by

Praise Him in the storms.


Peace-Amid-the-Storm“I Will Praise You In This Storm” *Casting Crowns copyright

So many I know are going through long, on-going trials.  As I listened to Casting Crowns song (link above) I am encouraged to know that not only does He have a plan for these storms but that He never forgets we are down here struggling.

“I was sure by now God You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining”

She tends to his needs day by day while caring for others along the way.  His body crippled by Parkinson’s and other maladies, she longs for sleep and energy.  Racked with pain, her own body screams, for Him to intervene is her biggest dream.

“As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain “I’m with you” And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away…”

The death of loved ones on both sides of the family has taken place. Tears of “it’s too soon, there was so much more to say” make their path down their face. Days they want back, words taken away.  If only they had just one more day.

[Chorus:] “And I’ll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am And every tear I’ve cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm…”

His mind is not in the present, his body worn out.  They long for his suffering to end or for him to turn about.  The days are long, it seems it will never end.  He looks at them and tries to remember, “family or friend?”

“I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to you And you raised me up again My strength is almost gone How can I carry on If I can’t find You…”

He’s lost his job, maybe his home. She’s working hard, the days are long.  Day in, day out … week in, week out … month in, month out … year in, year out.  Time is at a standstill for them; God made time for them, not for Him.

“But as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain “I’m with you” And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away…”

The trials and suffering for many seem to have no end.  The world we live in, the life we live.  God is in control, still on the throne.  He loves us and has a plan to work all things together for our good.

[Chorus] “I lift my eyes unto the hills Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB) “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

Psalm 121:11 KJV  “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from which comes my help.”

The Praise You In This Storm lyrics by Casting Crowns is copyrighted and Lights In The Storm is featuring it for non-commercial use only.
by

Rotten to the core


rotten-applesLife's a barrel of rotten apples. Everywhere you move you're touched by rottenness. TV, billboards, magazine covers at check-out; they all are flooding your mind with images.

Even people walking in stores, the way they dress and the way they talk, are constantly bombarding your mind with things of this world. Rottenness and filth are at every turn threatening to take you over, ruining all it touches. The world is subtle and you slowly give way. Christians find themselves reading books, watching shows and going to movies which major content is adultery, crime and greed.  Just as your body is what you feed it (junk food?) so is your mind. 

Colossians 3:2 ESV “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

At first you keep moving pushing the rotten away. But, like the hand in the proverbial potatoes chip bag, "you can't just eat one".  A thought in the mind can become a mindset, a mindset becomes actions, and actions become character.  And then, although you tell people you are a Christian, they do not see Christ in you.  Your mouth tells dirty jokes and spills profanity, your mind goes down the wrong road first without any hesitation to the right road.

When will you discover how much the world has crept into your life?  A young woman came in to the store to pick up her father's order of books, he was a local pastor.  She had on 'cheeky' shorts and a plunging, spaghetti-strap top.  That pastor is not in control of his teenage daughter, the world is in charge of his home.  Obviously he has not discovered the world has invaded his home.  Makes you wonder how he can lead a flock when he cannot lead his home. 

The world - you must keep yourself set apart, pushing it away and not accept its views for your life and or your family. 

Philippians 4:8 (NASB) “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

Eventually this rotten world will rot away. Don't get taken with it.

Deuteronomy 26:18 HCSB “And today the LORD has affirmed that you are His special people as He promised you, that you are to keep all His commands…”

by

You ‘m-bare-us-in me!


Funny_EmbarrassmentA two-year old fell on the floor in the grocery store kicking and screaming when her mom told her, "no, you cannot have that candy".  Much to the surprise of the two-year old, the cashier and other shoppers, the mom* promptly fell to the floor kicking and screaming.  The two-year old jumped up and stomped her foot, "stop, you 'm-bare-us-in me!"  That two-year old never threw another tantrum in public.

Where did the child get such an idea?  She had seen it at a day care she went to only two days a week.  And an adult had given in to a child’s tantrum. The adult wanted it to stop and took the easy way out.

Two teens bickering in the amusement park are stunned by their mom* stopping and disco dancing right in the fairway.  "STOP MOM, that is so embarrassing".  Mom: "YOU TWO are embarrassing me, turn about is fair play!"

Oh, that is so embarrassing. Are your kids embarrassing you? Are you ashamed of them? They know better, you taught them better, right from wrong. Do they not realize they are a reflection on the family.  Do you take the easy way out?  Boys will be boys?  You know girls these days?  Or, do you stop them?  Where do they get these ideas? Everywhere.  You are on 24/7 watch and correct.

Sometimes you want to just deny they are yours.  Maybe they are trying to be disassociated from the family, they do not want to 'belong'.  It is not right, they do not know what they are disclaiming.  Hopefully, one day they look back and realize how good their family was and is, and they start to reflect good on the family and not be an embarrassment. Every parent wants to point to their child with pride.  you cannot give up.  You keep pointing them in the right direction.  Ask God to help you choose the right words.

Matthew 26:34 HCSB “I assure you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times!””

Peter was afraid if they knew he was with Jesus, they would take him too.  Jesus knew Peter would deny Him.  It took Peter those three crows to figure out what he was doing. There was a price to being in the family with Jesus.  He had to wake up to that and decide if he was going to pay the price.  Jesus chose the right words, “three crows, three denials”.  Look at your child’s path, tell them where they are headed.  Make sure your path is straight as well.  Maybe you are giving them the ideas.

Sometimes, we too need “three crows” to realize and wake up to the fact we are denying Christ everyday, in little ways.   Jesus is pointing them out.  Are you listening for the crows?

There is a price for belonging to the family, His family.  We have to walk, talk and ‘look’ like Him.  People have to see Christ in us.  Sometimes, we are the only Christ a person will see.  What are you doing today that will reflect on Him?

Will you be willing to pay the price, or will you be an embarrassment to God?

*Yes, you got me.  I was that mom (and grandmom if needed).

 


by

Just LEAVE ME ALONE!


Have you heard those words …  from one of your kids?Leave-Me-Alone-I-Know-What-I-m-Doing-T-Shirts  How about from your spouse?  Maybe, you said them.    It’s a cry of , “I don’t want to deal with it.”  Sometimes we think ignoring something will make it go away.  Sometimes dealing with an issue is worse than the issue.  Kind of like the old saying, “the cure is worse than the illness.”

Matthew 8:33-34 NASB  “The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.”

They were comfortable with their lives.  They did not want them interrupted.  Some people will not hear the Lord, because they are afraid of what they’ll have to give up to live for Him.   Many accept Him and then hold back parts of their lives, not willing to give up what is “theirs”.  Truth is, it’s all His … holding back just keeps you from getting what He has for you.

Are you comfortable with your sin?  Do you want God to leave you alone?  Deal with it now, because until you do God will keep nudging you.  He chastens you much like you do your children to clean up their room, do their homework.   You do so because it is good for them and because you love them.  God will keep after His children to mold them as they “grow up” as well.

Hebrews 12:6 NLT “For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

He loves each and every one of us.  He never stops loving you and will never stop loving you.  It is safe to turn over everything to Him, every little corner.  If you do not, you still have a toehold on your life, and so does satan*.  You will never be satisfied with your life as long as you are in control, and neither will He.

Is God satisfied with you?
*satan, devil – I know people capitalize the “S” or “D” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.
by

Happy New Year, Happy New You!


The New Year has come and I have a resolution …. to make no New Year’s Resolution.  In the 1960’s a popular saying rose up, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.”  I remember thinking, “duh”.  It was a saying born out of a rehabilitation program; another version of the Thomas the little engine’s chuggin’ “I think I can, I think I can.”   And another cliche’ repeated by mothers everywhere, “you can do anything if you put your mind to it”.   All are true in essence, but then life happens.  Statistics show 80% of us fail at our resolutions before the end of February.  I am sure one of the previous schools of thought gave way to the saying,  “the road is paved with good intentions”.

Happy New You!

Happy New You!

When I was a small girl I wanted to be a famous ice skater like the ones we saw each year in Holiday On Ice shows.  As I grew older I wanted to be a famous fashion designer.  I even looked at attending fashion design school.  Reality and practicality set in and I started college in the business department. When my father was diagnosed with lung cancer I dropped out of college for a semester.   With the circumstances at that time, I switched to a local community college and switched to an education degree.   I loved English, thanks to my high school senior English teacher, Miss Fields.  When I graduated I decided to go to Georgia Tech and study industrial management.   Dreams … I had them.  They just kept changing.

We all have dreams, plans for our lives.  Some have plans that were planned out carefully by their parents.  So many people graduate from college with degrees in fields they never enter.   Many never work a day in their ‘chosen field’.  There are so many perpetual students out there, always in school learning something, looking for something, needing fulfillment.   Deep inside we all have a hunger for something, a dream that needs fulfilling.  Many of us will never realize that dream.

Each of us are born with a purpose, a driving plan for our life, God’s plan.  Sometimes family, circumstances or even our own sense of purpose drives us away from His plan.  People dream of being rich, famous and think all of these will bring fulfillment for what they really want, acceptance and love.  It is so simple that many over look that all we need is His son Jesus in our lives providing that acceptance and love that is unconditional.  We are all loved by God.  Sadly, many never discover His love.  Even sadder is that many Christians forget He loves us unconditionally and walk through life defeated.  Are you running around looking for acceptance, that sense of purpose, that plan and totally missing His plan that is wrapped in His love?

Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NLT) “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

I can ice skate for my own pleasure (far from being good enough to be considered for an ice skating  job). I can sew and design and  made clothes for my girls and myself, costumes for school and church plays, and managed the fittings and alterations for 10+ years of choral and band programs.   I have used my business school experience to work in many jobs as an administrative assistant in my over 40 years of working.  I used my English studies  background to help many students, even though I never became an English teacher.  I used my industrial management training in the printing industry as well as my current management job at the bookstore.   I never quite ‘got there’ in any of the ‘dreams’ yet God had a purpose in letting me learn those things even though I never worked in a the field full time as a career.   Has my life been a failure?  NOTE TO SELF:  When things do not turn out the way you planned; when something goes wrong, no matter how bad,  THANK GOD for His plan and that He has one.  Ask Him to show you what you are to learn and which direction He is pointing you.

God’s plan, His perfect plan.   So many more blessings than if I had managed to follow MY plan.   I have been married for 36 years next week.  We have two beautiful daughters and three precious grandchildren (oh, and there’s those two son-in-laws too :-D).   The life that happened to me is filled with blessings and joys beyond my capabilities of dreaming.  I never fulfilled my plan, because God’s plan was the one I really had a desire to find, in my depths of my heart.  He reveals your true dreams down deep inside of you.   You just have to listen.

If you do anything this year, discover Him in you.  Allow His plan and not your own.  When that plan of yours falls through, thank Him and ask Him to reveal His plan.  Our failures are some of our biggest successes.  We learn from them and we learn to let God take control.  God’s plan is never a failure.  God takes everything to the best end.

Romans 8:28 (NASB) “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

LET GO AND LET GOD!  HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YOU!