September


Whispering change in the air, September carries with it
a promise, a transformation….All of nature in preparation,
the Holy collection of earth’s yield before the silence…

Fall comes, the earth winds down….
Groaning inwardly, steeling herself for silence, season of
contemplation….
When she rests from her labor.
The time for resting is near, but not yet.

First she will offer up everything she has to give, and then;
One last riot of color before complete surrender to the naked
cold of winter white.

She waits for hope of spring while you and I sip tea by the fire.

And as the earth renews so must we:
“I urge you therefore, 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. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1,2

Multitude Monday….

holy experience

I am starting my gratitude list along with many others……

1. Knowing that I am loved by God….The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zeph.3:17

2. The gift of health, of breathing in and out without discomfort or effort, freedom to move about with no pain….what a gift! “This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:8

3. Loved ones who smile and say “Good morning!” “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

4. Laughter….always finding something funny and sharing that with someone special. There are really some people who go through a whole day without laughter. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

5. Freedom to worship….Lord, I know I take it for granted sometimes, please help me to fully appreciate this wonderful gift we have in America. “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2

6. The gift of belief….belief in Someone bigger than myself who holds it all together. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12

7. Friendship….”A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

8. Birds in the morning….they are singing and they don’t even question whether they should….singing is just what they do. Why shouldn’t we be the same? “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;” Job 12:7

9. Nature all around us. Even sitting here at my computer I can imagine being in a quiet forest….sitting by a gurgling stream….walking on the beach, waves crashing all around. I know it is out there to enjoy! “Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11,12

10. Two parents still alive and healthy, who answer the phone when I call…”Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” Proverbs 17:6
Thank you to Ann Voscamp at Holy Experience for starting all this, once you start listing things, it changes how you think!

Sharing our burdens


Sometimes we carry around burdens that were never meant to be carried alone….We think we are being noble by handling it alone saying “I don’t want to burden them.” So we isolate ourselves and end up feeling more alone than ever.

We are hurting, but still we carry it around like a heavy stone, afraid to unload it. Or maybe we hang onto it because we have a bit of pride. The pride that says, “I should be able to handle this.” Maybe we strike out in little ways because we are wounded, with silence or slamming doors……we think they will ask us what is wrong, but when they do we say, “Nothing!” And so now there are two wounded people.

Finally when we just can’t carry it anymore we spill it over onto someone else, usually the one we love. In our haste and desperation to be rid of the burden we sometimes don’t go about it in the right way.

The way of love…..Can I hear an Amen on that one?

But true healing can happen when we approach with a spirit of humility. Which brings about…..healing…..restoration……love.

As it is brought out and held up to the Light together, a miracle happens…. We find out that they had their arms out ready to help all along. Burdens lift, the load is lightened.

Hope is restored. Two are brought closer together.

Jesus never asked us to bear one another’s burdens without actively seeking a helpful resolution and comfort. “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” Galations 6:2 But what is the law of Christ? It is love, so that everything we do must be done in the spirit and motive of love. There is good news! God has a ready supply and He shares.

For (Love) 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7

God is Cheering for You

by Max Lucado
If your God is Mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that He is mighty enough to light your path?

God is for you. Not “may be,” not “has been,” not “was,” not “would be,” but “God is!” He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you read this sentence. No need to wait in line or come back tomorrow. He is with you. He could not be closer than he is at this second. His loyalty won’t increase if you are better nor lessen if you are worse. He is for you.

God is for you. Turn to the sidelines; that’s God cheering your run. Look past the finish line; that’s God applauding your steps. Listen for him in the bleachers, shouting your name. Too tired to continue? He’ll carry you. Too discouraged to fight? He’s picking you up. God is for you.

God is for you. Had he a calendar, your birthday would be circled. If he drove a car, your name would be on his bumper. If there’s a tree in heaven, he’s carved your name in the bark. We know he has a tattoo, and we know what it says. “I have written your name on my hand,” he declares (Isa. 49:16).

From the book entitled, “Let the Journey Begin”

Confessions of a church mutt


I confess I have a speckled lineage when it comes to my church experience. Personally, I don’t believe God cares what denomination, if any, we attach ourselves to as long as it remains true to Biblical teaching. I think we can gather richness from each one, I know I have. However we dress it up or perform the ceremony what remains is God and His word. He alone knows the heart of a church.

I have been Baptist, Episcopalian for a short time, Assembly of God, Methodist through my Grandfather, and Non-denominational. From each one I carry memories with me that have enriched my faith. In each one I have experienced God’s grace. I have seen prayers answered, God’s love flowing through people. I have seen the Holy Spirit change lives and do things not humanly possible.

I remember….magical paper sacks that we received after every Christmas pageant. I remember quaking on stage, trying to remember my one line from the Bethlehem scene. I think one time I actually cried and ran off stage….but after, we received a paper sack that held the same things every year; peanuts in the shell, buried within a hershey bar, and a roll of five flavor lifesavers, and an orange. I was always scared they would run out before they got to me. A walk down the aisle to start my journey with Christ…..Seeing my Pastor in rubber waders at my Baptism, warm water swirling around my white baptism clothes, giving the confession of faith; never to be the same again. Strong biblical teaching from a pastor who loved digging into meanings of Greek and Hebrew. So many joyful hours of choir practice, where my Aunt and I sang on the Alto end.

I remember ice-cream socials on summer evenings in the Methodist church yard, all cakes made from scratch, with a man dipping ice-cream at the end of the line. The beautiful marbled sanctuary…they knew how to make a church look like a church in those days.

I remember beautiful liturgy at St. John’s Episcopal, learning when to sit and stand, knees creaking. The flip of the kneeler in the silence. People there who helped each other out after hours. I remember a spirit of love in the social hall after service when I saw Fr. Ray dancing with a child one day. The tradition of the flowering of the cross at Easter, the Sacrifice giving way to the fragance of beauty and conquered death once and for all.

I remember prayer times, tears, laughter, and meeting wonderful people who loved God. Meeting God at the altar, prayers answered, hands lifted high, tears of communion. Learning about the gifts of the Spirit….(still have my notes) All of these precious times, a bit of Heaven on earth. A foretaste of glory to come….

Church; it’s not perfect because it is made up of people. But it’s God’s church and still a place where you can find grace, forgiveness, and love.

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” Psalm 27:4

Cure for anxiety


Photo by Robert Koehler, “Ada Prayer Chamber, Pfeiffer Hall, Korea”

Prayer for anxiety:

Oh Lord, may I focus on You today.
Let me give you the first fruits of my time;
as I lift you up here in the quiet.
Still my soul,
Quiet my spirit of all other voices….thoughts…worries.
Until I can hear Your Spirit whisperings.

I come before You to smooth out the wrinkles of my day.
Let the furrowed brows relax, let the churning waters of the
mind become as a still pond reflecting Your peace.

Release my heart to love myself and others with
Your love; for You have enough to go around.
Some days it seems I barely have enough
for the ones I say I love.

Help me to live this day in the present, and not be looking back
to yesterday….or forward to tomorrow….

Let me seek Your kingdom first in my prayer closet today.
For I know that when I do that, the rest will fall into place.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33,34

Napoleon saves kittens….

Sometimes the animals give us lessons on love and sacrifice…….English Bulldogs are notoriously bad swimmers. With a giant head and chest compared to a lighter tail end, they have a tendency to go bottoms up in the water. It’s hard to keep that head up above the waves when it’s the largest part of your body!

Most owners are very aware of this problem, and will take care to see that their dogs have a good life vest on if they’re going to be boating or there’s a chance the bulldog could end up in some deep water without someone right at hand to save them if they look like they’re starting to struggle.

Because of the breeds history of poor swimming ability, this morning’s news came as a bit of a shock to me! Napoleon, an obedient and well behaved two year old white English Bulldog in Michigan abruptly left his master’s side yesterday and raced out across a road and into a nearby lake.

Napoleon’s owner met him in the driveway as the bulldog came back up out of the lake dragging something in his mouth. It looked like a burlap sack, and Napoleon appeared determined to drag it up from the shore and back to his master’s side.

It was then that Napoleon’s owner heard the meowing and realized that there were abandoned kittens inside the bag! Six kittens in total, although two of them didn’t survive and the remaining four were in bad shape. Napoleon’s mom cared for the survivor’s for the next two weeks until they could be taken in to the city pet adoption center and found new homes.

Napoleon got a much deserved hero’s welcome at the adoption center as crowds gathered to praise the brave bulldog and cuddle the rescued kittens.

I was looking for something else entirely on “Google” but I couldn’t resist posting this story. Animals, part of God’s wonderful creation, sometimes give us glimpses into His own character….love, sacrifice, loyalty, self-denial. I think back to the way it must have been when He first set Adam and Eve into their perfect home. Everyone co-existing happily, everyone eating plants, even the lions and tigers. Wow, hard to imagine.

I have tried to give up meat, so far no luck. Had some last night as a matter of fact, but I am still looking forward to that day in the future when….

“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. Isaiah 65:25

Go here for an interesting article on a scientist’s perspective on how a lion could eat straw like an ox.

Gratitude

I am grateful for rain last night, drumming on the roof, silly sideways rain that we hardly ever seem to get anymore….It was making me laugh out loud as I scooted my clean car up closer under the carport and tried to wipe the back bumper dry…God said, quit trying to be so perfect….cars can be washed again, as He laughingly side-swiped me with a gush of windrain. I laughed back as I thanked Him for that which I have been praying for lately.

I am grateful that as I study His word more, know God more, I ask where He is less and less. I ask Him why less too. No longer needing to have all the answers, I rest my hope in the One who does.

A miracle is when you see faith giving birth to knowledge, through God’s infinite grace.

Why should we ask God why when He has told us all along how to treat each other? The rules are in the Book.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. By this was God’s love revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:7-11

Random thoughts…..

Did you ever notice that you only get irritated at seeing a police car when you are speeding? That little accusing voice usually rises to the surface when I am late for work. I think: “Now why do they have to be here now?? Yet, how glad I would be if one showed up when I needed one! Kind of like when God is whispering in our minds to do a certain thing we know will be uncomfortable or difficult. Asking forgiveness, praying for someone who has wronged us…..We rise up, thinking of reasons why not….”Well, he said, but they….” And God waits patiently for us to see His side of things.

Why did God start us out in a garden and not someplace that looked like Wallstreet? Broadway? Maybe because He knew it would be easier to find Him there. Maybe He knew it would remind us of where we came from….dust. There is a little saying about gardens that I find to be true, “We are nearer to God’s heart in a garden than anyplace else on earth.” Go here for full poem.

It is easy to feel the breath of God when you are close to growing things. The morning dew reminds us of the manna that fell in the wilderness….God’s provision in the desert. Dealing with stubborn weeds that threaten to choke out the life that we have so carefully cultivated reminds us of the stubborn sins that so easily rob us of sweet communion with God.

My grandfather loved growing things. Though he died of stomach cancer when I was around two, I feel very close to him. Everyone says that he had a very kind spirit, and he loved his garden…and his God very much.

My one and only memory of him is holding me in his arms next to the grape arbor. I remember a white trellis and little green grapes. I hold it close against my heart. His favorite hymn was “In the Garden” I imagine him walking with God in the cool of the evening, even now. Someday Grandpa, I will be walking with you. I can’t wait to meet you….

Oswald Chambers

PRAYER CHOICE AND PRAYER CONFLICT

“When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and pray to thy Father which is in secret.” Matthew 6:6

Jesus did not say – Dream about thy Father in secret, but pray to thy Father in secret. Prayer is an effort of will. After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is the overcoming of mental wool-gathering. We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on wilful prayer.

We must have a selected place for prayer and when we get there the plague of flies begins – This must be done, and that. “Shut thy door.” A secret silence means to shut the door deliberately on emotions and remember God. God is in secret, and He sees us from the secret place; He does not see us as other people see us, or as we see ourselves. When we live in the secret place it becomes impossible for us to doubt God, we become more sure of Him than of anything else. Your Father, Jesus says, is in secret and nowhere else. Enter the secret place, and right in the centre of the common round you find God there all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day; but swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God.

Thought this was beautiful and fitting today since I was having a very difficult time focusing and praying….Oswald Chambers always sets me on the right path…