This was the first bird I saw during my prayer for wonder.
As I was preparing to write today’s post, I was praying for guidance. My family has had a really rough week. Tornadoes tore across the Southeast last night and we are expecting a second wave tonight. To top it off, I woke up with one of those throbbing sinus headaches that refuses to let go, no matter how many cups of coffee combined with Advil and suphedrine you throw at it.
I’ll have to admit that I was feeling kind of low and uninspired. The skies were a dull gray and I was looking out the window and praying for some kind of inspiration for today’s post. I read a book last summer called, “Wonderstruck, by Margaret Feinberg.” It’s about asking God to show you the wonder in life. I highly recommend it. Our world is full of wonder and I found myself praying for some.
Almost immediately, a Cardinal plopped down on my deck. Those birds always make me smile because my hubby and I have a running joke about them. His grandmother always told him that when you see a Cardinal walking on the ground that, “money is coming.” So whenever we see them, we joke about money being on the way. They truly are beautiful birds and they always brighten my day.
Right after the Cardinal landed, an Indigo Bunting landed on the other side of the deck. These birds are much rarer in my area. They are a gorgeous, deep blue. They are one of those birds that make you really appreciate God’s fabulous creativity.
By Dawn Scranton from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada (Indigo Bunting) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsI was already feeling better when a Scarlet Tanager also landed on the deck. These birds are not only rare here, but very difficult to spot. They are a favorite of bird watchers because of their vibrant red color and the black on their wings, but they usually stay hidden high in the canopy of trees. They are also migratory for my area, so he was likely just passing through. But, he just happened to pass through and land on my deck with two other beautiful birds while I was praying for wonder?
By Mike’s Birds (Scarlet Tanager Uploaded by Magnus Manske) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsI don’t think so. The Bible says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7. I wasn’t praying for riches or a new car. I was praying that God would show me His presence on this dreary day. He did and now I’m sharing it with you.
Look for the wonder of God’s handiwork in the world around you. It might not be a burning bush, so look carefully and quietly. If you can’t find it, pray about it. He will deliver something memorable. Just give it a try. When has God provided you with wonder? I’d love to hear from you.
Planting is a lot of work, but the harvest is worth it.
This weekend, my hubby and I finally got our little garden started. We are trying a raised bed because we just weren’t up to fighting with the weeds. We are a little late getting started, but we have had an unseasonably cold spring and a winter that simply refuses to acknowledge his time to go.
We got an early morning start and left the two teens in the bed. We started at a local seed shop. They were already busy when we arrived. Everyone was walking around attempting to pick out the perfect tomato plant along with all of the rest of the veggies.
What caught my eye was an elderly gentleman on a scooter. He even had an oxygen tank he was hauling along. He had a younger woman with him, perhaps his daughter, and was giving her instructions about which plants to pick. This man couldn’t even get up and walk around, but was planting veggies.
What makes growing your own vegetables so important? I mean, it’s a lot of work and Georgia summers are just about as hot as it gets here on planet earth. I filed these questions away as we headed to Lowe’s to pick up some other needed items.
Lowe’s was predictably packed on a beautiful Saturday, even if it was early. Here again, I noticed many seniors picking out vegetables plants. These are likely people who had to grow their own food at one time. You would think that they would enjoy the convenience of the grocery store, but apparently not.
Now there’s been a lot said lately about buying local and growing our own food. It’s all over Facebook among other places, but these seniors probably don’t even have a Facebook account. This is not a new fad for them. It’s not a cool trend. It’s a way of life.
I always pay attention to what folks with gray hair are doing. They have a certain amount of wisdom that can only be acquired by living. They know that planting a simple green plant in the ground and watering it and fertilizing it is one of the few times we get to assist God in giving life. We get to help create something that’s made to nourish our bodies. That really is kind of amazing.
The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, “There’s a time for everything and every activity under heaven.” It gives a long list, but one of the activities listed, is a time to plant.
The thing about planting is it involves nurture, hard work and patience. There’s some perseverance involved when you are battling pests. (Anyone recognize some fruits of the Holy Spirit here?) Sometimes you have to work a long time before you actually get any fruit or vegetables from your labors, but when you do, it’s the most gratifying feeling ever.
Sometimes life is the same. Sometimes we feel like we work and work at something, but don’t see results. (Think: dieting, teaching kids to pick up after themselves, house training a pet, working on improving a marriage, fill in the blank…..)
Maybe it’s just simply our time to plant. There will eventually be a time to harvest. The Bible says so, but perhaps we should just keep on planting and nurturing what we are given to do. If we are diligent and don’t give up, the harvest is likely to be spectacular!
We had a representative from Gideons International speak at our church yesterday. You know who the Gideons are, right? They are the guys who stand on the street corner from time to time and hand out the small Bibles with the New Testament. They also are responsible for putting a Bible in every hotel/motel room in the United States.
It’s really kind of a cool story.Two men who were traveling with their jobs ended up staying in a room together one night in 1899 because the motel was overcrowded. They both were Christian men and ended up doing their evening devotional together. At the end of their prayer, they both felt called by God to start a ministry together. They then met with one other man and the Gideons were born.
In 1908, they began placing Bibles in hotel rooms. To date, they have handed out 1.9 billion copies of scripture. Not too bad for a little over a hundred years.
The representative who spoke yesterday shared some success stories. There was one that really caught my attention.
There were two members of the Gideons in a city in Columbia. These two men had never traveled internationally to distribute Bibles and they were a little nervous. Their day was going fabulously as they handed out the Bibles to an eager public. Then one man angrily stomped over to them.
He began yelling that they had no business in his country handing out Bibles. He told them he would show them what he thought about their Bibles. He snatched one and threw it as far as he could. Then he stomped away.
The men were a little intimidated of course. Isn’t that what Satan likes to do? He throws obstacles in our paths to frighten and intimidate us. He tries to get us to turn away from God. These men stood their ground and continued to hand out Bibles. The traffic picked up again and all was well.
They began to smell a strong odor of tar. In the people around them, stood a man almost completely covered in tar from head to foot. He was holding one of their Bibles and a tear was rolling down his cheek. He explained to them that he was working on a roof nearby when a Bible came flying through the air and landed at his feet.
He went on to tell them that his wife had left him and taken their children. He had been contemplating suicide. He asked them to tell him about Jesus. They did and lead him to Christ that day.
Are you getting chills yet? God took one man’s act of hatred and anger and turned it into another man’s salvation. God always has a plan even when we can’t see it. The Bible says, ” The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” Romans 16:20.
God always wins in the end. That’s a promise, one that makes me want to stand up and cheer. What about you?
Women can sometimes appear delicate, but in reality, be incredibly strong.
My mom recently texted me about how tired and overwhelmed she was feeling. I immediately texted back that she should channel her inner Janice and Aunt Mary. We all have those women in our lives who are pillars of strength. You know who I’m talking about. They never have to raise their voices, but the folks around them just listen, out of respect.
Southern women can often fool the casual observer. They often appear to be not much more than a pretty face wearing a skirt and lipstick. They don’t yell or get in your face, but there is a quiet strength which can be quite lethal to those who underestimate them. The term “steel magnolia,” is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.
My mother is one of those. She’s a little bitty thing that often keeps quiet, but she can be a force to be reckoned with. My family is dotted with these women. I’ll bet yours is too. They are a gift from God. They have the ability to get things done and the ability (and this is important), to do it quietly. They don’t seek a lot of attention.
The Bible is full of these women. Most of them don’t have entire books dedicated to them, but their stories are important in God’s Big Story, just the same.
Moses’ mother Jochebed, hid him for three months after his birth and then made a tiny basket that would float and placed him in the Nile River. The Nile was full of crocodiles among other things, but she trusted in God for her son’s safety. Then when Pharaoh’s daughter found him, she volunteered as a wet-nurse, totally giving up the right to be his mother, but guaranteeing his survival. He would grow up to lead an entire nation to freedom. She was a steel magnolia.
When Ruth’s husband died, she decided to leave her home and all of her family behind to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, who she knew needed her. After trusting Naomi’s wisdom, she found another husband named Boaz. She became the great-grandmother of King David and therefore one of Jesus’ ancestors. She was a steel magnolia.
Mary is one of my favorite strong women. She was told as a teenager by an angel that she would give birth to the Son of God. She agreed. She raised him and stood by him the entire time he was dying on the cross. She was praying with the other disciples at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit blasted onto the scene. She was a steel magnolia.
All of their stories are so important and there are many more in the Bible. Christianity celebrates the role of women in God’s plan, no matter how small it may seem. So if you are a woman, whatever you are doing today to spread the love of Jesus from saying prayers with little ones, to visiting with a neighbor, to leading a Sunday School class, keep going. Even if you feel like your contribution doesn’t matter, keep giving.
God sees your service and I feel in my heart, that He is pleased. Isn’t delighting your Maker all that really matters anyway? You go girl!
I have been a substitute teacher in a special education class for the past few weeks. It has definitely been an interesting experience, frustrating at times and rewarding at others. What it has not ever been, is boring!
Today, at the end of class, the students were packing up and waiting for the bell. One of the kids pulled out a key chain he wanted to show me. It was a beautiful picture of Jesus. He smiled as he pointed out the sparkles all over it. He was really proud of it. I’ll have to admit that it was a really unique piece, carved on a small piece of wood. When I asked him where he got it, he told me that he had made it.
Another student came ambling over to see what we were looking at and he asked, “Who is that?” The boy with the key chain stated, “That’s my God.”
It was that easy for him. This isn’t a boy from the best of circumstances, but he knows who his God is. He knows Jesus and he’s not afraid to say it.
How do we do when asked the same question? Do we try to explain who Jesus is and what he stands for? Do we nervously try to avoid eye contact when we talk about him? Would we proudly carry a key chain with a picture of him on it?
Philippians 2:10-11 tells us, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God’s plan is for all people to worship Jesus. In the end, everyone will acknowledge him as Lord, whether they are willing or not.
There are many ways to share our faith. Some are complex and some are quite simple.
As usual, I learned more from the kids I work with than they might learn from me. A simple statement, “That’s my God;” really got my wheels turning.
If I were to show you a picture of Jesus on a key chain and ask you the same question, what would you say? Maybe that’s a point for all of us to ponder. Sometimes simplicity is best. What do you think?
These azaleas sustained some damage during a late spring cold snap.
We had a cold snap last week. It was rather late in the spring and there were quite a few things blooming that sustained some damage. There were a lot of people who had decided to go ahead and put out their summer plants like Impatiens. Some people had even planted summer veggies. After all, it had been in the eighties the week before. Surely, they reasoned, spring had at last, sprung.
My granddaddy always said it was safe to plant after Easter, but we should always be prepared for one last cold snap before Easter. I never understood how that could apply to Easter in March and Easter in April, but that’s what he always said. Like the good southern girl that I am, I always try to take the advice of folks with gray hair, so I had not planted anything yet.
These azaleas, however, were already in bloom. They had blossomed under the early hot weather and were truly beautiful. When a cold front that dropped into the thirties, came screaming through, the delicate blossoms didn’t make it. It’s an established plant with very strong roots, so it survived, but it lost its blooms.
I think our lives can be affected by cold snaps too. Sometimes, we are cruising along and the weather is gorgeous. There’s not a cloud in sight and the temperatures are balmy and perfect. Then an unexpected cold snap comes screaming through. We lose a job or get a serious diagnosis or file for divorce or lose someone we love. Life is full of cold snaps.
The damage we sustain depends largely on the roots of our faith. If our roots run deep enough, our blooms may suffer, but our hearts and souls remain intact. We know that the snap will pass and that God holds us in His hands and beautiful weather will eventually return.
These azaleas were covered by trees and their blooms weren’t affected at all.
Then there were these azaleas. These azaleas grow under some oak trees. The trees provided protection for them and their blooms were untouched by the cold. The Bible can offer us spiritual protection during life’s cold snaps and even our blooms can continue to shine in adversity.
When we are like Impatiens or newly planted vegetables, it’s much harder to survive the cold snaps. Those plants are tender and new and we have to rush around and cover them with something physical when the temperatures drop. It’s a lot of work to even keep them alive, much less get them to thrive. They don’t have the deep roots or cover.
I want to strive to be like the azaleas under the trees, growing deep roots of faith and using the truth of the Bible for cover. I wan to be prepared for life’s cold snaps. Care to join me? What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.
Even though the rose-bush is dead, the thorns can still be dangerous.
While I was recently working in the yard, I came across this dead rose-bush. I was relatively certain it was dead at the end of last summer. We just got too much rain, but I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, it had some life in it. It didn’t. It had been a housewarming gift from a close friend some nine years ago and I hated to lose it, but I knew it needed to go. The time had come.
As I attempted to dig it up, it became clear very quickly, that although the roots were dead, the thorns were still quite dangerous. I had to go and get some gloves in order to proceed.
This rose-bush really made me think about things or situations in our everyday lives that we have closed the door on. When we have painful issues in our past and we just let them die instead of digging them and discarding them in the trash, they can have the potential to inflict pain on the present.
When we make the decision to walk with Jesus and we ask for forgiveness for past sins, they are forgiven. Jesus does his part. But, sometimes the most difficult step in the forgiveness process, is forgiving ourselves. It can be painful to revisit past hurts or guilt, so sometimes instead of doing the hard work of healing, we just kind of let those things scab over and die in place.
But, here’s the problem with that plan, sometimes those issues may have thorns that can continue to harm us. We can replay past mistakes and bad choices over and over. We become self-focused and we lose sight of the redemptive grace that covers all of our sins, not just the easy ones.
When we become self-focused, we can’t be God-focused. Who wins then?
Sometimes I think it’s important to do a little self-inventory, looking for hurts, guilt, anger or shame we may be carrying around deep in our souls. We may not have any and if so, that’s fantastic. March onward Christian soldier!
But, if we are holding on to some kind of thorny emotion from our past, then we should really devote some prayer time to letting it go. We need to be willing to put it at the foot of the cross and leave it there, going out joyfully into the world knowing that nothing is too hard for God and He wants us to be free from past sins to walk into a future full of Him.
That’s something I can really get behind. What do you think about thorns from the past? I’d love to hear from you.
What would happen if we allowed our faith to grow like a vine?
While I was working on my Lent Bible Study of the Book of John, Spring Break occurred, and we went for a short visit to see the grandparents. As we drove up to the house, the trees were filled with this beautiful, lavender wisteria vine. It’s gorgeous and it smells divine and it has been the bane of my sweet mama’s existence for years.
Let me give you some back story. My parents live in the house that my grandparents built. My grandmother absolutely loved to grow things. The yard is full of trees and bushes that she planted over forty years ago, which I find to be the most beautiful memorial possible to her short walk here on earth.
She planted the Wisteria at the base of one tree. I’m sure she had no idea how invasive the vine can be. It truly is a lot like Kudzu if left unattended and it can cover a yard and the woods and everything in its path. Look for it as you drive along just about any Southern road in the spring time. You will see what I mean. It’s everywhere.
My mother fought the vine for years and has recently given up. Upon my arrival, I noticed that it really is beautiful and you never even know it’s there unless it is blooming. I snapped some photos. I have come to understand that when I see something that speaks to me in any way, I should just go ahead and take a photo. God has plans on using it later and I will need it.
When I returned home, my reading was John 15, which was all about Jesus being a vine. The Wisteria photos immediately flashed to mind and I used one of them in the post, but a seed was planted for a different post, later. Of course, this wasn’t a coincidence. I have come to learn that there are no coincidences, when you walk with God.
If Jesus is a vine and we are the branches of that vine, what do we know about vines? Vines love to climb. Vines can cover just about everything in their path. They can be very invasive. They can be almost invisible. They can be impossible to stop. They can bloom producing awesome fruit like grapes or beautiful fragrant flowers, like Wisteria.
Maybe our faith could be beautifully invasive!
What would happen if we looked at our Christian walk like a vine? What if we spread the love and truth of Christ to everyone and everything in our sight? What if we quietly and deliberately spread the Gospel message of truth and peace to everyone who crosses our path? Would our message look like the Deep South in spring, with beautiful Wisteria Blooms everywhere we look?
It’s possible. Maybe we should give it a try. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.
In today’s reading, Jesus tells Peter, to “Follow me!”
In the last chapter in the Book of John, we learn about Jesus’ conversation with Peter. The other three Gospels don’t record this meeting. Personally, I really needed to hear it. Peter was very close to Jesus, yet he denied him when he was confronted by Jesus’ accusers, just as Jesus had told him he would.
Jesus had already appeared to them and told them to, “Be at peace.” This message was for all of them, but I longed to hear a more personal account between Peter and Jesus. John does not disappoint.
Seven of the disciples were together. I’m sure they were spending most of their time together after all that they had witnessed. Peter announces that he’s going fishing. The others want to go too. They were fishing at night, something that was common in their time. I would love to know what their conversation was like. These men were forever changed and would soon be the foundation of the new Christian church. What did they talk about?
Peter, James and John were fishermen, by trade when Jesus called them. Maybe they were just trying to do something that seemed normal to them. Early in the morning, Jesus was standing on the shore, (but they didn’t recognize him). He basically called out to them and asked, “Catch anything?” The told him, no. Jesus told them to throw their net on the right side of the boat. They did.
The net was so full, that they couldn’t get it into the boat. John knew immediately that it was Jesus. He says, “It is the Lord.”
Peter, in true Peter fashion, puts on his outer garment, (his tunic), jumps into the water and swims to Jesus. It was about a hundred yards, the length of a football field. The other six disciples follow in the boat, towing the fish behind them, but Peter couldn’t wait. He just couldn’t get to Jesus fast enough. What would our world look like if we all sought Jesus that passionately and desperately?
Have you ever felt a deep need for Jesus? Peter did. When they arrived, Jesus had a fire going with some fish on it and some bread. He tells them to bring some of the fish they have caught. Peter climbs back on the boat and helps them drag in the 153 large fish, that didn’t tear the net.
They all knew it was Jesus. He invites them to breakfast. Eating is a human need. Dining together is what communities do. He simply invites them to eat the bounty he has just provided.
When they are finished eating, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him more than the other disciples. Peter replies that he does. He asks him two more times and Peter’s feelings are hurt. Each time Peter replies yes, Jesus says to either feed his sheep, feed his lambs or take care of his sheep.
Why does Jesus ask him three times? The scripture doesn’t say. Perhaps it’s so that Peter will know that even though he denied Jesus three times, Jesus still loves him and trusts him to bring people to him. He then tells him that he will die in a way to glorify God. Church tradition says that Peter was crucified upside down because he didn’t feel like he was worthy to be executed the same way Jesus was. Peter will willingly die for Jesus.
Jesus tells him, “Follow me!” (Notice the exclamation point?”) Peter wants to know what’s going to happen to John. Jesus says, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” I take that to mean that everyone’s faith journey is different. God has a different plan for each one of us. John’s was different that Peter’s. Among other things, John goes on to write the Book of Revelation.
John ends this Gospel by saying that Jesus did many other miraculous things that aren’t recorded here, but if they were all written down, the whole world wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.
And that my friends, is the Gospel of John. Thanks so much for reading along with me. I hope this study has made Lent and Easter more meaningful for you. It has for me. I would love to hear your thoughts on our last reading or on the study in general.
Jesus’ first words to his disciples were, “Peace be with you.”
Jesus gave Mary Magdalene instructions to tell his disciples what she had seen. I’m sure she wasted no time. But, while Jesus appeared to her very early in the morning, he didn’t appear to his disciples until that evening. The text says that they were together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews.
There were likely other people with them besides the original group. If Mary told them what she had seen, who else had she told? They may have been afraid about word spreading that Jesus’ body had been removed. Would the Jews now try to hunt them down? They were his closest followers.
As they stayed together in fear, Jesus was among them. The words he said are true to the loving spirit of Jesus. “Peace be with you!” he said. They may have been frightened about seeing Jesus as well. Mary and the women stayed at the cross and the scripture says John stayed, but most of them ran and hid in fear for their own lives. They abandoned him in his darkest hour. Mary told them Jesus had risen. She had no reason to fear a rebuke from him, but would he be angry with his disciples?
His words must have quieted their anxious souls, just as they should quiet ours. He tells them to be at peace. He is not angry with them. He shows them his hands where the nails were and his side where the spear was and they are overjoyed. This was not a ghost. He had a body, complete with scars, from the crucifixion. Jesus was the real deal, here among them and his message was to be at peace, which means stop worrying. Their sorrow had turned to joy, just as Jesus promised.
The bigger picture is that he died for our sins. We don’t have to worry about anything. We have been promised an eternity with him and we should be at peace.
He tells them that as God sent him, now he is sending them.Then he tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. (who will appear fifty days later, at Pentecost.)
Thomas didn’t happen to be with the others that day, but they couldn’t wait to tell him the news. We like to pick on Thomas for being a doubter, but perhaps he was just a realist. The entire story was just too much for him to believe. He makes his famous remarks, that unless he sees those nail marks in Jesus’ hands and touches them and touches Jesus’ side, he won’t believe that Jesus has risen.
A week later, they are in the same house and this time, Thomas is with them. Jesus again appears even though the doors are locked. Again, he says “Peace be with you!” He walks right up to Thomas, looks him in the eye and invites him to touch his scars. Thomas simply says, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus isn’t angry. He wants them to believe and he wants them to be at peace with all that has happened.
Then he blesses all future believers. He says, “Because you have seen me, you believed; blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believed.”
The chapter ends by saying there were many other miraculous signs which John did not record. I suppose he considered these to be the most important.
What do you think about today’s reading? I’d love to hear from you.
![By Dawn Scranton from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada (Indigo Bunting) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://gracefulgaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Indigo_Bunting_male.jpg)
![By Mike's Birds (Scarlet Tanager Uploaded by Magnus Manske) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://gracefulgaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/599px-Scarlet_Tanager_7102024259.jpg)
