Christianity, Faith, Inspiration

Flipping Your Spiritual Home

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Popular television reality shows that “flip” old houses and give them a more modern, updated look are all the rage.

While it might be as easy as hiring a handyman that can paint and change light fixtures to give it a cosmetic upgrade, sometimes it requires something more drastic. The hashtag, #demoday denotes a certain euphoria that’s associated with getting rid of the old so it can be replaced with the new.

Let me just say here for those who don’t know me well, I am a “pitcher”.  I just might be the kind of person that tends to toss things out at opportune moments… like when certain people aren’t home. 🙂   If I haven’t seen it/used it for a year, then I probably don’t need it and it is either donated, shared or pitched.  I am sentimental about my old quilts and some family heirlooms, but I don’t value storing things, “just in case.”  I’d rather someone else have them that could use them, and so I purge about every 6 months.  (When you do this regularly it’s really not a big ordeal!)

BUT. there is something to be said about the benefits of a renovation.  It’s only my opinion, but when I do rejuvenate something rather than throw it away, it always seems to add to my sense of accomplishment.  I have old pieces of furniture that I have repurposed and saved a ton of money.

Recognizing the value of and bringing out the best in something that has been worn out or damaged is a beautiful picture of what God does when He sees us in our brokenness.

While you might think you’re looking pretty good by the world’s standards, the truth is we all have ugly rooms in our heart that have been marred by sin and hurt and pain.

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Bible, Christianity, Inspiration, Religion, World Events

A Lesson for the Gathered Church During a Pandemic

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Sundays were different back in the 70’s.  No stores were open on Sundays and it seemed as though everyone went to a church of some kind.  I would wake up to the smell of homemade donuts and the sound of gospel music.  We would get all dressed up, put on our patent leather shoes; I would grab my little zip-up Bible and jump in the car excited to go to church.  We had Bible classes for every age, then gather together for worship as a family, babies included.

My favorite part of church was before the sermon–lively worship with songs that I can still remember today. (Sorry, pastor!) The songs thrilled me, and my heart felt free.  I loved to sing, and when I came to understand more fully who God was and what He had done for me on the cross, my worship became even more meaningful.  The world melted away as I focused on God’s attributes and His amazing grace.

I still smile when I think of our Sunday Night Song Celebrations where anyone could sing a solo or with a group and where selections were chosen by the congregation as they would shout out a song or hymn number, hoping to hear their favorite song. For my liturgical friends I am sure this would have been quite an unusual sight, but for me it was a joyful time of celebrating the God I loved.  I learned at a young age that worship could be just as awe-inspiring when boisterous as it is when quiet and moving.

While it is true that worship can (and should) occur at any place and at any time, God in His sovereignty designed us for corporate worship.  Gathering together is God’s idea, not man’s.  Much of the New Testament is written to instruct and encourage the local church, including the book of Titus, a letter written from Paul to Titus:

In the book of Titus we see how “God spreads the kingdom through the church… Local congregations of believers in Jesus Christ are little ‘kingdom outposts’, waiting for the time that their King will appear gloriously.” [Holman Illustrated Study Bible, preface to Titus, p. 1768]

This little book holds some important information for the gathered church.  While much of the culture’s beliefs were wrapped in tradition, Christianity revealed that God’s plan involved so much more than just religiosity.

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Bible, Christianity, Inspiration, MARRIAGE, Marriage and Family

The Marriage Triangle

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I didn’t get married in June.

The sky threatened snow and the lace I wore on my long-sleeved wedding dress failed to block out the cold of an early January day.  Looking back, there were a few things I would have done differently.  With limited resources it wasn’t possible, but had I been able to I would have purchased a beautiful white fur-lined cape to wear over my dress.  I would have had more fresh flowers and not artificial ones.  I might have changed colors or even picked different songs, but I would never have dreamed of choosing a different day, even though January 2 was not a very practical day for getting married.  We had been dating since high school, and so the long wait for college graduation was over.  Not wanting to delay it longer, and rather than being separated by even more miles, we chose to get married and begin a new life in Ft. Worth, Texas where my groom would start seminary classes just a few weeks later.  

Two separate lives becoming one took on a whole new meaning as we left the familiarity of our family and friends and began our life together as husband and wife. While my scholarly husband was going to classes and studying for ministry, I got a secretarial job working in a parole office.  At the time, it seemed as though our worlds were polar opposite, but looking back I can see God working in our lives to prepare us for the balancing act between the spiritual and the physical world.

“For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10

If we’re not careful we can compartmentalize our married life and live in separate worlds that never collide.  If we never fill the gap in that divide our relationship will inevitably suffer.  The same is true of our spiritual life when we set boundaries (maybe not even intentionally) between what we say we believe and what our actions actually demonstrate to the world around us.

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Christianity, Inspiration, World Events

Finding Focus

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Putting a pen to paper and writing down the things I am grateful for, thankfulness has been at the top of my “essential for survival” list.

These are difficult days for so many, and while I am blessed that my life has not been altered financially (yet!) and I have no serious health issues, I am–and I dare say most, will be forever changed on a spiritual level.

Focusing on the good–the positive things I can be thankful for–health, finances, family, faith, etc.–is a catalyst for helping fear and frustration take a back seat in my thinking. More importantly, the physical and emotional struggles I have are put in perspective when I look beyond the moment to a much bigger picture: I have seen God at work in ways that might not have happened if we had been spared of CoVid.

Could it be that God is teaching me to  be thankful even for the difficult times that teach us valuable lessons?

I think so.  While it is often easy to write down the things we are grateful for, it is often more difficult to have thankful hearts for the struggles we go through and the hardships we endure.  Could these have a greater purpose than we might know in this lifetime?  In this battle of the mind, I am constantly confronted with truth that reminds me that, 1) He is in control, and 2.) My number one priority should be to seek Him. 

In Philippians 3 the apostle Paul writes,

“…I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8

He goes on to say,

“My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings…”  Philippians 3:10

Those things that are negative and that frustrate me have actually led me to crave God’s Word even more.  He is constantly reminding me that I am here for a reason–in this place, in this time.  When He saved me, He had a purpose in doing so.  His desire for me is so much more than I can even comprehend on this side of heaven, and being faithful in the day-to-day matters.  It matters.

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Bible, Christianity, Inspiration, World Events

Smiling Behind The Mask

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I will never get used to it.

I refuse to call it the “new normal.”

Because it’s not.

It’s not normal to avoid people

or to cover your smile.

While I have to accept it, I still struggle.

This is a battle that I wrestle with in my mind–the “what ifs” and the “how longs”. 

But God.

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Bible, Christianity, Inspiration, World Events

Do Dogs Get Headaches and Other Things To Think About

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I woke up this morning with a headache.  My brain is on overload from all that is happening out there in the world and in my own family. My faithful pup beside me, I started my prayer time and thought about the gift that this little companion is…

“I wonder if dogs get headaches too?”

Asking myself the question, I begin the process of thinking through the science of it all, and eventually checked with Google. The consensus is “probably”, “although this is not able to be proven since you cannot just ask a canine if his head hurts.” [mysweetpuppy.net]  There are medical reasons to believe that because dogs definitely experience pain, it is likely that they can get headaches.

While medicine can tell us so many things about our brains and how it works, including animals, it cannot determine the “why” of how we think.

I can never understand a dog’s thoughts because I am not a dog, just as

I cannot understand what it is like to be in another’s person’s skin.

 My sweet mama had a stroke almost three years ago, and in recent days she has struggled with some past memories that haunt her.  While I can be compassionate, loving and hopefully a little comforting to her, I will never truly understand her feelings.  I know the facts surrounding her circumstance and I know the reality of her pain, but because it is something that I have only experienced second-hand,

I cannot pretend to understand.

And it grieves me.  It moves me. And I realize that because that her 80-year-old life is vastly different from mine, I have to accept these differences and move forward in a way that shows not only that I care, but that I will be proactive in walking beside her in her journey. 

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Bible, Christianity, Inspiration, Truth from Scripture, World Events

The Gravity of it All

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A fascinating part of humanity’s very existence is the presence of gravity.

Gravity is defined as the fundamental force that pulls us toward the center of the earth; technically, it is what keeps us grounded.   

In conversation, the use of the word denotes a seriousness or even heaviness of a situation.

While gravity is the thing that pulls us and grounds us physically, I personally look to God’s Word as the key to keeping me grounded spiritually.  So today I am looking at Ecclesiastes for wisdom.

In reality, the world wants to tell us how we should think, while God says it this way: 

“Just as you don’t know the path of the wind, or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.” Ecclesiastes 11:5

For the first time in my lifetime, the vast majority of the things that occupy my time have been put on hold.  Many are out of work, schools have been closed, there are no sporting events, and church gatherings have gone on-line.  

What we would call a “normal” life has suddenly become a season of waiting to see what time will dictate for us.   

And now, it seems that even relationships are in a holding pattern.  We were already in a social distancing mandate, and with the recent events surrounding a tragic death of a black man, we find our that our country is in disarray and people are not sure what to do next.

The question I am asking myself is,

“What are you gravitating to now?”

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Christianity, Inspiration, Nature, Photography

Beauty In The Mundane

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Up before dawn, I can hear that it’s raining… again.

Still feeling frustrated with life being in such a holding pattern, I face a new day with dread instead of anticipation.

It feels as though the days are mundane. Repetitive and lackluster.

In the quiet, I confess my lack of gratitude and ask God to reveal Himself to me today.

I am still, and my listening becomes a prayer…

I hear the clock ticking and I am grateful for another day.

I hear the birds singing outside my window and I join them in praise.

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Bible, Christianity, Inspiration, World Events

Where Is The Instruction Manual for This?

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Until just recently, the only books written on a pandemic were history books and science fiction novels–neither of which seemed to include “HOW TO SURVIVE” instructions for future generations to follow.

It seems to me that there are often two choices involved when we are faced with a situation that we know little to nothing about:

Faith or Fear; Fight or Flight; Persist or Quit; Look for Answers or Ignore the Truth

For me, not knowing is the worst.  

Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll face it head on.  Show me the way and I’ll push forward.  Give me the honest truth, and I will give an honest response.

The problem with a pandemic is that we live in a social media world that puts out so much information that you can’t be sure who you can trust.  News channels do more than just report news or the facts.  In our current day, the information that is chosen to be broadcast to the world is often sold as truth when in reality it is nothing more than an “experts” opinion or a political party’s view.

So what do we do?  What do we do with so much information?  When you can easily scan the internet to get anyone and everyone’s opinion on a particular matter, where do you turn to find the truth?

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Christianity, Faith, Marriage and Family, Parenting

A Mother’s Simple Prayer

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“Lord,

this is hard.

Some days I feel like

I have it all under control;

life goes along swimmingly

until the next thing comes along

and I feel like I’m drowning.

Just when I think it’s all

under control,

I realize that I have taken 

the reigns

and

am

losing

my

grip.

Arms open wide, I cry out,

“I can’t do this!”  

“It’s too hard!”

In surrender, I realize

that’s what You wanted all along.

They are Yours, not mine.

I am but a steward,

a caretaker.

You have trusted me with them,

and only You can give me the wisdom

I so desperately need

to be the mother

You created me to be.

Lord, give me the wisdom

to know

and

the courage

to obey.”

Bible, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration, World Events

No Time Wasted

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Expecting my first baby, I was suddenly put on bed rest to prevent premature labor.  I was only 28 weeks along and was not even allowed to sit up, rising only to go to the restroom (because I refused to use a bedpan!).  The goal was to get me to at least 32 weeks– and so life was put on hold.

Sound familiar? 

No longer able to work or to perform even basic functions around the house, I found myself with way too much time on my hands.  Even the most mundane task suddenly became appealing–and haunted my waking hours.

I like order.  I like routine, and to me, this was no minor setback.  It moved me beyond what my normal life looked like–to weeks of anticipating more than just a new baby coming; I looked forward to the day that I could go back to the life I once knew.

Only nothing would be the same. 

A statement that no mother needs reminding of, bringing a new baby home changes everything.  I had plenty of time to dream about what that would look like, but my condition kept me from physically preparing my home for his arrival.  

It felt like I was just wasting time in the waiting.

Fighting off boredom, I read until my arms were sore from holding up a book while laying flat on my back.  Cross-stitch was a time-filler that gave me a purpose–to make something new for baby’s room.  I persisted even though my arms could only last for so long before the ache brought them down again.  This was in the time before audio books and technology consisted of a radio or television with rabbit ears.  

Stripped away from work, church, and all things social, I was separated from my family by several states.  To my surprise, another family stepped in.  Something that I had not personally experienced before, there was not just one family, but our whole church family rallied around us and brought meals, stopped by to visit, called to check on me when Doug couldn’t be there, and even came to his rescue to do dishes. (We didn’t have a dishwasher!)

As frustrating as it was for me to let other people help (I much prefer to be the giver, and have a hard time receiving), I learned a valuable lesson in that time of waiting:

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Bible, Christianity, Inspiration, World Events

Changing the Normal Narrative

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Waiting is often seen as a unwelcome necessity. 

Time spent in line, in traffic, or in a doctor’s office is viewed as empty moments that are wasted. The allotted time acceptable for a wait is often preconceived and determined only by our own expectations.  Though the clock ticks at the same pace 24 hours a day, waiting seems to consume our thoughts with just how long those minutes or hours feel.  The normal daily rush is put on hold, and our focus is suddenly on the waiting.

While our patience is being challenged, we often lose those moments to frustration–not just over the time lost, but our lack of control over the situation.

Being forced to wait is different from choosing to wait.

When I decide to wait for something, I more easily can accept that waiting is a benefit: Waiting before spending money instead of impulse buying. Waiting for the right moment to say something important.  Delaying a difficult decision until praying for wisdom from God.  

When I decide to wait, I tend to be more patient.  I see it as a time of learning and growth.  I look for a perspective change; and I look for the type of wisdom that can only come by spending time in God’s Word and in prayer.

Choosing to wait seems normal; being forced to wait is somewhat, well, unnerving.

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Christianity, Food, Inspiration, Nature, World Events

Recipe for a Rebound and Redbud Jelly

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I’m a list maker.  At any give time, I might have a to-do list, a “when I have more time” list or in the back of my mind, a “someday I want to…” bucket list.

While most of my blog posts are based on what God is teaching me through His Word, some are just personal experiences that often lead me to spiritual truths. Today I want to share a recipe that taught me a lesson on JOY.

This has been a difficult time for many as we have been ordered to isolate and social distance–even from those we love.  

One of the ways I have dealt with the isolation is to set some goals for things I want to accomplish rather than spend the time just waiting to be rescued from this invisible enemy.  Intentionally setting my mind to rebound from negative thoughts about the current situation, I have a list that involves several household projects that were just waiting for the right time.  Some I had procrastinated on because they weren’t as enjoyable, while others were just too big to tackle in a day, so the “When I Have More Time” list just became the priority!  My biggest project so far has been very satisfying, so look for me to post about it later.  [I painted my old brown leather sofa set. Painted? Yes I did!]

What I am sharing from my bucket list today has been brewing in me for quite some time, so it fits nicely into both of the “Bucket List” and “When I Have More Time” categories. 

In my early years I was privileged to have grandparents who raised a garden of vegetables to be shared.  We would enjoy a bountiful harvest in the summer, and our pantry was filled with the beautiful colors of those canning jars that would last us long into the winter. 

My mother and grandmother canned vegetables and fruit, including jellies and jams that were served as a condiment for many a meal.  I have enjoyed countless homemade biscuits piled with the sugary goodness, not always savoring it long enough to fully appreciate the work that went into its production.

Honestly, I can’t remember the first time dreamed of canning something for myself one day.  I live in the country where we have been blessed with several fruit trees that were planted by previous owners.  Last year I even purchased a canner for myself–a confirmation that I was going to learn how to make my own jelly from the fruit that was growing right here on our property…

…only the squirrels beat me to it!  Those rascals stole every.single.piece of fruit!  Not because I procrastinated and didn’t pick them soon enough–we literally woke up to trees that were stripped bare overnight, before the fruit was even fully ripe.  Ugh!

Sadly, my intended effort was stored away in the pantry.

Until now!

I am privileged to enjoy the beauty of several flowering trees in the spring, and my daughter sent me a link to a recipe for jelly made from redbud blossoms!  I was inspired, and suddenly the desire to learn something new was revived.

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Bible, Christianity, Faith, Inspiration, Lifestyle, World Events

Three Things to Do While You’re Waiting

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I’m not very good at waiting.

Especially when I am in not in control of the wait.

One of life’s necessities, waiting will sometimes take us down a hard road that affects us emotionally.

Fear, frustration, anger, or anxiety can become our new normal, and despite our best efforts we struggle to see the good.

But God.

Peace I leave with you.

My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.

John 14:27

Think of what those disciples must have felt on the day after the crucifixion.  The picture they had of Jesus was shattered.  In fear, they hid in their homes not knowing what to do next.  Even though Jesus had tried to prepare them, this was something they could never have imagined…

“What now?”  “What do we do?” “What will become of us!” “Where do we go from here?”

They had left everything to follow Jesus, and now He was gone.  When they counted the cost of following Him, they hadn’t counted on Him leaving them, even though He had tried to prepare them:

But I have told you these things so that when the time comes you may remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

But now I am going away to Him who sent Me…

John 16:4-5

Regardless of your stage in life, there will always be seasons of waiting.  Some things are within our control, but often they are not; could it be that God wants to remind us that He is in control? 

Right now the world seems to be on hold as we wait for a virus to loosen its grip.  Tomorrow you might be waiting for a diagnosis, or a job offer, or for love to come find you.

So what do we do?  What can we learn? What is God saying in our wait?

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Christianity, Faith, Inspiration, poetry

Drowning in Fear

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Standing on the precipice,

I am paralyzed by the sound.

~~~

Unable to move

or

even

think,

the waves of fear and grief crash over me 

like a tsunami.

~~~

Overpowering.

Taking over and completely

subduing,

submerging.

~~~

Drowning,

I can see through the crystal clear water

that wants to fill my lungs with death:

There is Light.

There is Hope.

~~~

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