Month: November 2015

The Beauty of Waiting

Posted on by Wendy
Waiting can be a beautiful time of preparation.
Waiting can be a beautiful time of preparation.

Yesterday, marked the beginning of the church calendar. The “church” doesn’t run on the January to December calendar or the fiscal year calendar, that ends in June. The “church,” ends its year with Christ the King Sunday, which focuses on Jesus’ second coming, and begins it’s year with Advent, which focuses on getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ first coming, or his birth.

Makes perfect sense, right? Advent is the time where we ready our hearts for the entire notion that God loves us puny humans enough to become one of us. It’s kind of a blow-your-mind concept, when you really think about it, and we really don’t think about it too terribly much, do we?

We eat our Thanksgiving meal and then we are off to the races. We have trees and houses to decorate, and lists to make, gifts to buy, relatives to visit, parties to attend, meals to cook, and the list goes on. It’s awfully easy to lose the true reason that we celebrate Christmas.

We often promise ourselves each year that we will slow down next year and do it all differently, but then, we don’t. It can be incredibly difficult to focus on the “things of God,” when we live in the world of man. Yet, that’s what we are called to do.

Our sermon yesterday, focused on God’s timing and the perfection of it. Our associate pastor pointed out some of the many people in the Bible who had to wait on God’s timing. Abraham and Sarah waited twenty-five years for their promised son. David was anointed as Israel’s future king, but waited anywhere from fifteen to twenty years for God’s promise to come true. But, it did come true.

Our congregation was reminded yesterday that God always keeps His promises and His timing is perfect, even if we don’t understand it. He will keep any promises He has made to us. The Bible shows it over and over.

So, as we enter this season of Advent, let’s reflect on God’s promises and His timing.

First of all, let’s take some time to remember the enormous gift that was given to mankind over two thousand years ago. A child was born that would give every single human being the opportunity to live eternally. Let’s make a little extra space in our days to truly prepare our hearts for that gift.

Secondly, let’s ask ourselves, what areas of our lives do we feel that we have prayed consistently about, but are still waiting for answers, or deliverance, or provision from God? May we take this time of preparation and remember, that just as God perfectly timed the birth of His son to a teenaged girl in the small town of Bethlehem, He has perfectly timed plans for our lives too.

Waiting doesn’t have to be boring or monotonous. Just ask a bride-to-be or a mother-to-be. Waiting can be beautiful time of loving preparation for what is to come. May this Advent be that for you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Cat Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
He looks completely relaxed, but if I try to go near him, he will run.
He looks completely relaxed, but if I try to go near him, he will run.

I was running around my house trying to get a million things done, when this big gray cat caught my eye. He was sunning on my front porch. It had rained the day before and he was clearly enjoying himself. I just itched to go and pet him, but I knew better. I had to settle for a photo from inside my house.

He’s not my cat. He’s a stray and he’s wild. I’ve tried to approach him before, more than once, but he always runs away, like I’m some kind of cat catcher. He has nothing to fear from me, but he doesn’t know that and seems uninterested in exploring the issue.

Cats have always fascinated me. Their personalities are so varied and they all kind of own themselves. Most of them refuse to be trained. They all tend to hold onto at least a tiny piece of their independence and wild nature, no matter how many years they may have lived with people.

That sunning, fraidy cat, reminded me of how we often react when God reaches for us. We are content to enjoy His blessings, like this cat was sitting on my porch and enjoying the sun, but when He reaches out for a closer relationship, we often run away.

Sometimes we are afraid of what He may want from us. Sometimes we are afraid of what He may see if we let Him get close. Sometimes we are afraid that we can’t possibly be forgiven for all of the sins we have committed in the past. Sometimes we are afraid He will change us into somebody different.

We are of course, wrong on all counts. Grace covers all of our sins and God already knows what they are anyway. And a closer relationship with Him, will change us, but we change because we want to, not because He requires us to. Christianity doesn’t work that way.

God gives us free will and then stands there with His arms wide open. He wants us to come to Him because we want to, not because there’s a gun pointed at our heads.

And sometimes, we get it right, and we trust Him and obey Him and we walk closely with Him. Other times we insist on our own independence and do it our own way, like our feline friends. That never works out well in the long run, but our God sent Jesus and because if His sacrifice, we are always welcomed back, no matter how far away we may have wandered or even sprinted.

God invites us to bask and take comfort, as we reach for His hand. Whatever the struggle, whatever the fear, He’s got us and that’s really all we need to know.

A stray cat reminded me of that. Maybe you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. I won’t be posting next week. My kids are out of school and I’m going to take some time to enjoy them and host Thanksgiving dinner and decorate for Christmas. I hope you all have a Blessed Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading.

Divided We Fall

Posted on by Wendy
All Christians should remember that we share a common enemy,
All Christians should remember that we share a common enemy,

There’s been a media feeding frenzy lately over the United States taking in thousands of Syrian refugees. Both political parties as well as presidential candidates, have jumped into the debate with both feet. Social media is teeming with posts flying both for and against it.

None of this surprises me. We’re gearing up for an election. Tensions are running high on any range of issues both foreign and domestic and terrorism is frightening, period. Of course, the very definition of terror is to make people afraid.

What I do find incredibly troubling is how Christians are going after each other over their individual positions. I read a post today where the writer was asking people to please just unfriend her because of all of the negative comments she has been subjected to. She even said people had called her un-Christian.

I though about that all day and it has really bothered me. One of my own Facebook friends has questioned people’s Christianity and their knowledge of the Bible if they are against taking the refugees.

Here’s where I call foul. When we call ourselves Christians, the entire world is watching us, including non-believers as well as those who might believe, but they have a problem with our hypocrisy. Why in the world, would we give them any fuel for their fire?

Yes, we are talking about an issue that both sides are passionate about. Yes, we can disagree, but to question one another’s faith, crosses a line. Every true believer of Christ knows that faith is incredibly personal and that God made each one of us unique in our feelings and opinions. Both sides have some valid arguments.

I have seen it written more than once, that there are close to 50 thousand homeless veterans here in this country, and that we should provide for them before we take any new immigrants from any country. Are these people wrong? Is their sentiment somehow un-Christian?

Am I less of a Christian because I feel very strongly about helping the struggling, hungry and homeless right down the street from me before raising money for an airplane ticket to help someone half a world away?

Jesus did tell us to love our neighbor. There are many ways to show that love. They way I read that scripture, is that our neighbor is anyone you come into contact with. They don’t have to speak another language or be from a foreign land to qualify.

We can talk about being at war with radical Islam and we should. But, Christians have a greater enemy and that’s Satan. If you don’t think that he will use any means to turn God’s people against each other, think again. I’ve no doubt that he is delighted by Christians calling each other ugly names on social media.

As Americans, we have the right to disagree with others on any issue we see fit. But, perhaps as Christians, we need to take some time to prayerfully ask for some guidance when responding to others on this heated issue. Satan exists to divide and destroy God’s people. We can do better. We should do better.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Spirituality of Thanksgiving

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes we have to let go in order to draw closer to God.
Sometimes we have to let go in order to draw closer to God.

As I was doing dishes this morning, I looked out my window and saw leaves falling down like rain. There were literally hundreds of them. With Thanksgiving a little over a week away, the leaves made me think about letting go of things that not only don’t matter in the long run, but also letting go of things that keep us from being thankful.

Every year, the retailers rush from Halloween to Christmas and try to skip over Thanksgiving. The holiday doesn’t make them much money. But, it’s a uniquely American holiday, where we take time out to be thankful for all that we have.

It seems to me that to truly ready our hearts for the gift of the Christ Child, that we really shouldn’t skip the step of humbly giving thanks to God, not only for our personal blessings, but for being who He is.

That brings me back to those falling leaves. Every year, the trees shed all of those leaves that they needed and used during the spring and summer. They don’t need them in the winter and they beautifully let them go.

As we prepare ourselves for Thanksgiving, are we like the trees, blissfully letting go of things that stand in the way of our being thankful, or are we holding tightly with both hands?

Things like anger, resentment, pride, or guilt and shame over past actions, have to be let go like all of those leaves, in order for us to draw close to God. It doesn’t matter whether the things we are holding onto with a white knuckled grip, were done by us or done to us, if we want to walk with Jesus, we have to let them go.

The Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances which can be incredibly difficult when our lives are going badly, but when we give thanks, we are thanking God for who He is and for His love for us, knowing that circumstances will eventually change. When we give thanks, we acknowledge that His plan is better than our own, although it’s impossible for us to understand sometimes.

The falling leaves remind us to let go of all that stands between us and Him. We don’t need all of that negativity. All we need is Him.

The leaves that have been allowed to fall, can turn into a rich fertilizer for things to grow in the future. They remind us that God can use all of our baggage to grow us too, if we allow it, if we let go.

God reminded me this morning of the importance of Thanksgiving. I was reminded not to fast forward to Christmas, but to bask in the moment of letting go and giving thanks. Perhaps you needed a reminder too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

There is Power in the Name

Posted on by Wendy
We are called to be God's light.
We are called to be God’s light.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, the entire world is on edge. We don’t normally hear about that kind of mass killing in the Western world. However, Israel has to deal with terrorists on a daily basis and they don’t just target the Israelis or Jews.

Back in October, a 78-year-old Christian woman named Marike Veldman, was riding on a bus in Israel. She was from the Netherlands originally, but had lived in Israel for many years. She had opened a home for Arab children 32 years earlier.

At one of the bus stops, two Muslim terrorists boarded the bus. One had a gun and one had a knife. They yelled, “Allahu Akbar,” and the one with the gun headed to the back of the bus and began shooting. The one with the knife began stabbing Marike.

But, Marike had her own battle cry which apparently trumped theirs. She began calling out in Dutch, “Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus! Help me! Help me!” She said at the sound of the name of Jesus, the terrorist ran away from her to the back of the bus and allowed her to escape through the opened door.

She was weak and bleeding and walking alone when a Jewish passerby, she calls a good Samaritan, picked her up and drove her to the hospital. She had a punctured lung and a shoulder injury. Two people died in the attack and sixteen were injured.

Seventy-eight-year-old Marike, is expected to make a full recovery. She says that she has no doubt that God intervened and that it was the name Jesus that saved her. Seventy-eight is kind of old to be walking away from a stabbing and with a punctured lung no less, yet God has shown us many times that He is not bound by human weakness or understanding.

I also find it pretty amazing that the woman called out in Dutch, her native tongue. The terrorists were not Dutch and surely didn’t understand what she was saying. Yet, the name of Jesus carried the same amount of power, no matter the language barrier.

Jesus said in John 14:13-14 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.”

Marike’s actions certainly brought glory to God, and Jesus came through just as He said He would.

Philippians 2:9-11, tells us that, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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.”

Marike was never alone that day and neither are we. She remembered to call on the One who could save her and He did. The world has always been full of people who love evil, but we are called to remember that we worship a God who is good and He will win.

We are not called to live in fear, but to live courageously like Marike, knowing that He has a plan. The days may be dark, but, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Days of Elijah

Posted on by Wendy
Behold He comes!
Behold He comes!

Yesterday, our choir sang a hymn called the “Days of Elijah.” I had never heard it before we rehearsed it a few weeks ago, but I loved it immediately. We had already planned to sing it this past Sunday, before the horrific events took place in Paris where Islamic terrorists killed 129 innocent people and left 352 wounded at last count.

Yesterday, it seemed unbelievably timely, considering what happened in Paris and what continues to happen to God’s people in other parts of the world.

The song begins with, “These are the days of Elijah, declaring the word of the Lord.”

The prophet Elijah lived in a very dangerous time. He declared  God’s message to an unbelieving king and a bounty was placed on his head. He spent some time on the run, but God always provided for him. At one point He sent the ravens to feed him and at another point, an angel prepared food for him. And when it came time for a showdown between Elijah’s God and the gods of those who pursued him, our God rained down fire from the sky. The enemy’s god could not. God easily won that battle.

The next stanza begins with, “And these are the days of great trials of famine and darkness and sword.” Could there be any more truth in that statement? Just like Elijah, we are living in a world of violence and darkness.

But, then it goes on, “Still we are the voice in the desert crying, prepare ye the way of the Lord!”

Isn’t that what Christians are called to do? Aren’t we supposed to proclaim the Gospel to the lost? Times are rough and scary; there’s no doubt about it. But, are they any more frightening than they were for Elijah? Are they any more frightening than they were for the Jews during World War II?

Then the chorus hits: “Behold He comes, riding on the clouds shining like the sun, at the trumpet’s call. So, lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee. Out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes.” There’s the promise.

What would happen if we all turned back to God? What if along with coloring our Facebook pictures the colors of the French flag, we actually went to God in prayer about all of the lives lost in Paris? What if we prayed without ceasing, for God’s intervention and guidance on fighting the evildoers. What if all Christians prayed without ceasing that our leaders would turn their hearts and ears to God? What if we prayed without ceasing, that God would raise up a leader here in this country with His heart?

What would our country look like? What would the world look like?

The song goes on to remind us that, “We are the laborers in Your vineyard, declaring the Word of the Lord.”

Most of us are not professional soldiers, though we should all thank God for them everyday. But, we are called to be Christian soldiers. Clearly, there’s a physical battle going on here as the victims and their families in Paris, can attest. But, let’s not forget there’s a spiritual battle going on as well, one that no matter how young or old, or what our physical condition may be, that we are called to fight.

We fight that particular battle with prayer. We are called to make a difference. We are called to act. We already know that Jesus wins, but don’t we want to play a part in that victory?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. I have attached a version of this song. I hope it gets your Monday rocking!

 

 

I Get To

Posted on by Wendy
Once we start thinking about all we have to be thankful for, the flow becomes non-stop.
Once we start thinking about all we have to be thankful for, the flow becomes non-stop.

I recently read a post on incourageme.com, by Jennifer Schmidt, where she said she substituted the phrase, “I get to,” instead of “I have to,” in her daily activities. She suggested that the readers try the same.

I was intrigued by her suggestion and I wondered if simply replacing one word with another, could make a big difference. I have to, means I am required. It has nothing to do with what I might want. I get to, is more like a privilege or a reward.

We are living in a season where we are supposed to be thankful, so I gave it a try. For three days, whatever the task was, from cooking dinner, to scrubbing toilets, to picking up dry cleaning, I repeated the mantra, “I get to.”

My sunny outlook has been a tad gray lately, but the one word change, made all of the difference.

When I got to, instead of had to, scrub my toilets, I had to acknowledge that I’m thankful for having clean running water. A substantial amount of the world’s population doesn’t. That simple acknowledgement also led to be thankful for my home, and for the fact that we have more than one toilet, and that I had the physical ability to clean it. Not all people have arms and legs. My list of what I was thankful for just kept growing.

I was really enjoying my experiment and the subtle heart shift I could feel.

When I got to pick my son up from band practice. I had acknowledge that I’m thankful that I have a car that runs and that I can afford gas to put in it. That led me to being thankful that my son is involved in a productive after school activity that he enjoys. Most importantly, it made me acknowledge how grateful I am to have a child who is alive and healthy, even if he wasn’t particularly thankful for the ride.

When I changed my inner dialogue, my outlook wasn’t dependent in any way on how others reacted to what I was doing. Whether or not the members in my family appreciated my service or not, I was changed because my focus was changed.

The Bible tells us, “in all circumstances give thanks.” That can be a truly tall order and on some days, nearly impossible. But, there are things we can do to change how we view our lives and circumstances. When we choose to actively give thanks for all we have given, on a regular basis, not just on holidays, our view changes, not only our view of our own lives, but also our view of God.

Having a thankful heart, leaves us wide open to receiving all kinds of blessings and it allows us to bless others. Take this weekend and give the, “I get to,” challenge a shot. I think you will be impressed with what you see. You might even decide to make it permanent. I did.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

 

When the Rain Stops

Posted on by Wendy
While we eagerly curse the rainy days, do we remember to give thanks for the sunny ones?
While we eagerly curse the rainy days, do we remember to give thanks for the sunny ones?

It has rained in Georgia a lot this Fall and close to non-stop over the past two weeks. To add insult to injury, it turned cold over the weekend. I’m well aware that it’s November, but when it goes from the seventies to the forties overnight, it’s a shock to the system.

Everyday last week, the Weather Channel only had a forecast of like 20% chance of rain. Yet, everyday it continued to rain. The general mood of everyone has been kind of low. And you haven’t really ever lived on the edge, until you are a substitute teacher in an elementary class that hasn’t been allowed to go outside for two weeks. They were stir crazy to say the least.

Miraculously, on Tuesday, the sun came out in the afternoon. It was glorious. When it was shining straight into my eyes, as I drove to pick my son up from school, I didn’t even flinch. I didn’t dare complain. It was too precious.

On Wednesday, I had a meeting with my pastor and associate pastor, about ordering new curriculum for Sunday school. We sat outside. It was a little cool, but well worth it.

By the time I returned home, the sun was shining brightly and the temps had climbed into the seventies. I had a ton of things to do, but the day was so beautiful…

I prayed about my to do list and it was almost as if I could feel God beckoning me outdoors where He and I always have the best talks. I gave in and went out. I planted some pansies that had been wilting in the garage, waiting for the chance to break out of their tiny pots.

I blew some leaves off of the driveway, that had piled up in slick layers. I found myself thanking and praising God continuously for the magnificent day.

Then it occurred to me. Life is sometimes bleak and rainy. I mean, it sometimes feels as if the rain will never stop and then, when we think it can’t get much worse, it turns cold. We trudge on through the mud and muck and then when we think our situation will never change, the sun breaks out from the clouds giving us a little hope. Then, often fairly quickly, the sky turns a brilliant blue.

Do we keep on living life as we have been in a state of drudgery and ho-hum, or do we drop to our knees and give thanks for the change? I think if we’re honest, we often are momentarily thankful, but then go right back indoors to business as usual, allowing the answer to our prayers go by, almost unnoticed.

A beautiful sunny day, in the seventies, in November, is a gift. Yesterday, I had enough wisdom, to thank and praise God for making it. I’m not always that observant or grateful, but He gently reminded me.

The rain will eventually return and it will turn cold again, but I think it’s really important to be thankful for the sunny days. I sometimes need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Tempest in a Coffee Cup

Posted on by Wendy
If Christians want the world to know the true meaning of Christmas, it's up to demonstrate it, not corporate America.
If Christians want the world to know the true meaning of Christmas, it’s up to us, not corporate America, to demonstrate it.

Social media has been abuzz over the past couple of days over Starbucks new holiday cup design. Instead of adorning their overpriced coffee cups with reindeer or snowflakes like they did in the past, the have apparently decided to go with a simple red cup with a green logo. Gasp!

It’s scandalous, I know. An entire campaign led by some conservative Christians, (the key word here is SOME), has been started, bashing corporate America’s war on Christmas and Starbucks is accused of leading the charge.

Let’s all pause a moment and ask a few questions. Are snowflakes or reindeer considered Christian in nature? I don’t think so. It’s not like they ever adorned their cups with Nativity scenes. Furthermore, Starbucks has made it clear they are a fairly liberal leaning company with many of their policies. Is anyone truly surprised that a very secular company would choose a secular design for the holidays?

I would never really expect anyone at Starbucks to wish me a Merry Christmas. I would assume they would say Happy Holidays, which in no way offends me. As a Christian, I can always say “Merry Christmas.” I don’t expect corporate America to believe or act the way I do.

There’s plenty going on in the world and in this country for Christians to be offended by. The high school coach who was put on administrative leave for praying after a football game, that’s offensive. A gunman who gunned down Christians during worship service in Charleston, that’s offensive. A small business being put out of business for refusing to bake a cake for an event that is against their religion, that’s offensive. The forced removal of the Ten Commandments from public places, that’s offensive.

Christians being killed all over the world, simply for professing Christ as their savior, that’s offensive.

Starbucks’ cup design shouldn’t even register on our radar.

As Christians, I really feel like we need to do better. We should come together and support what we feel is righteous in the eyes of God. We also have the right and the duty to stand up against what we feel is government infringing on our rights of freedom of religion.

But, before we go of the rails and protest a Nativity Scene being removed from the public square, maybe we should ask ourselves if we have one in our own front yard. Would there be a stronger statement than every Christian home in the country having one on display for all to see? What about every Christian business?

Perhaps we should stop looking at the secular world around us and bemoaning the fact that they have lost the true meaning of Christmas, and start demonstrating the true meaning of Christmas ourselves.

We can say Merry Christmas. We can give to the needy. We can love our neighbor. We can show the world who we are by how we live and act.

I’m sure if you feel the need to proclaim the message of Christmas on your coffee cup, you could purchase a Christmas tumbler and that would be more environmentally friendly anyway.

I have no idea if Jesus was a coffee drinker or if He would shop at Starbucks, but the Bible lists lots of things that were close to His heart. I can think of many things going on today that would very likely offend Him. I can’t imagine coffee cups making the list.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

“You Be the Neurosurgeon”

Posted on by Wendy
Dr. Ben Carson reminds us to live our faith out loud.
Dr. Ben Carson reminds us to live our faith out loud.

I recently read a fascinating article about Dr. Ben Carson. He said he once prayed, “God, you be the neurosurgeon; I’ll be the hands.” His strong faith in God clearly worked during his medical career. He has story after story of following God’s lead and lives being saved because of it.

There was one instance in particular, where a couple brought in a child with a malignant brainstem tumor. He was lethargic and foaming at the mouth. Other doctors told them to take the child home to die. Carson looked at the CAT scan and MRI and agreed. The couple kept telling him that, “the Lord is going to heal our son.”

He performed a biopsy and told the couple that the child was going to die. The couple was insistent that, “the Lord is going to heal our son.” Carson reluctantly removed the tumor and the child improved immediately. He grew up to be a minister. A radiologist involved in the case, later found Carson and told him that he had been an atheist before the case, but no longer was. That’s what happens when we allow God to use us.

Whether or not you believe Carson should be president, it’s next to impossible not to be inspired by his faith.

What if all of us who call ourselves Christians, said, “God, you be the nurse, teacher, mother, father, fireman, police officer, real estate agent….; I’ll be the vessel.” What would our society look like?

I’ve heard it said, if God is your co-pilot, then you need to switch seats. Perhaps it’s time for us to switch seats.

Christians seem to have the strange ability to completely separate our faith from the rest of our lives. We are Christians on Sunday morning, but are something completely different on Monday. While the world is a secular place, that doesn’t mean that we have to be secular. We are called to be in this world, but not of it.

I’m not saying that we should run around quoting scripture to our co-workers who may or may not appreciate that, or stand on the street corner warning people to repent or else.

But, we could attribute any of our work-place successes to God. We could bow our heads and say say a silent blessing before we eat our lunch. We could refuse to participate in office gossip. We could be open about our faith. We don’t have to necessarily preach it with our words to live it with our actions, but we can share openly, if we have the opportunity.

Dr. Carson is a shining example of what can happen when we not only allow God to use us, but also give Him the glory for all of our successes.

Whatever your political leanings may be, the world could use more people like him. He inspires us all to live out our faith out loud.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂