Christian

Circumstances

I think everyone reading this realizes we have been in the midst of a drought. I’m writing this on 8/18 and praying that by 9/4 we have had some rain.

We have a pond at the shop where we work and I love to go sit out there on my breaks. As I was walking out there this morning the grass was crunching under my feet. It’s brown and dry. If I’m being honest I feel a little like that grass. I’m a little dried out by circumstances beyond my control. I’m trying my best not to be crunchy or cranky 😳.

I noticed that as I got closer to the pond the grass got greener. There’s a little island a few feet out in the pond and it is lush, green and a bit out of control. It’s growing in the midst of a water source. What a great visual! God is so faithful and encouraging even in something that is so routine for me.

I have complete access to the source of living water and the greatest power in the universe lives within me. My circumstance may say drought, but my Father says come to me and I will….give you rest (Matt 11:28), make you lie down in green pastures, lead you by still waters and restore your soul (Psalm 23) 🙌🏻

🗣️ Those are shoutin words. (Where my Sistas at) 🗣️

The question is do I believe it or nah?? Do I grab hold of that and hang on to those promises or do I wallow around in the circumstance?

I’m tying a knot and hanging on baby! God is worthy, faithful and good.

My heart is steadfast, O Lord my heart is steadfast……(Psalm 57:7)

Whatever you might be going through (because it’s hard out here) determine today to hang on to Jesus. And. Don’t. Let. Go!

Love y’all 😘 and shout out to the best sister in the world Teena Elkins on her birthday 🥳

The Lord is Close

I tell y’all what, I know God is growing me right now and not in a way I would have ever imagined or preferred! But isn’t that how God works? If we knew what he was doing all the time and knew how he was going to do it then why would we need him?

We live in a broken sinful world so we know conflict will arise. Unfortunately, that conflict usually takes us by surprise and we have no time to prepare. Here is something we can remember when we find ourselves in these situations,

Ephesians 4:29 says “Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear it.

Max Lucado put it this way, “Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.”

If that isn’t how your last conflict went and your feeling a little convicted, that’s okay! God is growing you! It’s part of your sanctification and being humble and being willing to forgive and ask for forgiveness is such a beautiful thing.

Also, I want to encourage you. If you are going through a time that seems like every aspect of your life is tainted with conflict, give it to God. Lay it down at the foot of the cross. Let go of what is weighing your heart down and let Jesus carry it. It’s a sweet sweet relief.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

We can’t handle this life on our own. That’s why God gave us his one and only son, so that those who believe in Him won’t have to bear the burdens alone. We may not have the answers to why we go through hard times but we know the one who does. We just need to trust the process and have faith that whatever He is doing will be all for His glory!

Seasons

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Our Creator perfectly designed our world to have seasons. Each year we inevitably transition through the seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall. In the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that life is also full of seasons and each is purposeful in strengthening our faith and leading us toward a deeper relationship with God. 

I am currently going through a season of change. The truth is, I dread a lot of change all at once because it can feel overwhelming and propels me into the unknown. Predictability feels safe. Surrendering control feels heavy. Change can make us feel exposed and unsteady and exhausted. It can leave us longing for the past when life felt predictable and safe.

But life is not about staying the same, which is why God will continuously change the seasons of life we are in. We can be assured that the length of our seasons, the time at which seasons arrive and depart, are set by God for our good and according to His purpose. The best way that we can move through such a season is with the assurance that even though our lives will change – God will not. Whether you are moving, transitioning jobs, adapting to being an empty nester, or all three like me – He is working in your life to create plans that are for your good and His glory.

When you find yourself walking in a season of change, use your circumstances as a catalyst to strengthen your faith. He will not leave you…

“I am with you always.”

Matthew 28:20

For a reason

As I fought the first day of school traffic to park my car in the staff parking lot where I knew it would remain until the sun went down (because…first day of school, right?) I sang along to one of my favorite songs by All Sons & Daughters called “Great Are You, Lord.” I guess the Holy Spirit was showering me with all the warm fuzzies He knew I needed before I faced another school year full of high school freshmen (bless it) because I was FILLED with the Spirit! If you drove past me that morning, you. are. welcome. for the concert I was giving on Highway 69 South–windows down, hair blowing, singing at the top of my lungs, “It’s your breath in my lungs, so I pour out my praise to You only! Great are You Lord!”

As I found my parking spot, God spoke to me in ways I can understand that I was not to waste my day. He gave me that breath in my lungs for a reason. He led me to what is likely the oldest Psalm that Moses himself wrote when he was wandering around with the people of Israel in the desert. He may not have spent his days with hormonal teenagers all hyped up on too much caffeine and still learning the intricacies of personal hygiene, but at this point in his journey, he was surrounded by a nation of people who were hangry because they had been eating manna and quail for far too long!

In the 90th Psalm, Moses begins by expressing the fact that God always was, always is, and always will be; then He contrasts this with the fact that we are mortal and that our lives are but a blink of an eye in light of eternity. As I’m sure Moses was surrounded by complainers, moaners, and groaners, he confessed to God that he was aware of the fact that they were all miserable because of their own sin! He also describes the lives of an entire generation ending during their time in the desert because of that sin. Psalm 90:12 in the Living Bible translation reads, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” Watching the end of an entire generation of people, and knowing that he, too, was living on borrowed breath, Moses cries out in verses 14 and 17, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days….May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us–yes, establish the work of our hands.” In view of life’s brevity, Moses asks the Lord to fill His people with wisdom and to reveal His work, demonstrate His power, grant His favor, and make Israel’s labor successful.

Friends, I am the first to admit that I get grumpy during a crazy school day and tend to moan and groan about paperwork or meetings. But that morning, God hit me square in the nose with the fact that this life on earth is far too short to waste that breath he gives me each morning on complaining about things which have no eternal relevance! He prepared the work He has given to all us in this life long before we drew our first breath! Let’s not waste it! Let’s spend time with Him each morning! Let’s ask Him to establish the work of our hands so that it might glorify Him and bring us joy! Let’s find God in every conversation throughout our day and ask Him to reveal his purposes for us in every task! When we face trials or troubles, let’s remember this world is not our home and that they are only temporary! Let’s thank God for that breath and ask Him to fill up our lungs with joy and praise for the One who is worthy of it all!

Seen

One of the kindest acts ever done for me was over 20 years ago when I was still a new soldier in the army. I was in AIT, job training, and had finally earned the opportunity to go off post on the weekends, so I found a church I could attend.

Since it had been months that I had had a home-cooked meal, a lady in the church wanted to invite me to her home for lunch one day. Unfortunately, her husband was an instructor on the post, so I could not go to their home as that would be considered fraternizing. She could have just said, “Oh, well,” and let that be that. It’s the thought that counts, right? She instead decided she was going to bring a plate of food to me at the barracks.

Awesome! The day she was going to bring me a plate of good, home cooking, it started raining and not just a little bit either. It was POURING! Again, this SHOULD have been where she said, “Well, I tried,” but she didn’t. This woman drove and got out of her car in the midst of a rainstorm to make sure this soldier had that meal. Ever heard, “ Come Hell or high water?” She meant it.

It has been almost 23 years since she did that for me, and while I cannot remember her name I have not forgotten her or what she did. I am often reminded of that act of kindness, and I intercede for her every single time. She was faithful in that moment, and I have been faithful ever since to bring her before the Father. Maybe that’s why she was relentless in her efforts to bring a simple meal to a single soldier. Maybe Holy Spirit had her plant that seed so that she could reap the harvest of an intercessor. While I have no idea where she is or what her life has been like, Holy Spirit does. The Bible says we entertain angels unaware…maybe she was mine. Or maybe, in some way, I was hers.

I said all of that to say this: Everything you do for others is seen by all of Heaven. Don’t dismiss the value of your mustard seed. It only takes one match to set the world on fire.

“You cannot see the hands of God

Or feel the grace that flows

From Him through you to those you touch

In ways you’ll never know

You cannot measure worth by human standards

That’s always a lie

Oh, you have to see through heaven’s eyes how…

Your life woven day by day

Is a new design of the glory God displays

On the canvas of creation

Through the poem of history

In the pattern of redemption

Running through the tapestry

Your life in Christ can be

The greatest story ever told”

-The Greatest Story; Avalon

Good enough

I have this bad habit. I convince myself that I have to be good enough for God. I tell myself I need to “fix” myself before I come to God. As if I can wipe my own sins away! God didn’t say fix yourself and then I’ll send my son to die for you. He said come as you are and I’ll cover your debt.

Ephesians 2:8-10 expertly explains it.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 2:8–10

In these few verses Paul sums up the Christian mission statement. We are to serve God and people not for our salvation but because of it and because we were created to love. We didn’t save ourselves and any notion that we did is pride. We were saved by God’s grace through our faith so that no one can boast in their own doings.

All throughout the Bible there are sinful messed up people doing great things. He didn’t ignore their sin but instead used it to show his power and grace.

So when you feel like you aren’t enough for God know that he doesn’t require you to be because grace is like none other.And before you try to fix yourself go to God.

Why is hope?

“Well, you know we have the hope that we will see him again” said the 1 millionth person after Connor died.

I have heard this phrase most of my life. I’ve even said it to a lot of people myself. I can tell you from experience that you never realize what hope really is until it’s all you have.

But what exactly is this “hope” we speak of? In today’s world, the word hope is often used to represent wishful thinking. Hoping for the best. Sort of like a child with their eyes closed, blowing out birthday candles, wishing they get that present they’ve been wanting. It is often hinted at with uncertainty.

But you see hope is not vain nor wishful thinking. Hope is not a feeling. Hope is not an emotion. It is not “fingers crossed” way of thinking.

When I lost Connor last year, all hope was lost. I knew he was in heaven, no doubt about it. But what was the point in going on? It made no sense to continue without my son. Life wasn’t worth it to me. But it was in those moments of grief and despair when the sweet, sweet presence of the Lord made true hope known to me.

Hope is a state of mind. It is a confident expectation that God will meet all our needs, both present and future. Our hope is based on who God is alone. Not on the circumstances, not what the world says, not what science says, it is based on God alone.

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:19

Hope sustains through the challenges of life. I know because I’ve been there. And more than likely, so have you. My hope is based upon the promises of God. I trust that God alone will sustain me.

Back to the child blowing out their birthday candles. Their tiny little hearts have their hope set on the “perfect” gift. So, what happens when it’s not what they hoped for. Disappointment. There is no disappointment with God. When our hope is in Him, it doesn’t matter about the outcome. It is the confident, expectant trust that God will fulfill His promises to us, whatever it looks like.

Hope has taught me to take a different approach to suffering. When grief strikes, I have that sweet reminder that heaven awaits with my sweet Connor first in line! And oh, what a glorious day that will be!

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Hope has taught me to live with intention. The bible tells me that I was created for good works.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10

God created each of us to complete specific assignments based on our individual gifts and talents. He uses our challenges; the good, the bad and the ugly, to do great works.

My prayer is that my journey of finding hope in despair will help you to find true hope in the Lord.

If

If you saw my bio yesterday, you would have read that my husband and I have the honor to pastor some really cool people. As part of giving God our yes in this season, I make a stop at a local skilled nursing facility every Monday to visit with an elderly member of our congregation who has lived there for just under a year. In the beginning, the visits were easy conversation but dementia has set in rapidly since January, and very rarely does she even know who I am anymore. As an RN who spent a lot of time with the geriatric population this is not difficult for me to navigate. I go wherever she goes. Some days we are young friends in grade school and other days we’ve had a long day working in the bank. My husband is bi-vocational, working a secular job in addition to being a pastor, so he has only been to see her twice since she was admitted. It has become a running joke between us that no matter how much she has seen me and how little she has seen him she always remembers him, even when she forgets me. So much so, that on a day when she could barely form two thoughts let alone remember who I was, she called out to me before I exited the building, “Be sure and tell Josh I said hello!“ It’s really uncanny. This has been the case for months now, but only recently has Holy Spirit revealed a spiritual parallel to me.

While she doesn’t recognize me anymore, she recognizes who I am attached to. When she looks at me, she doesn’t see me anymore. She sees the one I’m in covenant with… And that’s how it supposed to be between us as believers and the world. The one whose mind is broken and confused, should be able to look through the mist of life and recognize their savior when their eyes lock with ours. Just like when my friend with dementia fails to see or recognize me but is still able to recognize that I am married to someone she does remember even though she hasn’t seen him.

If everything else was stripped away from us, would the lost still be able to find HIM while in our presence?

“Let them see you in me

Let them hear you when I speak

Let them feel you when I sing

Let them see you

Let them see you in me“

JJ weeks Band

Best version.

Welp.

Yesterday, I looked back at my goals from January 1st of this year, and basically at this point I’ve failed.

It’s cool.

I’m cool.

Seriously though, I’ve got time. I’m not giving up on myself and neither is God.

Thank goodness.

The definition of a “work in progress” is an unfinished project that is still being added to or developed.

So my question is are you also a work in progress? Are you reflecting on your goals, your “self”, where you are and where you should be? Are you crying out, “Lord, develop me!”

We have to be intentional. We have to be purposeful. And some days we have to get in our own business.

If you’re not where you set out to be, don’t fall into a pit of self-pity. That’s not gonna get you anywhere.

No.

Instead, fall into a Kingdom-focused mindset where you are constantly looking back, reflecting, and asking yourself the hard questions.

Give yourself a pep-talk, sister. God wants you to be the best version of yourself, but YOU have to put in the hard work.

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 2 chronicles 15:7

Enough

1 John 3:1-3 tells us, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Pondering this scripture always overwhelms me with the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father. He calls us His sons and daughters. We are adopted by grace. By all things that count in this world, we are unworthy, not enough. But God doesn’t call us to be enough because He is always more than enough. When we accept by faith that Jesus is Lord, His righteousness becomes ours. What indescribable grace! When our heavenly Father looks at us, He sees Jesus.

I love the part of this scripture that says, “it has not appeared as yet what we will be…” Have you wondered, like me, what you will be when you grow up? (Yes, at 65, I’m still wondering…) I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a cousin, an aunt, a friend. I’m a teacher and a leader of teachers. I’ve been a secretary, an onion chopper, a babysitter, a newspaper typist, a Sunday school teacher. Those are the paths the Lord has given me to walk, but they don’t fully describe me. I am a child of God journeying Home. Jesus calls me to walk in the light as He is in the light. He calls me to be a faithful servant, to listen and obey. Though I may slip and fall, He always remains faithful. I serve the One who sees me and loves me despite my waywardness. Thank you, Lord!

I hope that we never forget that we are created for a purpose both here on earth and in heaven. God has a good plan for us, “a plan to prosper and not to harm.” One day when Jesus comes again, we will be transformed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52) I can only imagine what awaits, but I trust that it will be perfect, just as our Lord is perfect.