Eyes and Ears Wide Open

God never ceases to make me smile. Yesterday, I ended the blog thanking God for giving me another chance to bear better fruit by pruning away my bad branches. Then, so totally God…I received this scripture in my 'Daily Bible Verse' e-mail…

John 15:5,8  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

He tickles me! Just a gentle reminder and confirmation. Thank you, Lord!

I often talk about getting the 'holy tap on the shoulder' from the Lord and waiting for Him to give me the lesson He wants me to write. I don’t know if you believe that or not but it's true. God is not limited by our finite thinking, He is not bound that which we find plausible and/or possible. For this, I am thankful. I'd hate to think God could only perform in areas I could imagine or create.

My cousin, Beverly, says God wakes her up to 'talk' at 2am on a regular basis. I believe it. She said she's told Him 6am would be ok, too, but it's His timing and choices that count. Perhaps God knows the world would start getting in the way if they 'talked' at 6 rather than 2. He uses dreams, sermons, books, and other people…all kinds of ways to get messages to us. For me, the most frequent is the holy tap on the shoulder.

Years ago, God spoke to me in a dream. I was watching the dream as if it were a video though I was in the video dream, too. I distinctly remember it, not like a dream that fades away from your memory as the morning sun fades the darkness. As the spectator of the dream and the actor (for lack of better word) in the dream, I knew God was talking to me...well, both of us, actually - me the watcher and me the actor. I participated in the conversation. Even as the dream progressed, I 'heard' God tell me to wake up and go into the living room. I assured God I had gotten His point but He said again to wake up and go into the living room. I'm sure it really was audible because I 'heard' it loud and clear, it woke me. I got up and went into the living room. Making Him tell me a third time didn't seem like wisdom. I sat on the couch in the dark room and we had a talk. Well, I listened; He asked two short questions. Only two questions, but He waited each time for my answer. My spiritual ears were involved in this conversation but I do believe it was an audible command to wake up. I answered aloud.

When God talks to me, it is typically in short sentences. It might be a word or two…remember "clarified butter" or "consider the coffee"? Sometimes it's all spiritually imparted. Sometimes words leap off a page at me with such power I know it can be nothing else but Him. The point is I expect God to talk to me. I listen for God to talk to me. I look with accepting eyes for different ways He uses to speak to me. I desire God to talk to me. I never again in my lifetime on earth want there to be silence between God and me. I need God to talk to me. I need it like I need oxygen to breathe.

Breakfast with God

My Honey and I are at the mid-point of a 21-day Daniel fast. I share that not to say, "look at us" but to lay the foundation of this posting. Our intent in the fast is to draw nearer to God and His plan for us. In a Daniel fast, you are not giving up all food, but fasting meat, sweets, breads, processed foods. This means a diet of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

My breakfast menu this morning was a meal of veggies cut into bite size pieces and sautéed in a little olive oil:

1 small potato

1 porcini mushroom

1 jalapeno pepper

5 stalks of asparagus

Small piece of onion

I took the time to prepare the meal and did not rush through. I used the time to visit with God, asking Him to show me the areas I needed to focus on as I continue to prepare for the upcoming mission trip. I felt peaceful and purposeful. God being God showed me all I asked and more.

Typically, I have to interrupt my writing to prepare and eat breakfast. I'm diabetic, not eating is not an option, and I need something in my tummy on which to bounce all the coffee. Since I am well into my work routine by the time I know I have no choice but to stop and eat, I find I sometimes resent the interruption and rush through. I usually eat at my desk as I work. This morning I made a point of using that time to visit with God and I could actually 'feel' the difference it made in my body, my mindset, and my spirit.

God led me to Isaiah 58 where the people cried out to God asking why He did not acknowledge their fasting. His reply through Isaiah was to say they were outward rituals to get want they wanted, not to honor Him. Check your motives! Often, we need to fast the way we live our lives, foregoing anything that is not spiritually healthy or God ordained. The 'junk food' of ungodly living can kill you.

If you do not really want to hear from God, don't ask questions. If you are not open to hearing spiritual truths about yourself, don't ask questions. If you tend to justify instead of rectify, don't ask questions. God is not bashful or hesitant to answer.

I felt God outlined the areas of me - my personality, my tendencies, and my perceptions that were not honoring Him, revealed one by one, as I thoughtfully chopped veggies. No condemnation, just factual outlining…I DID ask, after all. Scenes and situations of my life with these shortfalls - live and kicking - played before my spiritual eyes. You can't deny what God shows you in living color. Spiritually naked we come before Him, nowhere to hide any unpleasing behavior. All your fleshly ugliness flaps in the breeze. Still, no condemnation.

I saw enough. I was humbled by the love I felt from Him even as I came face-to-face with my 'issues'. What I do at this point is up to me. I can take what He showed me and learn from it or not. I thanked Him for showing me my ugly side, for loving me in spite of myself, for the unconditional love, for forgiveness and the chance to cultivate better fruit by pruning away the bad branches. Breakfast with God is completely satisfying!

The Good News

Amid the chaos and noise of world events, fear mongers or, as they like to be called "news media," fan the flames of manic thinking. Once upon a time, not so very long ago, I made appoint to watch the world and local news everyday. I wanted to be an informed responsible adult capable of voting on important issue concerning our country. I care about world events and people groups. Knowledge is power and I had the power to pray over issues in much need of prayer when and only when I had knowledge of them. This was my thinking. I wised up.

You see, for every slanted news story, there is pertinent information we are not being given. We are told our economic health in American is terminally ill. World politics is in such mucky water the powers/countries that be suffer from chronic dysentery. Do not even get me started on information we receive daily on which celebrity idiot is doing what now. Do I care what someone wore to a specific event? Does it play a part in my big picture? No, yet we are blasted with information about whose shoes are under whose bed and what their political point of view is at that moment.

Our financial outlook could change if athletes, mega-millionaires, and movie stars weren't given sinful amounts of money to do what they love to do in the first place. You can feed a lot of hungry kids on 15 million dollars, yet actors and the other $$ prostitutes are demanding and getting that kind of money all the time. Maybe all those hungry people of the world should demand more airtime. Does our country look more powerful when a stage full of politicians stand together for a photo shoot in a different land with the tax payers footing the bill for the trip? Just curious?

The news we are not hearing is that all the fear, all the tragedy the terrorist create, all the idiot drunken, blitzed entertainer stunts that manage to captivate prime time news, all the natural disasters…all of it, real and imagined, will not change one vital FACT. God is still in control. We're not hearing that in the news at all.     

Jesus said to proclaim the Good News. Yes, we need awareness of the world around us but it is not dominate our thinking, control our decisions, or determine how we go about living our lives. THAT, Friends, comes under the Good News. We are to live in and with the knowledge that God is still in control no matter which news station blares insanity into your living room every evening. I am saddened when I see people suffer and I pray for them but I rest in the knowledge that God is in control. My grocery bill gets higher every time I walk in the door for the same few items but God is in control. My country has lost its collective mind but God is in control. Pig flu or bird flu matters not, God is in control.

I refuse to bow down to the fear mongers on network or cable, in print or online because I KNOW God is in control. That's Good News, indeed!

Taking a Stand for Proverb Living

A segment of Day of Discovery this past Sunday morning touched me deeply. We've watched it for years and always come away feeling like we've learned something. This Sunday the program highlighted the work Nadine Hennesey was doing in war-torn Kosovo. Her husband of eleven months lost his life in the line of duty while she was pregnant with their first child. Nadine struggled with her faith, uncertain why God would have allowed the situation. Meanwhile, God was laying the groundwork for Nadine and her daughter as He tendered her heart toward the children of Kosovo trying to survive when one or both of their parents lost their lives during the war, schools bombed out and infrastructure for a brighter future seemingly gone.

Nadine moved to Mitrovica, Kosova, and collaborated with God to establish a school called the School of Laughter for children who lost parents in the war. These children lost their childhood when they lost their parents. Her goal was a jumpstart on quality education and an opportunity to know the innocent laughter of childhood.

Interviews with Nadine and a few of her former students made it clear; God was the Superintendent of the School of Laughter. Many students commented on how they wanted to be 'better' and live as Nadine modeled in her daily walk and godly spirit. Character Building class, part of their curriculum, taught basic principles for living a good life from the Book of Proverbs! How awesome is that?!

This school is still functioning and blessing children today. Nadine learned to rebuild trust in God and allowed Him to guide her path. This path enriched the lives of families living with the devastation of loss, just as Nadine had. Don't think you're not enough to make an impact for God.

You do not have to look very far to see children in great need of some character building classes! They are all around us, following the footsteps of the Pied Piper named 'Entitlement'. Why are we as parents, grandparents, and teachers tolerating rudeness? Disrespect runs households, and kids are growing up to think the world owes them whatever they want. Aren't they in for a big surprise?

I have long believed that people rise to the level of expectation you set for them. If the bar is so low they can step over it, never challenged beyond the mindset of infancy where they are the center of the universe, there is little reason for personal, mental, spiritual, and emotional growth. It may not be very trendy for me to believe you set expectations and standards for children but I do. I believe in respecting your elders – so did Solomon when he wrote Proverbs. I believe that if an adult comes into the room and there is no place to sit, the child should relinquish his seat. I believe children should learn not to interrupt adults in a conversation. These are but a few examples that I see missing in the general populous of children today. Not all, but far too many.

Proverbs starts out with these words of instructions: Proverbs 1:-7 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; to give prudence to the naïve, to the youth knowledge and discretion, a wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Many of the chapters begin with words similar to "Hear, my son, your father's instructions, and do not forsake your mother's teaching…" My guess is that the multitude of rude, obnoxious, arrogant, unkind…(the list is long)…adult people out there started out as children with no one holding them accountable for their behavior, no one teaching basic good character traits and no one raising the bar above mediocrity. It may take a village to raise a child but it all starts in the hut in which they lay their head. One woman took her four-year old daughter and moved to an unknown land to offer hope, love, and godly character building to brokenhearted children in Kosovo. Imagine what we could do here if we all worked together to re-vamp the mentalities rearing American children today.        

High Voltage!

The other day, after getting the blog out and deep into the editing on Book 1, we had a power outage. Smack in the middle of my day's work …poof…the computer just popped off along with every other electrical thing in the house. This is has happened before. I decided a break from work wasn't all-bad. The normal power outage rarely takes long to be resolved somewhere on the electrical highway, so I was not concerned. Once upon a time, I would have freaked out to think I could lose my current work on the computer but I've come to learn that it saves it somewhere and brings it back up as a recovered document. I called my buddy, Helen, for some girl talk while I waited. (See me making lemonade out of this? Hehehe)

Time went on, the power was off longer than usual, so I called the local electric co-op for information. A recording answered saying they were aware I was without power…how did they know, I wondered. Was power out everywhere? Once I got a live person on the phone, I asked. He said they knew what area I was in because of my phone number, which I had not given them by the way. Their computers were obviously working. Which brings up a good question, do the power companies ever lose power?

There were approximately 70 households/entities without power. They did not know why but were in the process of trying to correct the situation. I told the nice young man I was in the middle of writing the next great American novel and needed my computer, wished them speedy results in fixing the problem and went back to my waiting. Power was restored a little later and all went back to normal.

After two hours of waiting this morning for the holy tap on my shoulder from God with His message, I had nothin'! I began to wonder if I was having a spiritual short circuit. I had finished my Bible reading, prayer time, and even reading of other Christian stuff. Still nothing! Hmmm…it has to be me because God IS power. So I leave you this morning with these reassuring words from Hebrews…..

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power – making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [that is, of the deepest parts of our nature] exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purpose of the heart.   Hebrews 4:12 AMP

Never a power outage there!

You Said What?

"What did you say to my child?"

"I said she was stupid for not remembering where she put the book."

"Excuse me! What gives you the right to call my child stupid?"

"Well, look at her. She's running around in circles, accomplishing nothing."

"She's MY child and you don't have the right to call her anything."

"But she's running her fat little legs off and still can't finish the job."

"Did you just call MY child fat? Where do you get off saying negative things like that?"

"Can't you see, she eats too much, not much exercise, and sits around all the time?"

"She's creative, talented and has a loving heart. She's MINE and I love her just as she is so keep your negative comments to yourself!"

That crazy little conversation actually happened one day…between God and me. The child He referenced was me. I was the one calling His child stupid, fat, lazy, ineffective - among other things. Not all at one time, mind you, but certainly on the list of uncomplimentary adjectives I've used to talk about the child in question. Then one day I received the holy tap on my shoulder and God opened the dialog with, "What did you say to my child?"

Self-talk is important and powerful. It can lift up or tear down. We can be no better than a street bully to our own self-esteem or we can be a cheerleader that encourages…either way, we're talking to and about a Child of God.

Some days I have trouble putting three words together to make a complete sentence. Trying to put out a daily blog that actually makes sense is a task of Herculean proportions. God gives me the subject matter and smacks my hands if I get too far off track (His part) and I have use the brain He gave me to put it in print (my part). Staring at the keyboard does not a blog make!

Working on the book I've been writing for what seems 150 years is no different. Writing, Friends, is not easy. Again, staring at the keyboard does not get a book written. You can say all kinds of ugly things to yourself when feel like the most untalented, misguided and (yes) even most worthless excuse of a writer that ever lived. God took exception to me saying those things to His child.

So, I had to ask for forgiveness for being ugly to God's kid. I catch myself on occasion starting to get down on the kid and negative thoughts start percolating in my head again. THIS is where self-talk gets down to the nitty-gritty. 

If I am to be a professional writer for God's purposes then I must think, talk and act like a professional writer of God's purposes. Slouched in my jammies, I do not feel either professional or accomplished. I tell myself …aloud…"A professional writer looks like a professional." And I get dressed in real clothes. "A professional writer does not look like she just rolled out of bed." Then I do my hair and make-up. "A professional writer does not slouch." I sit up straighter. Once I've done that, I sit down at the computer and dedicate the work of my hands to His glory. I acknowledge it is His creativity, His inspiration, His glory I seek, not my own. I can write only because He first gave me an aptitude and love of writing, and the desire to serve Him by writing for His purposes. I am to tell other people of His love, grace, and mercy. MY PART

"Lord, you are my strength when my body feels weak. You are my mind and intellect for you live in me, we are one. Lord, I can do nothing apart from you. Help me today to accomplish all You would have me do." HIS PART.

The Bible says God called David was a man after His own heart. David talked to himself about God for strength and encouragement when the world was crashing around him. Self-talk, People, was practiced by the man after God's own heart!

"What did you say to my child?"

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Ah, December 1^st….we are entering a month full of activity, celebrations and emotional remembrances. Off the top of my head, I think of our three granddaughters - Elizabeth, Rylie, and Madielynn, our son - Joshua, and two friends all celebrating birthdays this month. It's also the birthday month of my daddy and paternal grandfather, both long gone. Our son and daughter-in-love – Kevin & Teddi - celebrate an anniversary. We journey off on a mission trip. The calendar is filling with activities. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!

Along the way…life happens. Babies are born, loved ones die, bills still need to be paid, employers expect you to show up, dinners cooked, laundry washed, vehicles filled with fuel and the long list of everyday life activities marches on. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!

There is an air of magical excitement when you drive down residential streets looking at houses covered in lights. Sitting in a dark room lit only by a decorated Christmas tree is special, too. Many a memory have I mulled around in my head doing just that. Stores play Christmas music, decorations fill aisle after aisle, and people act a little bit nicer to one another. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!

Among the pretty packages and expectations of children are the people walking around without the glint of excitement the season brings. They think of the next meal, a warm place to sleep, money to keep the electricity on in the house they hope to hang on to a little longer, a job, the loss of the American Dream and many other issues that cloud their thoughts and hopes. Sometimes they forget the highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus.

On a dark night over two thousand years ago, a young woman birthed Christmas in a cold stall. She bore the gift of Hope, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and the ultimate gift to humankind by a loving Father. There were no bright colored lights, no carols filling the air, no peppermint sticks, or jolly men in red suits. Yet, the most beautiful gift ever given was wrapped in pieces of cloth and lay in a trough animals ate their dinner from earlier than evening. An ordinary night when an extraordinary event provided the reason for the season upon us. The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus.

Hope was born that night. Hope still burns bright. God gave us a reason for hope, we need to share that reason with those that do not know it exists or feel it in their hearts. It's not just the homeless or the struggling that need this gift. Those with expensive fancy packages tied in pretty ribbons might be as seriously in need. You can't drown out a hopeless heart by singing carols louder. The best gift we can give this year is to share our gift of hope with everyone we see. You never know who needs it. When you share your gift of hope it doesn't diminish, it multiplies! The highlight for Christian believers is the birthday celebration of Jesus!