Courage in the New Year

Hello there! I'm so glad you're able to stop and share a moment or so with me because there's something I want you to know from the most sincere part of my heart. I want to start the year off in prayer for you.

Ok, to be more specific...I’m praying for courage!

Courage for you and for me.

The kind of courage that grabs you by the hand and pulls you through the flames unscathed.

Courage to lift your eyes off the ground and up to the cross. Courage to let your heart lead the way when you’re tempted to pull the covers over your head and slink back into the safety of self doubt.

I pray you’ll find the purest form of courage in the darkest places.

COURAGE…

to wake up each morning victorious

to take the stairs 2 at a time

to think about what if...

to color outside the lines

to let “yes” replace a lot of your “nos”

to finally shine the light of the Lord on that dream of yours

to go confidently forward

to dance through every season

to praise God uninhibited

to pray for those who choose darkness

to pray through the pain

to enjoy the sweetness of God’s peace

to extend grace to the hard hearted

to lift weak arms in the midst of battle

to look beyond the storm and into the light of the Lord

to surrender your will to His

to ignore whispers of criticism and doubt

to laugh in the face of fear

to love the unlovely

to believe in yourself; a child of God

to believe in eternity

to simply...believe!

You fill in the blanks and let God breathe courage into your soul this year, and remember that I'm praying right along with you.

May you experience every blessing and success in 2011, and may you seek Him every step of the way.

God Bless You!

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (Philippians 3:13-14) NLT

Power Source

I didn’t want him to go out for a bike ride so close to dinner - so close to dark. The possibilities of all that could happen nearly paralyzed me. A couple teenagers riding across town in the bike lane during 5 o’clock traffic posed too many what ifs for me. But he’s 18 now, I reminded myself; an avid hiker and a total outdoorsy-type guy. Still, I suppose I’d opened the door to my “mom worry” and allowed the knot to form in my stomach…again. I have total confidence in my son, but not in the merriment of holiday drivers.

That’s when it flashed before me; that spark of a moment I could almost reach out and grasp. The Lord reminded me of the simple task of cleaning up the Christmas from our front yard earlier in the day and unplugging the many strands of lights and outdoor decorations from the power strip. As I did, I happened to consider how each light strand, each decoration couldn’t possibly illuminate until it was plugged in to a true power source. Relying on its own abilities produced feeble results. There was nothing God-glorifying or beautiful about the many elements strewn about the lawn…until they were plugged in.

In essence, I needed to plug into the right power source; not by trusting my own dusty faith that sometimes wavers with fear and doubt, but a solid faith in the giver of life, the One who waits patiently for me to turn from my own abilities and let His strength and His power illuminate from within. I needed the only source of power I know who relieves me of the overwhelming fear and worry that so often holds me steadfast, powerless and weak.

So, I prayed for the moment. Prayed for His perfect protection over my son and prayed for strength to release all that inhibits me from opening my arms wide enough to give flight to the chains that bind and grip me.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

(2 Timothy 1:7) NLT

Lord Jesus,

You and only you have the sustaining power that equips us to move forward. I pray each person who reads this will realize the power they have in you to overcome the fears that hinder both our spiritual journey and our day-to-day choices. Strengthen, motivate and encourage all who seek it. In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

An Obedient Heart

The last cloud burst drew me to the window. I couldn’t believe how quickly the rain grew from a sprinkle to a downpour.

That’s when I saw her; a young woman sitting on the benches in front of the church. She sat silent in her long plaid coat, the legs of her thin pants hanging sloppy in soggy weight. With head bowed, she clutched a large purse and a plastic bag, and her coarse hair streaked of haphazard attempts at coloring.

I paused for a moment wondering why she didn’t choose to stand beneath the patio overhang of the church. Instead, I grabbed my umbrella and went to the door.

Her head lifted at the sound of the latch and a warm smile broke out through tears.

“Hello. Can I help you?” I called.

She rose and met me, and we stepped inside to talk.

In a voice, weak and mousy, she spoke of hardship and want. She sought direction in many forms, and despite the uneasiness in my spirit, for some reason the Lord brought her to me on that cold, wet day.

I’d seen and dealt with similar “situations” before. A church seems the first stop for even the non-believer and unfortunately a target for those with deceitful hearts. I remained cautious and guarded having heard stories from other church secretaries of dangerous situations brought on by desperation.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…”

(Matthew 25:34-35) NIV

I offered what I could, wished her well, and watched her disappear around the corner holding my umbrella against the wind and rain. Whether her story was fiction or non, rehearsed or from a truly desperate heart, only God knows and He will take her motives into account.

However, sharing the incident later in the day with the pastor revealed that I had indeed been taken advantage of as she had received a free meal from him the week prior. Her story, rehearsed and written on a small tattered card had fallen on ears of others eager to offer assistance.

It’s a struggle when, as Christians, we are called to respond to such instances with the knowledge we’ve been given. Our human nature wants to pull us back, warn of possible hurt by laying our good intentions on the line to be either trampled or to bless. Either way, God will be the judge of both.

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need,

yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

(1 John 3:17) ESV

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor,

doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may

have something to share with anyone in need.

(Ephesians 4:28) ESV

The Work of His Hands

Each year I resurrect the old candy dish and relive the memories that make it dear. It holds laughter and love of family, cherished Christmases past spent in a much simpler time.

Proudly displayed on Grandma’s Christmas table since the 50’s, it’s held all sorts of treats from candied maple nuts to chocolates, to peanut butter cookies and old-fashioned ribbon candy. I remember Grandma’s swollen fingers as she tied the ribbon to the top to make it more festive. The ribbon remains, and always will, just as she tied it her last Christmas with us.

It’s this time of year when I miss her the most – when my own bones and joints scream with the cold. When the wonderful aromas drift from my kitchen and I sense her warmth, almost hear her voice, and imagine that gleam in her eyes.

I consider the many hands at work this time of year; those that know more work than leisure – those unaccustomed to such things as paid vacation days.

I think of the many hands folded in prayer, searching through thin, warn pages of God’s Word for just the right verse, just the right answer to ease the worry and fatigue. What will the New Year bring?

God bless the hands that add a little water to the soup to make it reach to every mouth around the table.

I think of precious little ones learning, kneading, and straining to see above the counter. And how they look to the more skilled hands that offer guidance and instruction; hands that help make a house a home; a place of refuge and peace.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

(Titus 2:3-5) NIV

These are the hands that work love into every task. They bring forth moments that steal away little pieces of the heart forever. They hold and comfort, nurture and protect.

As with the hands that first brought forth life and spun the world into being, we can’t undo the work of the Lord – can’t unravel the work of love when it’s born of a sincere heart and embraces another.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech;night after night they reveal knowledge.

(Psalm 19:1-2) NIV

May the Lord richly bless the work of your hands!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, from my heart to yours.

I Love the Reign

It started when the sun took its rest beyond the trees

That perfect, random rhythm on the roof that makes you stop and listen

You know it's nothing you've created - it's the work of the Lord

It's out of your control.

I've waited all day for the gentle song of peace that now feeds my soul.

I've spent a restless, uneasy day - shifting moods and stumbling around with the clouds

As if switching unsteady dance partners in a darkened room

But then, I hear the voice in the rain:

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations.

I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) NIV

He brings the sun and the stars, and the wind that grows my strength

It's the work of the Lord - it's out of my control

He gives vision to see more clearly the blessings that surround me

He brings the dark when the day is done that I may take refuge in Him

And he brings the sweet song of rain on my roof that I may simply stop....and remember

It's His reigning power over my life and my home that comforts me

It's the work of the Lord...and I'm so glad He is in control.

"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind

of the spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's

people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the

good of those who love him, who have been called

according to his purpose." (Romans 8:27-28) NIV

Is There a Hallmark Card for That?

It’s been 22 years since I agreed to unconditionally love, honor, cherish and yes, obey my husband. We’ve come a long way since our "deep-fried days" before I learned to cook. Wow – 22 years! Who really knows what you’re signing up for when you’re young and in love? In reality, I should have said, “I vow to…”

• look for something cute about the way you snore and keep me awake
• keep your sock drawer full (most of the time)
• listen to you “practice” your trumpet each day at the stroke of 7:30am
• keep your dinner warm until you stumble in late from work
• smile from the inside out when you play guitar and sing mariachi songs…to the dogs
• not complain when you leave the toilet seat up and I find out the hard way at 2am
• learn to pack a travel bag for your 5-day business trips at a moment’s notice
• be your partner through life’s rainy days…and walk with you in the sun
• appreciate your drive and ambition
• appreciate your passion
• appreciate your heart
• learn when to hold back…and when to let go

I agreed to compromise, overcome, accept and adapt, to understand, to forgive, to see straight through to the heart of the man my God and savior chose for me – and to be truly thankful for him. I agreed to grow old and gray together with my best friend, to trust and believe in forever.

Still looking forward to spending my forever with you, Matthew. I love you and thank God for you always. Happy Anniversary!

Peace, Joy and Hope

It was a simple, rustic plaque; a picture of me with my horse, Wendy, set inside a horseshoe cutout and the bending, curling of rope to fashion her name above it. I opened it and the tears spilled overcome by the love of a daddy wanting to give what he could for his daughter at Christmas.

Nothing shiny with sale tags dangling or gleaned from a department store shelf surrounded by mobs of holiday shoppers; one hardly acceptable by the world’s standards. But instead, a gift constructed from the calloused hands of a dad spending a late night out in his workshop in a worn flannel shirt bent over the swirling steam of his coffee cup. I imagined him sanding the wood. The tapping of the hammer, working love into every last detail and how he meticulously chose and cut out just the right picture and fit it in place, then with his own hands wrapped it up to rest alone beneath the tree.

I didn’t know about Hope back then…but Hope knew all about me. And He knows you too - even now; even when the peace and joy of Christmas seems overshadowed by the demands of it. The pressure builds on our shoulders when we think we have to follow society’s standards of what we should be doing simply because we’re only a twinkle away from that magical day.

My prayer is that you won’t let the reality of a harsh situation demand your peace, joy and hope this season. Your father has already given you the gift of His Son, and in that you already possess such things.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) NIV

If peace hasn't found you this season, then create it by surrounding yourself with joyful people. Have faith and know that God is aware of your situation, and that He’s already working love into every last detail, meticulously constructing each element of His plan.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:1-4) NIV