January 20 - Seeds, Part 2 (1/20/13)

January 20 - Seeds, Part 2

Seeds, again? Now I know seeds are only interesting to gardeners and botany teachers, right? But, I am struggling with faith…defining it..understanding what it really is and moving on even though I don't grasp it all. But the concept of seeds intrigues me, and I believe they hold the answer to the mystery.

So tomorrow I plan to tackle the seed story, again! I promise I won't give you a botany lesson…get a good night's sleep…I will, too, and dream about seeds… not silly, I promise.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Pray: Let us rest, dear Father, in your Word, the knowledge that you will answer us and give us wisdom to understand faith. Amen

January 19 - Market (1/19/13)

Where do you get your stuff? You know, all the things you need to live. Do you shop online? Do you go to the mall? Once a year or twice a week? Who decides what you buy? Do you choose? Really? Well, I know a little secret. Before you go to the store to choose your favorite "stuff," there are some extremely hard-working folks who sift through hundreds of thousands of items to present the best of the best for you to choose. It is a difficult decision for the buyers. They have to answer many questions like what sold well last year? What are the new trends? What do you want for heaven's sake??? Their job is to guess, and the best "guessers" make the most money! So no matter whether you are shopping for screwdrivers, tires, jewelry or chocolate, someone is "super-guessing" your choices.

That brings me to "market." An enormous event held in several large cities in the United States like Atlanta, Las Vegas and Dallas. It is international in scope and brings thousands of buyers from all over the world together to sift through the "stuff." I was privileged to attend the gift market with my cousin this week. She has a fantastic shop in Llano, Texas called "The Market: a Collection of Shops." Stop in there next time you go through Llano after you finish your Cooper's Barbecue dinner. You will not be disappointed. She has a lovely shop filled with thoughtful, beautiful, repurposed and practical gifts for yourself or others. I can't tell you how hard she and her partners work to bring you the best choices from the thousands upon thousands of choices.

I have been thinking about this all week. What choices do we have in how to live? Does someone sift through the choices for us? Do we have a buyer at the market of life helping eliminate the bad, poorly made or unsatisfactory selections? Do we have someone who has our best interests at heart? A someone who can assure us that the choices we make are all good if they come through His filter? You bet we do. Our heavenly Father cares so much about our choices in life that He gave His own Son's life so that we can live with Him in eternity. Wow! And His motives are not monetary. His motive is to spend eternity with us! Our joy for today is enhanced as we make our choices based on His wisdom and His care for us. Just imagine how blessed we are to choose the fellowship here on earth in wise choices filtered through the Eternal Buyer, Jesus Christ.

Everything we have is a gift from God. All good things are gifts from God (1 Timothy 6:17). Food and clothing (Matthew 6:25, 33), rain and fruitful harvests (Leviticus 26:4), faith (Ephesians 2:8), grace (James 4:6), wisdom (Proverbs 2:6, James 1:5), and life itself (Isaiah 42:5) are all gifts from God.

Pray:

Heavenly Father, help us to choose wisely as we pass through this life. Give us Your wisdom, guidance and protection in the path we choose to walk with You. Amen

January 18 - Seeds (1/18/13)

Seeds

Gardeners, (and you know who you are), what is one of the best things about January? Don't say ice storms, down time or frozen weeds, please. Say, seed catalogs! We avid gardeners look forward to this time of the year to relax a bit, and soak up the sun in the seed catalogs. Jackson & Perkins catalog day means a time to investigate the new plant varieties, enjoy green photos when the outside vista of my window is still brown grass. I love to admire new varieties of vegetables and imagine an okra plant that is 5 feet tall! Can my mind take in the notion of zinnias the size of my palm! Then, I dream of a tomato with a bright pinkish red hue and an acidic bite! That tomato variety is called "June Pink." June Pinks are so sought after that true tomato lovers save the seeds and start them in February…timing is everything in the world of seeds! So in cold, frozen, icy January the gardener dreams of June and sees beautiful gardens of the future! And Spring!!!

Now, carry this dream farther. Think of the mustard seed. Here is something I found out: of all the herb seeds in the world, the mustard seed is the smallest. If you are familiar with seeds (I'm sure most of you are bored by now, but humor me a little) you might know that most seeds correlate to the size of the final, grown plant. Radish seeds are tiny and so are the vegetable radishes. Corn seeds look like corn kernels and produce a plant that may have 5-6 ears of corn with hundreds of kernels on each cob. Think about an okra seed…the same size of the seeds you pull out of an okra kernel, yet each seed can produce an okra plant several feet tall, covered with okra pods. Tomato seeds look a little smaller than the seed you see in the tomato fruit. But not mustard seeds…they are itsy, bitsy, like grains of salt. And this is the amazing part: the mustard plant is the largest plant of all the herbs in the garden. It is large enough for birds to land on and to build a nest in! 

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32

So don't feel sorry for the tiny mustard seed. Not only does it grow to be a huge plant, but the flavor is big, too. You could probably do a blind taste test and recognize its flavor. Mustard enhances everything. And it doesn't carry the down side of being "sugary" or sweet. There has never been a diet known to man that excludes mustard! No fat, no sugar, just flavor!

So how does this compare to our faith? What does the parable Jesus told mean? Our faith does not have to be huge. We do not have to be Moses or Billy Graham, Abraham or Ruth. We can be ourselves and still be listed on the wall of faith. It can be the size of the mustard seed and grow into a large gift to honor God. The seeds of our faith can grow and multiply to fill a field. A tiny faith can fill a room, a palate and a lifetime. 

Why would God present us with this dilemma, parable, mystery? Because our God is one of surprises, oddities, contradictions and miracles! Faith is a miracle! Can we explain it, dissect it, write a poem about it, sing about it, dream about it? Yes and no, it is faith. It defies definition. That is it! That is all we need to know. Believe! Claim the dusting of the mustard seed in your life! Then plant it and wait for the harvest!

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Pray: Father, do not let our struggle to define faith keep us from living it every day. We claim the "mustard seed" of faith given to us to grow the giant plant of joyful living You promised. Amen

January 17 - What? Me, worry? (1/17/13)

The phrase attached to the face of Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman was classic 1960's sarcastic attitude. In the face of nuclear war, the youth of the era thumbed their noses at their parents' fears. If you remember any of this, you are officially "old!" Alfred was the poster boy for the worry-free attitude, freckle face mischief and all.

We live however in a world full of worry. Max Lucado says, "Some of us have a post graduate degrees from the University of Anxiety!" Worry connotes many things but for me it seems like this: it is a sack full of rocks slung over your back, a sky full of hail clouds when you just got a new roof, a car with a "funny" noise as you travel down a dark street far from home, or it is just getting lost. 

Today my cousin encouraged me with her easy-going outlook on getting lost…"we'll just turn around, find another way. No stress, no blame, no worry. We'll get there another way, see something new, change our plans a little and have fun on the way!" I really like that idea. Thank you, Mary, for reminding me that life is not always just the destination but what happens along the way. 

A carefree, not careless, attitude can make all the difference. Keeping your eyes open to the new and the different while traveling along is a blessing, too. Did it really matter that we took a different way? That we were really "lost?" We had a delightful time getting there and the destination turned out to be great, too. It was all in the attitude and refusing to worry.

That's what God wants us to do. Here is what He says:

"Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need." Philippians 4:6

Pray: Thank you, Lord, for the journey and for the delightful encounters we have along the way. Amen

January 15 - A Day for Blessings (1/15/13)

January 15, 2013

A day for blessings! One extra tiny baby blessing! More news to follow from 

the parents. Just to let everyone know that there is no sweeter joy than a 

new life! God is more awesome and good than any human being can 

imagine. Today is all about the blessings from heaven above. 

All is calm, all is bright in this family tonight.

"Grandchildren are the crown 

of the aged,and the glory is their fathers."

Proverbs 17:6

Pray: 

Father, from the depths of my soul I thank you for the gift of a new life. You are the only Creator of life

and I praise You for the joy You give to me. 

Amen

January 14 - Do You Have a Heart? (1/14/13)

Are you "tender hearted?" Not to be confused with "tender headed!" Do you cry at the smash of a butterfly on your windshield? How about a commercial about abused animals? Do your feel compassion for the man on the side of the intersection with a clorox jug (I'm not kidding) to put money into? Do you turn away or pretend you don't see? Are you analytical about the needs around you or so sad you can't function?

Yesterday, our pastor started a sermon on the Wizard of Oz. Now, even if you don't attend Pantego Bible Church you can watch the sermon online. It was extremely interesting to me. The Tin Man was actually interviewed by David (I'm pretty sure it was a staff person), and he gave his point of view, his life story of living without a heart. It was funny, yet it made me squirm a bit. I loved the part about the Tin Man sitting in church every Sunday, "How can you miss me? I am 'silver!'"

So why do I squirm? You see, I used to not have a heart. Well, I had one, but it was not very sensitive. By the time I confess all the truths about me, you may want to cross the street or the mall aisle when you see me coming! Seriously, in "Jesus Calling" today, the author says you can cover up your outward appearance in order to look pretty great, and yet still be "messed up" on the inside and no one need ever know. I was like that.

A description of the old me: I gave to the poor, started food drives at the school, picked up stray animals, even returned lost dogs to their owners (and I am a cat person), adored my family, passionately protected and indulged my friends, taught Vacation Bible School, and did all the right loving and heart-sensitive things. But - the "lost"…I mean the really lost, the ones so lost you don't even have a chance to ignore. The lost living in South America or east Arlington, well, they just didn't hurt my heart. I would say to myself, "The church has missionaries for that." I also used to be very glad God didn't call me to be a missionary because I thought it must be a terrible life. Aren't you sad for the old me? And I was lost, too, but didn't know it. My heart didn't hurt for them. Sort of "out of sight, out of mind" I guess would describe my feelings. I gave to missions, then checked that

off my list. I was a Christian all right, but my heart was very small. Then….

A miracle happened in my life in the form of the worst tragedy in my life. I lost my loved one to an illness I couldn't understand. Something so vital was taken from me, and I slipped into a pit of despair. I was really lost then. At first the only way for me to "be" was to get even "harder hearted." You know, surrounding myself with a shell and not letting anyone in. But that didn't last long because here is the "good news:" My Savior sent praying friends who had huge hearts, some people I did not even know, some who did not know my face either, He sent His Word in words from these friends, some big nuggets of truth and some tiny Words of Truth! The Holy Spirit welled up in me. He filled me with love, with compassion, with all the fruits of the Spirit. And guess what? I now have a heart…a real one. Not that I didn't have the truth of God before, but now it was so big it wouldn't stay inside. I still do the old things like feeding stray animals and passionately loving my family and friends. But I also have a heart to feed people, to pick up others who live far away. I am still not a "cry baby."

But I am a person who sees the depths from where I was pulled, and I know how it happened. I can't imagine my life without Jesus. I don't want anyone else to live without Him either. I see the truly lost, the real strays, the human needs differently. When I give to a missionary family or a worthy cause, I pray for those I give to as I write the check. I mourn the fallen life in addition to the fallen pet on the side of the road. Yes, I am a "bleeding heart" who got a real heart, and I want everyone else to have one, too.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart!" I Samuel 16:7

"Love one another deeply, from the heart." I Peter 1:22

Prayer:
Father God, please give us a heart like Yours, a heart so full of compassion and love that is spills over into the world. Amen

January 13 - An Adventure (1/13/13)

A recurring theme for me as I look at my life with my Guide, my leader, the One I trust.. (you know Him, right?) is adventure. I think the idea of a life with Christ as an adventure is exciting, not a boring exercise in holiness but a vibrant life with the King of Kings! Every day I wake up excited to see what each day will hold. But today I overslept. That in itself is not unusual, but being late to church is not good, and I have promised to be better about being on time. I grabbed my coffee, my favorite three devotionals, prayed and climbed out of my warm bed into the chilly morning. In my mind, I had already written the post for today…been thinking about adventure again and saw an awesome scripture in "Jesus Calling." I was ready, but church couldn't wait and my writing could. And later is ok…. so off I went…

Church was great! Our pastor started a new sermon series which caught my attention. Worship was fantastic, the sun was coming out, wind dying down… ready to see the grands as we pick them up from their Sunday School (ok, I know Sunday school has a modern name, but that is what I call it). My son-in-law handed me the computer sticker which is the only way I can pick up my middle grandson, Henry, and I happily headed for him. Waiting in the lobby, visiting with Hen, and old friends and new friends, the day just seemed "text book." I mean no big deal, but a very big deal! 

At about 10:30 that all changed. Jill rushed up, handed baby Margaret to me and said, "Andrew is missing!" Mustering up calm, I gathered Henry and Margaret to me, looked up at my new friends and we began to pray. Not a big "Moses" prayer but the kind that comes from your innermost part…."Please, please, please, Father, find Andrew!" A calmness came over us, we adjusted to "sitting tight" and sure enough, in less than five minutes, Andrew was found. How? Well the church staff knew the drills and followed them perfectly, Jill's friends just "happened" to be upstairs where Andrew decided to be, and our merciful God placed His hand on our precious boy. The boy who is only 8 years old and with a curious, autisitc mind was found, even though he didn't know he was lost. A devastating outcome was averted, a little boy who did not know he was in danger was placed back in the hands of those who love him to pieces! Coincidence, good security or God in action? I believe the latter! So the next day that I lazily get up looking for an adventure….well, I might just stay in bed! 

I love the adventure of a God who cares for the least of us, the most helpless of us and saves us every day!

"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24

Prayer:

Thank you, dear Father, for your merciful protection of us. As we claim our rights to adventure with You, let us not forget who cares for us, loves us and gives us the blessings of life in You ever day! Thank you, Jesus, for Andrew! Thank you for protecting him today and every day of his life. 

Amen

January 12 - Happiness is a Choice (1/12/13)

January 12 - Happiness is a choice!

Years ago, my Mom had a book called "Happiness is a Choice" by Meier and Minirth. It is a Christian prescription for depression, based on scriptural help. Well, my Mom may or may not have read it, but I didn't. I just saw her life and believe to this day that she made this choice but with a very special Helper. Let me explain. 

My Mother was a happy person. Until the day she died, she gave off joy. And her happiness was certainly not based on her circumstances. Imagine difficulties of all kinds and my Mom had them. Here is a brief overview. Mom was the youngest of four sisters, all of them delightful in different ways. She was the baby, however, and you would have expected her to be a spoiled brat, but she wasn't. All four sisters were married to nice men, and by the world's standards her sisters' husbands were all more successful than Daddy. However, my Mom married "Prince Charming" to me, my siblings and to her. There was no comparison in my mind. I adored my uncles, but Daddy was unique, wonderful, brilliant, and he adored his children and especially my Mom. My parents never argued because Daddy just didn't "do" that, and my Mom finally gave up trying to "fight" with him, so they lived in harmony most of the time. Mom got the "ace of spades" in husbands. But in 1988, Daddy died suddenly. Mom was on her own. I never once heard her complain. She just picked herself up, found a job at the age of 58, and worked hard at it, making new friends and facing widowhood with her usual pleasant attitude. Oh, she missed her best friend terribly, but never asked for pity, not my Mom. She was like that.

Then health issues became a problem. She was in a terrible car accident in 1981. This accident left my Mom with scar tissue in her lungs, but a terrible scar on her heart. Her six year old granddaughter was killed in the accident. Losing Martha, even though the accident was not my Mom's fault, was the kind of horrific devastation that most people could not have overcome. The loss of her granddaughter was probably the worst event that ever happened to Mom, but she overcame it and helped the rest of us accept it, also. Her courage amazed me. But that physical scar continued to plague her. Mom's breathing problems worsened as she aged and became chronic. Other terrible maladies assailed her, too, like gout. That is just awful, terrible and painful…also, it can be chronic. Then, she got shingles which is the curse of the devil. (Run, don't walk, to get a vaccine for that) Chronic diverticulosis haunted her, breathing worsened, her mobility was limited, and health issues just assailed her on every front.

But here is the thing: My Mom was happy. If you knew her, you would agree. No matter how much pain she had, she looked on the bright side. If she couldn't find one in her life, she looked for one in yours. When you saw her or called her and asked how she felt, she touched on her own problems lightly. Then, she quickly moved to her listener… no matter who it was. "How are you doing?" she would ask. And she really cared. She actually listened and tried to help. Always. Even when she was dying, it was never about her. She worried about the inconvenience she was causing those around her. Wondered who was babysitting for my daughters when they came to visit, for example. Didn't want anyone to drive in bad weather to see her or take time away from their own families. Even when she was spending her last twenty four hours on earth, she looked around the lovely hospice room and asked me, "Margaret, how much money is this costing you?" "And how are you, sweet girl?" I wanted to scream out, "I'm terrible, my Mom is sick, dying, and I can't fix this!" I can still see those big, brown eyes, looking at me, full of love and never complaining, not even then. Ever!

So, Mom believed she had a choice to be happy, and she took it. She was never bitter about what she did not have financially or physically, but grateful for all she did have. I want to be like her. I know other people (very well) who have everything on earth, but continue to choose unhappiness. Bitterness and regret mark their days. I want to be like Mom, not just because she was my Mom, but because she made a choice to dance in love all of her days! But how?

Here is a quote from my friend, Ron Holland, about this decision which gives us the key: "True happiness, I believe, is a sense of inner peace even in the midst of the trials of life, when some folks still seem to have a certain amount of quiet dignity, grace and peace surrounding them. Have you ever wondered how they can have that kind of persona? I believe it is because they know the Prince of Peace and have received the Comforter sent by Him to guide them in all truth."

"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and He'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!" John 14:15 The Message Bible

Prayer:

Father, help us to choose happiness today, the true happiness you give through living joyfully this day in You! Let us give off the tender mercies of the Holy Spirit living in us. Amen

January 11 - Who's in control? (1/11/13)

One of my favorite quotes, which I put into a list of my beatitudes (no disrespect intended to the ones from the Bible), is this: "Blessed are those who acknowledge that there is only one God and have quit applying for His position!" So no matter who thought (me) that yesterday was B-Day, it was not. Disappointed? A little, but relieved that all is well, and I also have heard that waiting produces character! So blessed are the patient because they won't be a pain to those around them!

 In BSF this week we are studying how we should respond to God's promises. Like this: if God gives me a promise and I believe Him, and it doesn't happen right away, or yesterday, as I hoped, what should I do? I know from my study of Sarah in Genesis, what not to do. I should not take matters into my own hands. You know, I should not help God out a little or a lot, or move things along. Helping Him out sounds reasonable if I know and believe the thing God promised is a good thing. A blessed thing! Perhaps, I might think, God is just busy today, He has a lot on His plate. In Sarah's situation the promised baby was more than a wonderful, miraculous and life-changing gift to them, but for all mankind. God promised Abraham that He would make him the father of His chosen people, so numerous that they would be like the stars in the heavens, uncountable. And God actually took Abraham outside and showed him the sky! And the promise included Sarah. But it had been ten years and Abraham wasn't getting any younger. Ten years earlier Abraham had reminded God that he was already half-dead! And Sarah? She laughed at the idea. So, Sarah cooked up a plan to help God out…still believing part of God's promise - the part about Abraham being the father of the nation of God. But her part, that was just too much for her. As an applicant for God's position, Sarah went into action and convinced her husband to go along with it. The story gets pretty ugly after that, and I won't retell it all, since you can read the whole drama in Genesis 16. I did learn that the outcome and result was so wrong that we are still paying the price for Sarah's half-belief. The son of Abraham and Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar, was Ishmael. He was a "donkey of a man," argumentative, war-like, hostile and evil. He became the father of the Arab nation which still rage against God's chosen people today.

Back to the future. Today. Not B-Day. No complaining to God from me. All is well. The precious ones are resting and we are all waiting…patiently. None of us are helping God out today. We are letting the Master of the Universe control B-Day and all the days of our lives. He really doesn't need our help. He is the omniscient, loving Father who wants to be the giver of all good gifts to us…on His time schedule, not ours. I am thanking Him in advance for the gifts He has already promised and the prayers He will answer for all of us. In His time. Letting go and letting God.

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Among the gods, there is none like you, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom you have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things. You alone are God." Psalm 86:8-10

Prayer:

Father, how we love You! How wonderful to praise your name and believe entirely the promises You have given to us! God, You are in control and You alone. We thank You for that! 

Amen