January 9 - Rain, what's it to you? (1/9/13)

Rain is the giver of life to our parched land! You know, the "drought" we have been suffering for several years could be, if not ended, at least dented! Rain is a treasure, a drink from the heavens, showers of blessing. But as is the case with many gifts, it can also be dangerous. We all recognize the danger of too much rain, and the flooding that can occur. But in the winter months, there is another danger, especially in north Texas, and that is 32 degrees and lower. Just a degree or two and the rain can become sleet, or snow, or the dreaded (with good reason) ice. 

Maybe it could even be "black" ice… the ice you cannot see, especially dangerous at night. How can God allow a blessing of abundant rain to become a disaster? I remember once in the 80's when I went to the grocery store while the kids were at school, took my time selecting the produce, and checked out, walked out and almost slid all the way to Green Oaks Road! A trip of 15 minutes to pick up the children turned into 45 agonizing, hand gripping moments of terror as I slid down the road! Today, I should probably install an "app" to alert me of the impending danger! Just as in other areas of life, our job is to stay aware and alert as we enjoy the gifts God gives. He does give them and today we are to be grateful to Him. How much we need this rain!

Today, I thank you, God, for Your provision of rain. The weatherman said it had been almost a year since this area had enjoyed more than one inch of rain at a time. You see, we need that overflow to fill the lakes, the tanks and the underground wells or the aquifer. It is amazing to know that there are actual rivers underground. In San Antonio, there is a museum where you can actually see a depiction of this hidden well-spring of life! The Edwards Aquifer! My son in law and I used to laugh about the weatherman giving the statistic of how high or low this river was! Who knew? Up here there are several, and the one closest to us is the Trinity Aquifer. Very interesting? Or not. At an any rate, there are some things I want to note about today. 

I remember words my grandmother used to say, "Little girl, I thank God for every drop of rain, and you must never take it for granted. It is God's gift." Living today in gratitude and trust in God for His blessing of rain. I am keeping an eye to the sky and to the temperatures. A winter rain….not ice…is the best gift for today. A great excuse to curl up with our Father's Word, take a break in front of the fire and use the cold, rainy weather to say, "Thank you, Father, for every drop…and can we please, keep the temperature above 32 degrees, if possible? If not, please keep us safe from our own foolish driving!"

"I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season, there will be showers of blessing." Ezekial 34:26

Pray: Thank you, dear God, for Your blessing of rain. Thank you, too, for our beautiful earth and the way You sustain all the needs of the land with showers that only You can provide. 

Amen

January 8 - Lights Out! (1/8/13)

Are the lights out at your house? Not the electricity, but your Christmas

lights? Yesterday mine were turned off, taken down and stored. One of the 

days I dread. I know it has to come because I can't keep them up all year. If 

I did, my neighbors would talk (I suspect they do already, since most of 

theirs were off the day after Christmas) and the delight of the Christmas 

lights would lose their charm.

Part of the pleasure of Christmas lights and decorations is that they 

are only here for a time, about a month usually. That leaves 11 

months to anticipate them coming back. If they were up all year,

lights would lose their "special glow," and we would stop noticing

them.

Sort of like the bluebonnets that bloom in the spring that would become routine if they bloomed all year, no matter how spectacular they are in April. It always amazes me that people who live daily in the shadow of the most majestic mountain range in the Rocky Mountains tell me they "get used to it." What? That awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping mountain range becomes invisible? Or folks on Maui tell me they get tired of the constant ocean views and long for the mountains! Maybe those folks should switch homes every few months in order to maintain the new, amazing, incredible awe in their surroundings! We people all long for change, for new, spectacular and dramatic.

Today… I still have the most amazing light. It is always here, ready for me, gently calling me. I loved the first words of "Jesus Calling" today:

"Softly I announce my presence…hope in Me, the golden cord connecting you to heaven."

Wow! That is gently jaw-dropping for me. The images of light are still with me. Oh, the beautiful artificial Christmas lights have been stored away until next year, but the light of the world, my world and yours is still here. It is not going anywhere. And the light of Jesus never goes into storage!

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Pray:

Light up the dark days of winter, Father, with Your Presence. Fill our gray days with the sunshine of You, our friend who walks ahead of us, lighting our way and walks beside us in constant companionship, comfort and joy.

Amen

January 7 - The Bachelor, right or wrong? (1/7/13)

January 7 - The Bachelor, right or wrong?

"The Bachelor," is there an answer here? I found out that Sean Lowe is the first openly Christian man to be on the television show, "The Bachelor." Wow, what is a Christian doing on a reality show? And what is the dilemma for us if we watch this show?  Is it ok for us to watch reality television? Do I enjoy watching a train wreck? And the answer is "no, of course not!"

Sean Lowe

As a Christian, this is a dilemma for me. I want to be transparent and get feed back from you, too. This topic is not an easy one. If you know me at all you know that I have very definite, favorite television shows. If you count football, there are many more. And trust me, sports are the ultimate reality television shows!

As Christians, we can take the self-righteous stance of condemning all reality television, and go a step further and condemn all television…period. If you are in that camp, you might want to stop reading here. I am not very "religious" in that way. I love some things a lot and certain parts of television I enjoy I a lot. That is a true confession about me. I used to accept that as a part of me that I was not proud of. But, I also like to think that I had discernment. (Don't we all?) We like to justify what we enjoy and perhaps condemn what someone else does. We are human, after all. So here are the reality television shows that I think have merit (just my opinion): 

Survivor (my all time favorite, never missed an episode!)

The Amazing Race (what's not to love about racing and competitions involving traveling around the world?)

Dancing with the Stars (so beautiful, talented and amazing)

American Idol (love the fresh youth with big dreams)

Top Chef (cooking and cut-throat competition…great combo...plus sharp knives)

The Bachelor (still believe in finding true love even after 14 failures)

Ok, I don't care for the weight loss ones. They truly break my heart when they wear those revealing clothes and suffer so much. And I despise those that have some Housewives of a city name… those are too full of screaming and hateful behaviors. I guess intervention programs are ok, but I don't have any time left for self-help shows. This is all I can do, period…. I do have a BSF lesson to complete! And grandkids to play with! And the Bible is the greatest self-help book I know!

Here is an idea: let's participate in these shows if you enjoy them, as entertainment. Think of them as glancing entertainment as we are "passing through" this world. How about that? Does every book we read have to be a Christian one? How about "Moby Dick"…. a Christian principle in there if we look hard. Or "The Help" where you can find Jesus on almost every page, even though it is mostly secular in nature. In other words, if we keep our hearts and minds full of God's Word, we can be in the world and not totally polluted by it. We can be alert for God's truths in this world. And embrace them wherever they can be found.

Surely my argument here is full of holes, but I do want to be honest, to be true to myself, to look at my own behaviors before condemning others around us. If a show, book, magazine or movie degrades the human spirit, then God would want us to condemn it. That is where we have to use discernment every time we watch. Be very careful for God's Word is powerful to convict us of the evil in anything of this world. And if we ask Him, He will do that. What do you think?

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy - keep thinking of these things." Philippians 4:8

Pray: 

Lord Jesus, help us to get "real" with you and see the ultimate reality of life that happens when we encounter You. Guard our hearts and protect our minds from the evil in the world as we seek out the good parts. Help us not to judge each other, but allow You to be the judge of our own lives.

Amen