to bring them to pass." You and I know it's true because it has already happened and is recorded for us to read. But more than read it - we are to learn and to grow in our own faith because of their living it out.
So that is what I want to say to you today - "Greater things are yet to come." Not because I have seen them but because He said it. It is recorded for us to read, to grow, to understand and to believe. The end of your life story is not yet written. I want mine to be one of great faith. Believing God for His best. He has a plan. It's HIS plan. It is for good.
I believe. Do you?
"In this world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!" Jesus
They were complaining about the lack of food when God was preparing to pour out manna from heaven on them.
They were complaining about living in tents when God was preparing to give them houses filled with good things that they did not build or buy.
They were complaining about the wilderness when He was preparing to give them the promised land - a land flowing with milk and honey.
They were complaining about what they could see instead of focusing on what God had promised them.
I'm feeling overwhelmed by my prayer chain requests this morning. I am reluctant to even place on 'paper' the huge needs that are out there. Children dying with cancer, a 6 yo recovering from his 6th open heart surgery, mothers miscarrying babies, cancer, cancer, cancer, a childhood friend who lost his son in a car accident, job loss - it is truly mind-boggling the amount of pain that is out there. And if we choose to focus on what we see instead of what God has promised, we too will begin to complain - will begin to lose faith - will run the risk of God's fierce anger.
If I had the ability to go back in time, I would go to the children of Israel and say, "Hold on! Unimaginable riches are coming. Better things are yet to come. He who promises is faithful to bring them to pass." You and I know it's true because it has already happened and is recorded for us to read. But more than read it - we are to learn and to grow in our own faith because of their living it out.
So that is what I want to say to you today - "Greater things are yet to come." Not because I have seen them but because He said it. It is recorded for us to read, to grow, to understand and to believe. The end of your life story is not yet written. I want mine to be one of great faith. Believing God for His best. He has a plan. It's HIS plan. It is for good.
I believe. Do you?
"In this world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!" Jesus
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
USE IT OR LOSE
I would like to take credit for coming up with that saying but alas! I did not. I'm speaking of my muscles. I have noticed over the last few months I have been achy and keep getting pulls and strains in my muscles/joints. I mentioned it at my recent physical and instead of the comment about aging - which I expected, she asked if I had been exercising. Ahem. That's a little personal. Wasn't it enough that she weighed me? Anyway - she reminded me that if I don't use my muscles I will lose them. Have I mentioned that I hate/loathe/despise sweating? Nor do I like doing things that are boring and I equate exercise with boredom plus the added detraction of sweat. So I bought myself a bowflex treadclimber on Craigslist. Pretty proud of myself. Got a great buy. Thought if I put the thing in Billy's study, under the ceiling fan, IN the air conditioning and in front of the TV I MIGHT do something to 'use it' and avoiding 'losing it.' Anyway....
I came upon this passage of scripture in my daily reading:
"God arms me with strength, and He makes my way perfect." Ps. 18: 32
It reminded me that God gives us strength in order that our ways become perfect. Looking at the great loss of my life I need to know that God is using that loss and the grief that ensued to make my way perfect. Just as physical exercise makes our bodies perfect so do trials and tribulations exercise our spiritual bodies to be conformed into the image of Christ.
The wonder of it all is while my treadclimber can sit in that study without so much as a thought in that direction, the God who loves us, created us, has a plan for us and is working in us to perfect that plan will bring things into our lives that will force us to flex our spiritual muscle.
I love knowing that He has my life in His hands. I rejoice to know that as big a mess as it may seem from my side of the veil, His side is working it all out for perfection. Not just good. Pefect. I like that.
Let's flex some muscle this week.
I came upon this passage of scripture in my daily reading:
"God arms me with strength, and He makes my way perfect." Ps. 18: 32
It reminded me that God gives us strength in order that our ways become perfect. Looking at the great loss of my life I need to know that God is using that loss and the grief that ensued to make my way perfect. Just as physical exercise makes our bodies perfect so do trials and tribulations exercise our spiritual bodies to be conformed into the image of Christ.
The wonder of it all is while my treadclimber can sit in that study without so much as a thought in that direction, the God who loves us, created us, has a plan for us and is working in us to perfect that plan will bring things into our lives that will force us to flex our spiritual muscle.
I love knowing that He has my life in His hands. I rejoice to know that as big a mess as it may seem from my side of the veil, His side is working it all out for perfection. Not just good. Pefect. I like that.
Let's flex some muscle this week.
Monday, April 12, 2010
TOO BIG TO MISS
In my daily reading I was studying the story of David and Goliath and the commentators made an insight I had heard before but pondered anew. He said that the Israelites saw an opponent who was too big to defeat and David saw an enemy who was too big to miss! Isn't that true of life? It really is all about perspective.
As the proprietor of a weekly prayer chain I am profoundly aware of the size of the enemy that wages war against us. It sometimes seems as though followers of Christ have a big bulls-eye on our foreheads. David was the anointed king-to-be of Israel. He was already called a man after God's own heart and yet God let him stand alone against a nine foot giant. Sometimes we make a mistake by knowing a story too well and David's is a prime example. We skip right to the end - where a young boy single-handedly kills a giant with a slingshot and one stone. WHOA - back up.
He stood up against a giant while the entire army of Israel stood down and watched. He spoke against his enemy - not by taunting, whining, complaining or manipulating. He spoke about the God who placed David in the position to fight. And while Goliath lumbered around in his hundreds of pounds of (probably frightening looking) armor, David quickly ran forward, slung a stone and sunk a giant! THEN the army of Israel was emboldened to run forward and fight!
The body of Christ is waging war against a giant enemy today (by the way - that is nothing new). God allowed it. And He is the same God who stood with David. He is unchanging. Whatever your enemy - be it financial, physical, emotional, relational - it needs to be faced in the perspective of the God you serve. You see - your enemy is too big to miss! I love the spunk of David. He said, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who dares to defy the army of the Living God?" In other words - "Enemy! Who do you think you are? Have you see my God?"
Friends, scrub off the bifocals. Take a fresh look at the God you serve. If He put a young boy before a giant, who is to say He didn't allow the enemy facing you today? Perhaps the watching world needs to see your bravery. Perhaps the church needs to hear a rousing reminder of the God we serve. Whatever your opposition today - it is no match for the God we are in covenant with. He has your back, your front, your sides. He goes before you and nothing is too big for Him.
Ready, Aim, Shoot!
As the proprietor of a weekly prayer chain I am profoundly aware of the size of the enemy that wages war against us. It sometimes seems as though followers of Christ have a big bulls-eye on our foreheads. David was the anointed king-to-be of Israel. He was already called a man after God's own heart and yet God let him stand alone against a nine foot giant. Sometimes we make a mistake by knowing a story too well and David's is a prime example. We skip right to the end - where a young boy single-handedly kills a giant with a slingshot and one stone. WHOA - back up.
He stood up against a giant while the entire army of Israel stood down and watched. He spoke against his enemy - not by taunting, whining, complaining or manipulating. He spoke about the God who placed David in the position to fight. And while Goliath lumbered around in his hundreds of pounds of (probably frightening looking) armor, David quickly ran forward, slung a stone and sunk a giant! THEN the army of Israel was emboldened to run forward and fight!
The body of Christ is waging war against a giant enemy today (by the way - that is nothing new). God allowed it. And He is the same God who stood with David. He is unchanging. Whatever your enemy - be it financial, physical, emotional, relational - it needs to be faced in the perspective of the God you serve. You see - your enemy is too big to miss! I love the spunk of David. He said, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who dares to defy the army of the Living God?" In other words - "Enemy! Who do you think you are? Have you see my God?"
Friends, scrub off the bifocals. Take a fresh look at the God you serve. If He put a young boy before a giant, who is to say He didn't allow the enemy facing you today? Perhaps the watching world needs to see your bravery. Perhaps the church needs to hear a rousing reminder of the God we serve. Whatever your opposition today - it is no match for the God we are in covenant with. He has your back, your front, your sides. He goes before you and nothing is too big for Him.
Ready, Aim, Shoot!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
This and That
Thought you might enjoy looking at my mom's iris! I am absolutely BEYOND tickled that her irises have been moved from Temple to Paris to Rockwall and have bloomed like CRAZY! this year. Makes me so happy. My Nanny (my dad's mother) had such a green thumb and always had lots of flowers in her yard. Then Mother and Shelby had the most beautiful yards. As our little birdies left the nest we had more time to devote to gardening and it is paying off. We so enjoy seeing them bloom and providing beauty. It is also a way of keeping their memory alive of course. They would be so pleased to see something of their beloved home in ours. Sometimes it's just the little things that make life so sweet.
Easter weekend we had our annual family get-together! So much fun. This is my sweet sister and her little granddaughter, Parker Grace. We love her to pieces. She is all girl and so much fun. The first baby we had the in family for 19 years and she's as sweet as she is cute. My sister is in the thick of nursing school. We have so much fun swapping stories - mine antiquated and hers oh-so-contemporary. I tell her mine are a hundred times worse because we wore those ugly caps!!!
Here is my brother Barry and his wife Tina. You did a lot of praying for him and he is doing great. He's been back at work for about a month and starts regular duty this week. Tina was super at taking care of him - never left his side during all those hospitalizations and many, many, many drives back and forth to Dallas from Sulphur Springs. So we are super grateful for his health and your prayers for them today!!I would love to post pics of my little family but I am grounded from publishing pictures of them - well, just Brandon and Kylie. Matt and Amy were in Austin this weekend for a horse clinic and missed all the hoop-la! They would probably have cooperated. :(
Anyway, we had a wonderful Easter - shed a few tears for our sweet Justin but know that we know - HE'S A-OK.....we just miss him. That part is so hard this side of the good news of Jesus.
And I can't close a post without saying a big THANK YOU to Him for His wonderful gift of eternal life and the wonder of living without the condemnation of sin hanging over our heads. So grateful.....for this life, for the life to come and for the privilege of having you guys as friends on both sides. Happy Easter!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
GUILTY
OK, so here's the thing. I was driving home from Paris on Tuesday and for the first half of the trip I had my praise music on. Got me in the mood to pray, so I turned it off and prayed for the next half of the trip. As I took my exit on Ridge Road, I whizzed off that interstate in full solo praise mode when I looked in my rear view mirror to see the flashing lights of Rockwall's finest - a motorcycle policeman!
I quickly (57 in a 45) moved off the access road to a parking lot and whipped into a parking place. I put down my window, grabbed my insurance card and had the biggest smile on my face - yes, a smile - and yes, I wasn't upset. I handed him that card as he showed me my SIN - right there on his little handheld radar contraption - bigger than Dallas - 57 in a 45. I laughed and said, "I had just exited off the freeway and was just happily singing to the Lord." He said, "Happy, huh?" "Singing to the Lord," I said. "And I guess He is telling me to slow down." He said, "You think you can." "Yes, sir!" says I. And then he thanks me for being courteous. I started laughing and said, "Thank you for being so nice because I deserved a ticket!"
I want to tell you....my heart never even sped up. I was tickled about the whole thing. I was GUILTY as sin. I knew it. He knew it. He had the evidence. I saw it on the dashboard. I deserved the ticket. Wasn't even upset about getting one. D E S E R V E D a ticket. For some reason, he left me off.
I don't think it was because he thought I was cute. He might have been 20 and he was darling. Could have been one of my boys. Truly wanted to pinch his cute little cheeks. Thought about my precious little Josh who is a policeman. I digress.
ANYWAY.....point is. It's Easter week. GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY. All of us. As sin. And for some reason - beyond the fact that He made us and thinks we're cute - God sent His Son to give us a pardon. Getting off made me happy. Made me grateful. Made me want to give that cute little guy a hug.
Getting saved makes me joy-filled. Makes me grateful. Makes me want to praise and worship Jesus as long as I have breath!!!
We got off!!!! He took the punishment. You and me - we're free to live. I could have taken advantage of the privilege and driven like - well, hell. But that would have been a huge disservice to my sweet and generous friend (he's my friend now - Officer Johnson is his name). No, not me. I will try my best to abide by the speed limit (unless I get lost in my praising again).
Same with the life of a believer. We are free to live like - well, hell. But that would be putting to shame the grace Jesus died to give us. Nope. Not going to do it. Oh, like the speed limit thing - I will mess up again. No doubt about it. I have a heavy foot and a penchant for sinning. But I sure don't want to.
Easter. What a wonderfully joyous time! Forgiven. Pardoned. Ransomed. Redeemed. A do-over. A fresh start. A rebirth. All because we are His.
Glory to His name!
I quickly (57 in a 45) moved off the access road to a parking lot and whipped into a parking place. I put down my window, grabbed my insurance card and had the biggest smile on my face - yes, a smile - and yes, I wasn't upset. I handed him that card as he showed me my SIN - right there on his little handheld radar contraption - bigger than Dallas - 57 in a 45. I laughed and said, "I had just exited off the freeway and was just happily singing to the Lord." He said, "Happy, huh?" "Singing to the Lord," I said. "And I guess He is telling me to slow down." He said, "You think you can." "Yes, sir!" says I. And then he thanks me for being courteous. I started laughing and said, "Thank you for being so nice because I deserved a ticket!"
I want to tell you....my heart never even sped up. I was tickled about the whole thing. I was GUILTY as sin. I knew it. He knew it. He had the evidence. I saw it on the dashboard. I deserved the ticket. Wasn't even upset about getting one. D E S E R V E D a ticket. For some reason, he left me off.
I don't think it was because he thought I was cute. He might have been 20 and he was darling. Could have been one of my boys. Truly wanted to pinch his cute little cheeks. Thought about my precious little Josh who is a policeman. I digress.
ANYWAY.....point is. It's Easter week. GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY. All of us. As sin. And for some reason - beyond the fact that He made us and thinks we're cute - God sent His Son to give us a pardon. Getting off made me happy. Made me grateful. Made me want to give that cute little guy a hug.
Getting saved makes me joy-filled. Makes me grateful. Makes me want to praise and worship Jesus as long as I have breath!!!
We got off!!!! He took the punishment. You and me - we're free to live. I could have taken advantage of the privilege and driven like - well, hell. But that would have been a huge disservice to my sweet and generous friend (he's my friend now - Officer Johnson is his name). No, not me. I will try my best to abide by the speed limit (unless I get lost in my praising again).
Same with the life of a believer. We are free to live like - well, hell. But that would be putting to shame the grace Jesus died to give us. Nope. Not going to do it. Oh, like the speed limit thing - I will mess up again. No doubt about it. I have a heavy foot and a penchant for sinning. But I sure don't want to.
Easter. What a wonderfully joyous time! Forgiven. Pardoned. Ransomed. Redeemed. A do-over. A fresh start. A rebirth. All because we are His.
Glory to His name!
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