Christ's Power

Come sit for a while.........this blog will be a long one....come linger awhile and contemplate what your heart feels and what emotions arise.

In recent days, there has been so much anger, fear, doubt, anxiety and total shock over recent events reported on the news that affects so many people that I know and love.  It is devastating to the family that this horrific act happened to AND to all who knows the heartbreak. Something so unbelievable and unfathomable that a person has to shake their head and say: "Why, God, why???"

The beautiful part is that the community of FAITH around this family is gathering..........hunkering down.......staying committed to helping in every aspect possible............praying............and trusting God with all our hearts!!

God will NOT be defeated! The Lion of Judah is roaring and we will get past this! And, we will stand tall together.  We will be a community that will have an incredibly positive "Ripple effect" so far and wide that people will say "How in the world do they stay positive?  Committed?  How are they becoming Stronger?  

How?  Our God is an AWESOME God!!!  He is mighty to SAVE!!!  He will NEVER leave us, nor forsake us!!!  He WILL be glorified somehow through this tragedy!!!

Psalm 46 resonates for us as a church family!!! 

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will NOT fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.  God is within her, she will NOT fall; Nations are in an uproar, kindgoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty IS with us, the God of Jacob IS our fortress.  Come and SEE the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth.  He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire.  BE STILL AND KNO THAT I AM GOD. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty IS with us, the God of Jacob IS our fortress."

Never before have I felt SO strong in my faith. SO certain there IS a God.  My faith is growing by the minute!  Our church WILL Grow. Our church family WILL unite. Our Kids Ministry WILL survive.  Our Preschool will THRIVE.  We will OVERCOME by God' Grace and Mercy.  His Grace IS enough.

Last night we gathered.  We prayed together.  We sang songs like "His Grace is Enough" and "Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone." These songs will ring through our heads and our hearts forever. We will NOT give up.  We will NOT give in to the devil's schemes.

Prayer will be our mantra.  Prayer will lead us to VICTORY.

CHRIST'S Power will prevail and WILL overcome the evil that darkened our doorstep.

Changing gears for a minute, I had the privilege of creating an acronym with a young 10 year old friend, named Bella Lugo last week before this tragedy hit our church.  Bella and I poured over a Bible's Concordance for each letter in the word: POWER.  After writing down all the possibilities, we came up with this acronym:

Provides

Outstanding

Way

(for)

Everlasting

Righteousness

Isn't that amazing???  A ten year old, opening her Bible, picking out words to put together to create something that will resonate in my heart the rest of my days...........when I first learned of this tragedy, I thought, I don't even know HOW to pray, what to pray, could I pray?  Then, this acronym came to my mind.  God just provided HIS outstanding WAY.  He provides the Everlasting Righteousness through His son.

POWER.  Christ's Power.  

We have it because He sacrificed it ALL for each of us!!!  

HIS POWER!!!

His death. His burial. His resurrection.

Our Salvation. Our Santification. Our Sacred Privilege of being one of HIS followers.

His Provision.  His Way.  His Everlasting Righteousness.

His POWER.  

WOW!!!

Polishing Your Character

When was the last time you polished silver?  It has been a long time since I have had to polish any silver dish, tray or pitcher.  When a person polishes something that is silver, it is to make the silver color come back and take the tarnish off.  And, polishing something can make something smooth and glossy by rubbing or friction like a car or boat.

Also, another way to look at the concept of polishing is to render something finished or elegant. You might be redoing wood floors and polishing them and find out that polishing comes very easy and they look elegant when you are finished. My friends Terri and Dennis' wood floors are stunning!

Some people use the term "polish up" to improve or refine their behavior at work or within their family dynamics. So many people think they must compare themselves to others, so sometimes "polishing up" seems to make them feel better about themselves.  And, polishing up an attitude can truly bring about change in a very positive way.

And, what about your spiritual demeanor?  Does it need polishing up?  Or, have you been feeling like you are being polished by the Lord?  Lately, that is exactly what I have been feeling like........I was just reading in Sarah Young's Jesus Always devotional book and as I read the devotion on July 29 that is exactly what God is doing in my life!  There have been many things I have had to "wait" on or have patient endurance.  I have not always been "patient" or understood why so many challenges had to be one right after the other this past year and 1/2, but for whatever reason, He has shown me clearly in the past few days, exactly what He is doing!  And, it is amazing to have this awareness.

One example is not having a car for the past 8 months has been a real lesson in polishing my patience!!!  But, God has provided incredible friends to take me to and from church, work, the grocery, errands, etc.  I have truly been blessed beyond imagination these past 8 months by these precious friends!!!  A huge thank you to each person who helped me along the way!  And, a huge thank you to the Lord for pointing this concept out to me through this devotion!

If you feel like you are being "polished" look up and ask the Lord what He may be doing in your life!

He has a purpose in His plan.  Everything is under His control. That is the biggest lesson I have learned while being polished.  My character is being refined and improved in ways I would never have thought possible.  God is truly an amazing God!!!

Salt

 "You are the Salt of the earth."

(/Matthew 5:13)

Read the scripture and see how you react. Re-read it and consider this: If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, He is talking to YOU!  You are the salt of the earth!  

But, wait, what in the world does that mean?  Does it mean you are salty in your language when you are talking?  Do you sprinkle or season people by your encouragement?  Are you regarded as one of the finest people in a specific area who might be considered to be "The Salt of the Earth?  Or do your words come with a "grain of salt" meaning you exaggerate a lot?  Do you add a little "zest" to other people's lives as salt adds flavor to food? Or, does it mean you preserve things like salt does with food?  Hmmm....salt can mean many things to many different people!

Consider how salt works -  Can it facilitate healing? Can it hasten the closing of wound?  Can it add flavor to a meal? Can it be a symbol of wisdom where we learn from someone who may have more experience than we do in a certain area?  Or, could we be open to teaching something we know that someone might not have any experience in? Whichever way you have seen "salt" work in your life, consider how you might notice and apply one of these principles in your life:

1) Salt as a seasoning - Be an encourager!  Sprinkle a little "salt" around at the office or at home to lighten the load of someone who might need a little nudge.  Or, maybe you are one of the wonderful people who "flavor" other people's lives by splashing a bit of joy around and making people smile. Spread encouragement like glitter! It's a seasoning we all need!

2) Salt as a facilitator to healing - Notice when a person is hurting and ask how you might help?  Sometimes, we each need someone to listen.  Some wounds are really deep and heal very slowly - it takes time to process.  Sometimes the wound just won't close and we need someone to just sit with us as we go through that process.  Sometimes the diagnosis is so overwhelming that we need hope.

3) Salt as a preservative - Could we point out something that is of great value that no one else seems to notice? Or, point out to someone how valuable they are as a person?  Or could we point out what is worth holding onto that might not otherwise be seen?

4) Salt as wisdom - Be willing to share your experience, strength and hope with someone that is struggling or inexperienced. How might you offer to discuss the matter with someone who has not been in your shoes? Or, would you consider mentoring someone in a specific skill to add to their knowledge and skill? What about someone who wants to learn about the Word of God? Would you be willing to share a Bible study with them?

There are a million different ways to be "salt" in this world!  Try it - you just might be the "zest" that someone else might need to move forward on a new path or journey!  

Here is a challenge for you:  Ask God, how may I embark on being salt today for Your glory???  Salt my life Lord and spread Your flavor!!!

Mustard Seed Size Faith?

Have you ever seen a mustard seed?  It is extremely small……..barely visible to some….and small enough to lose within your own palm. So what does mustard have to do with faith?

First, mustard comes from a variety of plants with yellow flowers and a very pungent smell.  Second, think of a seed as a source or beginning which when fertilized becomes an embryo capable of developing into a plant.   A big plant! Combine those two things and you have an emerging flower or plant that develops or “grows” into something so much larger than can be imagined by looking at one tiny seed! Wow!  Think of that!  Tiny, little seedlings can become a glorious and huge plant!  That is what faith is like…..

In the beginning, faith may be quite undetectable, hardly noticeable.  Yet, when the Gospel is preached, on TV or the radio (the old fashioned way), a podcast, in a church, a Bible study online, on a billboard or whatever way captures a person’s heart, one may think, there may be something to that message of hope.  The thought percolates and the person thinks perhaps, I should learn more about what they teach and why.  And so, they start exploring the teachings of the faith.  How did it start?  Who started it? What do they believe?  How did they come to believe that?  Is there any truth to what they believe?  Yes, when a person finds faith, they find that the beliefs are good, right and true.  They choose to keep learning and their faith grows.  Then, grows some more until they truly know and understand what they believe and why. 

Or at least, that was my experience, way back when….1970’s.  Our family attend the Overbrook Presbyterian Church in Columbus, OH where I learned about the Presbyterian Church and what they believed in a Catechism class. Week after week, we explored what it meant to be a “Presbyterian.”  We learned how the church was founded and what is was founded upon.  Plus, the church was beautiful!  It had gorgeous stained glass windows and a sanctuary that evoked the presence of God to me.  I “felt” His presence when I entered the sanctuary each Sunday and on the nights of youth fellowship when we snuck into the darkened church and tried to “find God.”  It was there I found God for the first time.

I was confirmed in the church after one year of training and learning about the catechism of the church.  It was different that anything I learned in school and had a depth that I have not learned about before. I became “confirmed” at age 13.  Since I declared my faith at that point, I was able to take communion.  It was a glorious day to taste the bread and the grape juice.  I felt “all grown up!”

I received my first very own Bible and a church hymnal which I still have today and use the hymnal quite often while playing the piano.  The rhythm and music of the hymns are embedded deep in my heart from years of singing them.  The lyrics swirl in my head many days when I cannot find my way or on days when I feel inexpressible joy!  I believe that joy comes from my deep faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.  It is the buoyancy of my life that I feel as JOY.  He anchors me and soothes my restless heart on days of peril and comforts me with His quiet love and peacefulness on other days.

One of the very first verses in scripture that I memorized comes from Hebrews 11:1 which says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Truly, faith is hope in something completely invisible and unseen.  So, how does one place their “faith” in something they cannot see?  It is a matter of the heart and soul.  There is something so deep about reading about the life of Jesus in the Bible. Learning about how He came to earth to save us. This teaching is crucial and disturbing at the same time.  Why would someone leave paradise and come to earth to be scorned, tortured and die for us?  That’s a bit crazy, don’t you think?  Yet, that is exactly what Christ did.

Matthew 17:20 says: “So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Wow!  In the verses just before this verse, the disciples had just witnessed Jesus rebuking a demon out of a possessed man.  They watched a child be cured before their very eyes.  And they asked Jesus: “Why could we not cast him out?”  And so, he answered them.  Their faith was not yet there. But, IF they believed with the faith of the size of a mustard seed – a tiny, little seed – they would be able to do many things to bring about healing and love.

Faith.  The assurance of things NOT seen.

Is your faith tiny, small, almost undetectable?  Great!  Let it grow!  If it has been with you since childhood, fantastic!!  There is still room to GROW.  And, if you are thinking about learning more for the very first time, that would be wonderful!!! 

He’s waiting for you.  He’s knocking at the door of your heart.  There is no handle on His side of the door though….You must open the door!

 

 

Embark on a Mysterious Expedition

Embark on a mysterious expedition with me!  And adventure of sorts!  And, to some, it would be a long harsh journey in some ways, but oh, the outcome is GLORIOUS!

Imagine if you were one of the three Wise Men in the Christmas Story.  Why would you travel from the Orient to Bethlehem?  What are you looking for?

And, would you travel by camel for a hundred miles or even one thousand miles to see a mysterious babe in a manger?  Why would you choose to do such an adventure?  What would make you want to make this long, arduous journey towards Bethlehem?

And, would you really follow a star shining in the night sky?  What would cause you to begin such a journey?  Well, as it says in the scriptures, the Magi followed the star to Jerusalem to ask:  "Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews?  We saw His star in the East and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:1-2).  Wow!  That is one long journey to worship someone you don't even know is real!  But, somehow, they did make that journey and they did worship Him.  They believed the prophecy which had been foretold:  The Babe lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.

And, the Three Kings brought gifts for Him, too!  Gold, Frankincense, and Mryyh. Have you ever wondered WHY???

Some of the answers are in this song.....Remember the old Christmas Carol:  We Three Kings???  The verses are fascinating!!!

1) "We three Kings of Orient are,

Bearing gifts we traverse afar,

Field and fountain, moor and mountain

Following yonder star.

Refrain:

O______,

Star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to Thy perfect light."

2) "Born a King on Bethlehem's plain,

Gold I bring to crown Him again,

King forever, ceasing never,

Over us all to reign."

Refrain

3) "Frankincense to offer have I,

Incense owns a Deity nigh,

Prayer and praising, all men raising,

Worship Him, God most high."

Refrain

4) Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume,

Breathes of life of gathering gloom,

sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,

Sealed in the stone cold tomb."

Refrain

5) "Glorious now behold Him arise,

King and God and Sac-ri-fice.

Al-le-lu-ia, Al-le-lu-ia, 

Earth to heaven replies."

Refrain

************************************************************************

A star leading them through the night......in wonder......shrouded in mysterious light....

with royal beauty.....guiding to the Perfect Light!  Christ IS that Light!!!  If ever there was a time to explore who Christ is, now is that time!!!

Go on a journey..........read in the New Testament the story for yourself!  It's in the Bible in the book of Matthew, Chapter 1 and 2, and Luke, Chapter 2: The Christmas story.  It's amazing - especially if it has been since you were a child when you last read it or heard it!  

And, John 1:14 says: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of Grace and Truth."

Come!  Follow the Star!!!  Find the Babe lying in the manager...........

He came for you.  He came for me.

Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

Catalytic Converters....

What does a Catalytic Converter do for a car?  Well, it is part of the exhaust system and keeps it from making a loud rumbling or roaring sound - a bit like the muscle cars in the 1960's when the owner wanted it to sound loud to get attention!

So, why are people stealing these so often in today's world?  The reason is that they have precious metals in them such as platinum, palladium and rhodium - copper, silver and gold.  They sell it to make money!  And, it is a hot item right now is most cities.  Our church parking lot has been the source of several thefts and it boggles my mind that people have the skill to cut these parts off so quickly in broad daylight when no one is looking!  Seriously???

So, why am I writing about this?  Because my car just had its catalytic converter stolen this week.......another part of the saga in car repairs this past month.  But no worries! I am not telling you this for sympathy, but  to show how God is working in my life and my son's to bring redemption!!!

What is a Cataclysm?  It is a violent and sudden upheaval.  Well, having this part stolen has been sudden and it has been and upheaval in my life.  Cataclysm, catalytic, cathartic.

It's all part of a figurative way of purging my emotions and testing my faith. And, it is bringing healing!  Yes, "All things work for good for those who love God and are called according to His prupose!!!"  (Romans 8:28)  All, not some, not part, not most, but ALL.

Despite the fact that this part being stolen is wrong (and annoying), God is working in my heart (and my son's) to show me that He is still in control!  He is still on the Throne!!  He is Sovereign!!!

Matt commented to me on Thanksgiving Day that he KNOWS there is a God because his mom is a praying mom and his life is a witness to God's Sovereignty!!!  Through all the trials and tribulations and  multiple life-threating experiences he has had in his life, he know he is still alive because him mom prays!  This is NOT about me.  It is about GOD.  It is about PRAYER. And, this is a HUGE revelation for my son!  HUGE!!!  

And, to me, this is about God's Glory!!!  When we pray, He is faithful!!!  And this entire experience

shows me that the God who watches over us indeed does watch over us. 

He never leaves us.  

He never forsakes us.

He IS faithful.

Always.  

What catalyst is at work in YOUR Life this week?

Sweet Memories...

Memories.....sweet remembrances of my family fill my mind and heart at this time of year.  We live 643-840 miles apart, but we love each other tremendously!  I realize that we are very lucky in our family to be so close and to want to talk to each other and spend time together.  I know some families do not share that closeness and I wish I could change that for several friends who do not have that closeness.  And, I am very grateful that our family does share that closeness!  I do not mean that as a boast, that is a true place a gratitude in my heart!!!  I know it is rare and I cannot thank God enough for it every day!

I have two older sisters and one younger brother, one brother-in-law, one sister-in-law, plus my son, three wonderful nieces, two incredible nephews, two amazing great nieces and my brother's two grandkids.  We have so much fun together when we are able to get together.........most of my family lives in Ohio,Texas and Virginia, and one recently moved to Belize.  Recalling their faces and their smiles fills my heart with joy.  We tease, we joke, we laugh, we taunt each other and we love each other.  Goofiness abounds when we are together!

My siblings and I have a series of "decade" photos:  Our thirty-something, forty-something, fifty-something and our sixty-something years we have captured in photos!!!  It is so much fun, but how did we get that old???  Ha! Ha!  My oldest sister turns 70 this year, so a new decade is upon us.  Wow............six decades of love and joy and laughter and yes, heartache, sorrow and tears have filled our paths as well.  But, what holds us together is LOVE!

A deep abiding love that stems from our parents and grandparents and great grandparents! Despite the troubles we have seen, we still gather and enjoy each other's company and cherish those moments.

Tell me, do you have sweet memories of your family or friends in your life?  I hope so!  Cherish them!  Enjoy them!  Spend time with them.  Tell them how much they mean to you!  Tell them as often as you can!!!  Don't take for granted that they "know" you love them...........tell them!  Show them! Hug them!!!

As I write out my Thanksgiving cards again this year, there is a saying that I found years ago that expresses the depth of my heart:

"Like an old country road,

Our Thanksgiving memories always lead us to the warm, familiar places we love...

And to the cherished faces waiting there."

Go to those warm, familiar places..........cherish those faces........let go of any unpleasant things of the past.....let by-gones be by-gones!  Forgive..........start over.......call them, text them, email them, have lunch or dinner with them, take them to the grocery, run errands with them, pick up leaves with them, throw snowballs at them.........whatever way you can find to show your heart.........and love, really love those in your life!  Tell them often!!!