Get a life!


We have all heard these phrases:
“He has no life.”
“She deserves a life.”
“I have no life”
“Get a life”

The worldly mantra of life seems to be: “Do well in school so you can get the right job, so you can have enough money, so that you will never have to go without, so that you will be fullfilled and take wonderful vacations so you will never be bored; repeat cycle with kids, retire comfortably in Florida or Arizona.”

When we are born again into new life in Christ and start reading the Bible, we see that our earlier concept of life rubs up against what Christ teaches.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25

We try to get the two to blend, but they stubbornly refuse. It’s not so much that the first concept is wrong….school, money, good jobs, success; those are all good things, but as believers we have to be open to change course when God directs. The Holy Spirit prods us to ask different questions, not what do I want, but what does God want for my life?

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1

Sometimes life interrupts life and does this for us. A parent becomes ill and all other siblings disappear, a grandchild needs raising and you are the only one left standing, a child drops out of school, the list goes on and on. Sometimes God gives us an unexpected call to serve, but if we are clinging so tightly to our first life we miss His voice….Sacrifice is hard, it’s not glamorous, you get dirty, sometimes you get no recognition, sometimes you are even ridiculed for your efforts. (Parenting comes to mind here)

You may feel like your life has become as predicable as punching a time-clock. You may feel defeated before the day even begins….But take heart, Jesus had something much bigger than whatever you are facing, and He did it for us! He did it so that we could know that whatever we do in this life has meaning, and an impact for all eternity!

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

And here is the miracle part…..the secret!(unlike the popular book of the same name that swept across the new age landscape awhile back) When we yield what we want and exchange it for what He wants, He brings eternity into the moment. Everything we do becomes a prayer because we can’t do it any other way; and somehow we always find the strength we need for each day.

So maybe your life doesn’t look like that “perfect” one over there, be assured, He is using your hands to make brushstrokes in His great masterpiece that will last forever.

We have a life, and it’s His!

Dependance

This song by Jamie Slocum speaks to me so powerfully each time I hear it, here are the lyrics: (to mute my playlist go to bottom right column)

This is the life I’ve always wanted
To know the prince of peace
To feel my faith restored
As your grace surrounds me

This is the day of new beginnings
This is where my freedom starts
And now death has lost its sting
And Jesus how can I thank you?

There is a lightness in my laughter
There is a joy inside my soul
My heart is overwhelmed
And Jesus how can I thank you?

Just to know, just to know that you love me
It gives me hope to carry on
You’re the one thing that I can turn to
Just to know, just to know that you’re with me
On all these roads I traveled on
You’re the one thing that I can turn to
Just to know, just to know that you love me
It gives me hope to carry on
There’s nothing this world can do
I confess my dependence on you
Lord, I confess my dependence on you
Dependence on you

I was seeking that quiet place of peace this morning, but I couldn’t find it. The peace that makes you feel like everything will be okay….that assurance in the heart that makes the soul, spirit and mind quiet down. I thought maybe I could find it if I layed down for a bit….I prayed, He heard. The 23rd Psalm came to my mind in the quiet, the one that always calms….

The Lord is my Shepherd,
How many times He has saved me from my own recklessness and stupidity. Kept me safe from wandering over the cliff in the dark, like a lost scared sheep.
I shall not want,
He has given me everything I could possibly want, all wrapped up in Him.
He maketh me to lay down in green pastures,
So many times I have felt scared, lost, alone, hopeless.
Then that peace that passes all understanding seeps into my soul, the dawn bringing hope again.
He leadeth me beside still waters.
Where I can drink my fill
He restoreth my soul.
So I can get up again and face life, even when I would rather get back in bed.
He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for His names sake.
Somehow I get the strength to do His will even when I want to do my own, sometimes His will is just to keep going
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
Yes I have been there…..sick, deciding it would be better not to eat, how do I get back into the land of the living….Mom and Dad’s anxious prayers, then a miracle healing….And then a few years later new husband suddenly gone; honeymoon not even over yet, gone to Heaven where I couldn’t find him, couldn’t talk to him, my life seemingly over.
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
You were with me then and now.
Thy rod and they staff they comfort me.
Disciplining me when I get out of line, and guiding me back to the safety of the fold, even going out of your way to look for me when I am out of Your sight.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overfloweth.
You have made me royalty, a daughter of the King!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
From my first breath to my last, Your presence will never leave me, until I see You face to face in Heaven, where I will live with you for all eternity.

Keeping the gratitude list going….

31. The prayers of friends and family that keep me going.

32. Little niece has liked school this year and comes out smiling and happy.

33. Unwavering love

34. Eyes to read with

35. Having the money to pay bills

36. Iced tea with a bit of cranberry juice on a warm day

37. Homegrown tomatoes

38. September and relief from the heat is in sight, somewhere….(important in Arizona)

39. Good teachers and aides that care.

40. Always God, who knows me inside and out and still wants to be my Father.

Count your blessing with Ann here:
holy experience

Reflections for a Sunday afternoon…..

Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone (can you imagine the roll call at school?) His family was both worldly and wealthy and young Francis was a product of his environment. Upon his conversion his life changed dramatically. In 1209 he felt a strong desire to “imitate Christ” by living a life of God poverty, chastity, and obedience. He literally took the fancy and expensive clothes off his back and handed them to his father, thereby marking the new life he was about to live. He began a ministry to lepers and those who were ill until his death in 1226.

He had the marvelous talent of seeing all the world–every living thing–as a beautiful gift from God. He called the sun, the moon, and all the creatures of the earth his brothers and sisters.
Taken from “Devotional Classics”, selected readings for individuals and groups.

Reflecting on God’s goodness


Jewish believers all over the world are celebrating Rosh Hashanah today….as defined by the torah.org website:
Rosh Hashanah is the first and second days of the first Jewish month of Tishrei. It marks the beginning of the Jewish new year. The celebration of this holiday is marked with solemnity, as it is the day on which the whole world is judged for the coming year. Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world, as it was on this day that G-d created Man on the 6th day of creation. Every year, on this day, we proclaim G-d as our one and true King.

It is good and right to reflect on these things today and everyday. I needed reflection this morning because ever since I got up I have been battling a bit of anger. It rose up like a flare when I wasn’t expecting it, and it was unwelcome. Upon further introspection I realized that it was directed at God. Maybe anger is not the right word. It’s not a shaking fist at God kind of anger; more like a “what are you thinking/what’s your plan here” kind of anger. Frustration really.

Someone I care about very much is not being taken care of the way I think they should. I guess that’s what it comes down to. “Like, hey God, this is someone that is Your kid!” None of these feelings take God by surprise. He welcomes dialogue, and questions, even challenges. Sometimes an answer comes thundering back, like when He answered Job out of the whirlwind:

Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, 10 when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, 11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’? “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?

I love the little barb He throws at Job in verse 21: “Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!” Did God’s love for Job diminish because he questioned God? Absolutely not. God wasn’t surprised by Job’s feelings, questions or thoughts any more than He is by mine.

Sometimes He seems to put examples right in our path that validate even further everything we are feeling! “This is a test, this is only a test.”

Even as I voice my prayers through tears, puzzlement, and frustration, a miracle occurs; thoughts start to form. Grace infused thoughts…..I remember all those times He has kept me, kept my friend, sustained me, strengthened me, provided for me, raining down His great mercy, love, forgiveness year in, year out. Always in His perfect timing. Grace comes full circle. I still have questions, but I know the One who knows the answers, and that makes all the difference.

Sometimes we need “trust” lessons. Sometimes we need to know He is right there ready to grab the bicycle seat lest we wobble and fall.

Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

They that wait….


I am thinking of the Holy Spirit this way today, like that eagle taking off, waiting on that branch for just the right moment; just when we need Him the most to swoop down and bear us up above the clouds.

I loved that scene in Return of the King…..Frodo and Sam are spent, collapsed on Mt. Doom, exploding fire raining down around them. Knowing they have just accomplished the impossible, but waiting for the inevitable final end when they would be enveloped by flames, not living to see the restoration of Middle Earth. And then…..the eagles. Picked off the mountain by powerful but gentle talons, that will bear them to Rivendell. I also love that Tolkien always portrayed eagles as rescuers.


Like those eagles, the Holy Spirit gently comes and takes me in His powerful but loving talons high above the chaos, letting me rest in the shadow of His wings for awhile. Catching my breath I hear air rushing through wings, feeling my body leave earth, see it rushing below. And nothing but quiet, rhythmic flight.

This morning was one of those rescue moments for me. A night of fitful sleep, plagued by worried, middle of the night thoughts, waking at 3 with full knowledge of the alarm going off at 4….Fully entertaining thoughts of calling in….just to get some sleep. Then I got up, knees hit floor first, elbows resting on unmade bed, plea of help, “just get me up, Lord.” He did…..

Interesting Eagle fact: Pound for pound, an eagle’s wing is stronger than the wing of an airplane.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Painful restoration…..


“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

Endless gratitude

The most precious gift of all….

“When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had said this, he showed unto them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore said to them again, Peace be unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.”

And…..Spoken by the prophet Joel:

“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.”

The same power that transformed the disciples from a quaking, shivering, huddled with fear bunch; listening for footsteps and clenched fists pounding at the door, to an “empowered by God” group that would turn the world upside down, still empowers you and I today as believers, and the church continues to flourish….

Consider these facts from Philip Jenkins:

A few years ago, Bishop Spong wrote Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and his message was that Christianity is becoming discredited in the West, the old supernatural lessons are ceasing to carry any weight, so Christianity must change or die.
I will die, Bishop Spong will die, but, as far as we can tell, Christianity seems to be flourishing remarkably. The Christianity that is flourishing in the global South is a Christianity that looks very strange to Western eyes. It takes prophecy and spiritual healing very seriously. Dreams, visions, trances are all notions that carry a good deal of currency in the countries in which Christianity is succeeding very dramatically. It would be hard to convince a congregation in Seoul or in Nairobi that Christianity is dying, when they are far too busy building a new facility for the 20,000 or 30,000 new people they have added to their congregation in the last decade.

Places considered unreachable several decades ago have now become hot spots for Christian growth, and hundreds of new churches are being planted each month in those places. Take the small country of Nepal, for example; the church there is growing faster than in any other nation. In 1960, the number of Christians totaled only twenty-five. Today, the number has risen to almost 1 million. Despite the abuse and isolation many Nepali Christians have faced in recent years, churches are springing up all over the country. And though Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims, still constitute the majority of the population, Christianity is growing twice as fast as the other faiths.

Philip Jenkins is Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He was born in Wales and educated in England, where he received his Ph.D. from Clare College at Cambridge. He has written over fifteen books and many articles on contemporary religious issues and controversy.

The list of gratitude goes on:

21. The first cup of coffee in the morning

22. People that continue to love even when it seems impossible

23. Friends that know how to fix broken washers (washer gave out this morning and very smart friend pulled part out and also repaired part) Hallelujah!

24. Precious gifts from people that remind me of their presence.

25. The knowledge that ALL good things come from God.

26. Computers that keep us in touch with our loved ones far away.

27. Telephones that do the same thing.

28. Service people that show up on time and do a good job

29. The innocence of children

30. People who go out on a limb to rescue those who can’t rescue themselves

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In Memoriam

For the first time in 8 years, under the current Administration September 11th has been designated a national day of “service.”

It’s a good thing to volunteer, and we should do so….

For the other 364 days of the year.

Today I remember September 11, 2001 as a memorial to all who lost their lives and continue to be impacted by the horrific events of that day. How life was changed for all of us including those innocent people who were just starting their work day; grabbing that cup of coffee, firing up the computer, dropping kids off before work, talking in office doorways, all the rescue workers who never dreamed how their day would end up.

A day to pray and remember, a day to thank God for carrying us all through that terrible time, and for His continued protection and preservation.

May we never forget.

I know a secret….


Jeremiah 33:3
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

There is something so very intimate about someone whispering in your ear….it is much different than just saying it right out loud. It means, this is for you only. I want you to know that I have your full attention, and that you really hear what I am saying…I had a very dear cousin do this one time in a crowd and I never forgot it. It meant so much to me that he would take the trouble. It meant he cared.

God does too, He wants to whisper in your ear today.

He cares…..For your ears only.

“Finally, I suspect that it is by entering that deep place inside us where our secrets are kept that we come perhaps closer than we do anywhere else to the One who, whether we realize it or not, is of all our secrets the most telling and the most precious we have to tell.” Frederick Buechner