Well you just never know what a day will bring, do you?
It all started off as a fairly ordinary Tuesday. It had been a busy morning--getting one of our sons ready to leave on an overseas mission trip and then dropping him off at the airport. Then rushed to a haircut. Then zipped by good old Target. Then, since my husband and another son were out of town for a golf tournament, the house would be still, and I arrived home happily anticipating the quiet hours ahead to get lots and lots of items crossed off on my to do list. Yes sir, I ate some lunch, cleaned up, did some chores, and prepared to get busy as soon as I took a quick shower.
Uh, except no water came out of the faucet. I went to another bathroom--same thing. Hmm. I quickly discovered that we had no--as in NONE, NADA, ZIPPO--water in the house. Suddenly I felt in even more dire need of a shower...and a glass of water...and what about that dirty laundry...and all the while, our dog who never seemed to have enough water in his water bowl is glaring at me.
I'll just cut to the chase here to explain that it turned out the city had CUT OFF OUR WATER. Yes, we have never once missed a payment for our water bill. And no, we did not get a notice of any kind. Just bam--water cut off with no warning whatsoever. Turns out, although we'd mailed the check, the city apparently never got it. The solution, naturally, is not to contact you but to simply send a truck over to your house and CUT OFF YOUR WATER. Seems like the nuclear option to me. Please don't get the idea that I'm upset about it or anything. Geez.
Thankfully, we were able to reach the proper authorities and pay (for the second time, mind you) our bill over the phone, and then we learned the wonderful news that the city guaranteed the water would be cut back on by midnight...of the following day. WHAT?! That was mighty comforting. All we'd have to do is have no water to drink, shower with, clean, and, ahem, flush the toilet, for another day and a half. Oh my stars. Thankfully, Bingley had no idea how desperate our plight was, but yours truly was feeling a wee bit panicked...and in need of a shower...and thirsty.
While my mind raced and plotted about what we should do and where we should go, I heard a sound and looked out the window...and glory, glory, glory, it was one of the most beautiful sights I've beheld in quite a while--the city utilities truck had returned to cut our water back on!
Voila, just like that, we were back in business! We could shower, wash, drink, flush (sorry if that's too graphic!), and even water the half dead plants on our front porch! Such an abundance of wonderful water, water, water!
I was so excited I exclaimed out loud "Praise the Lord!" And I meant it. I don't think I've ever been so thankful for one of life's basic--but most vital--necessities. Plain old, fabulous old, water. Goodness, how often we take these truly great gifts for granted.
And then I was immediately convicted as these verses came to mind--
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (Ps.41:1-2)
I'd suddenly realized how badly we needed water and had been desperate to get it, but what about the far more vital and life-changing need for my Savior? Do I pant after the Lord like that? Do I thirst for His Word and His presence like that? Am I desperate to spend time with Him? Do I happily, daily go to Him to be washed by His Word and be satisfied and filled with His thirst-quenching, strength-giving, joy-filling presence?
Or do I run after poor pale substitutes to temporarily quench my thirst? Busyness. Material possessions. Achievements. Pleasures. Distractions. So many substitutes and not a one of them ultimately fills the emptiness and quenches the thirst...
...except Jesus. The Living Water. No wonder He said, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)
Thank You, Father, for reminding me. Forgive me for so quickly forgetting and for failing to run to You. You are our Living Water. You are the One who saves us, satisfies us, strengthens us. If we have You, we truly have all we need...and if we have everything single thing this world can ever offer, but we don't have You, then we ultimately have nothing.
Today, if you're feeling dissatisfied or discouraged, if you're feeling empty or thirsty, can I ask you to run to the One who is the Living Water? Take your thirst and your emptiness, your sadness and your need, to Him. To Him "who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think..." (Eph.3:20) To Him who is the Bread of Life. To Him who is the Resurrection and the Life. To Him who is the Good Shepherd. To Him who is the Vine. To Him who is the Door. To Him who is the Light of the World. To Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
He has all you need, and in Him, you have all. Might we thirst for Him this day and every day and run to the Living Water to be filled and refilled, redeemed and revived, refreshed and renewed. Thank You, Jesus, thank You.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Friday, June 8, 2018
Don't be numbed by the "ordinary"
Yesterday, Mr. Bingley and I had a little adventure. Not a big one, mind you, but well, it was pretty memorable if you ask me.
It was just a regular old Thursday morning. And we followed our regular old routine...regular old breakfast for the boys....followed by regular old breakfast for Bingley...followed by getting out my regular old golf cap, Bingleys regular old leash, and my regular old ipod to listen to some regular old podcasts (which, truth be told, I love, love, love! Thank God for technology so you can listen to so many amazing podcasts! But that's for another day). Finally, we headed out the regular old door for our regular old walk on our regular old route along the regular old greenway.
You get the picture. We're talking ROUTINE. Which, by the way, Bingley loves. Everyday, it's as if he's never before seen us walk through the door or refill his water bowl or get his dry dog food or grab his leash. It's all joyfully, wonderfully exciting and thrilling to him, and its all cause for a mini celebration every step of the way.
Hmm, that'll teach right there, don't you think? There's so much boundless wonder in our regular old days and routines, but we allow that very routine to numb us to the wonders and the joy. Where have you become numb and unappreciative to the remarkable, even miraculous, gifts of the people, places, routines, and activities in your life because they've become part of the "regular old" landscape of your life?
Don't do it! Right now, pause to look around and be astounded at the comforts you enjoy, the beauty of the world outside, the joy of the people you love, the happiness of a loyal pet. See them. Savor them. And thank God for them! But I digress, sort of.
So Mr. B and I headed out to the greenway, and almost as soon as we arrived, Bingley noticed a deer standing in the woods right beside the path. Nothing too unusual there as we see deer pretty frequently (but I always admire their beauty...Bingley admires the fact that he wants to RACE after them. Sigh). This deer stood stock still and simply stared at us. And in return, Mr. B rudely tried to run after him.
The usual happened: the deer streaked off into the woods....
And then the very, very unusual occurred...
The deer raced right back towards us and began following us. He/she (I have no idea but am assuming she was a girl since there were no antlers) ran along in the woods right beside us, sometimes cutting across the path in front of us. I reversed directions to lose her...and a moment later, here she came again running right beside us. We reversed directions repeatedly, and every time she charged right back and raced and leaped beside us.
Now, maybe she was trying to be friendly and make contact with us, and I'm just a wimpy city girl, but this began to somewhat alarm me. Even Mr. B seemed anxious. He no longer tried to run after her but kept nervously looking her way and most definitely not making a move in her direction.
So I decided to cut up through the woods that are the back way to our cul de sac.
Guess what? She followed right along. Here she is (if this is boy, I apologize to all deer)--
By the time we reached our street, Bingley and I broke out in a run to our house and raced inside. (In hindsight, this sounds totally pathetic to be scared of a deer, but there you have it.) Low and behold, our deer friend ran back and forth in our front yard a number of times before she finally gave up and headed back to the woods.
Now, let me be honest: I have no idea what to make of all this. I've got no deep spiritual lessons about deer panting after streams of water or hind's feet in high places. But here's what I do know: as part of an ordinary routine on an ordinary day, something pretty unusual--even astonishing--occurred and broke through my lethargy.
And it made me suddenly sit up and take notice. Notice the beauty of the woods. Notice the amazing plethora of birds and flora and fauna that were all around us. Notice the nice people walking by. Notice the happy feeling of a warm summer morning--sunny, not too hot or cold. Notice the wonderful scents of cut grass and honeysuckle. Notice the joy of being able to walk and breathe and listen and see and smell.
I was reminded anew what a remarkable, joyous, miraculous gift this thing--this fragile thing--called life is. Yes, to be sure, life has myriad sorrows and challenges and tragedies. Not a day goes by that we don't miss terribly those we love who've gone on to heaven. (We miss you, Jo Anna and Ray and Lynda and Sam and...) Even today, we mourn another suicide of a well known TV personality and chef. It makes me incredibly sad to think of such a depth of hopelessness and sadness that could lead to that. We live in a world filled to overflowing with hurt and hardship.
But oh my, even in the midst of all that, there's still wonder all around us. There are people to be noticed and appreciate and loved. There are dogs to enjoy and shower with affection. There are babies to be snuggled. There is beauty to be seen and savored. There is music to listen to, food to be tasted, walks to be taken, sun to be felt, books to be read, scents to be smelled.
Oh might we "taste and see that the Lord is good." (Ps.34:8)
Might we notice...appreciate...savor...thank...serve...encourage...and love those God has placed in our lives. Today. We have today to do it, so don't allow the routine or the ordinary to blind you to the unfathomable gifts of the people, places, and activities of your daily life. There's shimmering, sparkling gold in those barely disguised treasures. And they are, to be sure, priceless, irreplaceable treasures.
I love how The Message puts it in Rom.12:1 "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you. Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him."
Help us, Father, to truly see and to savor. To serve and to share. To love and to hug. To appreciate and to rejoice. To encourage and to thank. And in it all and through it all, to look to You and give You all the trust, all the thanks, and all the glory. For You are infinitely worthy.
To God be the glory.
Friday, June 1, 2018
Lessons from JoAnna
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For it they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to life him up!"(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Prov.17:17)
Thank You, Father, for the priceless, beautiful gift of friends and family. Forgive me, forgive all of us for ever, ever taking it for granted.
It's been a struggle to put words to paper recently. Mourning the absence of our dear friend JoAnna has somehow taken the wind out of my sails. Golly, I know I speak for so many of us when I say, I just really, really miss her. It's not like I saw her on a daily basis--no, I didn't enjoy that pleasure. But whenever I saw her, my heart lifted, my mind was engaged and challenged, my attitude was energized, my spirits were always inspired and encouraged. And there was always laughter!
JoAnna always made me want to be and do better. Especially to love better. To reach out to others. To be far more intentional in loving and encouraging others. To fight laziness and passivity and instead to get out there make a difference.
And now the thought that I can't reach out to her. That I can't laugh with her. That I can't learn from her. That I can't simply talk with her. That I can't tell her how much she means to me and to so many others. Well, it's not just incredibly painful...it leaves an enormous hole for all who knew her. That hole cannot be filled. JoAnna--as is every person that we love--is simply irreplaceable. But while we can't fill that emptiness, I'm starting to think that hole can and must be the powerful impetus and motivation for those of us still here in the shadowlands, to love better, more intentionally, and more consistently. To check in with our friends more regularly. To give our friendships more deliberate time and attention. To tell and show our family members how much we love them.
To put aside our to do lists and focus instead on our to love lists.
Because there are no treasures greater than the people that we love. And those treasures will not be with us here on this earth forever. Yes, we have heaven for that glorious forever--praise God!--but on this earth, we only have today to love well those God has put in our lives. We're called to love here and now. To share each others burdens here and now. To weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice here and now. To enjoy and savor and laugh with them here and now. To serve and help and encourage here and now. Oh might we truly treasure our treasures!
But it's not just our dear family and friends. JoAnna's tireless example reminds me that there is a hurting world out there full of people who desperately need to feel included...valued...appreciated. Boy, JoAnna did that relentlessly--making sure folks felt welcomed and loved. She didn't want anyone to feel left out or less than. How I want to be quicker to reach out to others, and especially, like JoAnna, to those who might feel alone or marginalized or simply uncomfortable.
I'll never forget a year or two ago when JoAnna called me to say she was coming to our house the next day. It wasn't a request but an announcement...and when JoAnna announced, you listened and obeyed! (Because she was always right...and she always did it in a winsome, wonderful way!) The reason for her visit? Well, JoAnna and I were helping to host a bridal shower a few days from then, and she wanted to come on over to help me "get organized." (And Lord knows I need a LOT of help in that department.) Clueless me, of course, hadn't given it a second thought. Here was yours truly's brilliant plan to prepare for the big event: a few hours before the shower, I'd vacuum up the reams of dog hair, shove all the books and junk into some out of the way closet, turn on the music, and open the front door! Come on in and have at it, ladies!
Thank the Lord for thoughtful, intentional folks like JoAnna. She came in and helped me with all the books and junk (which we carried to the basement rather than the closet--so much easier to access later!). But then she talked about "flow"--and how we'd have someone at the front door to welcome each lady when she came in...where we'd put the name tag table so folks could naturally walk there next and thus quickly figure out each other's names...where we'd put the drinks and food so women could easily and naturally chat and eat.
In other words, everything JoAnna did and thought about had to do with ensuring that every person who entered that door the next day would feel warmly welcomed and included and valued. Nothing haphazard about it--because love needs to be intentional. Love needs to be practical. Love need to be expressed and lived out and acted upon.
Don't worry about what your house looks like...focus on how your house can be a warm and happy haven for all who enter. Don't obsess over what you're wearing to the party...fixate on what you're doing to welcome others and make them feel loved.
That's just a taste of the myriad lessons on life and love we've all learned and experienced firsthand from our dear JoAnna!
I'll close with a wonderful quote our daughter, Janie, shared with me just after JoAnna went home to heaven. It's from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
"There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship. Further more, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain.”
I'll end where I began--thank You, Father, for the priceless, beautiful gifts of friends and family, and forgive us for ever taking these treasures for granted. Help us to love well, to love intentionally, to love relentlessly, and to love by Your Spirit and for Your glory...all the way till You take us to our heavenly, forever home.
To God be the glory.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Prov.17:17)
Thank You, Father, for the priceless, beautiful gift of friends and family. Forgive me, forgive all of us for ever, ever taking it for granted.
It's been a struggle to put words to paper recently. Mourning the absence of our dear friend JoAnna has somehow taken the wind out of my sails. Golly, I know I speak for so many of us when I say, I just really, really miss her. It's not like I saw her on a daily basis--no, I didn't enjoy that pleasure. But whenever I saw her, my heart lifted, my mind was engaged and challenged, my attitude was energized, my spirits were always inspired and encouraged. And there was always laughter!
JoAnna always made me want to be and do better. Especially to love better. To reach out to others. To be far more intentional in loving and encouraging others. To fight laziness and passivity and instead to get out there make a difference.
And now the thought that I can't reach out to her. That I can't laugh with her. That I can't learn from her. That I can't simply talk with her. That I can't tell her how much she means to me and to so many others. Well, it's not just incredibly painful...it leaves an enormous hole for all who knew her. That hole cannot be filled. JoAnna--as is every person that we love--is simply irreplaceable. But while we can't fill that emptiness, I'm starting to think that hole can and must be the powerful impetus and motivation for those of us still here in the shadowlands, to love better, more intentionally, and more consistently. To check in with our friends more regularly. To give our friendships more deliberate time and attention. To tell and show our family members how much we love them.
To put aside our to do lists and focus instead on our to love lists.
Because there are no treasures greater than the people that we love. And those treasures will not be with us here on this earth forever. Yes, we have heaven for that glorious forever--praise God!--but on this earth, we only have today to love well those God has put in our lives. We're called to love here and now. To share each others burdens here and now. To weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice here and now. To enjoy and savor and laugh with them here and now. To serve and help and encourage here and now. Oh might we truly treasure our treasures!
But it's not just our dear family and friends. JoAnna's tireless example reminds me that there is a hurting world out there full of people who desperately need to feel included...valued...appreciated. Boy, JoAnna did that relentlessly--making sure folks felt welcomed and loved. She didn't want anyone to feel left out or less than. How I want to be quicker to reach out to others, and especially, like JoAnna, to those who might feel alone or marginalized or simply uncomfortable.
I'll never forget a year or two ago when JoAnna called me to say she was coming to our house the next day. It wasn't a request but an announcement...and when JoAnna announced, you listened and obeyed! (Because she was always right...and she always did it in a winsome, wonderful way!) The reason for her visit? Well, JoAnna and I were helping to host a bridal shower a few days from then, and she wanted to come on over to help me "get organized." (And Lord knows I need a LOT of help in that department.) Clueless me, of course, hadn't given it a second thought. Here was yours truly's brilliant plan to prepare for the big event: a few hours before the shower, I'd vacuum up the reams of dog hair, shove all the books and junk into some out of the way closet, turn on the music, and open the front door! Come on in and have at it, ladies!
Thank the Lord for thoughtful, intentional folks like JoAnna. She came in and helped me with all the books and junk (which we carried to the basement rather than the closet--so much easier to access later!). But then she talked about "flow"--and how we'd have someone at the front door to welcome each lady when she came in...where we'd put the name tag table so folks could naturally walk there next and thus quickly figure out each other's names...where we'd put the drinks and food so women could easily and naturally chat and eat.
In other words, everything JoAnna did and thought about had to do with ensuring that every person who entered that door the next day would feel warmly welcomed and included and valued. Nothing haphazard about it--because love needs to be intentional. Love needs to be practical. Love need to be expressed and lived out and acted upon.
Don't worry about what your house looks like...focus on how your house can be a warm and happy haven for all who enter. Don't obsess over what you're wearing to the party...fixate on what you're doing to welcome others and make them feel loved.
That's just a taste of the myriad lessons on life and love we've all learned and experienced firsthand from our dear JoAnna!
I'll close with a wonderful quote our daughter, Janie, shared with me just after JoAnna went home to heaven. It's from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
"There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship. Further more, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain.”
I'll end where I began--thank You, Father, for the priceless, beautiful gifts of friends and family, and forgive us for ever taking these treasures for granted. Help us to love well, to love intentionally, to love relentlessly, and to love by Your Spirit and for Your glory...all the way till You take us to our heavenly, forever home.
To God be the glory.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Because He lives, she lives
"...I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)
Yes, Lord we believe.
We believe that our dear friend--our remarkable, joyful, indefatigable, faithful, constantly giving, relentlessly loving, endlessly serving Jo Anna--is more alive this moment than she has ever been before. We still reside here in the shadowlands...but she lives. She laughs. She sees. She loves. She worships. She dances. She rejoices. She shimmers with Your glory. And knowing Jo Anna, she surely also organizes, serves, and celebrates with gusto.
Oh my how hard, how impossible it is to imagine this old earth without her. Such an unimaginably huge hole is left here. Words can't begin to express how desperately we will all miss her, so I'll not even try. But heaven grows even sweeter and dearer knowing that Jo Anna has arrived Home.
Thank You, thank You, thank You, Father, for Jesus. Thank You that because He lives, she lives. Because He came and died and rose again, Jo Anna is vibrantly, joyously, fully alive.
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon went home to heaven in 1892 at the same age as Jo Anna. Both entered heaven at 57. Hard to believe how two people could pack so much good, so much life, so much eternally wonderful work into just 57 years. But they did--they both did.
When I read the words for Spurgeon's service, I couldn't help but immediately think of Jo Anna, for these words apply just as surely to her. Here is some of what Pastor Archibald Brown, one of Spurgeon's close friends, shared that day in 1892--
"Beloved president, faithful pastor, prince of preachers, beloved, dear Spurgeon--we bid thee not 'Farewell' but only for a little while 'Good night.'
Thou shalt rise soon at the first dawn of the resurrection day of the redeemed. Yet is the good night not ours to bid, but thine; it is we who linger in the darkness; thou art in God's holy light. Our night shall soon be passed, and with it all our weeping. Then, with thine, our songs shall greet the morning of a day that knows no cloud nor close; for there is night there.
Hard worker in the field, thy toil is ended. Straight has been the furrow thou hast plowed. No looking back has marred thy course. Harvests have followed thy patient sowing, and Heaven is already rich with thine ingathered sheaves and shall still be enriched through the years yet lying in eternity.
Champion of God, thy battle, long and nobly fought, is over; thy sword, which clave to thy hand, has dropped at last; a palm branch takes it place. No longer does the helmet press thy brow, oft weary with its surging thoughts of battle; a victor's wreath from the great Commander's hand has already proved thy full reward."
Yes, that's Jo Anna. Only heaven knows how many countless folks she loved, encouraged, taught, strengthened, lifted up, served, and impacted for eternity. How she makes me want to be a far better woman, wife, mama, sister, daughter, and friend. Because let me tell you, she was simply the best in every one of those roles.
Thank You, Father, for the priceless gift of this amazing woman. Thank You that we will see her again...and oh mercy, then we'll do us some serious sharing, laughing, and celebrating. And she'll make sure everyone around us feels included, valued, and loved, because that's who she always was and is and will be.
Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for Jo Anna. Thank You for the promise of heaven. And thank You that in the words of John Donne, "No man ever saw God and lived. And yet, I shall not live till I see God; and when I have seen Him, I shall never die."
Thank You that Jo Anna now sees You...and lives.
To God be the glory.
Yes, Lord we believe.
We believe that our dear friend--our remarkable, joyful, indefatigable, faithful, constantly giving, relentlessly loving, endlessly serving Jo Anna--is more alive this moment than she has ever been before. We still reside here in the shadowlands...but she lives. She laughs. She sees. She loves. She worships. She dances. She rejoices. She shimmers with Your glory. And knowing Jo Anna, she surely also organizes, serves, and celebrates with gusto.
Oh my how hard, how impossible it is to imagine this old earth without her. Such an unimaginably huge hole is left here. Words can't begin to express how desperately we will all miss her, so I'll not even try. But heaven grows even sweeter and dearer knowing that Jo Anna has arrived Home.
Thank You, thank You, thank You, Father, for Jesus. Thank You that because He lives, she lives. Because He came and died and rose again, Jo Anna is vibrantly, joyously, fully alive.
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon went home to heaven in 1892 at the same age as Jo Anna. Both entered heaven at 57. Hard to believe how two people could pack so much good, so much life, so much eternally wonderful work into just 57 years. But they did--they both did.
When I read the words for Spurgeon's service, I couldn't help but immediately think of Jo Anna, for these words apply just as surely to her. Here is some of what Pastor Archibald Brown, one of Spurgeon's close friends, shared that day in 1892--
"Beloved president, faithful pastor, prince of preachers, beloved, dear Spurgeon--we bid thee not 'Farewell' but only for a little while 'Good night.'
Thou shalt rise soon at the first dawn of the resurrection day of the redeemed. Yet is the good night not ours to bid, but thine; it is we who linger in the darkness; thou art in God's holy light. Our night shall soon be passed, and with it all our weeping. Then, with thine, our songs shall greet the morning of a day that knows no cloud nor close; for there is night there.
Hard worker in the field, thy toil is ended. Straight has been the furrow thou hast plowed. No looking back has marred thy course. Harvests have followed thy patient sowing, and Heaven is already rich with thine ingathered sheaves and shall still be enriched through the years yet lying in eternity.
Champion of God, thy battle, long and nobly fought, is over; thy sword, which clave to thy hand, has dropped at last; a palm branch takes it place. No longer does the helmet press thy brow, oft weary with its surging thoughts of battle; a victor's wreath from the great Commander's hand has already proved thy full reward."
Yes, that's Jo Anna. Only heaven knows how many countless folks she loved, encouraged, taught, strengthened, lifted up, served, and impacted for eternity. How she makes me want to be a far better woman, wife, mama, sister, daughter, and friend. Because let me tell you, she was simply the best in every one of those roles.
Thank You, Father, for the priceless gift of this amazing woman. Thank You that we will see her again...and oh mercy, then we'll do us some serious sharing, laughing, and celebrating. And she'll make sure everyone around us feels included, valued, and loved, because that's who she always was and is and will be.
Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for Jo Anna. Thank You for the promise of heaven. And thank You that in the words of John Donne, "No man ever saw God and lived. And yet, I shall not live till I see God; and when I have seen Him, I shall never die."
Thank You that Jo Anna now sees You...and lives.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Soul Bullies...take a hike!
"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (Rom.8:6)
A while back, I wrote this verse on a bright orange index card and just found it tucked in my overflowing calendar book (yes, yes, old-timey, non-technology me still uses a big old paper calendar). And it's a mighty good word from God's supernaturally good Word...because it's a reminder that your mind set is key.
It's so easy to default to a negative, destructive mind set. I mean, the world provides plenty of ammunition, doesn't it? Public discourse at an all time low. Terror abroad and at home. Completely dysfunctional politics. Division and rancor abound. Poverty, homelessness, drug epidemics and on and on.
Yet we live in a fallen world, and in reality, while our particular problems may wear slightly different clothing, the problems, the sin, the fallenness, the sorrow, and the challenges have always been there. At least since Adam and Eve ate of the apple.
But here's the thing: it's not just the world around us--it's what is within us.
Oh my stars, I can fall into a pit of discouragement so quickly when I start fixating on all the ways I'm failing. All the ways I'm missing the mark. Writer Leeana Tankersley described it so powerfully in her book, Begin Again. She recounts a story of accidentally running over some canned and jarred goods she'd planned to donate to her children's school food drive. She'd created an enormous mess and began internally berating herself. "There I am, standing in my driveway, getting sucker-punched by Soul Bullies who are giving me more and more ammunition to use against myself, all the while I'm ankle deep in chunky beet juice. Man, life is no joke."
"Soul bullies." Haven't we all been there? We go from being so busy that we forget a child's doctor's appointment...to complaining about our chronic over-commitment...to beating ourselves up for our total lack of organization skills...to wondering why on earth God entrusted us with children since we're so incompetent...and on and on it goes. Twisting and turning down that dark, ugly trail of shame and guilt and defeat.
But you know what? That's just plain wrong... in fact, worse than wrong--that's just flat out lies from the enemy. Because after all, the enemy "comes only to steal and kill and destroy"--and he uses lies, distortions, division, deceit, and those ugly little soul bullies! But Jesus "came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) Jesus came to give us life--real, abundant, eternal Life.
Yes, God loved you so much that He sent His only beloved Son to die for you, for me. (John 3:16) He doesn't look at you and me and sigh with distress and despair. No, He chuckles with love and understanding. You can almost hear Him say, "That's my girl! That's my boy! Aren't they something?"
Don't take my word for it...take His. "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (I John 4:10) Or "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love." (John 15:9) Now that's some serious love: as the perfect, eternal, holy Father has loved the beautiful, powerful, glorious Son, in the very same way Jesus loves us! Jesus loves us like the Father loves Him. That's crazy! That's unimaginable! But that's our Heavenly Father and our wonderful Redeemer. We can't even begin to grasp that kind of love, but our job is simply to "abide" in that love. To rest in it. To enjoy it. To savor it. To share it. To live in it day in and day out.
And in case you're wondering if your latest terrible, very bad, awful mess-up might've finally been the last straw, God immediately sets you straight through the apostle Paul in Romans 8:35-39. Paraphrase? Nothing, nothing, nothing...no how..no way...not ever...NOTHING can ever separate us from God's love. If you are His, YOU ARE HIS. Forever. I think that calls for a Hallelujah!
So instead of looking around and finding excuses for anger and fear or looking within and repeating ad nauseum all the reasons for discouragement and despair, how about looking to the Lord and His Word where you'll discover endless ammunition for peace, love, joy, and hope. Tell those "soul bullies" to take a hike. Go to God's Word and rehearse His promises. Remember His past provision. Repeat His Truth rather than rehash the enemy's same old lies.
Corrie ten Boom once put it this way: "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God, you'll be at rest."
Soul bullies don't stand a chance against the Savior and His supernatural Word.
To God be the glory.
A while back, I wrote this verse on a bright orange index card and just found it tucked in my overflowing calendar book (yes, yes, old-timey, non-technology me still uses a big old paper calendar). And it's a mighty good word from God's supernaturally good Word...because it's a reminder that your mind set is key.
It's so easy to default to a negative, destructive mind set. I mean, the world provides plenty of ammunition, doesn't it? Public discourse at an all time low. Terror abroad and at home. Completely dysfunctional politics. Division and rancor abound. Poverty, homelessness, drug epidemics and on and on.
Yet we live in a fallen world, and in reality, while our particular problems may wear slightly different clothing, the problems, the sin, the fallenness, the sorrow, and the challenges have always been there. At least since Adam and Eve ate of the apple.
But here's the thing: it's not just the world around us--it's what is within us.
Oh my stars, I can fall into a pit of discouragement so quickly when I start fixating on all the ways I'm failing. All the ways I'm missing the mark. Writer Leeana Tankersley described it so powerfully in her book, Begin Again. She recounts a story of accidentally running over some canned and jarred goods she'd planned to donate to her children's school food drive. She'd created an enormous mess and began internally berating herself. "There I am, standing in my driveway, getting sucker-punched by Soul Bullies who are giving me more and more ammunition to use against myself, all the while I'm ankle deep in chunky beet juice. Man, life is no joke."
"Soul bullies." Haven't we all been there? We go from being so busy that we forget a child's doctor's appointment...to complaining about our chronic over-commitment...to beating ourselves up for our total lack of organization skills...to wondering why on earth God entrusted us with children since we're so incompetent...and on and on it goes. Twisting and turning down that dark, ugly trail of shame and guilt and defeat.
But you know what? That's just plain wrong... in fact, worse than wrong--that's just flat out lies from the enemy. Because after all, the enemy "comes only to steal and kill and destroy"--and he uses lies, distortions, division, deceit, and those ugly little soul bullies! But Jesus "came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) Jesus came to give us life--real, abundant, eternal Life.
Yes, God loved you so much that He sent His only beloved Son to die for you, for me. (John 3:16) He doesn't look at you and me and sigh with distress and despair. No, He chuckles with love and understanding. You can almost hear Him say, "That's my girl! That's my boy! Aren't they something?"
Don't take my word for it...take His. "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (I John 4:10) Or "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love." (John 15:9) Now that's some serious love: as the perfect, eternal, holy Father has loved the beautiful, powerful, glorious Son, in the very same way Jesus loves us! Jesus loves us like the Father loves Him. That's crazy! That's unimaginable! But that's our Heavenly Father and our wonderful Redeemer. We can't even begin to grasp that kind of love, but our job is simply to "abide" in that love. To rest in it. To enjoy it. To savor it. To share it. To live in it day in and day out.
And in case you're wondering if your latest terrible, very bad, awful mess-up might've finally been the last straw, God immediately sets you straight through the apostle Paul in Romans 8:35-39. Paraphrase? Nothing, nothing, nothing...no how..no way...not ever...NOTHING can ever separate us from God's love. If you are His, YOU ARE HIS. Forever. I think that calls for a Hallelujah!
So instead of looking around and finding excuses for anger and fear or looking within and repeating ad nauseum all the reasons for discouragement and despair, how about looking to the Lord and His Word where you'll discover endless ammunition for peace, love, joy, and hope. Tell those "soul bullies" to take a hike. Go to God's Word and rehearse His promises. Remember His past provision. Repeat His Truth rather than rehash the enemy's same old lies.
Corrie ten Boom once put it this way: "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God, you'll be at rest."
Soul bullies don't stand a chance against the Savior and His supernatural Word.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Just keep trying and trusting
Yesterday was one of those golden days that will live long and happy in my memory. Why? Because God reminded us afresh that He is a God of second chances and that much of life is simply a matter of showing up, refusing to quit, and trusting Him even when times are tough or discouraging or overwhelming. Just keep showing up. Just keep on keeping on. Just keep refusing to give up. Just keep trying to give it your best effort even when the results don't seem to come and discouragement hovers heavy and hard on your heart.
Because we serve and love a Lord who loves to lift up the broken-hearted. Who loves to empower and magnificently use the weak, the worn, the lowly. Who loves to revive and redeem the deceivers like Jacob, the doubters like Thomas, the deniers like Peter, and the down-and-outers like, well, like about every one of us!
He gives us fresh new seasons to remind us that we can begin again. After the unrelenting cold and gray of winter, spring arrives with new possibilities and beauty. Then the warmth and joy of summer. When we can't stand the heat one more moment, fall ushers in cool breezes and brilliant foliage. And then the winter comes with it's cozy fires, hot cocoa, and bracing serene beauty. New seasons, new opportunities to start afresh and try again.
"Always we begin again."
Always we put the past failures and short-comings behind us and start each day anew. Always we keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep trusting.
Paul put it so perfectly: "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil.3:13-14)
And that's what we saw illustrated live and in living color yesterday in, of all things, a golf tournament. The States. Our high school team--the Broughton Caps--played in the State Championships.
Now before we get to yesterday, let me tell you about last year. Oh mercy, last year was one of those "forgetting what lies behind" kind of times. Same State Championships. Same course in Pinehurst. Pretty close to the same team. But last year our guys struggled, and by the end of the first day, they were totally out of the running. It was a tough, discouraging couple of days for the whole team.
One of our players--a really great player--had an especially difficult time. Golf is such a strange sport--you can be playing really well and then suddenly lose your confidence and can't hit the broad side of a barn. Well that happened to one of our guys. It was surely a terribly discouraging time for him. But frankly, they all struggled last year. I guess golf is a microcosm of life--some days the sun is shining and all's right with the world. And then other days, the rain pours down and you feel alone, exhausted, defeated.
But here's the thing: they could've quit. They could've given in to apathy and indifference. They could've stopped working at it--surely it's easier to just stop trying or even to quit than to keep on working and trying but risk disappointment and defeat again, right?
Wrong. Because men and women of character keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep trusting that God's at work even when they can't see it or feel it.
Keep forgetting yesterday's failures and beginning again today.
And in our case, keep forgetting last year's disappointments and beginning again this year. Working and pressing ahead, eyes focused ahead and not behind.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
Like I said, we saw it yesterday. And it was beautiful to see such refusal to give up or give in. Such fight--trying hard to the very last shot. Such focus--forgetting the past, eyes looking forward. And beginning again--each day, each hole, each shot.
These guys have been through some tough, discouraging battles--but they kept showing up, kept working hard, kept simply refusing to give up. And the result was a victory. A hard fought, well-deserved, incredibly appreciated, and wonderfully sweet victory.
By the way, that player that had a particularly hard time last year? He was one of the big reasons the Caps won yesterday. Played solid as a rock...even when he had a really tough break on the next to last hole. He could've looked back to last year and gotten tight and discouraged. But instead, he took a deep breath, eyes focused ahead and nailed a long putt on the 18th hole. We all whooped and hollered. He's a senior, and boy, we're going to miss him next year. Because, yeah, he showed us what character does--digs deep and keeps trying and trusting to the very end.
So in case you're in the midst of one of those long, hard, dark seasons of life (and we all go through them, every single one of us), just remember that nothing beats plain old trying and trusting. Just keep showing up. Keep beginning again...who knows what surprises God may have for you just around the bend? And believe me, it will be all the sweeter and greater because of the struggle.
Just ask the Caps.
To God be the glory.
Because we serve and love a Lord who loves to lift up the broken-hearted. Who loves to empower and magnificently use the weak, the worn, the lowly. Who loves to revive and redeem the deceivers like Jacob, the doubters like Thomas, the deniers like Peter, and the down-and-outers like, well, like about every one of us!
He gives us fresh new seasons to remind us that we can begin again. After the unrelenting cold and gray of winter, spring arrives with new possibilities and beauty. Then the warmth and joy of summer. When we can't stand the heat one more moment, fall ushers in cool breezes and brilliant foliage. And then the winter comes with it's cozy fires, hot cocoa, and bracing serene beauty. New seasons, new opportunities to start afresh and try again.
"Always we begin again."
Always we put the past failures and short-comings behind us and start each day anew. Always we keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep trusting.
Paul put it so perfectly: "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil.3:13-14)
And that's what we saw illustrated live and in living color yesterday in, of all things, a golf tournament. The States. Our high school team--the Broughton Caps--played in the State Championships.
Now before we get to yesterday, let me tell you about last year. Oh mercy, last year was one of those "forgetting what lies behind" kind of times. Same State Championships. Same course in Pinehurst. Pretty close to the same team. But last year our guys struggled, and by the end of the first day, they were totally out of the running. It was a tough, discouraging couple of days for the whole team.
One of our players--a really great player--had an especially difficult time. Golf is such a strange sport--you can be playing really well and then suddenly lose your confidence and can't hit the broad side of a barn. Well that happened to one of our guys. It was surely a terribly discouraging time for him. But frankly, they all struggled last year. I guess golf is a microcosm of life--some days the sun is shining and all's right with the world. And then other days, the rain pours down and you feel alone, exhausted, defeated.
But here's the thing: they could've quit. They could've given in to apathy and indifference. They could've stopped working at it--surely it's easier to just stop trying or even to quit than to keep on working and trying but risk disappointment and defeat again, right?
Wrong. Because men and women of character keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep trusting that God's at work even when they can't see it or feel it.
Keep forgetting yesterday's failures and beginning again today.
And in our case, keep forgetting last year's disappointments and beginning again this year. Working and pressing ahead, eyes focused ahead and not behind.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
Like I said, we saw it yesterday. And it was beautiful to see such refusal to give up or give in. Such fight--trying hard to the very last shot. Such focus--forgetting the past, eyes looking forward. And beginning again--each day, each hole, each shot.
These guys have been through some tough, discouraging battles--but they kept showing up, kept working hard, kept simply refusing to give up. And the result was a victory. A hard fought, well-deserved, incredibly appreciated, and wonderfully sweet victory.
By the way, that player that had a particularly hard time last year? He was one of the big reasons the Caps won yesterday. Played solid as a rock...even when he had a really tough break on the next to last hole. He could've looked back to last year and gotten tight and discouraged. But instead, he took a deep breath, eyes focused ahead and nailed a long putt on the 18th hole. We all whooped and hollered. He's a senior, and boy, we're going to miss him next year. Because, yeah, he showed us what character does--digs deep and keeps trying and trusting to the very end.
So in case you're in the midst of one of those long, hard, dark seasons of life (and we all go through them, every single one of us), just remember that nothing beats plain old trying and trusting. Just keep showing up. Keep beginning again...who knows what surprises God may have for you just around the bend? And believe me, it will be all the sweeter and greater because of the struggle.
Just ask the Caps.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
What words are you speaking?
"Today you will spend solitary moments of conversation with yourself, either listing your complaints or counting your blessings." Paul David Tripp
No one speaks to you more than you. What are you speaking to yourself? Words of grumbling or of gratitude? Words that rehearse all your difficulties and sorry complaints or that recall all of God's extraordinary goodness in your life? Are you rehashing all you lack that you think you deserve or recalling all you possess that you know you could never deserve?
Are you speaking words of death and discouragement or of life and hope?
Because here's the thing: we are always, always, always talking to ourselves. What kind of inner monologue is your heart speaking? Is it based on your ever-vacillating feelings or on the never-changing Truth of God's Word?
Yes, I've repeated this mighty often...but if you're anything like me, you're a mighty good forgetter! We're all of us spiritual amnesiacs...like those Israelites wandering in the dessert. They witnessed God's miraculous deliverance time and time again--delivering them out of slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea, destroying the Egyptians, providing water out of a rock, giving them daily mana for food, even sending quail for meat.
But it was never quite enough, because the moment a problem arose, there they go again...doubting, complaining, grumbling, longing to return to Egypt. Egypt? Really? Egypt, where you were enslaved, starved, worked to the bone? Where your boy babies were killed and your freedom destroyed? That's what happens when we forget God's goodness--we grow delusional and bitter and despairing.
The Israelites forgot God's past goodness...they doubted His present love and power... and so they lost their hope, complained, and wallowed in misery. Yep, sounds a bit like yours truly...first I forget, then I doubt, and then I start grumbling and growing more and more discouraged.
What do we do? PREACH TO YOURSELF!! Start speaking words of truth and life to yourself. Start remembering God's faithfulness and goodness. Start rehearsing His gifts to you.
Paul puts it this way: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say , Rejoice!...Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil.4:4,8)
Choose to consciously remember and recount the gifts, and then choose to rejoice in them.
Choose to marinate in His supernatural Word and be encouraged and strengthened.
Choose to think about the true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent. Preach those words of TRUTH to yourself rather than your words of doom and discouragement.
Because we can all choose what we will think about. We can all choose the meditation of our hearts. And that which we think about will increasingly dominate the mediation of our hearts. That which we think about and meditate upon will be what we're relentlessly speaking to ourselves. And that which we speak to ourselves will ultimately determine our attitudes and actions.
Let's stop listing our complaints and start counting our blessings. Let's stop rehashing our troubles and start rehearsing the Truth.
Help us, Father, to preach the Truth--Your Truth--to our hearts on a daily basis so that we increasingly count our blessings and are filled with Your hope, peace, and joy. Help us this day to choose to preach Life to ourselves and to others. In Jesus' name, Amen.
To God be the glory.
No one speaks to you more than you. What are you speaking to yourself? Words of grumbling or of gratitude? Words that rehearse all your difficulties and sorry complaints or that recall all of God's extraordinary goodness in your life? Are you rehashing all you lack that you think you deserve or recalling all you possess that you know you could never deserve?
Are you speaking words of death and discouragement or of life and hope?
Because here's the thing: we are always, always, always talking to ourselves. What kind of inner monologue is your heart speaking? Is it based on your ever-vacillating feelings or on the never-changing Truth of God's Word?
Yes, I've repeated this mighty often...but if you're anything like me, you're a mighty good forgetter! We're all of us spiritual amnesiacs...like those Israelites wandering in the dessert. They witnessed God's miraculous deliverance time and time again--delivering them out of slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea, destroying the Egyptians, providing water out of a rock, giving them daily mana for food, even sending quail for meat.
But it was never quite enough, because the moment a problem arose, there they go again...doubting, complaining, grumbling, longing to return to Egypt. Egypt? Really? Egypt, where you were enslaved, starved, worked to the bone? Where your boy babies were killed and your freedom destroyed? That's what happens when we forget God's goodness--we grow delusional and bitter and despairing.
The Israelites forgot God's past goodness...they doubted His present love and power... and so they lost their hope, complained, and wallowed in misery. Yep, sounds a bit like yours truly...first I forget, then I doubt, and then I start grumbling and growing more and more discouraged.
What do we do? PREACH TO YOURSELF!! Start speaking words of truth and life to yourself. Start remembering God's faithfulness and goodness. Start rehearsing His gifts to you.
Paul puts it this way: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say , Rejoice!...Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil.4:4,8)
Choose to consciously remember and recount the gifts, and then choose to rejoice in them.
Choose to marinate in His supernatural Word and be encouraged and strengthened.
Choose to think about the true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent. Preach those words of TRUTH to yourself rather than your words of doom and discouragement.
Because we can all choose what we will think about. We can all choose the meditation of our hearts. And that which we think about will increasingly dominate the mediation of our hearts. That which we think about and meditate upon will be what we're relentlessly speaking to ourselves. And that which we speak to ourselves will ultimately determine our attitudes and actions.
Let's stop listing our complaints and start counting our blessings. Let's stop rehashing our troubles and start rehearsing the Truth.
Help us, Father, to preach the Truth--Your Truth--to our hearts on a daily basis so that we increasingly count our blessings and are filled with Your hope, peace, and joy. Help us this day to choose to preach Life to ourselves and to others. In Jesus' name, Amen.
To God be the glory.
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