Memories

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” – Philippians 1:3-6

I have been bombarded with memories lately. I have been organizing my basement and have come upon so many wonderful memories that I literally stop and cry for a minute or two.

I came across my college acceptance letter, my journal and poems of meeting my husband, so many baby pictures that I lost count, pictures of my Dad and the things from his work desk, and I could go on and on.

To add to it, I have also been working on my resume and preparing for job interviews. That brings to mind so many lives that have crossed my path. Oh, and let’s not forget that it is pumpkin season and I have pies and breads to make that so many in past have loved.

These are precious to me. Each one represents a moment in time when someone special met with me on my journey. Some have walked for a long time. Some have just skipped across my life. Others have made an impact beyond words.

I cherish each and every one of these people and are/were in my life. If you know me and you are reading this, know that I love you and think of you often, especially lately.

I was given a picture/sign, whatever you want to call it, that says, “Friends are the family you chose.” Now, don’t get me wrong, there are few things (mainly just Jesus) that are more important than family. But my friends, oh my dear friends, we have laughed together; we have cried together; we have solved so many problems and issues together.

I am grateful for each and every person that comes into my life for a season or for a lifetime. Each and every one is important and we each have a role to play in making the other better for His service. And I know that as long as God gives me breath, He will make sure that I am surrounded by people that need me as much as I need them.

Back to the grocery store

Hebrews 10:23-25 – “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

It is my goal to only go to the grocery store one time a week. That rarely happens. Despite my diligence in making out a grocery list, checking to see who needs what and then following that list to the “t”, I usually end up back at the grocery store for something during the week. Right now, my fridge is empty and my teenage son is starting to panic. The apple juice is gone. The milk is gone. Life might just end if the child doesn’t have apple juice and milk! 

But going back the the grocery store isn’t such a bad thing – it means that I sufficient funds available to supply the needs of my family in a spontaneous moment. It means that all the good stuff that I have purchased has been gobbled up by 2 growing teenagers. Good stuff in, good stuff out.

So, I know you have to be wondering what in the world going to the grocery store has to do with going to church. Hold on and see how my crazy brain works.

The assembling of ourselves together was not meant to be a one time a week event. We need the support and love and encouragement of one another often. When I don’t see my church family more than one time a week, I feel left out and sad and empty inside. I love vacations, but I miss being with my brothers and sisters at church. I need to share life with them. I need to hear their encouraging words. I need to laugh with them. I need to cry with them. I need to serve with them. I can’t do that one time a week. 

This life is challenging. We all face hurdles that have to be jumped. We all face knots that need to be untied. We all face obstacles that have to be figured out. How can we do all that alone? We can’t. We need help. We need words of encouragement and guidance. What better place to find all that than among people who love the Lord. 

Wrapping all this up, if I can’t make it through the week with only one trip to the grocery store, how do I think that I can make it through the week with only one interaction with my church family? God used the writer of Hebrews to encourage us to go and be with our church family frequently. He doesn’t want us to feel alone. He doesn’t want us to feel weak and neglected. He wants us around people who love Him so that we can grow and help one another out. Things that the grocery store have to offer us are life sustaining and needful. The things that our church family and serving God have to offer us are life sustaining and needful. So, get out there. Get involved in your church. See what you have really been missing by staying home when the church doors are open.

Temporary good-bye

I Thessalonians 4:14-18 – “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Well, I find myself on the road again. This time, we are headed to a funeral. Grandpa lost his battle here on earth but won a far greater prize – the presence of Jesus. As my little niece so appropriately put it, “Grandpa closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he saw Jesus.” How cool is that!

But as comforting as it is to know that he is in the presence of His Savior, we still have to say good-bye or rather, so long for now. And that’s not always the easiest task to accomplish. 

You see, we all are a bit selfish. We want him here. We don’t want to have to face all the challenges of living without him. We want it to be easy. We want to go up to his house and have him go with us to get the 4 wheeler out of the shed. We want to see him stand at the gate to the pasture and call the cows. We want to fuss at him about not putting his own socks on (long story). We want to hear him give grandma a hard time and laugh at his quirky little ways. But that’s not the case with this trip.

This time, we go to comfort one another. We go to say our “so-long for now” and to lay him to rest. We go to remember. We go to cry. We go to laugh. We go to give our support.

But one day, in the not too distant future, I imagine, we will see him again. We will see him, my dad, my grandma, my other grandpa, my uncles, and all the friends and loved ones who have gone on before us to the presence of God. Jesus will come back. Those graves we so diligently keep will burst open. We who are left will meet Jesus in the air. Oh….I can’t wait! Even so Lord Jesus come!

So amongst all the tears and sadness, I will be holding to hope. I will be smiling on the inside because I know this is just a temporary good-bye. This is just another bump in the road. Grandpa knew it. Daddy knew it. All of us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior know it. Death is hard. Death is sad. Death seems so final. But it’s not. Jesus has overcome death. And that is why I will be smiling on the inside – because I know it is just temporary.

Through the valley

Psalm 23 – “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

It has been a challenging last 4 days. I got a call Friday night that my grandpa had been in a really bad accident. So, the kids and I set out Sunday on a 12 hour tour up to visit him in the hospital. Now, we are on our 12 hour leg back home. I am so grateful that God prepared my path and provided a way for me to go and visit him. He prepared my car. He prepared my son to help drive some. He took care of it all.

But for the second time in his 87 years, my grandpa is walking through the valley. And it is hard to watch him go through it, again. I feel so helpless and confused when I walk into his room and see all the machines and hear all the noises. Suddenly, all the training and knowledge that I have received about medical conditions and prognosis and treatment become a distant memory that I have to work really hard to retrieve. 

It is a challenge to be positive. The devil is right there on my shoulder whispering in my ear all the negative thoughts he can muster up. He wants me to think about the very worst. He wants me to dwell on all the things I see wrong. He fights me when I try and remember that God is in control.

Yet, I know Jesus is in control of it all. 

Let me tell you about the day before I got the call – my tire pressure light came on. For land’s sake, I just got new tires within the last 3 months! So, my husband and I decided to go get it checked out and get the oil changed while we were at it. It was that time. This was Friday afternoon. I got the call Friday night. God knew on Thursday that grandpa would get hurt Friday afternoon and that I would get the call Friday night. He knew that I would want to go visit him and he knew that my husband needed the knowledge that the car was safe to carry his precious cargo 800 miles away without him. 

God knew. God prepared the way. 

So as my family and I walk through the valley, we covet your prayers. Pray for my grandma. She needs it. Pray for my aunt and my mom. They need it. 

But the great thing is that no matter what God chooses to do in this situation, the table before us will be prepared by Him. He will provide everything we need. He will be our rod. He will be our strength. He will anoint our thoughts with His grace and mercy. He will make our cup run over with His blessings. Of this, I have no doubt.

Family Devotions

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

One of the things we have been doing every night since we have been on vacation is have family devotions. Each night, one of us has done a devotion, including the kids. 

And let me tell you, hearing my children read from the Word and expound upon what they have read and tell everyone of us what it means to them, well, my heart is full. 

The insight they have floors me. They have done such a good job at bringing in what we have seen and done with the verses God has laid on their heart. 

It has been a bit of a challenge for them. They have never done anything like that before. They have never really spoken in this manner. But it is good for them. They are learning to share God in a whole new way. 

It is my prayer that they will remember not only the beauty they have seen and the laughs we have shared, but that these family devotions will be a part of the treasures that they have stored up in their hearts. And it is also my prayer that they continue to fight the good fight and that Christ will always be their Leader. Happy Monday. 

Be prepared

1 Peter 3:15,16 – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”

Well, the packing is almost done. I have been thinking about as many scenarios as possible to prepare for. I have bandaids, moleskin for blisters, a first aid kit, sunscreen, muscle rub, medication for pain and headaches, aloe. I have extra clothes. I have water bottles to fill. My goodness, I can’t believe all the stuff I have packed!

I like to be prepared. I don’t like to be caught off guard. I have even written off the address and lock box info for the house we are staying at just in case I don’t have cell phone service. I try to be prepared. 

But how well do I prepare myself for spiritual journeys? 

Each and every day is a new challenge, a new focus, a new opportunity to share Christ with someone. But am I ready?

Getting into the Word is a great start. Reading and studying and thinking about God’s precepts and principles is a necessary step in growing and preparing. 

Prayer is also a necessity. How can we expect to be ready for any spiritual battle or situation if we don’t communicate with The Commander and Chief? 

There is also one more thing that helps get me ready for spiritual journeys – my brothers and sisters in Christ, aka – my church family. I need them. I need their love. I need their support. I need their encouragement. But you can’t have that church family if you don’t make the sacrifice to be a part of it. 

Be prepared. Be prepared for life. Be prepared for spiritual issues and battles. Be prepared to be in His Word. Be prepared to spend time with your Savior. Be prepared to find love in your church family. Happy Monday. 

Church family

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 – “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”

When my family and I started going to our church, we were a bit puzzled. Everyone was identified as aunt or uncle so-and-so. How could all these people possibly be related? True, it has been around for 120+ years and dating someone in our church requires a careful analysis of both people’s family tree, but still..all of them related?

We quickly learned that these were terms of endearment. 

My church is far from perfect. We have problems. We have challenges. But above it all, we have love. 

And there is no better place to see love than at a funeral. Now, I know, that seems weird. But hear me out. 

One of our ladies passed away this week. She had fought long and hard against an illness that rarely gives up – cancer. It was sad. And it was a blessing. She had been ill for so long and endured so much. She was ready to see Jesus. 

And as we sat and listened to the pastor give his words of encouragement, the common theme was “amen”. He talked about her faith; her dedication when she was ill; her love for her family and her Jesus. Amen. She isn’t hurting. Amen. She wants her family to share in her joy. Amen. Her family was not only flesh and blood but also the blood of Jesus Christ. 

I have a plaque in my home that was given to us by one of our church family. It says “Friends are the family you choose.” 

And no truer words can be spoken when I think about my church family. 

I love my family dearly, blood of my relatives and blood of my Jesus. They are all precious to me. And yesterday, as we laid to rest one of our own, my heart was sad for the ones left behind but happy for her. It was bittersweet. 

So I would encourage you to go home to your church family this weekend. They would love to see you. They would love to hug you. They would love to tell you how much they have missed you, because they have. Don’t let the devil steal away the family that God has given you. Treasure it and thrive within it. 

Busy. Busy. Busy.

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Sunday morning, we had a missionary speak to us. He said something that really hit home for me –

If the Devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy. 

His sermon focused on the Good  Samaritan. He also looked at the ones that “passed by” and why they may have done so. 

As he was speaking, I began to wonder how many times I “pass by”. How many times do I see a need and just smile and nod and move on? How many times do I hear a cry for help and just turn away? How many times am I too busy to give up a moment for someone else?

Too many, I can tell you that. But how am I supposed to stop everything and attend to a situation or person that I really don’t know how to help? How am I to explain to the person that gets the short end of my time that I just had to do such and such? 

It’s excuses. Every single one of them. Excuses. I have to be at work. I can’t be late for my next client. My kids are waiting on me. My family already has this or that planned. Excuses. 

I’m busy. 

God wants me to be still. He wants me to be compassionate. He wants me to see Him be exalted. If I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I won’t see His exaltation. I won’t see His mighty hand at work. I won’t see the opportunity to show someone else His love. I just won’t see. 

Busyness has a way of taking me away from Him. And the sad thing is that sometimes it’s “spiritual” busyness that takes me away. It’s the teaching three classes in one day that stresses me out in a way that keeps me from serving with a pure heart. And that’s my fault for not saying “no”. But I allow myself to get too busy and I forget to be still. 

So, I want to encourage y’all to be still this week. Don’t let busyness of any sort get in your way of being still before Him. It’s a challenge not only for you, but especially for me. Happy week. 

Blessings of a Godly Family

Jeremiah 35:12-17 – “Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.”

Sorry. I know the reading was long, but I wanted you to get the full picture. 

Oftentimes, God uses living, breathing examples for us to understand what He is trying to tell us. Here, He wanted the people of Israel to see that it can be done – you can follow after age, old commands without compromising. These people, the Rechabites, had followed after the commands of their forefathers for many generations. They chose not to drink wine. (They chose not to do other things everyone else did as well. Check out Jeremiah 35.)   

The important lesson here for the children of Israel was that they needed to repent and follow after the commands that God had given their forefathers. But this didn’t fit what they wanted to do. It interfered with their life. They had chosen a different path. 

That’s the thing here – we all have to choose our path. The Rechabites chose to follow after the commands of their forefathers. The children of Israel chose the path of everyone around them; they wanted to be like everyone else. 

I have been blessed with a beautiful spiritual background. Both sides of my family accepted Jesus as their Savior. My mom’s side was a bit more recent than my dad’s, but nonetheless, it was there. My husband’s family knows the Lord as well. Not all the distance relatives, but some. The ones with the greatest effect on his life knew the Lord. What a blessing for my children! An heritage of the Lord. 

But what I want you to understand is this – just because your family loved and served the Lord doesn’t automatically make you a child of the King. No, it’s your choice. You have to choose your own path. You have to make your own decision. Heritage will not get you to Heaven. Only the accepted blood of Jesus Christ can do that. 

A Godly family is a blessing, indeed. But don’t be fooled into thinking that’s what you need for salvation. The choice is yours and yours alone. You can’t ride in on someone else’s skirt tail. 

My day of rest

Psalm 16:7-9 – “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

If you are a mom or a mom figure, I pray that you had a great day yesterday. Mine was fabulous! My family cooked me lunch, cleaned up the mess and I got in a good sleep – it was way more than a nap. It was lovely. 

We all need a time of rest every now and again. We need time for not only our body but also our mind to relax. We need time to chill and not think. We need time to listen to the silence. We need time to laugh with our loved ones. We need time to have a good sleep. We need time to enjoy some yummy ice cream. 

There is a secret in all of this though – things are so much sweeter when God is in the middle of them, even our time of rest. Yesterday made me stop and really see my blessings. It gave me time to soak it all in. Sure, I count my family among my blessings on a daily basis but sometimes I need time to experience my blessings, to truly live in them. 

I know that all of my blessings come from God. I know that He has set before three of the most amazing people He has ever created. I know that I only have them because of His hand in my life. And for that, I am truly grateful. 

So, I would encourage you to make some time to be grateful. Make some time to rest. Make some time to enjoy the blessings in your life. God gave them to you for a reason. Don’t be slack in appreciating them.