Dirt Collector

We were given a little robot vacuum cleaner for Christmas.  It is a very small little round thing that passes over the floors to clean them.  It runs on a rechargeable battery, has some sort of GPS type programming that will direct it back to the charging station when the battery gets low.  Kinda spooky really...

I was gracious when we received the little dirt collecting gift.  But honestly, I was not expecting to enjoy the thing.  I didn't expect it to do much.  I mean, how much dirt can a battery operated, self-propelled vacuum cleaner collect?

You would be shocked.  I was.

I came home from work one day and Rosie was doing her thing.  (Remember The Jetson's? And their Rosie the robot maid?)  We were sitting in the living room on another night and I heard a sound...Yep, it was Rosie.  She was coming down the hall.  It is a little creeply, but we are getting used to it. 

Rosie has a small compartment that catches what she picks up off our floors.  When she makes her pass thru our house, that little compartment is packed full of dust, lint, and little bits of trash.  Every time it is packed full, from one day to the next.  And there are only two people and a small poodle in this house! And the two people are gone all day 5 days of the week!

We are clean, grown adults.  The dog is old, does't shed, and sleeps all day long.  Where in the world does this all the dirt come from?!?

I keep expecting Rosie to do her job and the compartment to be empty.  No.  It is full.

Every. Single. Time.

There is always some dirt to collect isn't there?  If you go to all the corners, look closely at the beaten paths, you will find some dirt. 

I kinda liked it when I didn't know it was there.  Now that I do, I want Rosie to do her thing every day. 





The Lord has used this little dirt collecting machine to illustrate several things to me. 

People too can find dirt.  I can find dirt. Persistence and close scrutiny will reveal plenty of it.

It won't take much scrutiny for you to see it in me, and I can easily find it in you.  None of us are without flaw, we all have dirt in our lives.  We all have those dusty corners and paths we tread daily, paths where we drop little bits of our unclean words or unkind and un-Christlike behavior.

The Holy Spirit can certainly find dirt.  In my life, in my behavior, in my attitudes, in every nook and corner, it is there and He can pull it out of the hiding places.  All I must do is allow Him to roam around my heart and mind like Rosie roams my house. 

I purpose that I do not attempt to hide the filth. I want to be clean.  And to be clean, it must be a continual process.

I purpose to attend to my own house. It is not my responsibility to collect the dirt in yours. And even if you are inspecting mine, I purpose to be confident that God has got me in His hand.  Your scrutiny can not negate what His cleansing power accomplishes.

But I can. By my own rebellion and disobedience. 


Lord God, help me to leave the dirt collecting to you.  And while you are at it, help all of us do the same. 






" Keep your behavior excellent .... so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:12 NASB)


" Be careful how you behave among your unsaved neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when Christ returns" (1 Peter 2:12 The Living Bible)

Ring Tones

I have ring tones on my phone for certain callers. One of them is the lyrics of a song, "I've got a lot of things to say, and you'd be wise to listen good."

It is true. 

Sometimes.  Other times, it might be wise to ignore my opinions.



I have an opinion about everything.  We all do.  Some of us are quicker than others about sharing them. Some of us think more highly of our opinions than we might ought to. Some of our opinions are tainted by factors that may or may not be what is God's truth.

I would like to say my opinion is always based on His truth.  I am quite sure it too is sometimes twisted.  The enemy has the capacity to use all sorts of things to put his twist on God's truth, using it to tear down. I wish I could say his tactics always fail, I wish his assaults never succeed.  I wish.

I WANT to be compliant to Him in all things. It is a struggle. 



Every time that certain ring tone sound comes from my phone, I purpose it to be a reminder for me to "...be wise to listen good."  Not to opinions of other people, but to the only opinion that matters.  My Creator.



In a salon filled with gals often much younger than I am, it becomes increasingly important that my opinions are based on truth.  God's truth, not my own version.  I do have a lot of things to say.  Yet sometimes, the wise one should be me.... keeping quiet.

As Paul told Timothy: "Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God's people.

Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. 

Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.   Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. ..."

(2 Timothy 2:14-16 from The Message)



Father God, You do have a lot of things to say.  And I certainly would be wise to listen good.  Remind me of that truth BEFORE I open my mouth to share what might not need to be said, but lived out. 

Slippery

I remember a lot of sermons about some slope that was slippery.  I didn't pay a lot of attention to it in my youth, after all, young people seem to be very confident in their own judgments.  I didn't see how Elvis's shaking leg was such a big deal. Elvis's style of dancing is certainly not shocking today.

I knew drunkenness was listed in the Bible as a sin, but drinking a can of beer wasn't drunkenness, but doing so was supposedly an act committed on the edge of the slippery slope. 

As I have grown older, my perspective has changed some.  I see the tiny compromises made in the culture around me as time has passed, and I see the huge effects that have come about. 

Once, it was not ok to have sex outside marriage.  (Now, don't call me judgmental, argue with God about it.  He is the One who set the marriage thing up.  It was His design and intent, not mine.) Today, I daresay it is almost expected that couples have sexual relationships, married or not. 

What my Sunday School teachers called petting may very well have been only a few steps away from that dreadful slope. 

In my lifetime, I have personally known young woman who had abortions.  It was a deep dark secret they kept.  Today, it is a topic of conversation and open consideration at the onset of most any unplanned pregnancy.

 Again, don't accuse me of  'judging'... God is the Creator of life, and life begins in the womb.  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.." (Jeremiah 1:5 NASB)

Today's news truly is shocking to me, even after I look back and see all the many tiny steps it took to get here, killing a full term baby is horrendous.  However hideous it is, it is not a new thing.  It is thought that several civilizations have made child sacrifices.  Even Solomon, the wise son of David, fell into wrong thinking and behavior as he was influenced by ungodly wives he had chosen. 

"Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done.  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.
Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods." (1 Kings 11:6-8 NASB)

Molech was a god to whom children were burned in sacrifice. We don't claim a Molech.  We call it different things. I could list dozens, but they all boil down to one thing.  Self. 

I'm not ready...
I can't afford...
I don't want...
The father is...

Me. Me. Me.

All the while, there are hundreds of good solid couples who would love to have the child who interferes with a life as planned. 





Back to the slippery slope....where will this thinking end?  Are we standing just steps away from a slope that will decide for me when my life will be snuffed out?  If I become old and sick, will my choices be overridden by the 'me' society that has decided for millions of babies?  Will that mindset find my life of similar low value? 

Ugh.  God help us. 

Unmet Challenge

For several years, I have issued a challenge to be purposefully thankful for one thing, every day beginning November 1, thru Thanksgiving Day. 

I have failed to meet my own challenge this year. Because of health issues, and feeling bad, I have failed. 

This morning, I remember the challenges of scripture.



 "... let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds..."  (Hebrews 10:24 NAS77)
"...do not grow weary of doing good." (2 Thes. 3:13 NASB)
"...making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace..." (Colossians 4:5-6 NASB)


I could list hundreds.


I don't meet all those challenges either.  I fail miserably.

I am oh so very thankful for the grace God has given me, grace that makes up for my being absolutely powerless to meet all the challenges. 

I had a desire to take the time to count my blessings each day, and be purposeful in articulating that in writing. I failed.

I have the desire to live a perfect and holy life. 

I fail more miserably at that. 


Thank You Jesus that you have never failed. 

"In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." (Words of Jesus as recorded in John 16:33 NASB)

Communication

Thankful Challenge Day #11

I am thankful for communication.

Looking back on my life, it is amazing how communications have changed. 

There was a lady who lived on one corner of our block who made coffee every afternoon and invited all the woman in the neighborhood to come sit in her kitchen and share a cup of coffee and conversation.  When she had things prepared, she opened her back door and in this singing sort of yell, called out "Cawwwwwfeeeeeeee!!"   In a few minutes, women from all over the neighborhood were walking to her house. 

Communication.  The coffee was ready. but the coffee was just an excuse to have a small hen party and communicate about life. 

When I was a teenager, citizens band radios were found in a majority of vehicles. 

"Breaker, breaker 19...what's the smokey report?"
"Skip-land, skip-land...."

CB radio communication, whether local, or radio waves skipping across continents, was a way of communicating. 

Telephones have dramatically changed.  When I was a kid, we shared a phone line with most everyone on the block.  Not everyone had a telephone, and only wealthy people had one they didn't share with others.  (The conversation over coffee at the neighbor's house was made rich with everyone wanting to know more about what they did NOT get to hear while they were eavesdropping on the phone....like everyone didn't know they had been listening!!)

Telephone now are almost attached to our hands.  Well, mine is now strapped around my wrist, so....

We all have our own little device, a telephone and tiny computer that will do all sorts of things.  Need directions?  Or information? Or weather report? You got it.

It seems the more communication we have, the less we are able to communicate in some ways. People text from the other room rather than speak face to face.  Voice inflection is absent, often leaving words open for interpretation.

But still, I am thankful for communication.  When the miles separate us, we can look at each other's face and hear their voice.  IF we just choose to do so. 

On this Veteran's Day weekend, I think about what that would have meant to family.  It would be priceless to me.


I am most thankful for the communication we are offered to participate in with God.  Scripture calls it prayer. 

As in all true communication, it's not a one way street.  We are encouraged and invited to speak with our Creator God.  But prayer is not a dictating to God what we want.  It is a conversation that includes listening, and very often waiting. 

On the receiving, listening end of our prayers, if we are honest with ourselves before God, we may find out some things about our requests that need altering.  We may be praying with the wrong motive.  "....asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way."(James 4:3-4 from The Message)

Of all the little I have learned about praying to my Creator God, I am thankful that I can tell Him like it is with me, not trying to fake it til I make it, or hide behind my own fig leaves.  I am encouraged to "...be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6 NASB)

Yes.  I am thankful for all the methods of communication available to us.  Writing this kind of post, cell phones, video calls, old fashioned cards and letters, mass media, news outlets, and on and on...

But I am most thankful for the opened curtain that allows me to step into the throne room of God, and pour out my concerns, my hurts, my hopes, my regrets, and a thousand other things He listens to me about.  Over and over. 

Thank You Lord Jesus for listening.  And caring. And answering.

In your own time, in your own way.  It is always best. 

Change

Thankful Challenge Day #10

I am thankful for change. 

But change is often very hard.  In fact, if I am completely honest, I don't always like it.  I don't like a new computer,  I don't like stores to move stuff around, (even though I do the same thing in my little store.  It's called marketing but it's really just changing stuff). 

Some change I really love.  I like to change my hair, (And yours!)  I like to change my clothing style.  I like to change the furniture around. (My man hates that!)

I don't care for the time change, but I do like the change in routine that it forces. 

I am certainly thankful for the change that Jesus has made in my life.  Those changes are a continuing process.  "...the God who started this great work in me will keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears."(Philippians 1:6 from The Message personalized by me)


I am even more thankful that God NEVER changes.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 NASB)

Hallelujah.

Teacher

Thankful Challenge Day #8

I am thankful for teachers.

I had several school teachers who made an incredible impact on me.  I had some who could explain things so clearly, then some who made no sense at all to me (Algebra). 

I have had the privilege of being taught by some fantastic hairdressers.  As an adult well into my late 20s, I discovered how I learn best, and why sometimes I just don't get it.  Some of us learn by seeing, or doing, others by hearing.  I was being taught how to teach adult learners so I could teach them about haircolor and hair products.  It was a very valuable thing to learn about myself in the process.

I am thankful for some good Bible scholars, most especially those who can communicate simply yet thoroughly.  It does little good to be dazzled with information if one can't grasp it, apply it, and remember it!

I am thankful for those who have taught me by example, how to be a good friend. 
I am even thankful to those who have taught me lessons from negative examples.  Those are the things I rarely forget.  I never want to make those mistakes that caused me hurt. 

I am thankful for the teachers who speak from the pages of scripture. 

I am most thankful for the Teacher whose words are written in red in scripture, "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am."(John 13:13 NASB)  He was called Teacher 60 times in scripture.  He taught while He walked on earth, He teaches us today. 

And He charges US to teach.   ".... He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation." (Mark 16:15 NKJV)


I am thankful for teachers, and I want to be obedient to our good Teacher Jesus in teaching others about His good news. 

Patience

Thankful Challenge Day #7


I am thankful for patience.  I don't have as much as I would like, but I have more than I had in the past, and certainly have more than some folks.

I had to be on the interstate today, every time I have to drive in that sort of traffic I am stunned by the impatience of people.  Cars zip around, weave in and out, only to be 5 seconds ahead of me when we reach the exit ramp. 

My man and I aren't in a vehicle together often, but most every single time we are, our discussion goes to the what might be the reason for the delays we experience.  More than once I have witnessed accidents that I might have been involved in had I not had to stop at two red lights. 

I confess that I am not always patient behind the wheel, and certainly not patient in every situation that arises in my life.  Right now, I am impatient with my health.  I want my life back to normal. 

I have been impatient many times in a long line waiting to get checked out. I have been impatient in restaurants, wondering if they had to go catch my chicken and clean it before they could serve me. 

I am not a perfectly patient person, but I am sure more patient than years past. 

I am content to put the cruise on a few miles under the speed limit, and let them pass me.
I am content to stop at the red light, even the yellow, and let other traffic go their way.
I am content to let the person with only a few items be checked out before me and my full buggy.
And I am trying to be content to wait until this heart heals so I can resume my normal routines. 

I am thankful for patience. The patience of friends who listen to my struggle. The patience of the husband who checks on me and does an extra load of every day chores.

Above all else, I am thankful for the patience of God. "The Lord is .....patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 NASB)


God is patient, even in the face of our disobedience and rebellion. God didn't have to 'learn' patience... He IS patience.  Oh how thankful I am for His patience.

I purpose in my heart to allow Him access that He might develop HIS patience within ME. 

Truth

Thankful Challenge Day #6


I am thankful for truth.  Not my truth.  Not your truth.  Absolute truth, God's truth.

The more I read scripture, where God's absolute truth is revealed, the more lies and deception I see in the world around me.

All people have a version.  All people make compromises of God's absolute truth. 

God created marriage between a man and a woman.  Humans perverted it.
God created a beautiful perfect world.  Humans misuse it.
God created relationships to be harmonious.  Humans hurt each other.


This morning as I thought about all I have to be thankful for, I realized what I allowed into my mind the hour before....scrolling social media, pausing to watch videos. Families displaying their problems publicly, for money or fame, or whatever reason.  It is like window peeping into other people's living room.  Why should I want to see what causes them pain, or worse....why do I find humor in the suffering?  Why is it funny to me to see someone openly living a lifestyle that God condemns? 


I am not hating.  My focus is on me...not them.  I am examining my own heart this morning. 


And I find myself thankful today for God's truth.  I purpose in my own heart to keep His truth in forefront of my life, both in my actions and my attitudes.  I purpose that the enemy will not allow me to be desensitized to God's holy and perfect truth. 

It may not be politically correct.
It may not be socially accepted.

But God is the One Who gets to say what is right.  His truth is the only truth. 

Choices

Thankful Challenge Day #5

I am thankful for choices. 

We don't always get to choose.  I have often told my sons,when they were criticizing each other's choices, "You don't get to pick."  We all have our own choices to make, good or bad, right or wrong. 

Even though I say I am thankful for them, too many choices is NOT good for me personally.  When choosing tile for my kitchen, I wouldn't let the salesman show me more choices.  I was looking at a box of a couple hundred samples.  Surely one will be good.  When looking at a food menu, I tend to scan for things familiar, not looking at every single item to decide.  (My sister on the other hand, is NOT like me in that regard!)

Eve made a bad choice.  She and Adam were given every freedom except one simple thing, and they chose to do it anyway.  They weren't starving, they didn't need the food.  They simply chose to do the one thing God had said "don't" about.  And so we have the continued problem of the knowledge of evil they chose that day.

I am thankful for the choices I am given.  Today, I chose what to cook for supper tonight.  I will choose what to wear, out of a closet full of enough garments to clothe a tribe.  I chose the vehicle that sits outside.  I could have had one of many others.  I chose the leather chair I am sitting in.  (I did not choose this poodle that lies here snoring beside me, but that's ok!)

I am thankful to have the choices on the ballot, the opportunity to make a choice and vote for the governing positions that are on that ballot.

I am thankful that God gave me the choice of choosing Christ Jesus over my paying my own penalty.  I am not perfect, I am not holy as HE is holy, and because I have sinned there IS a penalty.  A death penalty. 

I am thankful for that choice, and I purpose in my heart that I do not take it lightly.

I purpose to be mindful of every single choice presented, every moment of every day. I purpose to make my choices according to God's standard, what HE says is right.  I don't get to pick, I don't get to determine what is right.

HE does.

Period.

Peace

Thankful Day #4


I am thankful for peace. 

Never in my lifetime has there been war on the soil on which I live.  Though there is a lot of violence in a lot of places, I have not experienced it personally. 

There has been plenty conflict.  Disagreements. Arguments. Hurt. Betrayal.

Plenty.

But in the face of the worst of it, I can have peace. 

I can know that God is not surprised by one single thing.  Even our disobedience is not a surprise, it never was.  He had made provision for the rebellion in the garden.  That peaceful relationship with our holy God was broken when the fruit was chosen over simple obedience. 

Our enemy deceived Eve, and he still deceives us.

Sin disrupted the peace and harmony our ancestors enjoyed with God.  Adam and Eve had walked with Him in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8)  It disrupts us still today. 

 But even after choosing to know good AND evil by eating of that forbidden tree, God made a way for us to enjoy that peace once again.  "He shall bruise you on the head.." (Genesis 3:15 KJV) 

It was very costly because the result of disobedience is death.  But instead of me dying for my disobedience, Jesus died in my place. 


My peace with God is what I am thankful for above all else.  Because I have peace with Him, He teaches me and enables me to have peace in every other situation. My peace is granted to me thru faith and obedience to Christ Jesus. When I lack that peace...I can look for what might be hindering it.

What wrong attitude? 
What fear? 
What rebellion? 
What sin? 

Today, I am thankful for peace with God, peace with man, and peace in my own mind. Conflicts may again come, threats, or the hurts that often come from people. Because of my peace WITH God, He has given me the peace OF God. 

 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled.." (the words of Jesus as recorded in John 14:27 NASB)

If you do not know what it is to know His peace, make it your number one priority to learn. 

  "...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God..." (1 Peter 5:6 NASB)

Courage

Thankful #3
2018

I am thankful for courage, and wish I had more.  It fails me periodically.


Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is resolute action when it is hard or even in the face of fear.

We are told at least seventy times in the New Testament, "fear not".  Courage is moving forward in obedient belief and faith in the face of something that threatens and causes us to shake in fear.


Police officers who put on a badge that makes them a target just to make sure others are helped and protected. Soldiers who stand on strange lands, making a stand for what is right. Those are what our thoughts go to first usually.  But what about personal courage?  Ordinary day courage?

Courage to be pleasant when someone is being very UNpleasant.
Courage to speak a kind word to a stranger.
Courage to do the right thing when you could easily get by with doing the wrong thing.
Courage to put your wishes aside, putting someone else first.
Courage to keep on, and on, and on...when you know it is right, but you just want to quit.

Courage is all of that, even when you know the cost might be great. 


The only courage I have is what Jesus supplies.  There have been difficult seasons, long ones, when I was anything but courageous.  I wanted to quit, hide, and never peep out.  But knowing His exhortations to 'Fear not!', and knowing that He is God and I am not, I managed prayerfully to keep walking. 

Courage to stop the knee jerk reactions and pray before uttering a word.
Courage to reel my thoughts back in, taking each one captive to Christ instead of letting then run fearfully wild.
Courage to accept the situations of today, prayerfully waiting, but ready to act in faith.


Today I am thankful for courage, and I am especially thankful for the One who provides it.  I sure don't have much of my own.

Beauty

Thankful Challenge #2
November 2, 2018

I am thankful for beauty. All sorts.

A sunrise, and sunset.
Springtime flowers.
Autumn foliage.
Snow covered landscapes.
Rivers.


Jewelry.
Nice fabrics.
Clothing.

Tapestry.
Woodwork.
Leathers.

Music.
Voices and harmony.

I could sit here too long making lists.

Today, I purposed myself to stop and be thankful for all the beautiful things in my life.

From a baby's sweet smile to the toothless smile of Abby the Spoonlady.
From the colors of spring to the stark beauty of leafless trees in winter.


I am thankful God has granted me the eyes to behold it, in all the unexpected places.  I want to see every single one as the gift it is.

Today.

And every single day I am given.

Thankful For Security

Today is November 1, 2018.  I sit with a laptop in a dry warm house, with a coffee cup, and a sleeping snoring dog beside me, trying to decide what to choose first to be thankful for.

My thoughts go to my husband, who provided the security I enjoy as I write this.  

Our home is simple, but it is ours, and he paid every payment. 

He keeps us warm with the firewood he cuts and splits.  

The roof is secure and keeps the rain out so that we are dry.

I have never had the slightest concern that we could lose our home. 

And I have never had the slightest concern that I could lose him.  

I am secure in his love and commitment to me.  

I think of Jesus, who provided my eternal security.  

For many years I did not feel secure. I knew the story of His birth and His death, I knew the facts about sin and its consequences. I know I am not perfect as He is, I am a sinner.  I tried hard to get myself cleaned up, act right, and do right. My attempts failed over and over, leaving me fearful of eternal punishment for things I simply could not fix.  

One day, I just said "I can't do it".  

One day, I couldn't find words to pray other than "Help me."

And you know what....?  He did. 

Today I am thankful for my security. 

The security of my husband's love, the man who provided the comfort I enjoy at this moment.  The man whose concern for me rises above the concern for himself.  The man who checks on me multiple times a day as I recover from the episode with my heart.  The man who lives the simplest life he can, so we can live in security. 

I am thankful for being secure in the love of my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, whose concern for me was so important that He chose to enter humanity, live a simple and sinless life, just so we can live in security. 

I am thankful for security.  I have not known the difference in regard to my husband's love, but I should not take it for granted. 

I have known the difference in being secure in my eternal salvation.  It is a precious thing to me. I never want to miss an opportunity to be thankful to Him for it, nor an opportunity to share the truth about His love and the security He offers. 

Thankful Day 1 in 2018

Thanksgiving is days away.  Yesterday, I saw stacks of merchandise in the grocery store aisles, all ingredients for the kind of cooking we do at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I added a few of them to my cart, preparing for what I might want to cook when the time arrives. 


I have done this a couple years before.  My Facebook memories reminded me of it today.  I think of it as on purpose thankfulness.

Every day, I purpose to stop and consider what I am thankful for.  NOT a broad, 'thankful for my family'...not that I am not super thankful for my family, I am. But, I purpose to stop and consider the 'what' I am thankful for, and the 'why' I am thankful for it also. 

Will you join me?  If not publicly, then at least privately.  Consider it a challenge and an exercise to examine your life and your attitude.  You may discover just how good God has been to you.  I expect you know it in your head, but counting blessings like this makes us know it in our hearts. 

When you find your thankful thing, ask yourself 'why?'  Not once, but continue to ask that question with each answer to the 'why?' .

For example: Thankful for your health?  Why?  So you can enjoy life.. Why?  So you can work your job.. Why? So you can support your family.. Why?  On and on....




Now....I will be contemplating my thankfulness for Day 1 for 2018. 

I will let you in on it later.......

Walls

I am not a political person, I vote, I have opinions, but I don't get on soapboxes about them often.  Unless it has to do with Jesus, then watch out.

There is a lot of talk now about building walls.  It is not a new idea.  Not innovative at all.  I am studying in the book of Nehemiah this week, and Nehemiah was involved in the rebuilding of a wall.

The wall around Jerusalem had been destroyed when the city was conquered and the inhabitants killed or made slaves.  The political climate had changed by the time of Nehemiah's story, and he was given permission and help to rebuild what was torn down. 

I highly suggest reading the story and trying to find yourself in it.  You are there...because we all play a part. I could list a number of characters, but I will focus on a generality...Christians in general and the church...those who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus.

The wall was destroyed, and the people were rallied to clear away the rubble and rebuild.  Instead of focusing on the section in their immediate area, Nehemiah led them to rebuild all the way around, even though it wasn't a really tall wall, it was complete, the walls connecting to the gates, more walls connecting to the next gate, etc. etc. They could build it taller and wider after it was around the entire city and the gates in place.

Chapter 3 of Nehemiah tells of the different groups that built different sections of the wall.



I wonder, does the church work together like that?  We should. 

Have some of us left the walls fallen and in rubble? 

Have we neglected to do our part?  Or even worse, are some of us among the ones who ridiculed and were opposed to the rebuilding? 

Lord, help us to see where we need to be rebuilding and repairing, encouraging, sharing, and accomplishing what You have set before us.  Let us not make unholy compromises, let us not be divided but united and committed to repairing broken down walls in Your kingdom.

The Faithful Day #1

 I was able to get the study guide book today.  As I read thru day #1, there is a question:  What expectations do you think believers have of how God reveals Himself? 

I read right on by that...then seemed to be drawn back to chew on it a little. 

How do you expect God to show up in your life? 

Sisters, I wonder if we don't depend too much on our feelings.  We gals are an emotional bunch, and we mothers want to kiss everything and make it better.  Anybody else a 'fixer' other than me? 

Paul admonishes us, with the Ephesians, to have the EYES of our hearts enlightened. 

Our hearts are a seat of emotion,  "The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out.   But I, GOD, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be." (Jeremiah 17:9-10 from The Message).

If we just go on what we 'feel' then we have left ourselves open for deception by the enemy.  Our hearts must have its EYES enlightened so that we will KNOW His calling and KNOW His power, not just 'feel' it. 

I often refer to a place I have...  My 'knowing place'. 

The most intense time of knowing something in my knowing place was when Jett's little body lay on a bed in St. Michael hospital bloody from a gunshot wound.  My emotions did not serve me well, I felt devastated.  But somewhere along the way, the eyes of my heart were enlightened enough that I did not just depend on my feelings, I went to that knowing place...and called for the "...surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." (Ephesians 1:19 NASB)


Reading and mulling over Gideon's encounter with the theophany that came to him as he threshed wheat, I wonder how long the angel of the Lord had been there.  All the time, I think.  Every moment.  But the eyes of Gideon's heart saw only his circumstances, and he was overwhelmed with his feelings. 

But God made sure Gideon was aware of His Presence.  The angel came, vs.11, then sat, vs. 11, then
appeared to Gideon, vs. 12. 

There is always the Presence of God with us, if we are born again believers, we have the assurance of the Holy Spirit of God.  On days when toddlers are hurt, and on mundane days when we sit at a computer with a dog in the chair next to us......He is with me. 

I purpose that I don't depend on feelings, but on the truth of what He has SAID.  I purpose myself to look for Him with the eyes of my heart wide open, in the ordinary moments of my life.  Moments that He can make EXTRA-ordinary! 

At this stage of life, I have learned from unpleasant experience that God seldom does what I expect. I don't need fanfare, bells and whistles, or any other kind of hoopla.  He is watching me, (and you), just like He watched Gideon. 

Let's expect it, shall we?

The Faithful #1

I don't have the book for The Faithful Bible study, I had intended to go by Lifeway and pick one up, but was not feeling like a trip to Texarkana last week.  I plan to go tomorrow after we get out of BSF and get one. 

In case you don't know, I experienced an episode with my heart on August 14th.  Takotsubo Cardiomyopothy, also commonly called Broken Heart Syndrome.  It is a relatively new condition, discovered in 1990, so there is not a lot they know about it.  My instructions from the cardiologist, after a consult with the Cleveland Cardiac Clinic, was to go home, eliminate all stress, and do no work.  Do nothing that will work my heart, and remove all sources of stress while my heart heals.

I will let you know if I ever figure out how to do that. HA! 

So, I have been mostly at home for the last couple months.  Many of those days I didn't feel well enough to be anywhere else.  I spent 4 days in the hospital, only to come home and spend many more days hidden away in my quiet bedroom. 

I have always had a tendency to hide away.  Not just when physical things are wrong, but when anything was pressing on my mind, I seem to shut down and hide away until solutions come. 

As I watched this video teaching, over and over she said the words 'heart' and 'broken heart'.  I wish I had counted them.  She painted a word picture of Gideon, just trying to get the job done without any conflict or opposition.  Threshing away at what would sustain life. 

Oh how I identify. 

I don't like conflict.  Like Gideon, I will quietly place myself in the background and continue to do what I am SUPPOSED to do.  In my experience, as Gideon's was, God has found me there anyway, and has found a purpose for me to fulfill.  I have often prayed, "Lord use me for Your glory and purpose", only to reply "OH!  NOT THAT!" to an opportunity and call He gives. 

It seems my writing appeals to some folks.  I journaled for a long time before become internet saavy, then I switched to blogging, and then along came social media.  So here I am this morning, sitting with a computer, a Bible, and my brother Gideon.....looking at my situation.

I am hidden away much of the time, but here I sit, sharing my thoughts about Gideon in even a new way in this group online study.  There is MUCH evil on the internet, social media is used for MANY ungodly and unChristlike things, but this is certainly not one of them. 

Sisters, my crisis of health has certainly not been powerful enough to place me out of the reach of God, not beyond fulfilling the purposes He has given for my life.

My crisis of health positions me this morning in a quiet house, with time to read and open my spiritual ears, EXPECTING God to speak to my situation thru Gideon's story.

I have learned that my work as a hairdresser has always been about much much more than a hair-do.  I hope I have served God's purposes in the days I spent behind that chair, not just 'threshing wheat' so I could pay for bread at the grocery store. 

My broken heart will heal, and hopefully I can return to regular routines.  If not, I will trust Him to lead me thru it, just as He did with Gideon....when Gideon was just quietly beating away at that wheat, just trying to survive. 

But we are MORE than just survivors, we are mighty warriors, conquerors!  Rom 8:37 clearly tell us, ".. in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."



I confess, I have a pity party sometimes. 

I wish I could stay as positive as Paul.  I wish I could always say "I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love." (Romans 8:38-39 from The Message)

It is times when I hide away in the winepress, flailing away at my own stalk of wheat, that God will faithfully find me and say "I see.  I hear.  I know.  I understand better than even you do. I know it's not fun.  I know it's hard.  But it's not all JUST about you, Connie." 

It wasn't just about Gideon either.  God used Gideon to change a nation.  Gideon probably never knew while he was alive, all that God would do.  I might look him up in heaven and thank him for being used by God to encourage this old broken hearted hairdresser this morning.

I remember 10-16-76

It is one of those days.  A day for remembering. 

The weather today amplifies my sentimentality.  Forty-three years ago today it was cold and wet. 

I was twenty-one.  My small frame had bulged beyond anything I thought possible.  An added 48 pounds turned me into a barrel with legs and arms.  I looked like a cow.  A Jersey cow. 

I had not been sick the entire time.  I went to work every day.  In fact, I had worked this day those many years ago.  I got off mid-afternoon and went home to our trailer-house that sat beyond Kerry's parents home.   Kerry worked an odd shift, he went to work about the time I got off, so we had a few minutes in passing.  He went off in his uniform, I ate and went to bed. 

I woke from sleep thinking I was wetting the bed.  I had been a bedwetter growing up.  Awful awful thing...  I was horrified that I was doing it now, but I couldn't stop it.  I grabbed my housecoat and got to the bathroom.  The liquid had an odd smell and was slicky.  It dawned on me...this was not urine. 

I sat on the toilet trying to take it all in.  I had been in such a deep sleep it took a few minutes to fully wake up.  A glance at a clock told me it would not be long before Kerry was home.

We didn't have a phone, and there was no such thing as cellphones then.  So I sat there.  We had an ongoing joke.  Kerry would frequently ask if I was in labor yet?    When I heard him come into the house I called out "Guess what?" 

"I know...you're in labor."  Joking..

Yes.  My water has broken I think.

He didn't come right away, he was in the kitchen.  I had left a note for him telling him I didn't feed our dog that night because I couldn't find his bowl, he had drug it off somewhere, and there was the smell of a skunk outside, so I refused to go prowling around looking for it. 

After he read the note, he came down the hall to see me sitting on the toilet.  "I am serious this time."

He went across the yard and got his mother to come deal with the wet sheets and off to the hospital we went.  It was cold.  I had a brand new coat and I fretted about getting it wet.  But I couldn't stop the trickle.  A towel crammed between my legs seemed so crude, but you gotta do something!

Every time I woke with a pain, Kerry was sitting there, propped up in the windowsill, uniform, pistol, boots.  In those days, they made him leave every time they came in to check my progress.  He was insulted and wondered aloud if they thought he had never seen what they were looking at.  If you know Kerry, you can really appreciate that imagery.

If was a long night of pushing, but around nine o'clock the next morning, the doctor grabbed some forceps and pulled a 9 lb. 1.5 oz. baby boy from my body. 




There is so much I remember.  I make it my purpose to remember the details every year, I do not want to forget any of them. 

Tomorrow is the birthday of our first son. 
This is the day I began the birthing process. 


Tomorrow, I will remember again, a whole other set of memories. 

Enough 2

I continue to ponder over 'enough'.


A few months ago I attended a conference and listened to a speaker talk a lot about being 'enough.'  I am not criticizing her, she was a very encouraging woman.  I think it is important for us to stay encouraged.  I came away uplifted having had fellowship with other women and a time away from normal routine and surrounding.  During free time, I enjoyed solitude and time to just sit quietly at Jesus' feet and reflect on the topics and scriptures.  I did a lot of thinking about being 'enough'.

And I have done a lot more thinking about it in the past few days.

I have come to a conclusion.  I am not.  I simply am not enough.

And neither are you.  None of us are.  Not in and of ourselves.  We need Jesus, and we need each other.

I don't care how smart you are.
I don't care how much money you make.
I don't care how much willpower you have, or stamina, or determination, or how much 'want to' you have.
I don't care if you wash your face, wash your hands, wash your feet, and even your hair!  You can't get clean enough.  Ever.

You. Are. Not. Enough. 

But you are not without hope.  Jesus IS enough. 

Not religion.
Not rule keeping.
Not behavior modification.
Not self-help.
Not even professional help.

Jesus.  

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5, NLT)

Hallelujah.