Fruit Stand

Imagine driving down a country road: baby lambs, beautiful fields, gentle streams, hot sun-–then oh blissful day! A fruit stand! Overflowing with sunflowers, corn, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums! The colors of the fruit splash out like an advertisement for the juicy goodness that awaits inside this colorful natural wrapper, and you simply must pull over. You have been drawn in to the yumminess that awaits. The fruit is beautiful and filled with goodness-you can tell by the wrapping. Somehow the bargain bin--fifty percent off of the bedraggled and worn out fruit--just doesn’t entice.

The fruit of the spirit in our lives can be a little like this. Sometimes hidden by the scars and bruises of life, sometimes shielded by the bedraggled covering of the day.  But oh glorious day when our fruit is shiny and bright! Kindness not masked by a weary heart, goodness not shielded from view by an unkempt spirit. Patience and joy and peace shining bright to draw people in.

When the Christ-like attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are bright and shiny in our lives they draw those who don’t know Christ to us. What is this joy that is in this heart? What is the kindness that I see pouring out of this individual? How can I pluck that off of a tree and pour it into my life? As a fruit stand displays its products, so should our lives display our Savior’s great love for mankind. His attributes on display through us is one way that Jesus Christ is revealed to a world that doesn’t know him. The goodness in your life is inspiring to others. The joy in my life is explained only by the fact that it comes directly from Him.

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, 23

Re-Gifting

My sister’s birthday is in January. This might possibly be the worst time of year to have a birthday. People are already worn out by too much yummy food, too much shopping, too much stuff, and too much celebrating. They are too worn out to even consider celebrating you. It’s a challenge to even find a present for someone in January. Presumably they have already received everything they want or need. And, unless like this amazing sister you shopped ahead, there is nothing to purchase to celebrate your loved one that is not picked over and rejected from Christmas. Even worse, those with January birthdays are often the victims of re-gifting. Rather than receiving a gift that is thoughtfully chosen, they receive the left-over or rejected gifts that have already been opened and found lacking by someone else.

While many people ridicule the re-gift, there is one gift received at Christmas that absolutely must be re-gifted: the gift of Jesus Christ. While Christmas is over: boxed up and stored in the rafters for next year, the gift we have received through Jesus Christ lives in our hearts and lives all year. This gift we have the privilege of re-gifting to others. It is our joy to help give this gift away. And the gift isn’t just the story of the baby in the manger, it is infinitely more. Better than clothes, toys or electronics, we receive grace, mercy and forgiveness. Better than the fleeting happiness that comes in a box we receive the imperishable gift of salvation-if we will accept it. Don’t leave the best gift of your lifetime boxed up and stored in the rafters; this year, let’s all be re-gifters.

 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 2 Corinthians 5:18

Silent Night

Of all the family traditions we have, I love my Christmas tree the best. We put all our ornaments on it: those bought on vacation, homemade, kid-made, antique, beautiful, and funny. It is interesting how I can look at a tree filled with so many random things that don’t actually reflect the true meaning of Christmas and still turn my focus to the Savior of my soul and the blessings he has given me.  Funny glitter trees and an 8 year old’s strand of popcorn remind me how blessed I am to be a mother.  A hand-sewn teddy bear made by the loving hands of my grandmother and miniature birdhouses made by my father remind me of the blessing of family. Hand blown ornaments bought in a little coastal town remind me of a time when God taught me that He helps us to grow wherever He has put us.  Ornaments collected over the years as gifts or “stolen” at parties remind me of a wealth of treasured friends and moments.  Nativity ornaments remind me of my Savior’s birth and great love for me. 

When I find my silent, still moment and no one is around, I turn off all the lights except the lights on the tree.  I sit back and reflect on God’s goodness to me, and in the stillness, I recognize His faithfulness in my life.  Have you found a calm moment to appreciate the silent stillness and the wonder of Christ? 

“Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright…Silent night, holy, night, Son of God, loves first light.” These are my two favorite phrases in this Christmas carol.  Can you picture it? A silent night broken by a baby’s cry; an infant whose birth is announced by the most extravagant birth announcement of all time: angels & a star, proclaiming that the Son of God has come to earth. 

Put the kids to bed early, make a cup of coffee, turn off the world, and take a moment to reflect on the wonder of the silent night.

Break out the China

“There is something unique about being a member of a family that really needs you in order to function well. One of the deepest longings a person can have is to feel needed and essential.” Fred Rogers

Our church is just one piece of the larger thing known as the body of Christ, but it is like a smaller person enveloped by the whole. We operate as a complete body in ourselves, but know that somehow we fit into the plan of God’s universal church. Each one of us in that body is gifted with unique gifts, chosen for us by our creator. That being the case, our gifts are to be cherished, grown and used. They aren’t supposed to be hidden away like a secret treasure.

When they get married, most people register for china. They painstakingly choose a pattern and fill out forms to identify which dishes they want, and let others know where the china can be purchased. They unwrap the gift of china with great joy, then promptly put it into a special cupboard where it seldom gets used. Dishes that are stored in a cupboard are not being used for what they were intended. They were made to be filled, used up and filled again. Neither china nor spiritual gifts are meant to be put away and brought out once a year on a special occasion.

I have a friend who used her fine china every day because in her words, “What was more special than your own family sitting down to eat together?” Using your God given gifts is like using your best china every day, because rather than just taking it out for company, you are actually sharing daily with the people you love the most. Like china, gifts should not to be taken out and dusted off once a year, but should be used so often it is nearly impossible for them to get dusty. 1 Peter 4:10 “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”
Using our gifts is one of the privileges and responsibilities of being a Christian and in belonging to the body of Christ. Each of these individual gifts works together with the others to serve in a meaningful way. We can function okay without all of the gifts, but we are meant to work together. Ephesians 4:16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Check out your cupboard:  Are you gifts dusty like fine china or are they well-worn and used regularly? Does the body of Christ benefit because you choose to serve?  If the items in your spiritual gifts cupboard are a little dusty, you know it’s time. Break Out the China!

Jumping the Fence

Last weekend my husband and I drove up to the very northern coast of California to visit friends in the small town where we used to live. It was the absolute perfect time to drive the hills and valleys of California. Seeing the green pastures and gentle streams made the words in Psalm 23:2 & 3 stand out in a mighty way: “He lets me rest in green meadows. He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name.” The bright green hills with gently wafting breeze, dotted with sheep, cows and goats looks incredibly peaceful. It is a contented population on the pasture. Their safety is guaranteed: the farmer or shepherd is on duty and has taken care of everything. They are content just to be: content to feed on what is so lavishly provided, content to wander the fields, hills and valleys before them, content at the stream, content to answer the shepherds call. It is a beautiful picture.

Many people do not know that there is a private herd of elk in Laytonville. As we drove past their pasture the herd was gathered together and content. Except for the three elk next to the fence. One elk had gone astray. Rather than being in the safety that the pasture afforded him, he had jumped the fence. Wide-eyed, he found himself dealing with a perspective of the world he hadn’t anticipated. He had wandered outside of his shepherds care.

We often wander out of the path our Shepherd has laid before us. Then with wide-eyes we survey a part of the world we were never intended to encounter. The choice is ours. Do we step further from the Shepherd or, like the elk, do we cling to the fence line wanting desperately to be found and led back to the field?

Gladly, thankfully, there is no fence-line with the Lord. Those who wander a little or a lot are always within the grasp of the Father. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path”. Proverbs 3:6

City Girl

I have lived in the city since I moved out of my parents’ house to attend college. A few years ago my family moved out of the city to the far north coast of California where my husband was the pastor of a small church. This was about as far from the city as you could get. When we first moved, there were a few things that grabbed my attention right away. One night someone walked past my house with a sheep on a leash. Being a city girl, this was entirely new to me. Another time, someone was giving us directions to their house and said, “Turn left where the three donkeys are standing in the field.” Also, not a phrase you hear in the city.  One of my favorite things about living in this small town was the local feed store, who in the spring, proudly proclaimed on their board: “Chicks Coming Soon”! This would mean something entirely different on a billboard in a city.

The Bible was not originally written to city folk, so there are a lot of places in scripture where God’s provision and care for us is displayed through agrarian pictures. In particular, He uses chicks quite a bit.

Once, my husband found a duck and her baby ducklings far away from the river, who were lost in the middle of concrete, houses and cars (these were city ducks). It took quite a while, but somehow, he was able to herd that duck and her babies back to the river. He said that periodically the mama would stop so her babies could rest, and anytime she stopped, they would gather around her and crowd into the shadow & shelter of her wings. Wings are what birds use to shelter their young. It is where they gather them in for warmth, shade, and protection. Under the mama's wings they find rest.

This is a beautiful picture of provision, and we also find it in scripture: “the Lord, under whose wings you have come to take refuge….” “For my soul takes refuge in thee, and in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge until destruction passes by”, and finally, in Psalm 36:7 we are told, “All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings”. Today, if you need shelter, it is waiting. You only have to rest in the shadow that is provided for you under the shelter of His wings.

Play Well With Others

If you were 8 years old and on a playground, what would the other kids say about you? Would they say you are nice or mean?  Do you have a circle of friends that is closed off to newcomers and outsiders or do you let everyone play? When faced with someone who does something you don’t like, do you uninvited them to your birthday? 

As adults, we often jokingly use the phrase, “he doesn’t play well with others”.  The truth is, God wants us to love, encourage and be unified. He wants us to play well with others.  Does this mean that everyone I come in contact with is my BFF? Does this mean I mindlessly agree with everything someone says so I won’t cause friction? 

Playing well with others means we’re allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, exhibiting the fruit that God has put there.  As believers, we have a full basket of the fruits of the spirit the moment we become His. He puts the love in our hearts and then the Holy Spirit works in us to produce the rest.  Just like fruit is the by-product of the tree, the fruits of the spirit are by-products of God’s love in us.

Am I encouraging others in their faith? Am I bringing unity, not dissension to the body of Christ? Sharing myself and God’s love with the world means that I “play well with others”. 

Galatians 5:22, 23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Losing an I

One of my favorite phrases from childhood is, "Someone is going to lose an eye." My husband is the perfect example of this phrase. Once, while playing soldiers with his brother, with the requisite long pointy sticks for guns, he was charging forward while Dave was turning to retreat, and Garth got poked in the eye. It is all fun and games until someone loses an eye. While we shout that reminder to our kids, sometimes in truth and sometimes in jest, in the Christian walk we are not supposed to stop until someone does lose an 'I". Do you put others first or do you need to stop and lose an "I"?

I confess that often I am selfish. I frequently choose to consider myself before others. Sometimes I am tired of doing good. Sometimes I want to think about me. Sometimes I get tired of being responsible. When is it going to be my turn to stay home and huddle under the covers instead of being the one to keep things going?

The world tells us many things about ourselves, most of them having to do with putting ourselves first: "I'm worth it", "Care begins with me", "You deserve a break today" are just a few.

Philippians 2:3 tell us, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves".

The truth is, I think about myself plenty. But as a Christian I am called to "lose an I." It's just that the "I" is me, or my absorption with self. When I strive to put others before myself there is a subtle shift in the way I look at the world. I begin to see the whole person standing in front of me, not just their exterior. I begin to see their needs and their gifts. I begin to see that they are God's beloved child, just as I am. I begin to see their worth through my Fathers eyes, and hopefully, the way I view myself has changed as well. 

Clown Car

Lately my life feels like a giant clown car. I have the usual clowns who ride around with me: the mom & ministry clowns, the clown of personal responsibility, the wifey clown, friend, sister, etc…. So my car is pretty full on a daily basis. But lately more clowns have been climbing in to join the journey: the clown of High School graduation, who seems to have brought along quite a few friends, the GCU clown who has brought an oversized bouquet of flowers, each one representing money, time and things to do, and then last, the one who wants us to move households by the end of June; not to mention the ministry clown who tends to be a little more needy this time of year. As one climbs out, another seems to pile in and I can picture myself driving down the road with an over-stuffed car with crazy hair waving out the sunroof and giant feet sticking out the window!

You have probably felt the same way a time or two, and the reality is, sometimes life is like a clown: ridiculous, busy, loud, demanding, fun and often a little scary!

The clown car in my mind reminds me yet again that my life must be anchored and rooted in something of substance. My foundation has to be unshakeable because the circumstances of my life will probably shake and spin from time to time and a new clown will jump in the car to distract me. The usual clowns, family and friends, provide the love and support I need to go along with the random chaos, and this too is part of God’s provision and care for me.

I hope this week you will embrace the clowns in your car. Accept their presence and thank God that your car runneth over and that the God of the universe is bigger than you car and bigger than your pile of clowns.

 

Psalm 121:1” I lift my eyes toward the heavens. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

Gobsmacked

[gobsmacked]

                                            »utterly astonished, astounded

I was sitting in a room with 800 other Children’s Pastors last week and the speaker asked, “When was the last time you were gobsmacked by God’s word?” The word gobsmacked, which is an informal British word, originated from the combining of the two words gob and smacked and literally means to clap ones hand to the mouth in amazement.

Are you gobsmacked by God’s word? Sometimes I am, but more often I am not. I often read my Bible with the comfortable feeling of familiarity. I greet my Bible like an old friend. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it is an attitude that usually does not lead to wonder and amazement at God’s power.

 The question, are you gobsmacked, immediately brought to mind a kid named Sammy. We were in the middle of our Wednesday night club at church and the teacher was up front telling the Bible story to the large group of kids in the room. The teacher was telling the story in a way that had completely captivated his audience. It was a story you and I have heard a million times, and I don’t even remember which one it was.  I don’t think that I was even paying much attention until Sammy shouted out in the middle of the lesson: “That’s Awesome!” Sammy was gobsmacked: open mouthed, no-that-did-not-just-happen amazement at God’s Word.

Jesus said we should have the faith of little children.  Children enter into the telling of the story. Children believe without a lot of background information.  Children are willing to take God at His word. Sammy wasn’t trying to figure out the way physical laws had been broken, or trying to expose the lie of the illusion, and he wasn’t questioning the veracity of the text. He was gobsmacked by God’s Word! Absolute wonder! “Did He really? Yes, He totally did! Awesome.”

Did Jesus really heal the sick, walk on water, live a perfect life, die and rise from the dead? My response should be an awestruck and emphatic “Oh yes He did!”

The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them. (Mark 10:13-15, The Message)

The Best Cup of the Day

The love affair began when I was in college. It started innocently enough…and as obsessions go, it grew with each passing day. What was once something I huddled up  to for warmth became something more.  A little here and a little there, and pretty soon I was hooked. Something that started out strong and bitter grew into something sweet and comforting. Coffee: the elixir of the gods, the bringer of life, the good in good morning.

I consider the first cup of coffee to be the best cup of the day.  According to Statistic Brain, more than half of all adult Americans agree with me. “54% of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee every day, and 60% of the people who drink coffee claim that they need coffee to start their day.”  I start each day sitting on the couch, golden retriever at my feet, coffee cup in hand. Somehow I never miss my first cup of coffee in the morning. It has become a habit.  The worst morning of the week is the one in which I am greeted with the words, “we are out of coffee”. How can I function without the blessed brew? 

Yet often I choose to function without a blessed brew of a different sort. There it is within my grasp each moment of every day-the blessing of time with my heavenly Father. And sometimes, many times, I see that blessed brew waiting for me in the form of prayer, Bible study or reflection and I turn away.

I recently asked some friends to fill in the blank: “I just can’t get through the day without ___”. How would you complete that sentence? The first thing that comes to my mind is my morning coffee. How did I put it? “Coffee:  The elixir of the gods, the bringer of life, the good in good morning.” It could be that I have my priorities a little out of sorts. Quite possibly, my Savior is the bringer of life and He is the good in good morning. Motivational speaker Rob Liano said it like this: “God will overflow your cup, so grab the biggest one you can find.” John 1:16 says it like this: “From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” I hope that today your cup overflows!

Remember the Sparrow

I am a fish killer. One morning last week my goldfish Sparrow (RIP) was floating upside down in the top of his bowl. I lovingly and sadly scooped him out with the net. No movement or flutter of little happy fins. I carried him to the bathroom with tears in my eyes. No movement. I plopped him into the toilet and THEN he started to swim. Did I scoop him out and rinse him off? NOOOOO, I took a deep (sad & teary) breath and flushed. I closed the lid because I could not look. I am a fish killer.

It is bad to be a fish killer. People stop trusting you to babysit their fish, and worse, when you tell them that another fish has passed away to the great fish bowl in the sky, they accuse you of “setting it free”. Sparrow is not the first fish I have sent prematurely to a watery grave, and likely is not the last. Every once in a while I think, “We need a fish”.  Maybe I should be dissuaded by the fish sales person who thinks it is inhumane to put a goldfish in an actual bowl. Apparently a full tank is needed. I must interject here that Sparrow had a long (for a goldfish) and happy life.

I chose the name Sparrow for my fish for two reasons:  I named him Captain Jack Sparrow because fish come from the sea and so do pirates. But I also named him Sparrow because it reminded me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible which is found in Matthew 10. Jesus is talking with the disciples about the hard path of discipleship. He tells them that if a single sparrow falls from the sky, the Father is aware of it. If a single, seemingly insignificant bird or a tiny goldfish perish, our Father is aware of it. Matthew 10:31, says this, “So don’t be afraid, you are more important to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” 

In the middle of whatever is going on in my life, whether big or small, I take comfort in the fact that God cares for me. He has given the birds of the air everything they need and they are just birds. I, His beloved child, am given so much more. I, His beloved child, have value to God. And so, I remember the Sparrow.

Transformed

At different times of the year I feel like I need a transformation: the new improved me, or the younger fitter me. I typically end up with the same old me in a new outfit. Transformation for the low, low price of $80! If only it was that easy to be renewed or transformed.

I crave, even long for, being a person who looks more like my heavenly father and less like my earthly self. So often the desire for godliness doesn’t translate to the actions that, when taken on my part, would lead me closer to him and the transformation I desire. My teenage son recently said it like this: “Sometimes I feel really close to God, and others I don’t feel close to Him at all.” My husband reminded him that in order to feel really close to someone, to feel kinship and connectedness, you have to spend time hanging out with them.

I long for time with good friends-the ones with whom conversation is not an effort, the ones who care about the silly and important details in my life. These are the friends who really know me and love me anyway. I will arrange my schedule to go away with them, and juggle a thousand details to go to coffee. This connectedness comes from history and trust and time spent together.  In fact, if you saw us together you would probably be able to tell we were friends. People who spend a lot of time together often start to resemble each other in mannerisms, the way they look, and the way they communicate.  

The same is true in my relationship with God. If I don’t feel connected, if I don’t see His transforming work in my life, it’s highly possible that I am not spending time hanging out with Him. If I don’t feel close, it is I who am moving away. If I am not becoming someone who more closely resembles Him, it could be that I am making time for the wrong things.

Transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit in my life, but it does require some participation on my part. Bible study, meditation, and prayer all lead to intimacy and connectedness to the Father.  Even time spent with him while walking the dog, or that quiet moment when I stop to remember all his goodness toward me, are meaningful ways to connect. Connectedness leads to transformation. You can’t help but be more like those you spend a lot of time with. 

Romans 12:2 "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

 

Playing With Fire

"I don't want to LIVE there but I would like to see Hell. It's supposed to have lots of fire and you know how much I like fire..." (Trevor, 9 years old)

 

Do you play with sin this way? I think Trevor’s comment reveals what many of us think about sin. “I don’t want to live there, but there’s a lot of it, you know how much I like it…” Like moths to flame, we are drawn to sin. Playing with sin is a lot like playing with fire.  There is a reason you are not supposed to play with either. Fire, like sin, is enticing. It is sparkly, shiny and bright.  It’s exciting, and at first, it seems to be satisfying and warm your soul.  You think you can control it. But fire, like sin, can easily overtake you. Fire, like sin, consumes. Before you know it, you are engulfed by its flames and your life is in ashes around you. 

We can’t completely avoid sin. As an imperfect (normal) person, my day is filled with small and maybe large inconsistencies between the way I want to live my life and the way I actually get through my day. Anger, unkind words or thoughts, and selfishness are a few of the ways that I can get wrapped up in my own sin. Surely I deserve to be angry. Surely it is my right to feel misunderstood and fantasize about the way I could get even, or about what I should have said in response to unkindness. Don’t I deserve to be first? All of these thoughts, when not given over to God lead to sin.  Soon, if left unchecked, that bright shiny spark of frustration turns to anger, and then to sin.  Like Trevor, I am playing with fire.

1 Peter 3:10-12

For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
 “He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.
 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Crispy on the Edges

This morning while making sure that Buzz, the best dog in the world, had fresh water, I realized that I had not watered the flower pots in about 4 days. Let me interject here that I should get points for remembering the dog…but am apparently neglecting the garden.  My garden is definitely looking a little parched. The flowers in the pots are looking a little faded and weary, and the roses are (gasp) even a little crispy around the edges.  Let me justify my neglect: I have been busy. There was a lot going on a work, a lot to keep track of at home, and frankly, I felt that what I deserved to do was sit on the couch.

This morning while checking on the garden I was reminded of what that kind of neglect will cost me. While I can salvage the plants in the pots, they will not produce the kind of flowers I will be hoping for. The crispiness of the roses will mean a lack of new growth. All of the energy of the plants will be put into sustaining life, not into the production of something beautiful.

So it is with my relationship with God. When I neglect to water and feed it, my soul becomes a little faded and dreary, and dare I say it, a little crispy around the edges. My soul needs and longs to be fed: daily, hourly, upon the word of God. Life is sustained by Him, but souls are fed, grow and bear fruit from the daily watering, feeding, and abiding in Him and His word.

Psalm 1:2-3 “…He enjoys reading the law of the Lord, and studying it day and night. He is like a tree that grows beside a stream; it gives fruit at the right time, and its leaves do not dry up. He succeeds in everything he does.”

Whatever

What is the state of your closet?  Yes, THAT closet: The one that is big and roomy and seems to fill up with all of the unmatched, unwanted, and forgotten stuff in your life. 

I actually like to clean closets. I love to pull everything out and sort it into three piles: the keepers, the give-away pile, and the stuff I don’t really want but am not yet willing to part with.  The keepers and give-away piles are easy.  We pull close what we love and dispose of what is bad or unnecessary. It is the stuff that I don’t really want but am not willing to part with that is difficult. 

 My heart is the same way. It is easy to keep the good stuff close to my heart, and it’s pretty easy to let go of what is glaringly bad in my life.  It is difficult to part with the stuff that I don’t really want but have an emotional attachment to.   Sometimes I am emotionally attached to my feeling of anger toward someone.  It could be that I have unrealistic expectations for my spouse.  Maybe I am attached to a need to control everything and everyone around me.  We can become emotionally attached to our feelings, sins, desires or entitlements and these are the very things that God wants us to dispose of.

I think of a closet as a place where things are stored and forgotten. The closet space in my heart, however, works differently.  What I store in my heart may seem put away and out of sight, but it will inevitably affect my life through my attitude and actions,

What should I be storing in the personal closet space of my heart?  Philippians 4:8 tells us to dwell on the whatever’s:  "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”  If  what I am storing  in my closet is not part of God’s list of whatever’s, it is probably something I should dispose of.  This week I plan on examining the closet space in my heart and see what I'm storing there.  I plan to embrace the keepers, and add at least one of the things I am holding tightly to, to the give-away pile.

Abundance

 

John 1:16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 

As a child of God I am the recipient of His blessing.  I am full, even overflowing with all God has graciously bestowed upon me. What is His abundance in my life?  Today I decided to think of as many examples of His abundance in my life that I could (I am sure there are more). I invite you to do the same.

I am His. I belong to Him. I have family and friends who love me. I have purpose. I have health and happiness. There is plenty of chocolate and coffee in the world. I have creativity and know joy. My flowers are blooming, My dog is not too old to walk with me. My husband and son put up with my crazy. I enjoy sunshine, wind and storms in my life. I see beauty and feel sorrow. My Hope is in Him. 

“God will overflow your cup, so grab the biggest one you can find.” Rob Liano

Kicked out of the Garden

I’ve been kicked out of my garden. The roses have just finished their first big bloom of the season, the snapdragons are ready to pop open and the birds are welcoming the day with some loud hallelujahs.  I would like nothing more than to take the floral tour of my own garden to see how things are doing. There may be aphids waiting to be eliminated. There may be flowers to dead-head. There is certainly a wicker chair waiting for me, my book and a glass of iced tea. 

It is not to be.  There is evil afoot in my garden. The large, awful, ugly tree with the treacherous little white “flowers” is blooming in full splendor.  Along with its splendor comes my misery. Watery eyes, runny nose and itchy face accompany the blooming of the tree. How can something that seems so harmless chase me away from the garden? How can it separate me from the thing that I love?

 

Each of us has something that we harbor within us that chases us away from spending time in the garden.  My secret sins, my lack of discipline, my laziness chase me out of the garden. Seemingly harmless things build up until I barely realize that I am harboring such sins in my heart. These things separate me from the One I love.

As a child of the Master Gardener I am loved, forgiven, and always welcomed, but I am still able to stray from the garden. How easy it is to glance over the fence without entering. So often I say “later” to the garden and the Master Gardener. I can choose to not pull up the wicker chair and sit for a while. I can choose not to tend to my emotions and responsibilities. I can choose to not tend to the spiritual disciplines that will cause me to want to spend time with the Master Gardner.

I hope you are finding time to be in the garden. If not, what is keeping you away?  What are you allowing to come between you and the One who loves you?  Allow yourself to sink deeper into relationship with Him. Spend time in the garden. The Master Gardner is there, tending the garden, waiting for you to pull up the wicker chair and sit a while with Him.

 

Psalm 37:3 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” 

Garments of Forgiveness

This morning I was reading in Genesis when Eve is tested by Satan and falls to the temptation of wanting more than God has already given her. She is convinced by Satan’s lies that God is withholding something good from her, and falls prey to his scheme. It is so easy to believe that there is something good and necessary to our lives that God has not given us. It is easy to accept the false narrative Satan or the world might have us believe.

Adam and Eve realize they are naked. They are exposed not just bodily, but their hearts and longings are exposed to God as well. “You gave us everything and we grasped for more,” they say, and we say every day.   They cover the evidence of their sin with physical garments, but for true forgiveness, a sacrifice must be made. Our sin, covered by a cloak of Christ’s own blood, shed to restore us to a relationship with God; if we choose to accept it. This garment of forgiveness has been crafted specifically for you and me; covering our nakedness and depravity with the compassion, mercy, love, and forgiveness of the Father.  Even in the midst of our disobedience God provides.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Awake O My Soul

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; My whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land…Your unfailing love is better than life itself, How I praise You...I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer…I lie awake thinking of you meditating on you through the night…Because you are my helper I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. “  Psalms 63

Of all the things that keep me up at night, I don’t usually think of God as being one of them.  Bills, busyness, family, and many other things have kept me awake in the middle of the night, only to fade to a more realistic focus by the light of day. The concerns of life always seem to have a magnified importance in the middle of the night.

Lately I have been considering the possibility that God himself is the source of my sleepless night. What if my sleepless night is really a call to spend time with Him-exclusively and completely focused on the Lord; searching for His heart in my awakened soul? I’ve often used a sleepless night as time to pray: for family and friends, for nagging concerns and for many other people and things. Since praying in the middle of the night usually puts me to sleep, I have to believe that those few times when I have actually gotten out of bed and pursued time with God, have been appointed by Him.  Like an invitation to coffee with a friend, comes the invitation from my Father to spend time together. 

What if my awakened soul is a divine appointment with Him, and an opportunity for me to not just put my wants and concerns before him, but a time for me to go deeper with Him? Time spent with God in the wee hours of the morning, for me, are often a more sharpened time of intimacy and closeness to my Father.  It is a midnight meeting with an opportunity for intimacy and relationship, and a never to be reclaimed moment if missed. “I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night”. 

Awaken to hear the invitation. Awake O my soul.