Blog coming

Dear Friends,

This week my Mother-in-Law has gone on to glory after a long bout with Alzheimer's. We are out of pocket for a short while. I have two blogs just about ready to be posted but please pray for our family...especially my husband as he deals with this. You all are precious people and I love you!!

What Will It Cost Me?

I have the wonderful privilege to travel to the small country of Belize in June to lead women’s conferences. Belize is a very poor country in Central America and the women there have to work much harder to take care of their families than we in the US could ever imagine. Being in Women's Ministry I have learned that inside every woman, regardless of who they are or where they live, is a desire to be beautiful and feminine and with that thought in mind I want to give to each woman a gift bag filled with sweet smelling soaps, shampoos, body creams and perfume. These things, which are commonplace to us, to these ladies, are treasure. Because I don’t have the funds to do this alone, I have asked others to donate soaps, creams, and shampoos they have gotten from hotel stays; the outpouring has been wonderful. Never in my wildest dreams, however, did I think I would have to say the words, “Un-used” in the description of the items. The great majority of the items I have gotten have been wonderful (and I am so grateful) but I did get one very large bag packed full of half-used and dried up toiletries. A thorough search of the bag resulted in not one item I could use. This would have gone unmentioned but the giver bragged that they were so happy they could help in this endeavor and even made the comment that the women there should be glad of half-used items because they have nothing.

After a couple of days I let this go of my frustration over this but God would not let me forget my lesson from it. Many times have I gone through my cupboards looking for canned goods, I would never personally eat, to put in the community food pantries and the clothes I give to shelters usually contain stained items or things so out of date I would never wear them again yet somewhere in my mind I feel the recipients should be happy with whatever! Never, I am sorry to confess, have I gone shopping for clothes to give to our clothing shelter or gone grocery shopping for the food pantry. I toss my leftovers to the needy and expect God to see my “sacrifice” with a smile.

Do we give God the same? Our leftover time, talents or resources are offered to God with a boasting that we have done something wonderful for the kingdom…yet we save the best for ourselves or our own family. Then God reminded me of a scripture in II Samuel 24:24. King David had wanted to build an altar to honor God on land owned by a man named Araunah. David sent his men with an offer to purchase the land but it was such an honor for Araunah that he told the men they could have the land…no cost. Verse 24 is David’s answer: “But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” [emphasis mine]

This lesson has hit me hard…when I think I am doing something for someone in need does it count if it doesn’t cost me anything? Yes, it will count because God can use anything but the joy is much greater when the one in need is given something new and fresh for that is what God always offers us. Yes, these ladies in Belize will accept anything because they are poor and have nothing. Many are used to cast-offs from wealthy Americans but how much more exciting will it be to look in their eyes when they see new things-- just for them. Perhaps they will understand that they are cherished children of God and He offers them His best. Perhaps they won’t care at all…I don’t know…I just know that as Jesus has given His best to me, God expects me to give my best to others. It will cost me something…perhaps money…perhaps time…most definitely part of myself. But considering that God gave us His most precious son, it should be easy. Paul said in Romans 12 to “present your bodies a living sacrifice!” and then he says… “which is your reasonable service!” KJV

I will go to Belize with a new vision of what I am to do…I will give these ladies gift bags that will make them feel beautiful…at least for a little while…but I want to give them more…I want to give them myself and maybe from that they will see Jesus who will give them His best. How about you?

Unseen Gifts!

This Christmas one of my grandson’s brought me a present to open but as I opened it, the look in his eyes showed great mischief!! (More than usual!) He watched intently as I carefully removed the homemade bow and slowly unloosed the massive amounts of tape. When I finished, I found nothing! He began to laugh merrily, saying, “I tricked you, Nonnie!!” I feigned disappointment and to his delight reacted just as he had imagined. His goal was to trick me and that he did!

While this is funny to his Nonnie, I began thinking that many of us believe God has done the same thing to us. We hear that everyone has a gift to use for the Kingdom but when we look at ourselves we see wrapping and bows but we can’t seem to find any gift. We start to think that God is being cruel and is laughing at us. We look at others and think if we only could…sing, speak, cook, draw, etc. then we could be greatly used. So we sit in envy of others and wonder why our Christian life is not more exciting.

I wish I had a dime for every person I have spoken to that has stated they have no gifts…yet I find them some of the most gifted people I know. Gifts are varied, yet we often see only the outward gifts! I have one friend who constantly says (and will argue with me!) she has no gifts…yet to visit her house is like going to a resort for when I leave I am refreshed and relaxed…her obvious gift to me is hospitality. The problem is that she doesn’t think that is a gift…it is just something she likes doing!! BINGO! That is the very essence of a gift…it is something that comes naturally to you. Many think if is something that is too easy; it can’t be a gift from God!! Those are the best kind of gifts…those that are so much a part of us that we are not even aware of them keeps us from becoming proud.

God is a God of order and He arranges the gifts together to work out His plan in the Body of Christ. When we look at others and desire their gifts, we are telling God is that He didn’t give us the right gift! Often that thinking will cause us to sit back and do nothing, which can possibly weaken the Body. Beth Moore, a true Mary of Bethany, made a comment that she hopes when invited to dinner that there is a “Martha” somewhere in that home or there might not be food!!! !

Gifts are a part of who you are…some people can organize…others have great ideas…others just know what to do in situations when others are at a loss! Some have just the right words to say when everyone else stays silent. Some encourage others without even knowing it. All of these things come naturally! So, see God gave you wonderful gifts and your gifts are needed.

I just returned from a ladies retreat…the committee had provided a basket for the ministry team. They did not just throw things together but had been intentional in what was included; careful thought for every possible need was provided. I was blown away by the way these precious ladies had provided for us…yet they didn’t think anything about it commenting that any one would have done the same…but would they? No, these ladies had a great gift and used it so the ministry team could be also be used!

God has gifted you, dear one!! He has made you exactly the way you are for the betterment of the Body you serve. Are you using what comes naturally to you or are you envious of others and what they do? If you do the latter, you are denying the Holy Spirit the opportunity to use you!! You are saying to God, “You tricked me!!” He hasn’t tricked anyone…He put you where you are for a specific purpose. Ask Him today where He can use you. You will then be amazed at what will happen!

To Wait or Not to Wait!

Over the holidays we had the privilege of having our 4 grands with us and they begged us to let them open their presents before Christmas Day. Maybe you had the same experience! They didn’t want to wait and something inside me wanted to let them open at least one, but I didn’t because I knew that Christmas morning would be more exciting if they waited.

I remembered my own childhood and my “very mean” father! I was just like my grandchildren-- only worse!!! I recall one time saying I wanted to open one particular gift “Right NOW!!” (said with stomping feet and raised voice.) Now, this is where my daddy became really mean! He told me that not only would I not get the gift then but I would have to wait until New Year’s Day to open it. Pure torture!! It was not until years later that I appreciated what he did. I know he really wanted to give me the gift but for my sake he delayed the joy.

Most of us have a problem with waiting. If we have to wait to check out we get impatient or if the red light lasts 20 seconds longer than we want it to we throw mini-fits!! What my daddy was teaching me that Christmas, was not that I couldn’t open a present, but that in life we have to wait and the sooner I learned how to wait the better!!

Yet, in this matter of waiting I also realized is that there are times we want to delay…to hesitate… that generally happens when God gives us something to do and we sit back and say things like, “I think I will wait to see if this is really God’s will!”

So, to wait or not to wait? Our selfishness rears its ugly head in this question. If it is something we want, we become impatient or we delay if a directive interferes with what we want…This is one of the most serious of flaws of human nature. Scripture is full of scriptures that show the benefits of waiting… “Those who wait upon the Lord will rise up with wings like eagles” is among my favorite! Waiting is good…if I had not waited for the right person to marry there is no telling where my life would be today and believe me I didn’t want to wait. It was to my benefit.

But on the other side of waiting is an immediate response to Jesus when He shows us what we are to do… When Jesus called His disciples scripture says, “Immediately, they left their nets!!” That word, in the original Greek, means…immediately!! They didn’t stop to think about it or they didn’t ask their friends if they thought this was the right thing to do or they didn’t say, “I will pray about it!” They just dropped their nets and followed Jesus and the rest of their lives were changed forever! There have been so many times that I will wait because to do what Jesus has called me to do because it will interfere with what I want to do…and I miss the blessing of immediate obedience. Jesus doesn’t need me to fulfill His will…He wants me to be involved in His will. It is for my good.

So, as this New Year begins, I want to know when to wait…knowing it will bring greater joy but I also want to know when not to wait for that also brings the great joy. It might seem that it will be hard to know when to wait or not to wait…but that is where my walk with Christ becomes important. It will be clear if I am walking daily with Him.

What about you? Do you have a waiting problem? Ask God to help you this year with it. It will be amazing how our lives will be blessed just by knowing when to wait or not to wait. I wish you all the best year ever!!!

Lemon Tree...very pretty...

I used to hate the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” I thought it was trite and silly…that is until life gave me some major lemons!! I struggled through tears to make whatever lemonade I could from the hard situations in my life. Lemonade is suppose to be refreshing but you can’t have it without first squeezing those bitter fruits!! It is from a pitcher of lemonade that I learned some valuable lessons.

Psalm 1 talks about the righteous and says, “We are planted by streams of water,” …streams are fresh waters…or if you will “living” water. Crystal clear and fresh…it is needed for the young sapling to grow…and to eventually bear fruit. Often, if we move away from the stream, we suffer a drought…we need water. Isaiah 55: 1 tells us to “come” to the waters” and as we drink deeply we grow and soon sweet smelling blooms appear---we know the peace of God and believe things are going to be great! In time the blooms fall and fruit begins to develop; we are often surprised that the fruit is a lemon. We taste it and find it bitter and try desperately to make lemonade but find the result to be only cloudy water. We can no longer see clearly…we wonder if the water will ever be translucent again?

Life isn’t fair but it was never going to be no matter what we wanted! Jesus told His disciples, “In this world you are going to have trouble…but be of good cheer…I have overcome the world!” John 16:33. Even in knowing that, we must deal with cloudy water and bitterness. It is hard. What can we do and what if we don’t like lemonade!!??

Consider the ingredients of lemonade: water, lemons and sugar.

◊ The water obviously is Jesus--the living water
◊ The sugar is His Grace given by the Holy Spirit placing His peace and comfort in the hard times of our lives
◊ The lemons, obviously, represent the hardships of the world.

I learned two basic lessons from my pitcher of lemonade. I learnedthat the three components, once mixed, are inseparable. Once we go through a hardship it will always be a part of us and we need to discover how to deal with it. We can have victory! And I learned that the largest component in the pitcher is always the water.

So how does knowing this help us in times of trials? Some will add more lemons and allow bitterness to take over in their lives but that doesn’t help! Others might want to add more sugar to just feel better but after awhile, even that becomes undrinkable. The more I reflected on this it was apparent that I needed to add more water. So I did and the taste definitely changed…so I added more and more water until before long, I could barely taste the lemons…there was a faint flavor but no longer bitter…no longer sour. I tasted mostly water. Do you get it?? When we add more living water in our lives, the taste of the world is less.

It is about our focus! If we focus on the lemons (the hardships) we will want to add more sugar… but if we focus on the water (Jesus and His purposes) that solves the problem. That is what Jesus meant when He said, “I have overcome the world.” He overcomes the bitterness of life. The way we deal with lemons is not just making lemonade but to continue adding the living water. Focus on the water not the lemons nor the sweetener but the one who said he would always be with us.

We started with Psalm 1…being planted by the living water and that is how to deal with lemons…they are going to come….but if we stay planted by the Living Water, eventually we have the victory…and this focus brings the spiritual refreshing we think about when we think about lemonade…it quenches our deep thirsts. We become stronger and even though we might have preferred no lemons, we can use them as a conduit for desiring more of the living water Christ offers. So drink up!! When life gives you lemons…add water!!!! Living water!

The Wait

Every woman knows, with fall in the air, wardrobe changes are inevitable. I love the colors and the textures of nubby sweaters (and the fact that many imperfections are hidden is just icing on the cake!!) Now, I am not really a stylish person but I love the sweaters this year…long…some below the knees. Yay!! More coverage! I have seen these on others and thought if I ever found one, I would get it.

Labor Day weekend 2010! While visiting my son and his wife in Texas, my daughter- in-law and I went shopping for her birthday. As we walked into the Dress Barn, I saw “it!” A bright light seemingly came down and illuminated the sweater of my dreams. It was beautiful…a mixture of brown and black with ruffles all the way to the knees. The store had very few customers so I decided to “think’ about it while my daughter-in-law tried on her choices. After about 20 minutes we headed to the checkout counter where “the sweater” had been displayed---but where was it? The mannequin once clad in splendor was strangely bare in only a tank top. I felt panic rising as I asked the sales associate about it to which she replied, pointing, “That lady over there got it to try on!” What??? Where had she come from and why would she want MY sweater? I became a crazy woman!! I paced, telling myself that she hadn’t bought it yet…there was hope…and so I waited…and waited…was she trying on the whole store??? She was too short for the sweater anyway!! Couldn’t she see that? Finally she emerged from the dressing room and returned “my” sweater to the sales associate who quickly brought it to this crazy, pacing woman. I had not even tried the sweater on but I had no choice but to purchase it! I left the store tightly clutching this find! My daughter-in-law just shook her head! (She does that a lot when I am around!)

Yes, sometimes we do really crazy things for even crazier reasons. Usually, I don’t try to make a spectacle of myself, really I don’t. I want to be sophisticated and calm but when I am passionate about things, I forget all of that. For years I found myself being less than passionate about what Christ had done for me. I had always been a good kid and so Christianity was just status quo attached to redemption. I lived like that for so many years…I was in church every time the doors were opened but mostly it was because I had to go. I would sit there quietly covering up those “pesky” sins not wanting anyone to know, all the while searching for something “more” but didn’t know what “it” was until I had what I call an Isaiah 6 Experience when I realized who I was compared to a Holy God. It was as if a shining light came down illuminating my unworthiness. I knew I had been found out! At that moment I knew that was what I had been looking for! I wanted more than anything for this Holy God to love me to which He reminded me that He did and that I no longer had to hide those imperfections…He knew about them and His Son’s blood had taken them away. When I came up from this experience, I was different. Truth changes us! I became crazy about Him!! My worship changed…I was passionate about Him and I didn’t care who knew it!

I came upon a scripture in 2 Corinthians 5: 13. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. Paul got it!! David got it, too, when he entered Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant and danced! God had shown them “more!” God had shown me “more!” He wants to show the world His “more!” He wants to cloth us in His splendor…but we have to rid ourselves of all preconceived ideas of who we are and what we want? Are we willing to be a little “crazy” for Him? When we are people will notice…some might think we are crazy but we will be grasping onto the most important find of our lives as we walk! Each time I wear my sweater, I think I will remember this!

Hey, Coach!!!

Anyone who knows me for 5 minutes knows that I absolutely love football. The excitement of pulling for one team over another and winning…or losing… is compelling to me. (Did you know my Saints won the Super Bowl?) But I digress! While watching a football game with my grandson, William, I asked, “Which person would you want to be if you played football, the one who throws the ball or the one who tackles?” He looked up at me and with great thought (shown by the furrow between his eyes) finally said, “I want to be the coach!” I laughed at that because he obviously had watched the battered ones on the field, vs. the coach who got to wear the cool headset and quickly surmised that the coach has the easiest job!

We make many decisions based on what appears to be the truth…and most of the time the outward is what we base that truth upon. Our world is so outwardly focused. As much as I hate to admit it, I often fall for “the way things seem.” I try not to but…there it is. I can remember in my first teaching job during parent/teacher conference one of my student’s mothers came in dressed very poorly with hair uncombed and flip-flops (before they were stylish). I immediately assumed that she was uneducated and poor and I treated her as such. (Lord, forgive me!) After the meeting I discussed this with another teacher and found out that the woman had a PhD and was from one of the wealthiest families in the city…she just didn’t care about the way she looked. I often wonder what she thought of me after that meeting and I was ashamed.

All through the Bible there are references to the outward and the inward. Jesus was a master at the inward…maybe because he could see what is there so clearly! Who would have chosen a short, hated tax collector to be someone who really wanted to change but just didn’t know how? Once he did, he began giving all he had away! Oh, and that woman…the one at the well. All the town’s people knew enough to leave her alone but Jesus offered her what she really needed-- a new start-- and she used it to bring all those town’s people to Jesus. And then there is that prideful persecutor of Christians…Yes, Jesus saw in Saul of Tarsus, one who would be the first missionary to the Gentiles and the one to write letters that continue to encourage us today. It is all in where we put our focus as to what we see in others but also in ourselves for God sees in us things that we might miss because we tend to look at our own “outwardness.” What does God see in you? Are you willing to allow Him to show you? You might be surprised that He knows your deepest needs, insecurities and your greatest gifts. You might also be surprised that He wants to use the things you think are worthless for something worthwhile.

William thought that the coach only had to stand on the sidelines and chew gum but he couldn’t see the hours of planning that goes into being a coach. The coach also tends to be able to see what each player can do even when that player might not and the simple phrase, “I know you can do this!” can make all the difference in the next play. What was unseen is so much more important than what is seen and so it is with the way we look at others and the way we view ourselves. Be willing to let God show you what is inward truth is and when we do, we will say, “Hey Coach! Put me in!” and that will make all the difference!