Of Course!

I’m having one of those days when all you want to do is crawl back in bed and pull the covers over your head. Nothing in my world is lining up right. It started out waiting in anticipation for that first cup of coffee, the nectar of the gods. I did my motherly morning duties for the dogs while I waited. Ah, now cup in hand I can jump start my very busy day. Wrong! Bringing my cup of obviously steaming coffee to my lips for a tentative sip, I was dismayed to find it was only lukewarm. Ekk! The deceptive steam was a product of the cold morning air hitting the lukewarm coffee. I poured it back in the coffeemaker and pour another before heading to my desk to find my internet is down…again! This occupied me for a bit because I need the internet working so I can send out the blog. My internet server has not, is not doing a very good job in the consistency department. This tends to raise my stress level on a regular basis. Living in the area we do has limited our choices of high speed internet providers to…oh, this one. Of course!

I have a family member having surgery this morning. I wanted to call for a ‘love you & praying for you’ time before the surgery but the phone number I needed for the hospital is in an email on my computer that I can not access. Of course!

I decided that maybe, just maybe, the phone number was in my caller ID from previous conversations. I reached for the closest phone only to find the screen blank. I went for the next phone, we have three. Same thing, punch buttons till your fingers fall off and nothing. Blank screen. Tracking down the third phone I discovered the same irritating problem! And, yes, men folk, the phones were in their charging cradles. This is not new, but an ongoing issue with our lousy phones. They are not old phones, no; these are our latest new phones. If I had a dollar for every time I have clutched one of these phones in both hands trying to strangle it as I shook it to the now familiar tune of “I hate these phones!” I could buy more but what would be the point? These ARE the newest in a long line of phones, these are not cheap phones but they are just as lousy as the less expensive ones. Of course!

Deciding to make the most of the time sans internet and phones, I proceeded to move into the kitchen to take my meds and make a small repast. Once in the fridge my mouth sent my hand straight to the cold baked potato tempting me from the top shelf. I was practically drooling. I had visions of an egg draped over the steaming baked potato like a fur coat. My brain interceded and made my hand grab a carrot instead of the potato as my fantasy faded. Meatless meat, sautéed carrot and a farm fresh cage free egg now on the menu, I noticed that my computer was back online. I rushed over excitedly while the meatless meat was cooking and tried eagerly to bring my email up…maybe there was still time to make the “love you & praying for you” call….see how quickly I forgot the stinking phones weren’t working? Sad, huh? It was of no avail because the little blue light that indicates the computer is online was lying anyway! Yep, the cruelest trick of all; makes me THINK I can get online but nooooooooo! Meanwhile, sitting with head hung down in contained frustration, I realized I was very close to burning my meatless meat! Ekk! Of course, what else would fit my morning? Back to the kitchen I go.

Once breakfast was behind me I sundered back to the computer because there was no need to rush…but to my hesitant surprise, the blue was on once more. It let me get online so I thought things were looking up. It did not let me pull up my email. Of course!

Finally after ten different tries, I was able to see the number I was so anxious to get. I picked up the phone and was delighted to see the face of the screen. I quickly and thankfully placed the call to the far away hospital and my beloved family member. Finally reaching that familiar voice my hopes of being supportive and reassuring were dashed again….he’s old, lost some hearing, couldn’t hear a word I said. Of course!

The entire time it has taken me to write this the little blue demon light on my router has continued to blink and wink at me. It’s NOT supposed to do that. It is taunting me, letting me know it decides if I get to send this, not me! This might all have been taken in stride much more easily if I had been allowed my daily dose of caffeine. To this point I have not had a complete cup of coffee. While it has been left alone as I dashed to and fro between kitchen and computer only to get cold over and over I have had to accept the coffeemaker is on its last leg and is just not able to perform as it should and will need to be replaced…..again! Of course!

There is good news for today, however. Our son, Daniel, and his precious baby daughter, Madielynn, are coming to dinner tonight. The sun is brightly shining albeit windy and chilly. God is still on the throne today and forever just as He has been for eternity and all my worldly troubles of this morning fade into oblivion as I nestle down in the comfort and security of His hand. Troubles, my Friends, can only bother us and have power over us IF we let them. Since He is for us, who or what can stand against us? Nothing of consequence! Of course!

Prayer - It Doesn't Matter When or Where

Praying for people and situations should be an ongoing practice in the lives of Christians. It’s a way of life, a mentality that places all things in God’s hands. It’s not about sending a “wish list” to the heavens and it’s not a last resort effort. It should not be viewed as something to get out of the way like taking your vitamins so you can barrel headlong into your day.

You can find all sorts of books and teaching on prayer and ways to pray. In the language of ‘Christian-eze’ you will hear of going into your prayer closet. It is not required to actually go into a closet to pray though I do have a friend that does just that. She sits in her bedroom closet for her morning prayer time. I have a family member that sits quietly in her bathroom to pray. It’s a personal matter, if you need to get away by yourself to feel free to open up to the Lord; then certainly do so. You can pray while riding a bus; it’s a personal activity most of the time, make good use of the time spent with someone else watching the road. One woman I know who has outlined her prayers with her drives to work. She starts praying as she backs out of the driveway, moves to another subject of prayer at a certain landmark, drives and prays for that till the next landmark before changing topics, etc. This is her way of not leaving something out.

My daily prayer time starts when I get up and ends when I go to bed. It is an ongoing conversation that may have pauses during the day but is never really over. Does this make me a better ‘pray-er’ than you? No way! It is just what I found works for me.

Sometimes I pray out loud; sometimes it is a quiet whisper. Since I find expressing my thoughts in writing gives me more clarity, I do that when I feel my thoughts are jumbled. God knows my heart; He does not need me to be a fine oracle to accept my prayers. Nor does He need that from anyone. A sincere prayer offered up for the poorest of speakers is far better than a lengthy, wordy one from someone who cares to pontificate endlessly in the presence of others. Prayers are not to impress those in earshot but to communicate with the one and only holy God.

Sometimes the most effective prayer is but two words, “Jesus, help!”

There is a simple way to remember who to pray for; it is called the Five Finger Prayer.

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones, as C. S. Lewis once said, is a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, nurses, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger; it reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly, our little finger; the smallest finger of all; which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

I am certainly not an expert on prayer by anyone’s standard but I do know that I cannot live without it and wouldn’t want to try! My prayer for us all is that prayers to our God become as natural as breathing to us. We breath therefore we live; we pray therefore we live in expectancy and anticipation of the might works of God for our lives. That, I prayed out loud!

Are You on Guard Duty?

I love it when one of our grown children telephone me ‘just because’. All their lives and families are so busy we do not hear from them as often as we would like. Parenting grown children, I have determined, is a spectator sport; sometimes you’re in the stands and sometimes you have to catch it on the radio from a distance. Our daughter called the other day and I loved just hearing her voice, catching up on what was going on with the grandkids, etc. The topic of the tragedy in Haiti came up and we talked about the horrors being played out on TV over and over.

My precious daughter is convinced she can not get to sleep unless the TV is on and with a papa-medic husband on shift so often, she is sleeping with it on all night. She said she noticed a new pattern that started the week of the earthquake. CNN is her channel of choice and the news stories of Haiti were being poured into her spirit and sub-conscience all night long. Mornings found her unable to wake up feeling good or even wanting to get out of bed at all. She has school aged children to get off and a new job she absolutely loves, yet now found she was too drained to even get up.

The devil works in sneaky ways and we often are his helpmates without even realizing it. In this case, all he had to do was sit back and watch. Her habit of leaving the TV on all night seems innocent enough to her but she was leaving the door to her mind and spirit wide open to horror, death and misery without knowing it. Her peace and rest was being victimized and ravished by the earthquake, too. John 10:10 (New American Standard Bible) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I suggested she find a channel with Christian music if she needs to leave it on. Trash in, trash out; good in, good out.

Guarding our minds and spirits means a constant vigil. Do not think, dear Friend, that you are too holy, too old or spiritually mature to be taken off guard by the wily devil. Innocent appearing events, activities and attitudes may find you with your guard down. I have read that a mouse can come through an opening of only ¼ an inch! That seems impossible but I’ve read it in many sources. (We live in the country, need I say more?) So, imagine, if a mouse only needs ¼ an inch to enter into your private abode, steal your food, tramp around in your cabinets and scurry across your floor to terrorize you……is it any wonder that an evil spirit can enter into your mind, home, and ultimately into your heart to steal, kill and destroy your peace and joy? No ¼ inch access needed, just an unattended moment of time to attack.

I have an old preacher friend that leaves Christian music playing in his house 24/7 whether anyone is home or not because he says, “Where praise and worship is, satan ain’t!” He’s not willing to take a chance of an unguarded moment in his home. I like that.

I’ll conclude today by saying we all need to be more diligent in guarding our hearts, spirits, minds and homes. Portals protected and guarded at all times is a full time job. The enemy is sneaky, he won’t come with a big band and parade; he’ll slide right by in front of your eyes as easily as sneaking in through a television signal. He’s a sneaky snake. Let praise and worship never be far from your lips, Friends…..it’s the best ammunition we’ve got!

Just a note: You will never see the word satan or devil or enemy capitalized in anything I write unless it is the first word of a sentence and I try to avoid that. It may not be grammatically correct but I just can not bring myself to do it. No honor by capital letter to such an entity that knows no honor.

Good News!

Good news, Friends…today is the first day of the rest of your life. What an opportunity! You can decide to move beyond the bonds that held you and into your future with a new mentality that does not carry the spots of failures, sins and disappointments of yesterdays gone by.

The paragraph above rather sounds like a commercial you might find on late night TV, doesn’t it? At least it would if there were some eager beaver talking fast and a bit too loud in their enthusiasm. With a small change in wording they could be selling face cream, knives or Jesus.

I’m not so much interested in face cream or knives but I am totally interested in how we, as Christians, come across when telling people about Jesus. We, I believe, can turn others off to Jesus far more quickly than we can turn them on by our presentation alone. Here’s an example using a Christian named Casey which can be male or female.

Casey addresses the group and proceeds to give his/her testimony. Casey tells of growing up in a Christian home with both parents, attending Sunday school and VBS as a child, going off to college where he/she joins the campus Christian movement and has decided to become a missionary for Christ because he/she wants everyone to have Jesus, too.

Casey’s success as a spokesperson for Christ will have a direct bearing on the people he/she is speaking to. If Casey is addressing a group of homeless people under a bridge or those in a jungle village without electricity or an orphanage in Africa, in spite of all the good intentions…Casey will have a hard time relating to the people he/she is most trying to impact. Those people will have little common ground from which to build a bridge from their daily lives to the place Casey is talking about. Most of what is being said has little meaning to them. VBS, what is that? Going to college, fat chance.

Likewise, in prison ministry we didn’t get all gussied up to go speak to women offenders. How successful could we have been to go in dressed in our Sunday-Go-To- Meeting clothes and decked out in make-up and jewelry? What woman wearing a white uniform with numbers on it wants to listen to the ‘Church Ladies’ she feels so far from?

Sharing Christ, to me, needs to be done with a heart of compassion and discernment with sensitivity to the person or people being addressed. Jesus looked like every other man walking the dusty roads. He spoke to people in parables about everyday life so they could make sense of what He said. He didn’t ride in on a white horse wearing armor and shouting out his intentions of saving them all. He cried with them, ate with them and ministered to them exactly where they were, on their level, in their language and it was the pure love spoken with authority that allowed the people to listen and hear what He was saying.

Sometimes, in our enthusiasm, we get goal oriented rather than people oriented in our attempts to minister. It’s not about numbers of people saying the Salvation Prayer that really matters, it’s about souls that really get saved that counts. I know a young woman that walked to the alter to accept Jesus four different times. She was more caught up in the passion of the alter call than really knowing what she was doing. A broken heart, stirring music and a moving pastor can get people to the alter, that’s never been the problem. It’s actually getting people to Jesus that makes a profound difference in people’s lives.

Once upon a time in my previous world, I worked in a corporate office. I left a Bible on the front of my desk all the years I worked there. It was a commercial construction company; so to say it was a secular world seems a bit of an understatement. That Bible was touched and handled by so many people over the years that it became dirty. This made me happy because, for some, it was probably the only Bible they touched at all. The field workers would come by my office or just stand in the doorway sometimes and ask me to pray for them. I always asked if they wanted prayer for something in particular or in general. Some would come in and tell what they needed prayer over, others would say just to pray for them before bolting out as if on fire. Some of these same people referred to me as the crazy Jesus Lady. I never preached to them but simply lived my life walking for Jesus. They came to me and picked up or rubbed their hands over the Bible that lived in plain sight. I had chosen that particular Bible over any of the others I owned because a woman of God I loved very much had given it to me. She impacted my world with her quiet godly ways and it seemed fitting that others would feel that impact, too.

So, I’ve written all this to say we need to be aware of the Jesus we show the world in our daily lives. There is a place for many styles and various approaches to ministry but our efforts need to be constantly monitored to make sure it all about sharing Jesus in a manner worthy of His name. Jesus drew people to him, not shouted until they could no longer ignore him. We want to be the best walking, talking examples of Jesus we can be so others will want to draw near. Good news, Friends…today is the first day of the rest of your life! Let’s make it count.

Time Travel

Time travel has long been debated and will grace the screen of many a Sci-Fi movie. Since God is capable of all things, I believe He can do anything He wants to do. Therefore, God can arrange time travel when and where and with whom He pleases.

Walk with me now as we step back in time……..

This writing is not to debate the issue but I believed there is a form of time travel we are all capable of and probably should experience. This time traveling involves going back to visit relatives in the place from whence you came. I recently returned to area of my birth and extended family to attend a funeral. What a bag of mixed emotions this brings! This month marks the sixteenth anniversary of when we were all together to bury my mother. We cousins, my first cousins and I, concluded long ago this seems to be the only time the extended-extended family gets together; a sad but true observation.

As I stepped onto the yard of my aunt’s house I was hit with the parallel between the familiarity of the aging house and those whose lives revolved around it. I could hear echoes of our childhood games and laughter as clearly as that of my cousins’ grandchildren. Flashes of memories flooded in from all sides, not just of this house but of our grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins everywhere. Nothing was changed but the names of the players.

You look into faces you used to know, they are familiar enough but the paintbrush of time and the chisel of experience has painted and carved a lifetime upon each one. The eyes looking into yours dart away quickly because they no longer see the person they have held you in their mind to be; you are familiar yet entirely different just as they to you. A sense of camaraderie lingers though we are but strangers who have peeked into snippets of each others lives through tales on the family grapevine. There are the few you have maintained connections with enough to know on a more personal level but those numbers seem to dwindle as the years tick off. You share a few laughs at stories of a common youth and talk about the number of grandchildren with which each has be blessed. Only those in the immediate family of the deceased have their children, now grown, and grandchildren around but they are not familiar enough to you to hit your emotional radar. Beyond the catch up tidbits, conversation is surface level and you find your mind wandering to home and hearth; wishing you were there. You want to leave but the roots of family hold you there a little longer; waiting for something…anything…to make being there more important than the desire to get back to your real life. You wait, you hope and yet it does not come; you are torn in a balancing act between the rare and precious time with the family of your roots and the need to be in your present. Like I said…a mixed bag of emotions.

I am so thankful for the time spent with the family of my past. I’ve never been one that handles goodbyes well. Knowing you are seeing some of these people, your family, for the last time makes that final hug and ‘I love you’ a bittersweet moment. You both promise to call and know neither will in spite of good intentions. They will be caught up in their own world as quickly as you in yours. I drove away fighting back tears that finally spilled over and ran down my face in spite of my resolve. I even wondered what exactly the tears were for. Were they tears of sadness, tears of lost loved ones? Were they tears of regret for not staying closer to people that once played a large role in your life? Were they tears for a lost youth? I decided it did not matter. God can use our tears to cleanse us of indifference and make our hearts more tender; more aware of the pain and suffering around us; more compassionate….more like the heart of Jesus.

When I returned home I knew God used my journey to the past as a teaching tool to make me more useable for His purposes. Sitting with my Honey that evening in our humble abode with our devoted canines snuggled all around, I felt comfortably loved and wanted; I was fulfilled. Nothing says “I Love You” like being in your own Jesus-filled home after a little time travel.

Share It While You Can

Just a note of update; I have had a death in the family with another very imminent in the same immediate family! I will be leaving to journey back to the part of the state I called home in my growing years to be with family. I plan to take a few days and spend time seeing those relatives I rarely get to see; those up in years that have been players in the play of my life… all of my life. I want to make a point of saying face-to-face that I love them while they are still around to hear the words.

I lost my mother sixteen years ago; my father thirty+ years ago. I became an orphan at the age of 40! I have had many important events in my life that I was not able to share with my parents. It is difficult, though a part of the circle of life, to lose a loved one. I hope to be a support to those family members that need comfort. Sadly, I know not all my family share my faith so they do not share the hope of seeing their family members again. That makes me incredibly sad. I can not say I even know the where these elderly relatives stood spiritually; whether they were saved or not. Those important issues were not a part of any discussion we ever had. This, too, makes me sad. I feel opportunities were missed.

I guess if there is a point to this note it is to say we should take the time to tell those we love that they are important to us. We can not assume they know. Just being relatives, fruit hanging on the same family tree, isn’t enough. People know their value in our lives by the investment we make in our relationships with them.

The same is true regarding opportunities to speak of Jesus. Jesus could not do miracles in his home town because the local people saw his as just Joseph’s boy. Apparently that didn’t carry much weight with them. It can be the same in our families. They’ve known us since birth, know our childish ways and habits and need to “see” the new us in Christ. Jesus tells us to go forth and tell everyone about the gospel and salvation. This includes talking to our own extended family. From experience I can tell you it is far easier to tell a stranger about Jesus than to have that talk with a family member. That does not mean we shouldn‘t do it. I want to know they know……and yet, as I write this I am filled with regret for opportunities lost.

I will be gone for a few days so I can attend to the family business of saying goodbye to some of our own. I pray the Lord will provide me with the courage, boldness and opportunities to share my Jesus with family while I am with them. Meet you back right here when I return. Till then, be blessed and share Jesus!

Revving Up Proverbs

1 John 2:27 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

Proverbs is a favorite book in the Bible for me and I read it daily, one chapter a day that corresponds with the day of the month. Today is the eighth day of the month; I read Chapter Eight of Proverbs. Simple and solid.

Wisdom is a common subject matter in all of Proverbs; making this an excellent daily read. I have read that Wisdom is used as the prophetic name for Jesus. This made Proverbs take on a whole new excitement for me. For a while I simply read it as usual but had the thought in my head that Wisdom was Jesus. Now, when I read it, I say Jesus every time I see the word Wisdom.

This opens the verses up with a huge bang for me! Here’s a selection from Chapter Eight from today and Chapter 4 as I would read it.

Proverbs 8:1 Jesus is calling! 4-14 People, I am calling you, raising my voice to all mankind. You, who don’t direct your lives, understand caution; as for you, you fools, get some common sense! Listen! I will say worthwhile things; when I speak my words are right. My mouth says what is true, because my lips detest evil. All the words from my mouth are righteous; nothing false or crooked is in them. They are all clear to those who understand and straightforward to those who gain knowledge. Receive my instruction, rather than silver; knowledge, rather than the finest gold. For Jesus is better than pearls; nothing you want can compare. I, Jesus, live together with caution; I attain knowledge and discretion. The fear of God is hatred of evil. I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and duplicitous speech. Good advice is mine, and common sense; I am insight, power is mine.

Proverbs 4:6-9 Don’t abandon Jesus; then He will preserve you; love Him, and He will protect you. The beginning of Jesus is: Get Jesus! And along with all your getting, get insight! Cherish Him, and he will exalt you; embrace Him, and he will bring you honor; He will give your head a garland of grace, bestow on you a crown of glory.

I don’t know about you but it thrills me more than I can say to have Jesus speaking directly to me through these verses! Jesus came for me! He talks to me! He talks to you! Proverbs was written long before Jesus walked the earth but He is the living fulfillment of all Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament. Jesus always was and always will be.

Try reading it as if Jesus is talking to you and see if the Lord shows you something new and exciting. There is wisdom in that!