Our church has a big Easter presentation each year and we're privileged to be involved in the drama end of it. In practice we were called “Bible people” and since there was over thirty of us involved they’d call out things like, “Ok, Bible People, to the back so we can run through the miracles scene.” All seven of my family were involved so I got to make 'Bible People' costumes for us—a lot of them.
It was easy to spot the Bible People in drama practice, but I wonder if it’s as easy to spot the modern-day Bible People? We don’t run around in flowing robes and head coverings so can others tell we’re Bible People? Is our faith just a costume we pull on when we go to church, or even when we bump into others to whom we want to be known as Christians to? Are we known as Bible People by our neighbors and the cashiers at the grocery store? Is our faith just a costume or is it soul-deep; a life-style?
Don’t be just an actor. Be true Bible People.
Spring!
There are birds in my yard once again. Lots of them. Through the winter months I'd forgotten how much I enjoy seeing and hearing them; I just accepted life as it was: not completely birdless, but almost.
That's how my spiritual walk is sometimes: Scriptureless--and over time I just accept it and forget how much I miss my time spent in God's Word. My world turns gray and rather barren, and cold—that damp chill that settles into your bones and makes you miserable.
But I'm so thankful that God doesn't just leave me in perpetual winter. He sends spring breezes to my soul, reminding me of the joy and pleasure of His Word, and encourages me to return to the joy of my salvation. That's when Spring truly arrives—when God's Word soaks into my soul and causes joy to bloom anew.
“The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NAS)
That's how my spiritual walk is sometimes: Scriptureless--and over time I just accept it and forget how much I miss my time spent in God's Word. My world turns gray and rather barren, and cold—that damp chill that settles into your bones and makes you miserable.
But I'm so thankful that God doesn't just leave me in perpetual winter. He sends spring breezes to my soul, reminding me of the joy and pleasure of His Word, and encourages me to return to the joy of my salvation. That's when Spring truly arrives—when God's Word soaks into my soul and causes joy to bloom anew.
“The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NAS)
The Persistence of Peppermint
Outside my back door, beside my chimney lives a peppermint plant that has withstood many attacks. It has lived through weed pullings, being stomped on by five children, and weed wackings—and that's not counting the ash and creosote that has leached out the chimney through the years. After each assault the peppermint grows back as big and as beautiful as ever. My husband considers the peppermint plant a nuisance because it is not where it's supposed to be, but, secretly I love it because of where it is. In past years it has amazed me with it's persistence, but never more than it did last month.
After our first ice storm I went out with my camera in an attempt to keep my mother happy by providing her with pictures of her grandkids sledding. An icicle lured me around the back corner of the house, but I quickly lost interest in that when I spotted the bit of green encased in ice. It was my peppermint plant.
Pushing up through last year's dead leaves and stems was a perfectly formed baby peppermint sprig. It had grown, and was flourishing, in spite of winter. I was in awe and as I hunched down there, studying it and I knew there was a lesson there for me.
We're to be like that peppermint plant: persistently getting up when we're knocked down. Persistently growing and blooming when the conditions seem to be against us. By getting up when we're knocked down, and blooming after we've been pruned, we bring glory to God. Jesus is manifested in our lives when we grow through difficult, even impossible, situations.
Paul says it well in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
That little peppermint sprig was encased in ice, but it was beautiful in its crystal coating. Even in the midst of great adversity it was glorifying God and it reminded me, inspired me, to persistently live and shine for Him so that others might see Christ in me.
After our first ice storm I went out with my camera in an attempt to keep my mother happy by providing her with pictures of her grandkids sledding. An icicle lured me around the back corner of the house, but I quickly lost interest in that when I spotted the bit of green encased in ice. It was my peppermint plant.
Pushing up through last year's dead leaves and stems was a perfectly formed baby peppermint sprig. It had grown, and was flourishing, in spite of winter. I was in awe and as I hunched down there, studying it and I knew there was a lesson there for me.
We're to be like that peppermint plant: persistently getting up when we're knocked down. Persistently growing and blooming when the conditions seem to be against us. By getting up when we're knocked down, and blooming after we've been pruned, we bring glory to God. Jesus is manifested in our lives when we grow through difficult, even impossible, situations.
Paul says it well in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
That little peppermint sprig was encased in ice, but it was beautiful in its crystal coating. Even in the midst of great adversity it was glorifying God and it reminded me, inspired me, to persistently live and shine for Him so that others might see Christ in me.
That Sparkle and Shine
These past weeks have been busy and my bathroom has reaped the consequences. Oh, I’ve kept it from the grungies, by a quick spot clean here and there, but spot cleaning only does so much. It needed a thorough scrubbing today. Instead of grumbling and complaining, I talked with God and it was time well spent.
My life is like my bathroom—quick spot cleanings will keep the grungies out, but will also keep the sparkles out. Only a good scrubbing with scouring powder or cleanser will make that tub really shine and sparkle, and only a cleansing time with God will make my life shine and sparkle. Using God’s scrub brushes and scouring powder on my life will hurt, there’s no denying that, but they are the only way to do a good cleaning job and to get the full effects of cleaning.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me… Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10, 12
Lord, scrub my life, inside and out, so that I can shine and sparkle for You. I know the scrubbing will hurt at times, but I also know it will be worth the hurt so that I can feel that good, clean feeling that only comes from a thorough cleansing. I want to shine and sparkle for You, so wash me, scrub me, and cleanse me. Restore my joy in You.
My life is like my bathroom—quick spot cleanings will keep the grungies out, but will also keep the sparkles out. Only a good scrubbing with scouring powder or cleanser will make that tub really shine and sparkle, and only a cleansing time with God will make my life shine and sparkle. Using God’s scrub brushes and scouring powder on my life will hurt, there’s no denying that, but they are the only way to do a good cleaning job and to get the full effects of cleaning.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me… Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10, 12
Lord, scrub my life, inside and out, so that I can shine and sparkle for You. I know the scrubbing will hurt at times, but I also know it will be worth the hurt so that I can feel that good, clean feeling that only comes from a thorough cleansing. I want to shine and sparkle for You, so wash me, scrub me, and cleanse me. Restore my joy in You.
The Small Things
2 a.m. and my eyes popped open. I knew immediately I was sunk. Being wide awake at that hour always makes me think.
“Ok, Lord, here I am. You have my attention, what is it I’m missing? Is it someone I need to pray for, or something in my life I’ve missed? Open the eyes of my heart so I can see what it is, so I can follow after You.”
I slipped from bed and wandered the house, praying for my family and my friends, then moving on to examine my life. I knew there was something, I could feel the quiet calling to me as I prowled from window to window. The yard light illumined the yard, but nothing was moving out there. It was as if the quiet had permeated everything, even the wind. I switched to examining my home, touching things as I passed by them. The sigh came from deep within, I’d found what I was missing and I wanted to take care of it right away, but I couldn’t.
There were things my husband had mentioned as needing care, and I had passed over them. I was too busy. I was tired. I forgot. But those things were still there, and still needing to be taken care of, and I was the one to see to it.
I had been ignoring the things my husband requested of me. Those small things were eroding away my relationship with the man God gave me, and in turn, eroding away my relationship with God.
I had been searching for a person in great need of prayer, or a great revelation to my life, but had found something so simple that I almost passed over it, again. Sometimes the simplest and smallest things in life are the most important.
I slipped back in beside my husband, thanking God for him and resolved to do those small things. Sleep came quickly--I had found what I was searching.
“Ok, Lord, here I am. You have my attention, what is it I’m missing? Is it someone I need to pray for, or something in my life I’ve missed? Open the eyes of my heart so I can see what it is, so I can follow after You.”
I slipped from bed and wandered the house, praying for my family and my friends, then moving on to examine my life. I knew there was something, I could feel the quiet calling to me as I prowled from window to window. The yard light illumined the yard, but nothing was moving out there. It was as if the quiet had permeated everything, even the wind. I switched to examining my home, touching things as I passed by them. The sigh came from deep within, I’d found what I was missing and I wanted to take care of it right away, but I couldn’t.
There were things my husband had mentioned as needing care, and I had passed over them. I was too busy. I was tired. I forgot. But those things were still there, and still needing to be taken care of, and I was the one to see to it.
I had been ignoring the things my husband requested of me. Those small things were eroding away my relationship with the man God gave me, and in turn, eroding away my relationship with God.
I had been searching for a person in great need of prayer, or a great revelation to my life, but had found something so simple that I almost passed over it, again. Sometimes the simplest and smallest things in life are the most important.
I slipped back in beside my husband, thanking God for him and resolved to do those small things. Sleep came quickly--I had found what I was searching.
A Praying Mom
"Momma prayed, momma cried,
momma laid awake at night.
She would fight my battles while I slept away
Cause momma knew life is hardwithout somebody on your side
I don't know how, but there is power in the way,
The way my momma prayed."
words and music by Jeremiah Olson of 40milesNorth
One of the snapshot memories I have is of my mom sitting in the morning sunshine at the dining room table with her Bible, a cup of coffee and her nail file. Why her nail file? That's what she did while she prayed—and I know she prays for me even now. I rely on Mom's prayers, knowing they've helped pull me through many sticky situations.
When my husband and I moved from Illinois to Pennsylvania, Mom prayed. Our pick-ups and an open trailer were loaded and there was no way to secure them while we slept, so Jim determined it'd be best if we drove straight through. He could've done it, but I couldn't—I was still recovering from Mono and Candida so endurance was not my strong point. It was in the middle of the night when the tail lights on the trailer quit working and we had just entered Western Pennsylvania's mountains.
I was instructed to stay right behind Jim so the semi's would see my tail lights and pass us as they picked up speed for the long hills--and I tried. At one point I realized Jim was no longer in front of me. When I looked at my speedometer I saw I was barely going fast enough for a side road, let alone an interstate highway. As I stepped on the gas I was praying Jim was safe—I was also asking God to wake up my mom so she could pray for me. I was terrified a semi would run into Jim and that I would fall completely asleep and run off the road.
Many twists and turns, and long hills later I caught up to Jim, but several other times, in my exhaustion, I lost sight of him--yet throughout that long night God kept me safely on the road. I remember the panic of coming to and realizing I couldn't see Jim's tail lights and that I'd been dozing, followed by the frenzy of praying.
The next morning, after arriving at my sister's house, Mom called. Once she knew we were safe and there hadn't been any problems, she told me she hadn't sleep well—she kept waking up, thinking about me, so she'd pray.
Mom prayed me safely through the Western Pennsylvania mountains as well as through many other mountains in my life—Mom is still praying me through. What an example she's set for me, an example I endeavor to follow.
This week's "In 'Other' Words" is being hosted by
Heather at Titus 2 Woman.
Be sure to stop by her blog and check out the other posts.
Security Failure?
Not too long ago we woke up to trouble. Big trouble. My husband's computer, the important one with all our pictures and other crucial information, could no longer go on-line. After some investigating he found that the security system was compromised (dissolved?) and something disabled our internet capability. This problem is way beyond me and my puny abilities.
As I put his lunch together I was thinking about this new problem. His computer being down at this point affects me because he has work online that must be done ASAP, which means he'll be using my computer—and I'm a computer hog I am at heart. LoL. So I was doing some prior attitude adjusting and day shuffling to get my 'work' done before he needed my toy, er, make that tool, when God dropped an orange on me.
As in, “Orange ya' glad your security system can never fail!” And He wasn't referring to my computer.
God is my security system. He can never fail like Windows firewall and Norton's can. Nothing can get to me—no viruses, worms, trojan horses, or any other fatal thing without going through HIM first. And I have His promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I'm truly safe and secure. What a truth and promise to hold on to!
So, although our computer's security system was dissolved, my Security can never, ever be dissolved.
Hallelujah.
(What a Savior!)
:)
As I put his lunch together I was thinking about this new problem. His computer being down at this point affects me because he has work online that must be done ASAP, which means he'll be using my computer—and I'm a computer hog I am at heart. LoL. So I was doing some prior attitude adjusting and day shuffling to get my 'work' done before he needed my toy, er, make that tool, when God dropped an orange on me.
As in, “Orange ya' glad your security system can never fail!” And He wasn't referring to my computer.
God is my security system. He can never fail like Windows firewall and Norton's can. Nothing can get to me—no viruses, worms, trojan horses, or any other fatal thing without going through HIM first. And I have His promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I'm truly safe and secure. What a truth and promise to hold on to!
So, although our computer's security system was dissolved, my Security can never, ever be dissolved.
Hallelujah.
(What a Savior!)
:)
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