Month: April 2015

And a Child Shall Lead Them

Posted on by Wendy
There may be no more fertile ground on earth for the love of Jesus than the heart of a child.
There may be no more fertile ground on earth for the love of Jesus than the heart of a child.  Photo Credit: Bishop M. Cromartie

Facebook has been all abuzz with news of the rioting in Baltimore, Maryland. A suspect died in police custody and the streets filled up with angry protestors bent on revenge and violence. Houses and businesses were destroyed. Buildings were burned. Rocks and bricks were thrown at the police who were trying to keep order.

Monday night was a scene of complete chaos. All of the citizens of Baltimore were completely out of control. The city was being run by evil forces bent on destruction. But, then the sun rose as it always does and light broke through the darkness.

It’s amazing how the tiniest bit of light can shatter complete and utter darkness. It’s true; there are dark forces that are thriving in Baltimore at the moment, but there’s plenty of good as well.

The little boy in the picture above was at the local CVS that was burned. His parents and other volunteers, yes volunteers, were trying to assist in the clean up. The little boy completely unprompted, went to officer after officer and offered them water. This child was clearly not filled with hate or anger, not for police officers or white people, or any people. His heart was filled with love and kindness.

There are countless other photos out there of citizens getting between the police officers and protesters. There are stories of other citizens offering the police water as well as pizza. There are dozens of pictures of everyday citizens assisting in the cleanup, the cleanup of a mess they didn’t create. There is good going on in Baltimore. God is present. He is at work. There are pastors out there who have asked that we share photos and news of the community that is pulling together. I say that we oblige them.

I think we need to remember that chaos and hate do not come from God. They come straight from Satan. Righteous anger is one thing. There’s nothing wrong with being angry at injustice, but hate is something completely different altogether. When we take to social media and spread chaotic and hateful messages, whose side are we on?

There was a mama who was standing on the side with the police on Tuesday, when she realized that one of the hoodie-clad rioters was her very own teenage son. She stunned the world when she went stomping over into the group of rioters who were carrying bricks and rocks and she let him have it. She went off on him on national television and drug him away. Who knows what kind of evil her intervention stopped?

What would our world look like if all of the mamas and daddies out there weren’t afraid to call their kids out when they catch them doing wrong? Isn’t that our job as parents?

Please join me in praying for the citizens of Baltimore. Pray that peace will be restored there. Pray that evil will be crushed and let’s give a special thanks for the little boy who followed his heart and the mama who had the courage to do what was right on national television. May God fill our country with more people like them.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

 

A Technology Black Out

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes life without technology looks pretty good.
Sometimes life without technology looks pretty good.

Last night while we were watching television, our cable froze. It was a riveting show too, a Simpson’s rerun. I went ahead and did all of the troubleshooting tasks, unplugged the box, etc… and still nothing happened. I went upstairs and asked my daughter if her cable was working. It wasn’t. I was going to have to call Charter.

When I picked up the phone, it was dead too and we had no Internet either. Gotta love the bundle. After getting a nice lady named Wanda, on the phone, I learned that we had an outage in the area and they were working on it. Quite frankly, I was kind of happy about it. I find troubleshooting cable and wi-fi to be a huge pain. I have to find where things are plugged in which often requires moving furniture. At least I knew it was on their end not mine.

When I thanked her for letting me know. She paused a minute and told me I had been her nicest customer all night. Really? What would have been the point of yelling at Wanda? She was sitting at a desk somewhere far away. What exactly could anyone expect her to do about an outage? It wasn’t like she could climb a pole and fix it. I answered the annoying survey that followed and gave her all A’s.

Then I hung up my cell phone and something fabulous happened. My son put down his iphone. My daughter came downstairs and plopped down in a chair and we talked.

For whatever reason, my teenagers began reminding each other of learning games they played on the computer as little kids. They remembered little pieces of songs and would sing them. Then they began telling different stories from their kindergarten days. They talked and laughed with each other. We all asked each other questions and we would laugh some more.

This went on for a little over an hour and then the cable came back on. My daughter was done with her trip down memory lane and headed up stairs to watch “Fresh Prince.” My son became engrossed in his laptop while watching yet another “Simpsons,” episode. That show is always on.

I picked my Kindle back up, but I was incredibly thankful for the technology black out. Wanda told me that I could call Charter and get credit for the time with no cable, but I really wanted to call them and thank them for the time. Their failure turned out to be a beautiful little gift for me.

I’m trying to do better at recognizing little blessings along the way and to give thanks for them. I’m trying to do better at treasuring the precious resource of time.

Life these days is loud and busy, so when we are forced to have some black out time, maybe we should seize the moment. It’s fairly rare and usually needed and quite possibly a gift. Maybe we should just say thanks.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Shepherds and Cowboys

Posted on by Wendy
Leading can be much more effective than pushing.
Leading can be much more effective than pushing.

My pastor was discussing shepherds on Sunday and how there were many shepherds out there, but only one Good Shepherd. Then he said that sheep don’t like to be pushed. Sheep like to follow. He said if we were cows and Jesus was a cowboy, he could just herd us wherever he wanted to. He could lasso us and bring us down and make us join his herd.

I found that analogy fascinating. Humans are referred to as sheep all through the New Testament. I don’t recall the Bible saying anything about cows. I’m sure sheep can be herded, but I can’t remember hearing about any big sheep drives from one place to another. I have been to a rodeo and they didn’t lasso any sheep or ride a bucking sheep.

Cowboys get their work done by physical grit and force. They push the cattle where they want them to go. A shepherd wants the sheep to follow him.

Isn’t that a huge part of what sets Christianity apart from other religions? It’s not about fear or force. Jesus invites us to follow him, not out of fear or obligation, but because of love and trust. We have promises like green pastures,  restored souls and light yokes. So, why don’t more people get on board?

I certainly don’t have an answer to that question. I find that a lot o the people who I talk to about church carry around negative childhood memories of hell, fire and brimstone preachers, banging on a pulpit. Those guys tried to act like cowboys instead of shepherds. They tried to push and not lead. Sheep don’t like to be pushed.

As Christians, we are all sheep who are called to be shepherds in our own way. If you talk to any single person about God, even if it’s a family member, you are a shepherd of some sort.

Yet, many of us are uncomfortable with the shepherd role. We are terrified of coming across as pushy, but what we are really concerned about is being cowboys, not shepherds. We can lead without pushing and we can do it in dozens of ways.

We can invite others to worship or to a program at church, not hound people, just invite. We can volunteer our time, so that others can benefit and see us doing the work of Christ. They may feel called to do the same. We can extend kindness to a stranger or take a meal to a neighbor or send a get well card to someone who isn’t doing well.

We don’t serve because people are watching. We serve because the Good Shepherd serves, but when we do serve, others may feel lead to follow and when they do… what do you know? We are shepherds after all.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Gift of Age

Posted on by Wendy
Growing older means growing wiser. Wisdom is a gift that the world needs.
Growing older means growing wiser. Wisdom is a gift that the world needs.

Yesterday at church, we gained a new member. Her name is Debbie. She is just about to finish her seminary training and has served as a pastor for four years. That information on its own doesn’t sound particularly interesting does it? But, then she took the microphone and shared a little of her story.

She said she got called into the ministry late in life. She has been a nurse for forty-two years, a profession that already willingly serves others. She has grown children who are married and six grandchildren. She glowed with peace and joy when she shared the next part of her story.

She said when she got called to serve in the ministry that she asked God if He knew how old she was. She said as she laughed, that He wasn’t the least bit concerned.

I thought about her all day. She really was an inspiration. Of course, she’s the exception of how we like to plan out our lives. We work for a certain amount of years, raise our children, and build up a 401K and retire as soon as possible and live the easy life. We may plan on traveling or just relaxing in our twilight years. Not many of us plan on serving and certainly not beginning an entire new career where we are called to serve.

Does getting older mean we get take it easy and slow down? Maybe others should serve us for a change. Maybe it’s a matter of our attitude. But, more likely, it’s a matter of the heart and who our heart belongs to.

The Bible has many examples of God using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things and age never seems to matter. Sarah was way past childbearing years when she bore Isaac and the nation of Israel began. Elizabeth was way too old to have children when God blessed her with John the Baptist. Moses was eighty when God sent him to talk to Pharaoh.

Mother Teresa served all of her eighty-seven years here on planet earth, even after a heart attack and a pacemaker and later heart issues. She never stopped serving.

Now I’m not saying that we are all called to foreign countries to be missionaries or to be nuns. Most of us aren’t called to go into professional ministry either, but age is simply not a factor when we are following Jesus. If God calls us, then He equips us. He made each and every one of us. He’s well aware of our strengths and weaknesses. He’s certainly aware of our age. He clearly doesn’t care.

Instead of looking at getting older as the end of the road or a time to wind down, perhaps we should think of it as a life with less responsibility that allows us to serve more freely. It could be if we open our hearts to the possibility of a new journey with God, but with all of the wonderful wisdom we have gained along the way, we may find that we are in for the time of our lives.

It might be something to consider.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Simply Saying Thanks

Posted on by Wendy
Taking time each day to look for all of the small gifts we have been given can lead to a thankful heart.
Taking time each day to look for all of the small gifts we have been given can lead to a thankful heart.

Have you ever had one of those days that was pretty close to perfect, where everything seemed to go right, every light in your path was green? I had a day like that yesterday. I was reminded of the television commercial that was out several years ago where it was a character named Bob’s day. He had a parking spot saved for him everywhere he went and their were literally signs on the road that said, “Yield to Bob.”

I have had a lot going on lately and have prayed a lot for answers and direction. It’s nothing super serious, but I have had some heavy conversations with God and I have patiently (most of the time), waited.

Yesterday was a really easy and laid back day with no chaos. It was beautiful outside and I was loving it. I went into CVS to pick up a few toiletry items for my family along with a prescription, and my bill was $52.00. I presented a few coupons and one was a 25% off card. The saleslady scanned them and was confused with what the cash register was reporting that I owed, so she called her manager who walked her through it. She told the cashier to hit the override button and my bill was .06. The stunned cashier smiled and asked if I would please pay in cash.

I obliged her and thanked her profusely. As I left the store, shaking my head, I climbed into my car and I thought about all of my prayers lately and at that moment, wasn’t really sure what to say. I had been given a great little surprise gift.

And then I knew what to say. I said a prayer of thanks.

I think that when I spend a lot of time praying about specific issues that I need to work out in one way or the other, I sometimes miss the little gifts that God sends me. That morning as I began my day with a walk, I prayed that God would show Himself to me. He did.

I’m glad I had the sense not only to recognize it, but to say thanks. I wonder how often I miss those everyday gifts because I’m so focused on something specific. Maybe you struggle with that too? God is ever-present in the lives of His children whether we recognize it or not.

We have an enemy who would love for us to believe that our prayers don’t matter and that we are alone. Those are lies.

Sometimes God’s presence is super subtle and sometimes it’s like a billboard, like yesterday was for me. Either way, He’s here and it brings great nourishment to our souls not only to remember that, but to acknowledge it and simply say thanks.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Being Faithful With a Few Things First

Posted on by Wendy
Being good stewards of what we have been given is always pleasing to the Giver.
Being good stewards of what we have been given is always pleasing to the Giver.

My family just purchased a new car. Well, it’s used, but it’s new to us. Our 2001 minivan just died, so it doesn’t take much for us to be oooohing and ahhhing over “new” technology. It’s nothing fancy, but we all love it. It’s been less than a week and my fifteen-year-old has began requesting to drive it.

Now, we got her, her own little, easy to control, easy to stop car, last summer and she’s coming along well with it. By, her birthday, I’m sure she will be ready to take the keys and go. But, right now, I’m not so sure I want to hand her the key to our newest vehicle. I wonder why she never asked to drive the minivan.

She is not alone in her quest for more and better. It seems we would all like a little bit more, a little bit newer, a little bit shinier, than what we have. I have definitely at times found myself praying for more, when I wasn’t necessarily making the best use of what I had.

I am reminded of the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew, Chapter 26. A wealthy man who was going on a journey, gave three of his servants different amounts of money to keep for him. Two of them used what they had to make more money for their master. One just buried what he had been given. When the master returned, he was pleased with the first two. He said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” Matthew 24:21

The third guy didn’t do so well. The master was very angry with him and threw him out into the darkness.

I’ve heard this parable explained in many different ways and as most of Jesus’ parables, I think it likely has several layers and meanings. One of them may be that we shouldn’t ask for more, if we don’t look after and do our best with what we have.

Would you buy your kid a new bike if he always left his old one in the rain? If he didn’t take care of what you had given him, why would you spend money on more? If you were late to work every day or spent most of your day at work, playing on the internet, would you expect a promotion? If you were the boss, would you give yourself a promotion?

Perhaps if we want more of anything, we need to take care of what we already have. Are we faithful stewards of what we have been given? Are we thankful for what we have been given? More of anything could include material things; but it could also be our gifts and talents.

Maybe if we find ourselves desperately wanting more, we should take stock of what we already have and truthfully ask ourselves how we are doing with that. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Get Out There

Posted on by Wendy
If you stay indoors, you never know what you may miss.
If you stay indoors, you never know what you may miss.

One of my closest friends called me last week. It’s always kind of curious to me that when I have someone on my mind, I usually hear from them. I had been thinking about her and had planned to call her to plan to get together for coffee. We do that from time to time to catch up.

This time, when I suggested coffee, she suggested we meet and take a walk together, catch up while we exercise, two birds with one stone, so to speak. Being a multitasker myself, I agreed. But, when I got out of bed yesterday, it was 51 degrees. That’s pretty cold for a Georgia Peach. I grumbled to my family about how much easier having coffee was than walking.

I arrived at the park a few minutes before she did still thinking that it was awfully chilly. When she drove up, she jumped out of her car like a breath of spring time and gave me a hug. When I commented on how cool it was, she remarked about how beautiful the day was. The sky was a gorgeous blue without a cloud in sight. She reminded me that it had stopped raining.

It has rained for like the past two weeks here. Everyone is sick of it. We’ve all been praying for sun and here it was. But, I had been willing to miss it because it was too cold.

Isn’t it funny how God sometimes speaks to us through our friends? I don’t know why it surprises me because I’ve always considered friendship one of His greatest gifts. Sometimes the gentle words from a friend are clearly reminders from God.

Her reminder was that we should bask and appreciate the sunshine at every opportunity. Who knows when it will rain again? If we wait for the “perfect” conditions to get out there, we may miss the beautiful day completely.

We had a delightful walk and visit as we always do. When you have known someone for thirty plus years, you really don’t run out of things to talk about. You can sometimes even finish each other’s sentences.

Long after our walk, I thought about missed opportunities in life. How often do we miss out on something because we are waiting for the “perfect” time. We may be waiting for the kids to get older, or for our jobs to get easier, or for the economy to get better or for better weather. There are definitely times when we should wait.

But, there are also times, when we are simply making excuses. Sometimes, we need to grab a jacket, brave the cool weather and just get out there. Sometimes we are incredibly surprised by the beauty that awaits us.

We will never know, if we don’t leave our comfort zone. I’m glad I listened to my friend. A little adventure can be good for the soul. What do you need to do to get out there?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Message from the Hummingbird Feeder

Posted on by Wendy
What is cute on hummingbirds, doesn't look very good on people.
What is cute on hummingbirds, doesn’t look very good on people.

A friend of mine, Patti, posted on Facebook last week, that she had two hummingbird feeders outside her breakfast window. She said there were four hummingbirds all buzzing around one. None of them were stopping to eat the free nectar that she had so generously provided. Instead, they wanted to make sure none of the others got to eat. In fact, there was one who sat on the top of the feeder, making it his mission to chase all of the others away. One perfectly good feeder, sat close by, completely untouched.

She was amused by their antics and challenged me to find a message in their behavior. I thought about it for a few days. My parents keep several feeders on their porch and they have close to a flock at times. They are just as aggressive as Patti’s. There’s always plenty, yet they refuse to share.

Human children are not much different. One of the most used words in the vocabulary of mamas with toddlers is share. If I had a nickel for every time I told my own kids to share, I’d be a rich woman. Sharing is definitely not an inborn trait. It has to be laboriously and lovingly, (most of the time), taught.

Young children not only want to keep all of their toys for themselves; they also seem to instinctively want whatever the other child has. Their own possessions are rarely enough to keep them satisfied.

Good thing we all grow out of that, right?

On second thought, Black Friday sales look a lot like the hummingbird feeder in question. Another example also pops into mind. A few years back, when oil shipments were disrupted in our area, we had a minor gas shortage. Do you think people simply got what they needed, knowing it would all work out? Nope, they headed to the gas pumps to fill up their cars and as many gas cans as their cars would carry. The gas stations had to end up putting a limit on the gallons that could be purchased. The shortage didn’t last long, but for a short time, people acted kind of like those greedy hummingbirds.

Greed is at the root of all kinds of bad stuff. And at its core, it seems to me, is a basic distrust of God and an insistence on relying on ourselves and focusing on ourselves. I know; self-reliance is a good thing to a point. We are supposed to work hard and support ourselves and our families.

But, we are also supposed to trust that God will provide for us. When He rained down manna on the Israelites, He commanded that they get enough. They weren’t supposed to stockpile. He wanted them to trust that He would provide daily, and He did.

How much of our time and efforts are spent stockpiling things we don’t even need? How much stuff can we accumulate? How much stuff do we actually need? How much time and money do we waste collecting all of that unnecessary stuff? Could our time and money be put to better use? Where is our focus? Where should it be?

Perhaps we should all give those greedy little hummingbirds some thought. While their behavior is amusing on them; it doesn’t look very good on us. We could all probably share a little more and learn to appreciate what we have. I know I could. What about you?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

In Pursuit of Peace

Posted on by Wendy
Living in peace is active.
Living in peace is active.

The world is far from peaceful at the moment. I don’t really even watch the news much anymore, but social media and my internet homepage is more than adequate to keep me up to date on the gory details of daily events. It’s sometimes difficult to remember that chaos is not God’s will for us.

In John and Luke’s Gospels, when Jesus appeared to the disciples, his closest companions, the first thing he said was, “Peace be with you.” In fact, in John, he said it twice. I find that particularly relevant considering the horrific, violent death he endured. There was nothing peaceful about the cross.

And his closest followers deserted him. Did they deserve peace? John’s Gospel says they were hiding behind locked doors after the crucifixion, hiding from Jewish authorities. They were terrified of worldly retribution. Would they be next in line for execution?

But, then Jesus showed up out of nowhere and tells them to be at peace. Not only was he letting them off the hook for not doing anything to stop his death; he was giving them the responsibility of spreading the Good News. The men in that room went from feeling like terrified losers to the specially and carefully chosen ones to share the unique story of grace.

Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit; and after he appeared, those disciples were truly fearless. They had a unique peace that came from knowing that Jesus spoke truth when he said: “I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

Peace seems to be far from us in the world we live in. Our desire to have more material things keeps us in constant turmoil. Buying all of those things keeps us working long hours and very often in deep debt. We worry about finances. We worry about our jobs. We worry about the economy. We worry about our health and the health of our families. We have so many worries and concerns that keep us from being at peace and those are just local examples.

Globally, the chaos is much worse. Last week, twelve Christians seeking an escape from war-torn Libya and work in Italy, were tossed overboard and left to drown by Muslim aggressors. The reason was simply that they professed their Christian faith.

That kind of hate seems almost unfathomable to Westerners. However, last week, many parts of the world commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s only been seventy years since the end of World War II. Hate was alive and well then.

But, hate was alive and well when Jesus was nailed to a cross too and yet, his message to his disciples and to us is to be at peace. God does have a plan.

Does that mean we should stand idly by and watch evil spread? No, I don’t think so. I think first and foremost, we are to pray for peace and protection of all Christians and Jews worldwide. I think as a nation, we should intervene where we can, to protect the innocent.

Perhaps as we begin a new election cycle, we should pray for discernment on who God would like to lead our country. Make no mistake, there will be plenty of hate to go around there as well.

But, in the end, after we have done what we can spiritually and physically, we need to lean into Jesus and seek and experience his peace. Fear and worry don’t come from him, so how can surrendering to it be his plan?

Seeking peace is active not passive. I realize that this is much easier said than done, but the outcome will be well worth it. Peace be with you.

Have an awesome day.

Wendy 🙂

Get Growing

Posted on by Wendy
There's something profoundly spiritual about growing your own food.
There’s something profoundly spiritual about growing your own food.

This past weekend, I was struck by the gardening bug. My hubby and I, (mostly him), built raised beds last year, so I knew we would replant, but I hadn’t really been motivated yet. Plus, I was waiting to be sure that our cold winter was at last gone for good.

A visit to my parents’ house over spring break was especially motivating. My daddy had planted okra, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, onions and squash. He even grew a few things from seed. He had also planted an apple tree and a peach tree. Looks like retirement has brought out his inner farmer. He showed off his new plantings like a proud new papa.

I have to say that I completely get it. There’s something profoundly spiritual about growing things, especially things we can eat. When I dig up dirt and add compost and fertilizer, I feel like I get to assist in the miracle of life. When I see earth worms in the soil, I say a little prayer of thanks. They have a job to do and their presence is good for my plants.

When I finally get to place the tiny plants in the prepared soil, I can see right away that I have accomplished something. What once seemed completely barren, is teeming with new growth. And the little green plants are just the beginning. The beauty of growing vegetables is that it takes very little time before the first blooms appear.

I love to go outside in the mornings with a cup of coffee and see what happened overnight. The growth is sometimes astounding. Sometimes, a bloom transforms into a tiny vegetable literally overnight. I feel like it’s a tiny miracle of sorts. I mean, I can’t make a tomato; can you?

Then, the amount of veggies that can come from one tiny plant, that was no more than a couple of inches tall, is also amazing, when you think about it.

Gardening, even very small-scale gardening, brings me closer to God. It reminds me of the miracle of life. It reminds me of the gift of food. It reminds me of His infinite abilities and blessings.

If you don’t normally grow veggies in the summer, I encourage you to at least try a patio tomato. It will grow easily in a pot on a porch or deck and it’s such a fast process to watch it go from tiny green plant to fruit. (I’m told that tomatoes are a fruit, which makes no sense to me.)

Once upon a time, when the vast majority of the people in our country grew their own food, we all knew that we had to rely on God to feed us. We knew we needed to depend on Him. I don’t think that reliance has changed even though we don’t readily recognize it anymore.

Gardening is just a beautiful reminder of His love and grace. Maybe it’s time to get growing.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂