Mother's Day

In 1993, my mother died a week and a half before Mother's Day. I still remember the lonely feeling I had seeing others taking their mothers out for lunch. I almost became sad until I realized my children were taking me out for lunch and the Sonny and Cher song "The Beat Goes On," started going through my head. (those of you who are under 30 will just have to go to itunes and download it!) I vividly remember thinking, "Now I had to be the grown-up!"...one day my own daughter will be the grown-up...and her daughter...and the beat goes on.



So, now I am wondering what my children will say about me at my funeral besides, "Don't she look natural!" I know what I said at my mom's and it had nothing to do with what I thought growing up! Time changes perceptions. No, she did not do everything right and sadly neither have I. Many of the things I said I would never do...I did and I regret, as I think she probably did, all those times. But on the day of her funeral what I remembered was how much she overcame in her life...the loss of a husband and a child to TB while she was not more than a child herself followed by the same illness that nearly took her own life. I remembered her decision after marrying my daddy to risk having a child and her refusal to abort me because her life was in danger! I remember her strength, her character and her laugh...not her mistakes.



That gives me hope for I still have some time to work towards my own funeral! I pray at that time, my own children will forgive the young mother who didn't have a clue what she was doing...and will remember the older wiser mother...who fell in love with Jesus. You see, Jesus overcame a lot in this former Pharisee. He changed me in more ways than I can count...



Sadly, I don't get a do-over in the rearing of my children---none of us do...but Christ will always give us a life do-over. He has promised to make us new creatures in Him. He grants us grace and mercy for all the mistakes we have made and then He forgets about them...to remember them no more! WOW!



So, on this Mother's Day, whether or not you are a mother, this is His promise to you! He makes all things new when we call upon His name. Now, where do we go for lunch????

If My People Will Pray...Not Pry

Today is the National Day of Prayer, an event that has been observed in our nation since 1952. Today, however, I have heard more about President Obama not hosting this event in the White House than what churches ARE hosting prayer meetings. Hmmm? Traditionally the theme verse for this event has been 2nd Chronicles 7:14.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

As much as I want President Obama to follow the traditions of his predecessors, we Christians need to contemplate what this verse is saying; it is a verse filled with promise and “if…thens”. It was first spoken by God (Yahweh) at the dedication of the temple Solomon built so the presence of God could come among His people in Jerusalem. Although this was an Old Testament promise I do think that the promise can be applied to us as we are the “temple of the Holy Spirit.” (I Corinthians 3:16) But what does it really mean? Let’s break the verse into its parts.

This was addressed only to God’s people! Are you a child of God? Are YOU praying? Instead of using your energy being focused upon those who are not praying, use it to PRAY. No where does this verse tell us to tell others to pray, it tells us to pray.

In his book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Jim Cymbala, when asked about what he thought about prayer being taken out of schools said, “Am I the only one who gets embarrassed when religious leaders in America talk about having prayer in public schools? We don’t have even that much prayer in many churches! Out of humility, you would think we would keep quiet on that particular subject until we practice what we preach in our own congregations….(He goes on) What does it say about our churches today that God birthed the church in a prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?”

Now, that is convicting! We have more emphasis on preaching and music than consulting corporately the One who controls all things. I am not saying we should eliminate preaching or music…don’t go there…But where is seeking God in all the mix?

Do we pray? Really pray? To do this, we must first HUMBLE ourselves! Ask, “Who am I compared to a Holy God?” Make no mistake, when we come into His presence we will be humbled! (Isaiah 6) Only after a humbling and a “confessing,” will God fulfill His promise. Then we must SEEK His face…His will…for us. We really don’t know God’s plan for us until we intently seek His face! He might have some really strange things for us to do…like march around a wall for seven days…or He might ask us to put ourselves in perilous situations…for His name’s sake (Matt.5:10)

Then those called by His name must TURN from OUR wicked ways…opps…did He say turn from OUR wicked ways? That comes right after the humbling part, folks. Does the world see a pure Bride in the world today or a Church living a compromising life in this world?

So, on this National Day of Prayer…people of God-- Humble yourselves…you are nothing without God. Pray, without being so concerned about who is not praying….Seek His will….and do it! Repent of what we have done that is not pleasing to Him. THEN He will hear and will forgive and will heal our land.

If prayer is a political ploy…God won’t hear. If prayer is only an event…He will not be pleased. If prayer is being offered by those who do not know God…He will not answer…It is up to us…we who call ourselves Christ followers. Think about it! Excuse me…I’ve got some praying to do.

A Valiant Story!

Psalm 51

When I was in high school my daddy and I shared a car. He was a baker and got home around 2:00 PM so when I got home from school the car was mine! Now, please don’t imagine this was a “shiny” anything. It was a 1962 Plymouth Valiant with a rusted -out backseat floorboard. I think this particular car was designed after the WW II Sherman tank (only uglier) and was one of the reasons Plymouth had financial troubles in the 70’s. But it was ours and I was proud I had anything to drive at all! My destinations were mostly to work and piano lessons but one night I went to a friend’s house for a meeting. When the meeting ended I noticed it had become extremely foggy. I didn’t think much about it until I bumped into a fire-hydrant and dented the passenger-side back fender. I was devastated! What would my daddy think? What method of slow death would he employ? Now, I was a daddy’s girl so that was not a rational thought! Gathering my wits about me, I drove the car into the driveway and did what any Christian girl would do….I prayed healing for the fender!!!

Since Daddy left for work around 2:00 AM, I knew that he wouldn’t notice the dent right away so I had time to figure out what to do in case God had not healed it (which He didn’t!). That afternoon, Daddy greeted me as always and kissed me goodbye as I headed to work. “What was he up to?” “It must be a trap!” were my thoughts. That night I found myself sheepishly walking around avoiding all eye-contact and conversation with my daddy while he was acting as if nothing had happened. This went on for about a week…I became angry, moodier than usual and snapped at Daddy whenever he spoke. This daddy’s girl wanted nothing to do with her daddy and avoided him at any cost!

The tension became unbearable so I finally decided I had to just fess up and get the punishment over-with. I marched into the den where Daddy was watching Wheel of Fortune and just blurted out, “I hit a fire-hydrant and dented the car!” I closed my eyes waiting for what was to come…silence…peeking I saw tears in daddy’s eyes. Then I heard him say, “Cyndi, I knew you had dented the car the day after it happened. I was just waiting for you to tell me so I could tell you it is okay, I love you. All I wanted was for you to trust me.” I hugged him and began to cry, as well. We were blubbering idiots but something wonderful had happened…our relationship was restored.

Yes, confession is good for the soul, but more than that it is good for relationships-- especially with God. The times I have felt God was far away, I realized that I had “dented a fender” somewhere and refused to admit it. I began avoiding being in His presence. I even avoided being with others who knew Him! But when confession happens, relief accompanies it and the relationship is restored…so is “the joy of my salvation.” (Psalm 51)

But confession is more than saying, “forgive me of my many sins.” True confession is admitting specific things like: pride, bad thoughts, bitterness, anger. Many times we only focus on the outward or physical sins and think we are home-free… but God wants our inward sins to be cleansed…that is a part of what it means to be “Pure in Heart.”

How’s your relationship with God? Does He seem far away? Ask yourself if you have “dented” something and think it will just go away? It won’t. Take it from me, just tell Him about it and you will truly understand that He loves you and wants you to trust Him.

cyndigrace.com

You Are Invited...

Luke14:2-23

It’s the time of year that our mailbox begins to fill with over-sized white envelopes with nicely written addresses from people who want us to share their special day whether it is a graduation or a wedding. We have moved quite a bit but when friends remember us and want us to share in their happiness…that is a good feeling. Being in invited makes us feel included…a part of something that is important. (At least for us women …most men would rather have a root-canal than go to these functions.)

I like getting invited but I also love to invite…I really, really, like people to come to my house. Each week I am like a child at the window watching for the precious women of our home Bible study to arrive. When I say, “Ya’ll come now, ya hear?” I mean it. Drop-by-company is my favorite! I can always get the coffee pot brewing and settle in for some good conversation!

But offering an invitation also opens the door for disappointment. This week an out-of-state friend I had often invited to my house was visiting the area and told me they were going to come to our home. I was excited! I kept the house neat and stocked up on refreshments just for their visit. Every day I waited but never heard from them and thought perhaps their plans had changed. Then I discovered they had been not 10 minutes away but never even called.

I was hurt and disappointed. After awhile, I finally went to God! (I knew He would set me straight and I wanted to feel sorry for myself a little longer!) He took me to His word where I read about a person who had invited lots of folks to a huge banquet. Free food! You’d think people would be lined up to go. But the Bible said, “They all began to make excuses.” At this point I realized that God truly understood my situation so I asked Him why even offer invitations when they might not come? Disappointment hurts! Why not just be satisfied with meeting at Starbucks. But in my heart I knew it wasn’t the same because there is a special intimacy that happens in my home. They see our stuff and sit on our couch! They see the stains in the carpet and the dust on the coffee table and its okay because the relationship is what is important. Letting someone into our home is letting them into our lives.

Then I understood why God desires for us to come and “visit” Him…not only in the places we feel comfortable, but in His very Presence! Only there can we share true intimacy. Only there can we begin to see who He really is-- His character, His love, His mercy, His will. There in His Presence it is no longer just a book-only knowledge. But often we have excuses: I have to take care of the kids…I have to work…I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out! vs19 (Well, maybe not) but in any event, He desires our company. He has things He would like to share with us alone! When we refuse His invitation, we miss the best part of being a Christian…and that is resting in Him with no pretense. This is the place where we learn to trust His heart!

We will have as much of God as we have time for! How much of God do you want? He has invited us to His home! How will you RSVP?
cyndigrace.com

And the Gift Goes On...

(Matthew 25: 14-27)

It would not have surprised my parents that God led me into a speaking ministry because I have been “speaking” forever! Now, I don’t mean talking…all of us do that…I mean standing in front of a group of people, orating-- using proper gestures and vocal inflections. It started in kindergarten. I dramatically recited The Shoemaker and the Elves which I had memorized while sitting in the corner; a clever discipline that kept me from doing my second favorite thing-- bossing the other kids around! This obsession with speaking didn’t end at school! The kids in my neighborhood would sometimes get together to play kickball or ride bikes, but on other days, I would gather them at my house, seat them in neatly-rowed chairs ,and “teach” them complete with tests, report cards, and blackboard! It was amazing that they stayed, but I was much taller and had an incredible “teacher-face!”


When I entered high school, a wonderful teacher-- Joy Montgomery—introduced me to the world of interpretive reading and drama! Whoa! Nellie hold the door, I had found my true purpose in life! I was going to become a Broadway star! To fulfill this dream, I majored in speech and drama but included English so I could actually get a job. (You know, just in case the whole Broadway thing fell through.) As life would have it, the whole Broadway thing fell through (!) and the closest I got was living on Broadway Street in Yazoo City, Mississippi. It was in Yazoo City I was placed, legitimately this time, in front of a classroom to teach…or as I like to say, “Speak with the power of the grade book!”


Our church offers a spiritual gifts test so each member can discover their God-given gifts for service. I thought, maybe I had changed since kindergarten and perhaps God wanted me to do something else! So, with sharpened number 2 pencil in hand I took the test. My gift overwhelmingly turned out to be: Teaching!!! Surprise, surprise. (My lowest gift was “mercy”…but every student I had ever taught knew that!) One thing that did surprise me was my second highest gift: encouragement. Hmm. I sat for awhile and considered if I ever use this gift! This is one gift we aren’t sure about until years later… at our funeral…and even then we don’t know! Then I thought about Miss Montgomery who was a gifted speaker but found time to encourage this would-be speaker. She, according to Matthew 25 “invested” her talent in me!


I coached some talented students this year for the Mississippi Baptist Speakers tournament; four very different students with very different speeches. All of them had winning capabilities but one…loved it…one wanted to give her speech over and over. Kind of reminded me a little of myself --eager to get in front of others and tell them what God has done… I realized one day I will be gone and whatever gift I might have will be buried with me, unless I invest it into the next generation…Maybe Jesus meant this too in His parable of the talents…yes, we must use our gifts but we also are to invest them!


What about your gift? You have one…we all do. (The Bible tells me so!) Are you using it? Are you investing it? If not it will be buried with you! Only in investing can the gift go on! It’s God’s stimulus package! He gives…we invest!!


Thank you Miss Montgomery…where ever you are! Your investment has compounded daily! I pray that it will reap 10 times over what you gave for generations to come!

Peacock or Java Blue?

“Oh, you are Java Blue! I am Peacock but I think I like Puccini, too!” was a recent conversation I over-heard while browsing a local gift shop. This is the language of “Vera Bradley” and in my small town, many people of the female gender are very bi-lingual! While having lunch with a precious college student, I noticed her car keys attached to a “pattern” I recognized. When I asked her about it she said, “I realized I would never be popular until I had a piece of Vera Bradley!” I nodded knowingly, for I also had a Vera story.


For those of you who do not know, Vera Bradley is a collection of quilted purses created in various shades and patterns and sold only in specialty gift shops. I became acquainted with them when we moved to this college town where many girls had quilted purse hanging to their hips! Wanting to be trendy but completely unaware of what “Vera” was, I found a quilted purse in the dollar store and began to “wear” it, on my hip, thinking I would then be in the “know”… but NO!!! Every eye that glared upon my “wanna-be” purse seemed to scream to the world: fraud!

Frauds are every where! “Take-off’s” abound both in the retail market and in our lives and in thinking about this particular trend, I found a life-lesson! Bear with this blonde’s musings!


There is only one Vera Bradley Company where authentic Vera purses are produced. In order to assure the real deal, one must really know the product. Only then can an imitation be recognized. Since Christianity in it truest sense is the model for faith we see many imitating many of its tenets. We hear celebrities define themselves as “spiritual”or thanking “god”. When I was a child, that meant being a Christian, but in today’s vernacular it can mean anything from worshiping your inner-self to a blade of grass! We must not take familiar terms for granted. Many are trendy by-words! They sound good…might even look good but in reality they are cheap imitations of the real thing and have no value other than noise...kind of like my dollar store purse! Authentic faith always points to a giving up of yourself and turning to One who can be trusted. It is not found any and everywhere but only at the foot of the cross.


We who are believers in Jesus Christ know the truth…but can we recognize a fraud? Some Vera imitations are so good it is difficult to tell--- unless you know the catalog! The only way to recognize God’s truth is to know the Word of God…the Bible. A lack of biblical knowledge places us in a dangerous place of accepting imposters who are, by the way, everywhere!! What they say sounds good, but believers are called upon to know if it is the Word of God! If not we should scream “fraud” with every sentence. Paul warned Timothy of this very thing. “In the last days some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits.” (I Tim. 4:1) Paul then urged Timothy to hold on to the truth of God! Do you know scriptural truth or are you being fooled by excellent sounding words? Who guides you? Is it God’s Word or Oprah?


Finally, a real Vera Bradley purse is expensive and I am amazed at how many I see worn around town. The cost of being able to live eternally was paid for by the death of God’s Son… free to us! Are we as determined to “wear Him” to show the world as we are a silly purse? If we aren’t, how will they be able to distinguish authentic Christianity or a wanna-be? I want to be authentic. I want to world to know I have a Real Savior and He wants to be their Savior, too! How about you?

Are We There Yet?

I am an inter-state kind of girl! Point “A” to point “B” at 70+ miles an hour and zip-boom-bah the destination is ahead on the left! We live just a few blocks from I-20 as does our son and his family…only 6 hours and 5 turns away! They are the parents of our grandsons…interstates are great!

My husband, on the other hand, thinks inter-states are “boring” and prefers the winding back roads with twists and turns. We are different. I just want to get there…to the destination…he wants to enjoy the journey.

I thought about this tonight at Bible study. Do I transfer this to my life? Am I destination-oriented or journey-oriented? I remember as a child taking a trip to Disneyland! I was excited about getting to the Magic Kingdom but these long years later it seems I remember as much about getting there as the actual event! Each day’s travel would end early so daddy and I could swim in the hotel pool and car games like trying to find all the state’s license plates kept me from asking, “Are we there yet?” The novelty of eating breakfast in a restaurant, browsing the cheap souvenir shops or the bee stinging my foot while traveling the multi-laned Los Angeles freeway are all permanently etched in my memory and always bring smiles! Don’t get me wrong, the tea-cups in Anaheim were a blast but getting there was an adventure, in itself.

Sadly, something happened as I grew older…my fascination with just “getting there” took over. If I can just get to 18, then 21… the wedding… have children… get children grown… have grandchildren! I was always rushing to something ahead and on this inter-state kind of life, these things have all come and gone all too quickly.

Thornton Wilder must have been feeling something similar when he wrote the play, Our Town, as it examines life from both sides of the grave. In the concluding scene, one of the main characters, Emily, has died but is given a chance to “go back” for one day and “watch” her life again. The others in the cemetery, having been dead much longer, try to discourage her from doing so, but Emily is determined and chooses her 12th birthday. She observes the simple routine of life–Howie Newsome delivering milk, Constable Warren telling how he rescued a man lying in snowdrifts, Joe Crowell delivering newspapers. Then she sees her mother and father, surprisingly youthful, preparing to give her gifts. She watches herself speak with her mother, who tells her to eat her breakfast slowly. Mrs. Webb gives her a dress which she had to “send all the way to Boston” to get. Her father and Wally also have gifts, but Emily can’t go on any longer and breaks down, saying she didn’t realize how much of the little things of life–things she did not notice before–really matter. Emily returns to the cemetery and addresses Mrs. Gibbs: .......“They don’t understand, do they?” .......“No, dear. They don’t understand.”

I think I am beginning to understand. We are on this life’s journey and one day it will be finished… those of us who are believers can sing with gusto, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!” Oh, it will be and I look toward it with great anticipation but until that day…I want to get off this inter-state- living and travel some back roads-- take some unexpected turns, meet some new folks, tell them where I am going and invite them to come along. While I am still here I want to carry out Colossians 3:10 and do all in the name of the Lord Jesus! I want to live the rest of this life to His fullest and when He is ready to take me home, I want to arrive at my final destination with few regrets…and hope to hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”