Month: February 2014

Lessons from David

Posted on by Wendy
It only took David a single stone to take down a nine foot tall giant.
It only took David a single stone to take down a nine foot tall giant.

We all know the basics of the David and Goliath story. A young boy took down a huge giant with a sling shot. We love stories like these. America was built on a story like this one. During the Revolutionary war, rag-tag farmers were able to defeat the most powerful military force in the world.

While we love these stories and love to root for the under dog. We often shy away from facing our own giants. We all have them. They may be physical or they may be emotional. Everything from anger, guilt and shame to some type of addiction are giants. Fear and worry are giants. The list is endless.

We have a lot we can learn from David’s story. First of all, the fight seemed impossible. Goliath was not only way bigger, he was better trained, or was he? David was a shepherd. He spent his days and nights watching sheep, but also protecting sheep. God was training him for this fight all along. God knew what was lying down the road even if David didn’t.

Secondly, David used all of his alone time to draw nearer to God. Every time he defeated something trying to prey on his sheep, he gave God the credit. Although his job was at the bottom of the totem pole, David himself, didn’t look at it that way. He did the task he was given and he did it well.

Lastly, he didn’t hesitate. He saw what he considered a huge affront to God and he vowed to put a stop to it. How often are we angered or saddened by something going on in the world around us? Do we grumble about it? We are all really good at doing the arm-chair quarterback deal, but do we act when we have the chance? David was a man of action.

Whatever we are facing, we have to know that God is bigger. David knew this. We have to know that He is always working in our lives for good, so if something needs defeating, we can call on Him. He will come to our aid.

We often feel that our daily tasks are mundane, but we are usually being trained to do something that matters to God. We have to remember that all of the pieces matter, so there are no big and little parts. We also need to remember when David tried on Saul’s armor, it didn’t fit him. It was too big and heavy. David realized this immediately and took it off.

He met Goliath in what he usually wore with his trusty slingshot. That’s likely all we need to defeat whatever is in front of us as well. We need to be ourselves and let the hand of God do the rest. He will not fail and with Him you cannot fail.

Nothing is impossible with God.  These are words to live by. So, whatever you are facing today, say a prayer and take aim.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

From the Mouth of a Teen

Posted on by Wendy
Grace is a never-ending fountain.
Grace is a never-ending fountain.

Yesterday was one of those days. I hadn’t slept well the night before. It may have had something to do with my parents’ Papillons that I’m looking after at the moment. The spoiled little darlings had to sleep in the bed with my hubby and me. When I took them out on  leashes at 5:00 AM, it started to rain.

Do you remember the children’s’ book, Alexander and the Very Bad Day? Mine was starting that way. I prayed that God would cover me with His love and grace because I simply did not have the energy to make it on my own.

I read my daily devotional and guess what it was about? Being tired. What are the chances? These coincidences no longer surprise me because they aren’t coincidences at all. We so often pray about the big things and wonder why God doesn’t provide them right away, that we forget about all of the little ways He shows up, when we ask.

But, that’s my watching for God in the world around us philosophy, and I never fail to see Him when I look.

The rest of the day turned out okay. I was still exhausted and I subbed in special-ed which can always be a challenge. But,yesterday, everything went smoothly. I had racing around to do after school, but I went home and made dinner.

When my daughter came to the table, we were chatting about different things, and out of the blue she said, “You know mom, being a Christian is a lot like exercising. Everyone wants to have this great body, but they don’t want to exercise everyday and they don’t want to eat healthy. They just want to eat as much junk as they like.”

I was speechless for a moment and I told her I really liked that  analogy. She told me it just came to her when her dad was driving her to school this morning. Of course it did. I prayed for grace and God planned from first thing that morning that conversation that would happen that evening.

Every now and then, I get to see little pieces of God’s puzzle fit and it’s always just awesome. Of course growing in our faith is like exercising. We have to be faithful about reading the Bible, prayer and attending church.

The fact that my fourteen-year-old daughter pointed it out in casual conversation, amazed me. But, then grace is always amazing isn’t it?

When I’m really tuned into God through prayer, I find Him everywhere. His grace really is never-ending. We just need to ask. I was so glad I did yesterday. He really does provide.

What about you? Do you see God’s grace in your daily life? Feel free to share. I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Music Can Unite

Posted on by Wendy
Music has the ability to unite us.
Music has the ability to unite us.

The show, The Voice, returned to television on Monday night and I’ll have to admit that my family was captivated. We are a musical bunch. My son plays the drums and my daughter plays guitar. We have some type of music playing in our home most of the time. It’s just how we are wired.

The show opened with the four judges singing each other’s songs, so an international star was singing country and a rock and roller was singing rhythm and blues. It was really cool to watch. Music has a unique ability to unite people and as I watched the show, I was thinking that it is a good representation of America.

People of all different shapes and sizes,colors and backgrounds try out for the show. All different types of music are represented. The coaches with their backs turned to the contestants, choose their teams only with their ears. They don’t see the contestants. They only hear them. They are chosen solely for their ability to sing. Their age doesn’t matter. How they look doesn’t matter.

The audience is given some background information, but the judges aren’t. Each judge ends up making a team and then they compete to see who will be the last man or woman, standing. But, I find myself really cheering for these people. They are chasing a dream and making it come true and it’s a lot of fun to watch.

The judges pick on each other and there’s a lot of laughing. But, when it comes to the contestants, they are always so encouraging. Even when someone really messes up, they are so kind and empathetic. They have each been in the contestant’s shoes at some point.

Empathy is something we seem to have lost as a society. We rarely ask ourselves what it must be like to walk in the other guy’s shoes. We are so self-focused about our own feelings and our own needs that we don’t take the time to stop and think about what someone else may be going through. Maybe that person snapped at me because she’s not feeling well or maybe that child is acting out because he’s having a tough time at home.

When we become adults, we sometimes magically forget about what it was like to be a kid or a teenager which is probably what causes so much of the friction between adults and kids. But, if we try to remember back when, what today’s kids are going through isn’t so much different that what we went through ourselves.

And as far as the music goes, every generation takes up a new jam and the parents and grandparents have always had the obligation to hate it. We may have reached a time where that’s no longer the case. Thanks to iTunes and shows like The Voice, we can appreciate all types of music and it can unite us. Meanwhile, we can get a dose of encouragement and empathy, which is always a good thing.

If you’re looking for a family show and you like music, check it out. It’s one of the few things on network television that my whole family can watch and enjoy and I’m thankful. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Honoring God with Your Art

Posted on by Wendy
Clearly, God is creative and enjoys beauty.
Clearly, God is creative and enjoys beauty.

I subbed yesterday in an elementary school art class. We began the class with a video on Claude Monet. After the video, I asked each table of kids to give me one fact that they learned from the movie. One little fourth grade girl said that Monet’s father didn’t want him to be a painter. I asked her if she knew why. She replied that his father thought that painters made very little money.

One little boy asked why in the world Monet would want to be an artist if he couldn’t make much money doing it. I explained to him that artists like painters, sculptors and writers had a constant need to create. It’s just how they are made and who they are. They love their art more than they love money.

His reply stunned me. He didn’t skip a beat when he said, “Artists are crazy.”

This child has been on the planet for a decade or less and has already decided that the most important motivator and force in the world is money. I find that very sad.

It’s one thing for jaded adults to feel that way, but children?

What would our world look like with no artists? There would be no Mona Lisa or Sistine Chapel. There would be no Statue of Liberty. If you were to take a look around your home, I’ll bet there is some type of art hanging on your walls.

I think when we teach our kids that creativity in itself has no value, we are doing a disservice to our creative Creator. God clearly values creativity. Just check out nature. There are peacocks, parrots and flamingos. There are tigers and leopards. There are flowers that will take your breath away.

There are flowers with beautiful, intricate designs.
There are flowers with beautiful, intricate designs.

 

In Exodus 31, when God is giving Moses instructions for the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant and clothing for the priests, He gives instructions that these creations are to be ornate and beautiful. He furthermore names master craftsmen that are filled with the “Spirit of God,” who He wants to be in charge of these creations. He goes on to say that He has “given special skill to all of the gifted craftsmen so they can make the things I have commanded you to make.”

These people have just fled Egypt. They are wandering in the desert. Yet, God commands them to make things of beauty. He also points out that some of them are gifted.

What does that tell us today? Well, for one, as usual, our priorities may be off. But, I think the message here is to nurture the gifts in our children as well as in ourselves. If God has given someone the gift of creativity, using it is a form of worship. Denying it is like refusing to open a birthday gift.

If God has put the dream of being an artist in someone along with the talent, then God wants it to be used to further His kingdom. If the artist honors God with his/her work, then God will provide. This, my friends, is what faith is all about.

I’m going to try to encourage the budding artists around me as well as try and use my talents in ways to honor God. I think that makes Him smile and I love the idea of making God smile. What about you? What can you do to grow your inner creativity? Feel free to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Opportunity of the Nones

Posted on by Wendy
Everyday presents new opportunity.
Everyday presents new opportunity to share the love of Christ.

Our sermon on Sunday was about the decline of the American church. The pastor shared about being in a group with other pastors from around the world and how the Christian faith was growing in other parts of the world against all odds, but diminishing here in America. I decided to go home and do a little research on this matter.

Somewhere between 77% to 79% (depending on the poll), of Americans consider themselves to be Christian, not too shabby. The big headline has been the rise of the Nones. The Nones are the people who have no affiliation to any religion. But, these people weren’t asked what they believed. They were asked what religion they were affiliated with. 20% of American adults said “none.” That’s kind of depressing, but there is a bright spot. You knew there would be, right?

Among the Nones, 68% said they believe in God. That’s a pretty nice chunk. They just don’t consider themselves affiliated with a particular church. 21% said they pray everyday, also promising, and 32% are under the age of 30.

I also read in an article online that people used to attend church because of societal pressures. They went because it was expected. If you didn’t go, you may be looked down upon by your neighbors or people may decide not to frequent your business. While we may lament that a large part of society no longer cares whether or not we attend church, it’s really kind of refreshing to know that the people who do attend really want to be there. I suspect that God would rather have motivated and interested people in church than people just sitting in pews because they felt forced to. God has always been big on free will.

The great news about the Nones is that most of them are believers and that means those of us who do attend church have the awesome opportunity to invite them in and share the beauty and comfort that Christian Community can provide. I mean, they already believe. They may just need an invitation.

The fact that a third are under the age of thirty is also promising. They are still young. I know an awful lot of people who start attending church regularly once they have children, which brings me to my final point.

According to a Notre Dame survey, those young adults who were raised within a strong Christian family, have stayed with their faith. So, if you are taking your kids to church, keep doing it. It’s working.

I have always been a glass half-full kind of gal and truly believe that Jesus was an optimist. Why else would he have willingly given his life for us? I think he cheers us on in getting it right and encourages us to look for opportunities to share. Easter isn’t very far away, let’s think about some of these “Nones” and invite them to be part of our church community.

And if you are a None, I invite you to check out a church. It may be just what you have been searching for.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Try Unplugging

Posted on by Wendy
Life is full of surprises. If we don't tune in sometimes, we could miss them.
Life is full of surprises. If we don’t tune in sometimes, we could miss them.

Being a child of the eighties, I had a Walkman. Remember those? Mine was bright yellow. It held a cassette tape. Remember those? My sister and I had chores we had to do on the weekends like vacuuming, mopping and dusting and I would put in a tape, put on those headphones and get done in no time. There was a certain freedom in tuning out.

Fast forward to 2014 and tuning out is more normal than tuning in. The Walkman has been replaced by the iPod and that’s just the beginning. Due to our smartphones, we have constant entertainment, from games like Flappy Bird, to social media like Facebook and Twitter, not to mention we can watch movies and television shows, 24/7. With all of this tuning out, when exactly, do we tune in?

Until a couple of years ago, every time I exercised, I had the ear buds in and the tunes turned up. Thanks to iTunes, I could download any song I wanted from any decade, and I did. Then one day, my iPod was dead and I had to walk without it. I was not a happy camper, but I learned something.

By tuning out, I was really missing the world around me, the trees in bloom, the birds singing, the hawk soaring overhead. I started walking in silence and God started speaking to me. So, I started cleaning the house in silence too. Guess what? God started speaking to me then, too.

We are so rarely silent these days. We have constant entertainment at our fingertips. Why in the world would we want to be alone with our thoughts?

When we take the youth from church camping, they are never allowed to bring electronics. Do you think they are bored? Nope. They have a ball. They interact. They make up games. It’s so much fun to watch them. They rarely even complain about not having electronic entertainment.

And with our newest friend on the block, Instagram, we have become more obsessed with everyone else knowing that we are having fun, than actually having fun. Does anyone else see the irony here?

Don’t get me wrong, I think the new age of electronics is great. I was very late to the smart phone party and I’ll have to admit that I love my little Droid, but sometimes it belongs in a drawer. When my children are trying to talk to me, or for that matter, when anyone is trying to have a real-life, face-to-face conversation, the Droid goes away.

People are more important than electronics or cyberspace and I hope I’m teaching my children the same. Think about it, if we ignore people standing right in front of us, how can we possibly hear God’s voice?

I believe our need for constant entertainment can become addictive, at least for me. I have to set some boundaries for myself and just turn it off, so I can tune in. If we are always tuned out, we may miss something important.

I want to try to catch every drop of meaning and beauty that life has to offer and so sometimes I have to unplug. Care to join me? What do you think about unplugging? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Art of Cooking

Posted on by Wendy
This guy always comes to mind when we think about living life slowly.
This guy always comes to mind when we think about living life more
slowly.

When I think about the slowest creature around, I think about the turtle. He really can’t help, but to stop and smell the roses, because his top speed is slow. I’ve been reading a book about living life with intention and slowing down and how that’s a very difficult concept here in our American culture. The book is, Notes from a Blue Bike, by Tsh Oxenreider.

There are different sections, but the one that has really spoken to me is the one about food and mealtimes. In other cultures, meal times are special and to be savored. They plan on it taking a fairly long time to prepare from scratch and they plan on taking a fairly long time to enjoy their meals as well. Cooking is an art form of sorts and the table is where the family comes together and soaks up the art and the company.

I’m fascinated by this concept because mealtime for my family has always been on the daily checklist of things to do. We usually eat a home cooked meal every night and we eat as a family, but nobody is ever really excited about meal time. We usually serve the same things week after week. Part of the reason is my children are incredibly picky, but part is mere convenience.

I just had a similar conversation with a friend of mine and she said they do the same at her house. We have thousands of recipes at our fingertips with our friend the internet, but we stick with the familiar, with the easy. Why do we do that?

Maybe it’s because we are so busy. Trying new recipes means new ingredients and wandering up and down the grocery aisles in search of them takes time. We never have enough time.

This author was also really big on buying locally from farmer’s markets and eating what is in season. I’ll have to admit I kind of like eating strawberries year round, but she has a point when she asks how fresh they can be in December. Where did they come from and how long ago were they picked?

Food is a gift from God. Genesis tells us that God made trees that produced, “delicious fruit.” If we are mindlessly shoveling it in and not tasting and savoring, maybe we are doing our Creator a disservice. If it comes from a bag or a box or as my mama says, “has more than four ingredients,” how nutritious is it? How good is it?

By good, I don’t mean like Oreos taste good, but I mean good tasting and good for you. Oxenreider argues that we are biologically made to eat whole food and we should strive to. Maybe she’s right.

Think about it, your grandmother didn’t serve you anything from a box. As a society we have convinced ourselves that we don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen, yet our kitchens are larger than any point in history. Why is that? If we have several hours a day to spend on Facebook and watching television, perhaps we could spend more time in the kitchen.

Our waist lines may thank us and our doctors may see less of us. We may discover that cooking as God intended is an art form all its own. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Letting Go of the Hard Stuff

Posted on by Wendy
Some of the snow from last week stubbornly refused to melt.
Some of the snow from last week stubbornly refused to melt.

As I was walking yesterday and thanking God for the gorgeous weather and the reprieve from this horrendous winter, some snow caught my eye. It was in the high fifties yesterday. There shouldn’t have been any snow left, but there was. Under closer examination, I realized that the snow was in the shade and the sun was unable to shine on it and so it remained.

God often communicates with me through nature and that stubborn snow whirled around in my thoughts for the rest of the day. Our hearts can sometimes be icy. When we accept the love and grace of Jesus, they are warmed and become vibrant. But sometimes we choose to keep certain parts shaded and away from the all forgiving light of Christ.

Things like guilt stay high on that list. You know what I’m talking about. We give our hearts to Jesus and we do everything we’re supposed to. We pray, read our Bibles and go to church. But we still feel like we are not good enough for complete forgiveness because of something we did in our past. So we keep that little part of our heart out of the forgiving light. It stays icy.

Another example is our worries. We will profess to know that God loves us beyond a shadow of a doubt, but we worry that He won’t provide for us. Will we have enough money? Will we have enough to eat?

I struggle with worries about my kids. I worry about mean kids. I worry about their future. I worry about their safety.

This thought pattern doesn’t come from God. It comes from Satan. If we give all of our hearts to God, even the guilty parts, the worries and there are many other examples, then we are free to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. We are free to live in peace and joy. Satan is not big on peace, joy or forgiveness. They are fruits of the Holy Spirit and he will always directly oppose that fruit.

This is where the Bible can be very helpful. If God is capable of having the ravens feed Elijah, if He is capable of  having the walls of Jericho crumble with a horn blast and a shout, if He is capable of feeding five thousand with a couple of fish and five loaves of bread, if Jesus walked on water, can we truly believe that He can’t provide for His believers? Do we really believe that He isn’t willing or capable of forgiving  or healing whatever we are carrying around?

We always have a choice of whether we are going to listen to the voice of God or the lies of Satan. One choice gives us freedom to be all we were created to be. The other leaves us with icy spots. I say, let’s get rid of all of the shade and choose the light. Let’s choose God. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Buds of Promise

Posted on by Wendy
This is what the landscape looked like on Thursday.
This is what the landscape looked like on Thursday.

My family and I took a walk on Sunday at the State Botanical Gardens. We had been housebound for several days due to a freak snow and ice storm. We were itching for some spring. The temps were in the fifties and so we ventured out. We weren’t the only ones. There were many others who decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day that we had been blessed with.

At almost the very first turn, we were greeted with these buds.

 

These buds hold the promise of Spring.
These buds hold the promise of Spring.

I was of course, delighted and had to stop and snap some photos. My kids kind of rolled their eyes. They wondered what the big deal was. They were green buds. So what?

The beauty of youth is that they don’t ponder things like seasons. If it’s snowing outside, they will build snowmen, make snow angels and have snowball fights. If it’s sunny and warm outside, they will ride bikes, climb trees and jump on the trampoline. Their enjoyment and play doesn’t depend that much on the weather.

I’m not like that at all. I hate being cold and have to wear a jacket if it’s less than sixty degrees outside. It’s a very good thing that I was born in the Deep South.

But to my adult eyes, these green buds symbolize so much. They are a physical reminder that spring isn’t too terribly far away. They tell me that the barren landscape in which I now stand will soon be bursting with the breathtaking beauty that only God can provide. They are a sign of hope. They are physical sign that God is at work behind the scenes.

These buds make me smile. I am reminded every time I make the effort to get out in nature, into God’s space, that His fingerprints are everywhere and the easiest place to see them is in His creation. I think maybe part of the reason we have lost some of the wonder and feeling of His presence here with us is that we stay indoors all of the time, surrounded by man-made creations.

He is present everywhere, but it’s easier for me to really feel His presence in the outdoors surrounded by the life and art that only He can create. I wonder if it’s the same way for everyone else.

It also doesn’t go without notice that this little epiphany occurred on the Sabbath. As I’ve written many times before, when I make myself observe Sabbath time, I am always rewarded. It also gives me comfort that whenever I renew my strength during Sabbath time, I am so much better equipped to serve God in the coming week with an open heart and less stress.

I am determined to enjoy this spring like weather over the coming week and to watch for God in it. I know winter is not over yet, but temperatures in the sixties and seventies in February are a gift and I am thankful. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Eye of a Needle

Posted on by Wendy
Icy limbs and power lines don't mix well.
Icy limbs and power lines don’t mix well.

The Deep South was struck by yet another snow and ice event last week. A good chunk of the entire state was shut down for days and thousands upon thousands of people were without power for days as well. My parents had no electricity from Wednesday until Sunday. These events happen from time to time. The power companies called in reinforcements from Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi just to name a few.

What really surprised me about this particular outage was the anger that I saw expressed on Facebook. By all accounts, these power company employees worked throughout the days and nights with little sleep. They were doing their best. I didn’t hear any reports of them sitting around at doughnut shops on extended coffee breaks.

When I was a kid and there was a snow storm, we lost power. It wasn’t a question of if, it was a question of when. We sat around the fireplace at night and ran around during the day. We were on well water so when the power went out, there was no water either. We were also usually the last ones to get turned back on, too. We dealt with it.

It’s amazing to me at how just twenty-five years or so later, the power going out has become catastrophic and the power companies working to restore it are somehow agents of evil. What has happened to our can-do attitude?

My dad is in his seventies and he says he remembers his family getting their first light bulb. How in the world did they survive?

As I was contemplating all of this, a verse from the Bible kept playing through my mind. “In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” Mark 10:25. Those are red-letter words, spoken by Jesus himself, so we had better pay attention.

What is he talking about? Does God hate rich people? I don’t think so. I think that when you have to depend on God for your “daily bread,” and He provides it, it’s easier to grow your faith. When every one of your physical needs is met and taken for granted, like we always have plenty to eat and a roof over our heads and heat and electricity, we have to make a sincere effort to believe in something greater than ourselves.

Our souls need feeding either way, but it’s easier to neglect our souls than our physical bodies. We are so blessed in this country and when compared with the majority of the world, we are all wealthy here. Christianity is growing fastest in Asia, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The people in these countries have far less material possessions than we do and their basic needs often are not met. Is this a coincidence? They know their need for God because they must depend on Him daily.

No one wants to be cold or inconvenienced and being without heat can be dangerous. But, this may be the ideal opportunity to take stock of who we are and decide who we want to be. The temporary days of uncomfortable inconvenience for us are what life looks like everyday for a huge population of the world.

We are so blessed that we sometimes forget to be thankful. Our abundance may be like the eye of that needle. Let’s remember to give thanks. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂