Monthly Archives: February 2015

Feb18

Middle school, blood moons, and naked?!

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Before I had to pick Noah up from middle school for the first time, I tried so hard to make it simple for him. I was concerned he wouldn’t see me and wouldn’t know what to do. I didn’t want him to worry or to have trouble finding me, so I showed him the parking lot I would be parked in ahead of time, and made sure to get there way early so he wouldn’t be left wandering around thinking I had forgotten him.

I also prayed for him constantly during the day, that God would calm any fears he had about it.

You can probably guess that it turned out just fine.

*On a side note, I realize I worry about everything WAY too much. I remember when Noah was in kindergarten and I packed his lunch, including a prepackaged 6-pack of peanut butter crackers. I went on to work, and thought more about it as the morning went on, worrying that he wouldn’t know how to open the package on his own, and would probably be famished by the end of the day. I left work to go home (20 minutes each way) to get another package of crackers and open them and put them in a baggie, and took them to school so he could get to them. I’m nuts, and looking back, I am so thankful for supervisors that put up with me… 

Stay with me for a second…

This week there was lots of talk of the Blood Moon, which reminded me to write this blog. I used to get so nervous and anxious when there was any talk about Jesus’ return, the last days, end of the world, etc. Even as an adult.

While I feel very confident of my relationship with God, there is something about the unknown.

Kind of like how having a baby is a beautiful thing, but labor is suckish and terrifying. Regardless of how indescribably exciting having a baby might be, thinking about the pain and 99.7 ways it could go wrong, and ways it could embarrass you later (like when your water broke all over the nurse’s cute shoe and there was nothing you could do about it, but it still haunts you… grody), is enough to make you want to keep the bun in the proverbial oven…

That’s how I’ve always felt about the end of the world. Not knowing how or when it will happen seems so scary.

If you say you aren’t scared… just take a little peek at the book of Revelation, with CNN on in the background, right before you drift off to sleep…If you’re still not scared, I am impressed. I mean we’re talking huge earthquakes, famine, black sun, bloody moon (ikr?), sea turning into blood, a 7-headed-10-horned enormous red dragon… the list goes on… I know little about how this all will go down, because I avoid the book of Revelation like the plague (speaking of, I think there might be some of those in there too)

Here’s a brief list of things I fear regarding the subject… terrifying things like the idea of the being tortured for knowing Christ, starvation, not making it to heaven, Or Jesus coming back for us while I’m  in the shower… Do I go naked? Do we all go naked?

So one day as I was mentally panicking about all of these things, God calmed my heart. He reminded me of how much I care about and love Noah. He reminded me that I did everything I possibly could to make picking Noah up as easy as possible for him. I parked where I said I would, I was there on time, I was looking for him and was prepared to hop out of the car to flag him down if he didn’t see me. If I did all of this for Noah, why would I think I have anything to fear when my Jesus comes back for me, or when I go to meet Him?

Regardless of how it happens, God, who loves us more than we could ever love anyone, will not leave us alone. Whatever we will go through, we won’t be facing it by ourselves. The Creator of everything will be right beside us. If that doesn’t bring me comfort, what can?

Bring it on, Revelation and CNN… bring it on… I’m gonna sleep like a baby.

Here are a couple of Revelation verses that I happen to love, and want to end on…

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away…I am making everything new!” – Revelation 21:4-5a

 4/16/2014
Feb16

Paula Deen, Homecoming 1993, and the love of Jesus

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What do these three have in common?

What celebrities say or do can ruin their careers in an instant. Paula Deen, with her past use of the N-word. Miley Cyrus – we’ll just leave it at that. Justin Beiber with pot, DUIs, etc. And so many more.

While what these people and many others did varied, the public eye is often unforgiving. It takes one quick mess-up, intentional or not, and that’s what you are remembered for.

During the Paula Deen scandal, I remember feeling so bad for her. *Please know I’m not condoning her use of the word – I do not use that word, and don’t want to hear anyone else using it, period.* But to see someone shamed by so many is hard to watch.

Homecoming 1993- tan, thin,
and able to wear sequins… Those
were the days…I just noticed my left
shoulder looks like it’s being pulled
down, I’m guessing, by the 10-pound corsage
that looks more like a floral decoration for a casket

I remember saying not long ago that I am way glad I am not famous. There’s a home video of my 1993 homecoming where I may or may not have flippantly used a derogatory word toward my date, one that I wouldn’t even think of using now (if I even hear this particular word from a stranger now, I give a stern scowl). I didn’t mean it literally at all, but I do regret saying it, big time. I feel terrible that I did. And all other reasons aside, that’s one reason I will never be elected president.

*Other reasons include, but are not limited to, not knowing the difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives, not being able to locate Syria, Kuwait, and Crimea on a map (really all places outside of the US, and some inside the US, especially the square ones in the middle), and not knowing exactly how a bill becomes a law (somehow I didn’t pay attention during that episode of Schoolhouse Rock).

But for me to feel like when I mess up, it is not as big of a deal as when  people who are famous do, is not okay. God said a whole bunch of times that it is not okay. One particular time is when God spoke to Joshua, as He was encouraging Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites, just after Moses’ death.

In Joshua 1:7, He said, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant LMoses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” 

While God was speaking directly to Joshua, I feel sure He wants us all to follow this advice. Believe me, we are not perfect. We are going to mess up. It is likely we are going to turn a little to the right one day, and maybe a little to the left another. But it’s not okay to use that as an excuse to do whatever we feel like doing. Our goal is to stay on track. While our salvation is not because of how we act, if we really love God, we want to live in a way that pleases Him.

And while the whole world isn’t keeping tabs on us through the internet orEntertainment Tonight, we each have our own set of people keeping an eye on us, even when we don’t realize it. People in our separate corners of the world who are looking to see if the love of Jesus is really in us, and if that makes us different from anyone else. And it should. It might not make us perfect, but it does make us different. The love of Jesus showing in our lives makes all the difference. 

Whether it’s our Facebook postings, how we interact with our family, or the attitude we have at work or church – let’s make it our purpose to show that love, whether we think anyone is watching or not. Because they are, and even if they aren’t, Jesus is, and what could be better than for Him to watch us and be proud of us?

For your amusement, and my education, here is a little something to watch 🙂

3/13/2014

Feb16

You only had one job

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You only had one job to do…

you only had one job to do .....You only had one job...http://3vbizsolutions.com/blog/you-had-one-job/

 You only had one job!Houston, we have a problem

 These Pinterest pictures crack me up! Given one job, how can someone mess it up so badly? But the pictures also hit home a little. I have a tendency to mess things up. I’ve noticed over the years that I lack some common sense, but thankfully married a guy who is full of it (Common sense, I mean, haha).

In the past when I have messed things up, I’ve felt embarrassed, frustrated, and more sure that I can’t get things right. But everyone makes mistakes, even the woman God trusted to raise Jesus, and if that doesn’t make me feel better, what can?

In Luke 2, Jesus is 12, the same age as my Noah. The relatives and friends of Jesus’ family are all on their way home from Jerusalem after the Passover Feast. Comfortable that Jesus is safely nearby, Mary and Joseph travel for an entire day before they come to the conclusion that He is nowhere to be found.

Just pause here for a minute and imagine the panic. Yikes! Once I lost my mother-in-law’s cat, and I cried my eyes out and nearly threw up. She lost Jesus!! Can you even imagine? No cell phones, no Amber Alerts, mind you. Just searching for him…

Thankfully, Jesus was found, teaching in the temple three days later. In verse 47, it says, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” At 12 years old. Wow. Then on to verse 48, “When his parents saw him, they were astonished.” I don’t know if this astonished is the same as everyone’s amazement in verse 47. I like to think so. But the Message translation says “But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.” And finishing out verse 48, Mary begins to scold him a bit.

Naturally, she had been freaking out. Jesus was gone for days, and finally found. I can’t even imagine the emotions she must have been feeling.

But I do know that after she simmered down, she saw the beauty of that moment, watching this child – whom she no-doubt had rocked to sleep, sang songs to, and gave soft kisses on his cheek as he drifted off to sleep – this child… now growing and maturing, teaching and leading. She was seeing more of the whole picture, and knew for a moment that she needed to take a mental snapshot of what had just happened. Verse 51 said, “But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.”

By the way, I wish I could have known Mary. I think we could have been the best of friends.

There are so many times I mess up, and consequently want to give up. Do you ever feel like one mistake, one wrong, one sin, can ruin everything? We screw up, and can’t imagine God can still love us. We can’t imagine people can have faith in us again. We can’t imagine we can be forgiven.

But we can.

God doesn’t want us running from Him when we blow it. He wants us to keep going. He is there to love us through it, help us learn from it, but He will not give up on us. He loves us too much to do that.

Mary didn’t give up. Mary treasured the good from that moment, and kept going. She continued to raise Jesus, loving Him, and pouring everything she had into the plan God had for her life.

And that is what we are to do. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Acknowledge your mistake, ask God for forgiveness and help, and keep on going. We don’t want to miss out on a second of what He has planned for us.

Onward and upward, dear friends.


“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:13,14

 

3/08/2014

Feb16

Hungry, tired, and thirsty in the desert

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Other than Jesus, David is probably one of the most famous people from the Bible. We heard about him as little kids, watching how brave he was to be the good-looking, littlest brother of the family, going up against a giant with 5 small stones and a whole bunch of faith in his big God.

We read some of his psalms, heard about him chosen by God as king, also about some sin along the way, including adultery and murder. We even heard God call him a man after His own heart! How cool would that be to hear?

There was also a time in his life when David was being hunted down by his own son who wanted to kill him. In 2 Samuel, chapter 17, David is being chased by Absalom, and thankfully, God intervenes and David and his people are able to escape. Absalom hears they are headed one direction, but friends of David tell them to go another way, so David and his people head to Mahanaim.

Here is where I want us to focus. As they get to this town, three guys there start bringing them things – bedding, bowls, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, curds, sheep and cheese, “… For they said, ‘The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert,’” (verse 29).

How many times do we notice someone who is hungry, tired and thirsty in the desert? Maybe they aren’t literally running for their lives, but just worn out? Could be a friend in a ministry that is just exhausted from the expectations and disappointments. Maybe a friend who is literally worn-out from an illness.  Or a mom who is frazzled from trying to please everyone all the time.

You can probably think of someone now. Someone who lately just doesn’t seem themselves and could use some encouragement.

There are times when I notice someone seems discouraged, depressed or defeated. And if I notice, I for sure will have intentions of helping, but sometimes that’s as far as it goes. And that’s not okay. My good intentions mean nothing if I don’t put some action behind it.

David had people seeing his need and meeting it, simply because they noticed, they cared, and they followed through. I want to be like these guys. I’ve had people be like these guys to me.

I have received flowers from some dear friends when the thrill of pregnancy turned into the disappointment and grief of a miscarriage. And other sweet friends who have experienced the same heartbreak let me talk to them for hours about how I was feeling during that time.

During the death of my father-in-law, a friend offered to watch Noah, who was a toddler at the time, during the funeral.

Other friends have sent encouraging notes just when I need them.

I have friends, even now, who I know are feeling like David. They are hungry, tired, and thirsty in their deserts, and I’m sure you do too. It’s our job to make sure we can give them what they need. Think of your person today, and what you can do to help.

If you have any ideas of what we can do to be an encouragement to someone, please share! Maybe it will make those of us with good intentions put them into action. 🙂

 

3/03/2014

Feb16

Olympic chatter, rocks, and God’s faithfulness

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The Olympics pretty much rock. I’m not athletic and I don’t follow many of events, but when I do see them, it is awesome. A couple of nights ago I caught just a few minutes of the halfpipe event, and was excited that Shaun White (the only name this non-athlete recognized) hadn’t gone yet. I tuned in just in time. It was hard to watch though, as he crashed the first time, and then didn’t score high enough for a medal. Bummer. (All of this is really unrelated to this blog post, I just wanted to look like I was cool for a second 🙂

Another Olympian I heard about yesterday was a free-skier named David Wise. But the story wasn’t about his event, which may or may not have happened yet – not sure. It was a simple story about how anytime he goes away somewhere, whether a trip, a hike, fishing, or a skiing event, he finds a heart-shaped rock to bring back to his sweet wife to let her know she was thought of. This is a picture from his Instagram of the one he is bringing back to her from Sochi.

David Wise

Sweet, right? It is good to have reminders. His wife collects these rocks, and when she sees them, she can remember all the times she has been thought of and missed while he was away from her.

I was reading in my Bible not that long ago about some other stones that were used as reminders. In Joshua chapter 3, Joshua was following God’s direction and leading the Israelites across the Jordan River. God explained with detailed instruction that He would divide the water in the river, allowing the Israelites to cross right through it.  God wanted to give them the confidence they would need for the situations they would soon face. On a side note, I LOVE that God did this. Chapter 3 verse 10 says, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.” He knew what they would need to trust Him, and cared enough to make sure they would be ready.

So moving along, in Chapter 4, they had finished crossing the river, with things happening just like God said they would. He told Joshua to set up 12 stones that had been in the middle of the river bed, one stone for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. In verse 6 and 7, he explained why. “… In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

Then at least four other times, rocks were used as reminders for other things that had happened.

I think I need some rocks. There have been so many times God has answered prayers for me. A few days ago God brought a few of those to mind. It is so easy to forget the goodness and faithfulness of God. Sometimes we focus on the times God answered our prayers differently than how we wanted, and we start doubting the power of prayer. But we must remember however it is answered, it is always for His glory. And there are other times prayers are answered exactly like we asked, and in a way that is only possible through God, and soon after we just go on about our daily lives, and those times get put way in the back of our minds.

It is crazy that we could forget something so awesome as the God of everything listening to one simple human being among the other 7 billion humans living and breathing right now…and not just listening, but caring and working things out because we are asking.

Maybe piles of rocks all over my house wouldn’t be the best plan, but something more doable in terms of space, like a prayer journal, would be a way to do that. A place that I can remember when I fasted a weekly meal and prayed for weeks for specific friends to get closer to Jesus, and they did. A way I can remember that I prayed for God’s presence to be felt in Noah’s school, and a Bible study was started there at lunchtime by a pastor I don’t know. A place I can remember when many people prayed for my sweet niece to be born healthy, while tests were showing she wouldn’t be, yet she was. A reminder of when a kid in Noah’s class kept getting in trouble and having problems with school work, we prayed for him daily, and by the end of the year Noah said that kid was doing so much better in class.

All we do is ask God; He answers. He loves and cares that much. The least I can do is remember, and to share those stories with my child, and with anyone else who will listen.

What kinds of things could you set up some rocks for?

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

   for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; 

   great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

 

2/13/2014

 

Feb16

Haymitch, Phil Robertson, and a gentle reminder

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“This is my command: Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” – John 15:17-18

I LOVE the Hunger Games. Love the books, love the movies. Seriously. In case you didn’t get to read or watch, or had no desire to, here’s the general gist. What’s left of America in the future is divided into districts and is ruled by the Capital district and President Snow. The Capital has all the wealth and power, while the remaining districts have few freedoms and little money.

The rules enforced by the Capital include a fight to the death between 24 teenagers randomly picked from the 12 districts. Only one can live.

The story’s hero, Katniss, is forced to go into the games a second time in the sequel, Catching Fire, to fight for her life again. Her mentor Haymitch reminds her as she enters the arena, “Remember who the real enemy is.” 

Haymitch wanted her to remember the enemies were not the other 23 unlucky kids trying to kill her; it was the Capital officials and President Snow – the ones responsible for all of it.

I couldn’t help but think of the wisdom in that. The Bible says something very similar in Ephesians 6:12.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Satan can use just about anything to distract people from their fight against him and sick them on each other. I’ve seen some of it today.

Hearing about Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson and the attention he is getting from his words reminded me of how easy it is for us to forget who the enemy of God and Christians is. Christians might think the enemy is the people who don’t know Jesus, or maybe it’s the media, or a Merry-Christmasless chain store, but it isn’t. Our real enemy is Satan.

Satan can get us so focused on a particular sin, topic or issue, and what might start out as sticking up for the rights of Christians can end up leaving us a hateful, bitter bunch failing to show the love of Christ to those who need it right where they are.

I’m not saying that if something is a sin, you should pretend that it is okay. But doesn’t God look at all sin equally? In the GQ article, Phil paraphrased the list of some sins from I Corinthians, where homosexual practice is right alongside the sexually immoral, idolatry, adultery, the thieves, the greedy, the drunk, slanderers and swindlers. I’ve been guilty of more on this list than I would care to mention.

When Christians make fighting against one sin or another their platform, it takes away from our first duty and what should be our biggest delight – to love God and love others.

Back to that passage in I Corinthians though, chapter 6 verse 11 says something beautiful about a group of people like all of us who at one time were dabbling in that list of sins I mentioned above…

“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 

There isn’t one single sin that God’s grace can’t cover. Not one. I am beyond grateful for this!

Standing up for what you believe in isn’t wrong. Send A&E an email if you want, and proudly wear your Duck Dynasty t-shirt (I think the show is adorable and really hope it continues with Phil present – BTW, Jase is my favorite). But please be careful not to make it an “us against them” fight.

It’s us against Satan, and unless we are showing the love of Jesus everywhere we go, he is winning.

 

12/19/2013

 

Feb16

Wax on, wax off

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Ralph Macchio was way hot as Daniel-san in the original Karate Kid.

Dreamy!!!

As Mr. Miyagi was training him so he could defend himself against those jerks at the Cobra Kai Dojo, he gave Daniel-san some odd training techniques. Rather than showing him how to block a kick, Mr. Miyagi told him to wax his cars, paint his fences, and sand his floors. Sounds like a scam.

And that’s just what foul-mouthed Daniel-san tells Mr. Miyagi when he felt he had done enough. But Mr. Miyagi showed him just what he had learned.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N-R9fVkG6I

While all the waxing, sanding, and painting seemed completely unrelated to the task of learning enough to show Johnny Lawrence that he wasn’t to be messed with, Mr. Miyagi had been teaching him all along.

I’ve noticed some wax-on/wax-off assignments from God recently. Walking around the block by Noah’s school and praying, I noticed it was trash day for the surrounding neighborhood. One of the neighbor’s trash bags had been ripped open by a local dog, with all their scraps and evidence of the week that had just passed.

As I walked by, I felt God nudging my heart. It seemed He wanted me to pick up the trash. So I kept walking. I decided I would get a bag from my car and pick it up on my next lap. I forgot to stop. So I circled again, still feeling God’s words on my heart. I grabbed an empty bag from my car, and walked to the yard. As I began to pick up pieces of this stranger’s garbage, I discovered garbage of a family just like mine, right down to their love of Chick-fil-a.

While nothing obviously life-changing happened from me obeying, God asked me to do it for a reason. Whether it was for that family to not have garbage all over their lawn, for me to learn a lesson in humility, for me to have a few moments focused on this family and praying for them, or for me to just learn to hear God’s voice, I don’t know. But I do know God wanted me to do it.

He has shared other things with me lately that He wanted me to do. And it seems the more I listen to Him and obey, the more “assignments” he is willing to give. And I really want them. There is nothing more satisfying than obeying God.

If God is asking you to help someone unload their cart at Walmart, or say hello to a neighbor, do it. Even if it is something that doesn’t seem to serve an immediate purpose. God is speaking and we are learning His voice.

Wax on and wax off your way to a closer, more intimate and beautiful relationship with God. You won’t regret it.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” – John 10:27-28

 12/6/2013

Feb16

Missing God and ziplining

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“Can you fathom the mysteries of God?

Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

They are higher than the heavens above – what can you do?

They are deeper than the depths below – what can you know?

Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.” – Job 11:7-9

My family loves to go to Tennessee. Probably our favorite vacation spot. I’d say we’ve been there nearly 10 times since we have been married. We even went there for our honeymoon.

There are so many things to do. We shop, miniature golf, ride go-karts, go to Dollywood, watch a show. Never a dull moment.

This year when we went, we decided to get a little more into nature. We rode horses, went on a hike, and Shawn and Noah even went zip-lining. It surprises me how easy it is to be so close to natural beauty, like the Smokey Mountains, and never get close to it. Never really look at it. Just seeing it from a distance, while driving from one mini-golf course to the next.

Taking a look down the parkway, there are attractions upon attractions. And they’re so fun and entertaining. But the beauty of the area is really in the mountains, and we have missed it so many times.

This year, God nudged my heart a little on this. There are so many things that capture my attention and get in the way of me focusing on God. Seeing him, spending time with him, worshiping him. And like mini-golf and go-karts, these things aren’t bad in themselves.

It could be things originally meant to worship God, like our church building, or church activities, our music, or our ministries. If the building, or the event, or the song, or even the ways in which we serve, take our focus off God, we are missing out. It’s not how God intended it.

Music is my favorite part of a service. A song can focus our attention on the beauty of God, his power, his mystery. But if we listen to the song, liking it just for what it is, not paying attention to Who it is about, we have missed out on something lovely.

The same for a ministry. If we are serving in a ministry, like a Sunday School class, and go at it half-heartedly, just trying to survive until the class is over, or if we fail to look for what God wants us to do with the class, it’s not as great as it could be. Good things can still happen, but we are missing out on a beautiful opportunity.

Sometimes even the blessings God gives us can take our eyes off him. Things might be good for us with our families, with our finances, or otherwise, and we forget that each day we live totally dependent on Him. Our next breath comes from Him.

When we are not in a desperate place, sometimes we forget how big He is. We make Him small and understandable. He is neither.

The times we have gone through the Tennessee mountains, hiked, viewed waterfalls and enormous trees, seen the wildlife – those are when I am in awe. I am sad for all the times I was so close and missed them.

On a much larger scale, the same goes for God. When I look for Him, my worship, my ministries, my everyday things are so different. They are so much more beautiful to me.

Today, let’s make it our purpose not to miss Him.

 

10/16/2013

Feb16

Penny and the talking donkey

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  – Joshua 1:9

I’m a wimp. It’s true. Water, heights, going blind, the dark, going too fast. If there is something to be afraid of, I fear it. If there is a possibility that anything could go wrong, I will have already imagined it. This is especially true when things are out of my control.

My family went to Tennessee this summer, and we were able to take my niece Vivian with us. Rather than just winging it when we got there, we had a plan mapped out of some of the things we wanted to make sure we did during the trip. Dollywood, ziplining and horseback riding were on the list.

I had been horseback riding before, but I believe it was on our honeymoon, so that was 16 years ago. I was excited for Noah and Vivian to experience this since neither of them had done this.

However, as we drove to Big Rock Riding Stables, I started feeling anxious. What if I fall off the horse? What if the horse decides it doesn’t want to follow everyone else anymore? What if it isn’t defiant, but just dumb and doesn’t know he is supposed to stay with the group? My mind filled with questions like that.

Not to mention worrying these same things about Noah and Vivian.

We all were given our horses. They were each named after states, and my horse was Pennsylvania, but she went by Penny, which I found comforting, since that was my mother’s name.

The guy giving me my horse assured me Penny is an old horse, who will go slow and easy.

New fears. What if Penny decides she has had enough. She is overworked and tired of it. There is very little separating Penny and me from careening down the side of the hill if Penny decides life is no longer worth living.

As I’m fearing all of these things and more, God began to calm my heart. He reminded me of Balaam.

In Numbers 22 you can read about him. Balaam is an oracle, who told the future, and gave out blessings and curses, sometimes for money.

That is the situation in chapter 22. He was hired to curse a group of people, and the price was right. Fast-forward a few verses. So he gets on his donkey and they take off down the road, with the desire of money in his heart. On his way, his donkey saw an angel of God holding a sword in the middle of the road. The donkey veers of the road toward a field. Smart donkey. Balaam beats her. A little further down, the donkey sees the angel again, and this time it is on a narrow path, with vineyards on each side. She scoots close to the wall, squishing Balaam’s leg, to get away from the angel, and Balaam beats her again. Then the third time she sees the angel, the donkey just drops to the ground, refusing to go. He beats her a third time. Then verse 28 says this, “Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?'”

To get Balaam’s attention, God caused the donkey to speak. Wow.

It was here that God reminded me that He made Penny. He had complete control over Penny. If He wanted Penny to speak, He could make her speak, so He certainly could make her stay on the path if that’s what He wanted.

I’d like to say I relaxed completely the rest of the ride and enjoyed it, but I’d be lying. I was definitely calmer, but I was certainly glad to see the stables at the end.

God did teach me something during that ride, something of which He has often reminded me.

I don’t have to be afraid. He has everything under control. That is so comforting when I remind myself of this, or when God reminds me of it. Nothing is too big, hard, small, unimportant, for Him to handle.

Whether it’s a horse, health, job, relationship, finances – He’s got it. I hope that’s comforting for you too.

Whatever your situation, God is bigger. I’m glad He keeps reminding me.

BTDubs – This is Penny, followed by Shawn, Noah and Viv with their horses 

 

9/26/2013

 

Feb16

From “So what?” to “Say what?!” and a block party :)

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When Noah acted crabby with a friend when he was younger, we told him to tell that friend, “I’m sorry.” It was a struggle, because he did not like saying those words. And when forced to say them, they kind of lack sincerity. But other times, when he has done something and felt so bad about it, and his beautiful blue eyes filled with tears, he would offer up an “I’m sorry” and mean every syllable.

The attitude of the heart makes all the difference. 

I joined an online study through Proverbs 31 Ministries on Lysa TerKeurst’s book What Happens When Women Say Yes To God, and on one of the posts, the study’s leader talked about the difference between “So What?” obedience and “Say What?!” obedience. She said someone could say that God wants them to do six loads of laundry. So what? But if that person took it seriously and committed to doing that laundry, praying over each load for her family, it could be a Say What?! moment. She said, if she decided that as she folded her children’s socks, she would pray for their feet, and the places they would be going, and if she folded her husband’s t-shirts and prayed for him and his job, and as she folded sheets, she could pray for rest and safety for her family as they slept, and fully believed that these prayers will make a difference, her family’s lives could experience an awesome change. And as she tells her friends about this, they too could decide to make this a commitment for their families as well, creating changes in homes everywhere! Say what?! 

That left a big impression on me, because I often look at things without the commitment and enthusiasm they deserve. 

Take nursery duty at church as an example. I kind of dread it when I have it. I love the kids and I end up having a good time with them, but when I realize I’m on the schedule, I’m not excited. 

But rather than looking at it as a babysitting service, I should look at it differently after this study. It’s a chance to be with the kids, to pray for them now and for their futures. To pray for the babies who have just recently been born and will be in the nursery soon, and for the ladies I know who desperately want to one day have babies of their own crawling around in the nursery. What an opportunity! 

Our church is having a block party tomorrow evening. Most of us were pretty excited about doing it during the early planning stages, but, typical for me, as the day gets closer, the excitement fades and is replaced by stress and I look forward to it being over. I’ve been sort of looking at it like a “So What?” kind of project. 


But I’m changing that, starting now. The reason for having it is to let the people in our church’s neighborhood, especially the kids, know about the classes and programs our church has. It’s to get to know the neighbors of the church and hopefully get people excited to stop by and learn that Jesus loves them.

So, tomorrow morning, as I am making lemonade and sweet tea, I will be praying for the families who will be drinking it. I will pray that they will see Jesus’ love poured out in our neighborhood. As I help set up tables and games, I will be praying for the kiddos who will be playing them, that they will have a good time and feel loved and wanted by the church volunteers who are there. I will also be praying for the church volunteers who will be there doing everything from serving free hot dogs to manning the inflatables, that they will see each person they talk to as someone Jesus loves and gave His life for.

Kind of turns it into a “Say What?!” project 🙂

Nearly anything in our day can be changed, with a change in our attitude. I want my attitude to reflect a girl who is happy to serve Jesus.

 

8/27/2013