Month: January 2016

Why Do You Do What You Do?

Posted on by Wendy
It's a good question to ask ourselves.
It’s a good question to ask ourselves.

Last week I read a blog post by Pastor Darian Duckworth. She writes a weekly blog that my church mama from my last church, introduced me to. Isn’t it funny how she sent me one article that she thought I would enjoy and I ended up subscribing because it spoke to me so deeply?

You just never know when you toss that pebble in, how far out the ripples will go. Last week, her post was titled, “Why I Do What I Do.” She ended it by asking the question, “Why do you do what you do?” I’ve included a link here if you would like to read it.  http://www.darianduckworth.com/musings

I thought about her post all week and asked myself that question. I suppose I’ve always wanted to write. As a kid, I had dreams of moving to California and being a famous author. Then I went to college and found that everybody wanted to be a writer. I put that dream on the back burner and moved on to other more realistic pursuits.

Every now and then, I would be so inspired that I would write something down and file it away somewhere, but I rarely gave writing much thought. Many years passed. My faith grew and I thought I might like to start a blog. I prayed about it for a while and the day I wanted to start, my computer crashed; I mean black screen, crashed.

“Okay, God.” I said. “I get it. Not now.”

More time passed and I felt lead to lead a Bible study of some kind, for Lent. I pitched doing an online study to the ladies in my Sunday school class and my mom. It was a closed group. Only the people who were on the list, could read it. We covered the book of Acts.

I learned so much from the study, from reading, writing, and from the ladies who participated. I learned that many times when I sat at the keyboard, the words that I typed, didn’t come from my brain. They were Holy Spirit inspired. It was a truly awe-inspiring and life changing experience for me.

When the study was finished, I was hooked. I read a few books about blogging and Graceful Gaines was born. My premise was a Vacation Bible School principle. “Watch for God in the world around you and share it with others.”

My hope and prayer each day as I write, is that someone who reads my words will be inspired to do the same. God shows me grace regularly as I attempt to share the light of Christ. Sometimes it’s a nudge to take a picture or to get outside and take a walk. Sometimes, I find myself  sitting at the keyboard with a blank mind, after a particularly stressful day and I can think of nothing to share; the words I write on those days tend to inspire the most people and I get the most comments and shares. Again, they aren’t coming from me, alone.

Writing for me, is a constant reminder that. “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

I write to grow closer to Jesus and I pray that by doing so, I can help others draw closer too.

To answer Pastor Darian’s question, that’s why I do what I do.

Now, I’ll ask you; “Why do you do what you do?”

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Loving Thy Neighbor

Posted on by Wendy
Where will you see God today?
Where will you see God today?

I love to share stories that show everyday people following Jesus’ example of the Good Samaritan. Jesus was an excellent storyteller and he went out of his way to share truth in a way that his audience could understand. It was very effective. Even people who have never set foot in church, can often recount the story of the Good Samaritan.

Sometimes, if we keep our eyes open, we can see people acting as Good Samaritans. I just read a couple of stories that were too good not to share.

Last week in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, a 79-year-old, disabled man called 911 because he hadn’t eaten in two days. I can’t imagine his desperation. He relied solely on social security and his caregiver had stolen his debit card. I don’t know what the dispatcher told him, but a little while later, he had  knock on his door.

Several police officers walked in with a month’s worth of groceries for him. They bought them with their own money and were so moved by the man’s situation, that they have now started a food pantry at their police department to help in other situations like this.

The woman who stole the card has been arrested. She meant nothing, but harm, but God used it for good. Not only did the man not starve, he got plenty of groceries and a system has been set up to help other people in the area.

Isn’t it awesome to see God at work?

The second story took place in New York. A twenty-three-year-old paralegal, named Joey Resto, was riding on a subway, when he saw a homeless man with no shirt on, literally freezing. He took off his own shirt and hat and walked over to the man, who said nothing, but just held his arms up. Resto gave him the shirt off of his back as well as his hat, and then got off at his stop.

Another passenger, who was watching the entire scene unfold, recorded it all.

We live in a world where people record every single negative thing you can think of, from fights, to street violence, to cops doing something wrong. I wonder what made this New Yorker video someone doing something beautiful.

He told the New York Daily News, “The guy did a good thing, so I wanted to record it. I would tell him, ‘God bless him. That was thoughtful.'”

Oh, yeah, there’s God again. That’s why.

The video has been shared a whopping thirteen million times on Facebook. Apparently, we’re all searching for more goodness in the world, or maybe I should say Godness.

Here’s my takeaway: God is alive and well and working. He works through us, when we let Him. We all have the capability of being the Good Samaritan. When we look for God, we will find Him and when we see Him, we should share it. It’s just one more way of shining the light of Christ.

Where will you see Him today?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Power of the Faithful

Posted on by Wendy
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

I have been following along with an online Bible study of Genesis. Yesterday, I read the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We could talk all day long about the sins of those two cities or how wicked God considered the inhabitants to be. We could debate the belief that many people consider some our own modern day cities just as wicked as those two.

But, that’s not what spoke to my heart when I read those chapters. What spoke to me was the fact that Abraham who was a righteous man, petitioned God to spare the righteous people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked God if He would sweep away the righteous with the wicked. He asked God if He would spare the city if there were fifty righteous people living there.

The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Genesis 18:26

Abraham then asked, if would God spare it if their were only forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then ten. Each time, God told Abraham that He would spare the city if He could find righteous people there. In the end, God only found Lot to be righteous and so he spared his family by removing them before destroying the city.

I am reminded of Noah, back in chapter six. The entire world was evil and God was going to destroy everything in it. “But Noah found favor with God.” Genesis 6:8

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time and he walked with God.” Genesis 6:9

God was finished with the entire human race and was ready to wash His hands of it, but Noah’s righteousness and his relationship with God, caused God to spare him and his family along with all of the animals.

We live in a dark world at the moment. We could focus on the corruption in our leaders, wars and rumors of wars, terrorism, human trafficking, violence and crime rates. We could debate whether or not we are living in end times. We can even ask ourselves what’s the point of trying to live righteously when so many people around us seem to have turned away from God.

But, then we read the Bible and we find hope. From the very first book, God was looking after the people who walked with Him. We see it with Noah. Then we see it with Abraham where he was able to actually intervene for the righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Noah and Abraham remind us that God is watching over us and that our faith and actions do matter to Him. Every single person of faith can make a difference for someone and we can intervene for each other through prayer.

Yes, the times may be dark, but we are the children of light, and we worship a God who is light; so let’s be vigilant about letting our light shine. Who knows what may be riding on it?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Confessions of a Reformed Pleaser

Posted on by Wendy
If we want to know what God is calling us to do. we have to spend quiet time in prayer.
If we want to know what God is calling us to do, we have to spend quiet time in prayer.

I have been a life long people pleaser. I have always strived to make the people around me happy, whether they were parents, teachers or friends.

I attended a military high school where I flourished. There were very specific rules, spelled out boundaries in black and white. I knew what they were and I obeyed them. My parents were happy. My teachers were happy.

My parents expected good grades; so I worked hard at getting them. My parents were happy. My teachers were happy.

But, one of the biggest downfalls of wanting to make everyone around you happy, is that the older you get, the longer the list gets. In addition to your parents and closest friends, there’s a spouse, your own children, bosses, co-workers, your kids’ teachers, your church family. This list can seem close to infinite.

At one point, I read a book called, “You Are Already Amazing,” by Holley Gerth. She pointed out repeatedly, that we are called to love others, but not to please them. That made a lot of sense and as I let go of a lot of the need to please people, I focused on pleasing God.

I feel that all Christians should try to please God, but if you are anything like me, you have to be careful. We can get in our heads all of the right actions we think will please God. We have to be good mothers doting on our kids every moment; we need to keep a clean house, pray before every meal, honor and adore our spouses, never miss a Sunday at church, volunteer at every church opportunity presented to us, from teaching a class, to leading a Bible study, to singing in the choir, to cooking meals, or being thankful with a smile at all times even when we feel like sobbing.

Most of the things on that list are good things, but we can easily turn trying to please God into believing that we can do something to earn His love. The simple truth is: We can’t earn God’s love or our salvation. It has been freely given to us. The price has already been paid.

We in turn, show our love for God by walking with Jesus. That can sometimes be frustrating for a rule following, pleaser like me. There is no long black and white list of how to do that and everyone’s journey is different.

All we need to know and do, is to spend quiet time in prayer in God’s presence everyday and read His word. When we do that, we become familiar with His voice. We can hear when He calls us to do something. It may be to sing in the choir or to lead a Bible study, or not. It won’t be a huge laundry list. We are not called to do everything, just our part.

We are all called to do different jobs to make a kingdom impact and what we are called to do today, may be different in a couple of years. That’s why we have to spend daily time with God, listening.

Because in the end, pleasing God is something we get to do, not have to do. It’s something each one of us is uniquely qualified to do. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

What Defines You?

Posted on by Wendy
What are you focused on?
What are you focused on?

My hubby shared a video with me last weekend of a sermon in Alabama. It was from one of those megachurches. The pastor’s sermon was centered around the idea that whatever you spend most of your time focused on, eventually shapes who you are.

He used the example of football. If you spend every Friday night watching high school football and then all day every Saturday watching college football, and all day Sunday watching pro football, and then you watch Monday night football, your focus in life becomes football. It’s what you talk about. It’s what you think about. It defines you.

This idea intrigued me because this tendency to hyper-focus on one thing is so prevalent in our society. There are some people who are completely focused on their jobs. They go to work early and they stay late and when they are at home, they are connected with work via their smart phone. Work is what they talk about. It’s what they think about. What happens or doesn’t happen at work begins to define them.

There are people who are focused on their emotional pain. Maybe there was a divorce, or a betrayal, or a death. There’s certainly a time to grieve, but sometimes we can allow pain or anger to consume us. It’s what we talk about. It’s what we think about. We allow it to change who we are and redefine us.

There are even positive things like exercising that can become a problem. It’s good to keep our bodies strong and in good shape. How can we make a kingdom impact if we can’t gt off of the couch? Yet, if we begin each day thinking about our morning workout or spend our day planning an evening workout, or spend every weekend traveling out of town to some type of race, then our activity, whatever it is, has gone from a hobby to a definition of who we are. It’s all we talk about it’s all we think about.

I suspect that just about every human on the planet struggles with balance at one time or the other. But, we also have to remember that God made us for worship. We are made to worship Him and if we don’t put Him first, we will worship something else.

Maybe we should do a self-check over the next week or so and prayerfully ask God to show us what our focus is on and what it should be on. Perhaps we should monitor ourselves and our conversations. What are we talking about? What are we thinking about? Do we need to make some changes?

The fabulous thing about following Jesus is that He is always ready and willing to help us re-define ourselves. We only have to ask.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

When the Plan is Out of Focus

Posted on by Wendy
We shouldn't necessarily hit delete because our plans are out of focus.
We shouldn’t necessarily hit delete because our plans are out of focus.

My family and I visited Callaway Gardens for New Year’s Eve. It’s a resort at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains covered with walking and biking trails. It also has a butterfly house that’s a huge solarium with all types of flowers, trees and waterfalls and they incubate all types of brilliantly colored butterflies.

It was almost otherworldly. It was cold and gray outside and we stepped into an oasis with greenery everywhere and something like 85 degree temps, and there were gorgeous, butterflies flying around all over the place.

Of course, my main aim was to capture one with my camera. I snapped dozens of pictures. I just knew God would lead me to share one of those gorgeous creatures here in this space. I mean, God and butterflies seemed like a no brainer to me. They weren’t very cooperative and wouldn’t stay in one place over a second or two, but I felt confident I got at least one good shot.

Upon returning home and browsing through all of my pictures, I learned that I didn’t get any good shots, not even one. I was really disappointed, but after hitting delete many times, I came across this one. It too, was out of focus, but as I went to delete it, I felt a nudge not to. I’ve learned to pay attention to those nudges. I suspected that God had something to teach me through that photo later, although I couldn’t imagine what it could possibly be.

Yesterday, as I was going about my business, thinking and praying about the new year, and some of the things I hope to accomplish, that out of focus butterfly came to mind along with some new thoughts.

First of all, just because the photo was out of focus, doesn’t mean the butterfly wasn’t beautiful. We often experience moments in our lives that take our breath away, but our society has led us to believe that if we don’t plaster them on social media, they weren’t special or meaningful. That’s simply not true.

Just because I am unable to prove to you with a perfect photograph that the butterfly was stunning, doesn’t make it any less stunning. Perhaps we could all learn from that blurry photo that the most important, memory making moments in our lives are often the private ones.

As I continued to think about the photo, I was also reminded that our plans are often not clear. When God plants a seed in us to do something, He often lights the path just one step at the time. More often than not, we have no idea what the end of our journey will look like. The not knowing can frustrate and frighten us, but as Christians, we are called to obey.

We are sometimes called to take Jesus’ hand and step out into the unknown, knowing that although the details may be unclear, like the butterfly in the photo, in the end, the destination will be spectacular.

Turns out, God did have something to teach me from that blurry photo. Perhaps you learned something too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Wind is Blowing

Posted on by Wendy
The wind is blowing.
The wind is blowing.

I have been reading along with an online Bible study called #shereadstruth. We are currently journeying through Genesis, which never ceases to cast forth something new and different for me to ponder, every time I read it. This time I was reading the account of Noah, when something new presented itself for me to think about.

Noah and his family and all of those animals were on the ark for around 370 days, give or take. Now I’m sure in the beginning, as the rain came pelting down and the ark began to float, they probably felt thankful and blessed.

But, the human heart is often fickle. God never told them how long they would be on the ark. He just told them to get on it. We have had a lot of rain here in Georgia over the past few months. There have been days that we wondered if it would ever stop. It rained on Noah for forty days and nights, non-stop.

I wonder how thankful they felt after 40 days. Then the rain finally stopped. Perhaps they wondered if at last they could breathe fresh air again and walk on dry land or run and jump. The rain may have stopped, but they had a long wait ahead. For over three hundred more days, they floated for a period that I suspect seemed aimless and endless.

Have you ever felt like you were drifting endlessly? Have you ever wondered if you would ever feel like your feet were on solid ground? Have you ever wondered if you would feel the warmth of the sun or the freedom to run freely again?

Well, take heart. I’m sure Noah and his family must have felt downright hopeless and forgotten at times, too. But, this story is about a man who loved and obeyed God, and God provided, as He always provides for His children.

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him on the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” Genesis 8:1

Keep in mind, that while that wind was blowing and the waters were receding that Noah and his family were still locked away in the ark. God was at work, but they couldn’t see it. I am reminded that He is at work in our lives too, in the darkness, in the hopelessness, even when we can’t see it.

Lastly, the first thing Noah did was to offer a burnt sacrifice to God. In our world of instant gratification, it’s a stunning picture of Noah’s love for God that after 370 days sealed aboard an ark with all of those animals, the first thing he did was to give thanks for their deliverance. Noah remembered to be thankful.

Noah’s story reminds me to always remember that God is always at work even if it’s like the wind and we can’t see it. His story also reminds me to give thanks for the many blessings that we have been given, even if they were what we believe to be a long time coming. God’s timing is always perfect.

Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Switching from Self-Help to Asking for God Help

Posted on by Wendy
What would our 2016 look like if we lived by those words?
What would our 2016 look like if we lived by those words?

I read a blog post last week that pointed out that we go from celebrating the miracle birth of Jesus and all of the hope and joy that He represents for mankind, to the celebration of a new year, where many of us proceed to make a list things we will do in the coming year, to better our lives.

I have thought about that concept for days. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with New Year’s resolutions or the desire to better ourselves, but have you ever noticed that most of our lofty ideas fall flat by February? Have you ever wondered why?

Sure, it could just be that people aren’t very good at making changes or that chocolate and french fries taste so much better than kale, that make us break our resolutions to eat better. It could be that we really are too busy to squeeze in thirty minutes of exercise required to lose weight. Maybe that television show was truly much more important than the Bible reading time we promised ourselves.

But, maybe our problem with keeping resolutions lies with the fact that we are likely to fail at any self-help venture.

The week before New Year’s Eve, on Christmas Eve, most Christians will eagerly admit that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

But, a week later, we make long lists of things we are going to do to change ourselves and our lives for the better. How many of us include prayer when we make those lists? How many of us seek the will of God as we make them? How many of us seek His guidance and blessings on our self-help plans for the upcoming year?

As I write this, we are not quite an entire week into the new year. Maybe it’s a good time to make a new list. I’m asking myself what would I like for my life to look like in 2016. But, before I put pen to paper, I’m going to start with a prayer.

I’m going to put at the top of the page: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3  Then I’m going to write a simple list of things I would like to do this year to change me and my world for the better. I’m going to end it with Philippians 4:13 and I’ll keep it close by where I can see it a remember it and pray about it.

I think I may be onto something, beginning and ending the list with some powerful Bible verses. Maybe you would like to give it a try too. I can’t wait to hear how you do.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Call to Love the Lost

Posted on by Wendy
The church is called to fearlessly reach out to the lost, remembering that Christ is with us.
The church is called to fearlessly reach out to the lost, remembering that Christ is with us.

I just read a fascinating story that had tears streaming down my face and I just had to share it. On New Year’s Eve, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a small congregation was having a church service at 11:30. There were around sixty people in attendance. The sermon was about the recent gun violence in America.

A young man in his twenties, walked through the door of the church carrying a semi-automatic rifle in one hand and ammunition in the other and headed up the aisle. Predictably, panic ensued. Some parishioners headed for the door and some hit the floor. The pastor, Larry Wright, an army veteran, with almost thirty years of experience in the pulpit, said that he could feel the fear in the air.

I can’t imagine what must have been going through those Christians’ minds. I ask myself how I would have reacted. How would you have reacted?

Wright did what I think all Christians are called to do. He left the pulpit and approached the man. Wright is 6 feet two inches and weighs 230 pounds. He was prepared to tackle him if he needed to defend his congregation, but instead he reached out to him. He simply asked, “Can I help you?”

It often takes some serious courage to leave the safety of our church to reach out to the hurting and to those who might wish us harm. But, to walk towards instead of away from an armed man, takes some serious faith.

The man told the pastor that, “He came to do some bad things.” Apparently, he was a military veteran, had just been released from prison, and had been hurt by the church before. He talked with the pastor a few minutes and gave him his gun as well as the ammo, and allowed him to pat him down. I think it’s important to note that Wright didn’t just take for granted that the man wouldn’t harm the congregation. He verified it. God did in fact, give us working brains that I believe He expects us to use.

At this point, Wright could have called the police and have him arrested. They had been called, but he asked them to remain outside. He announced to the church that the man wanted prayer and asked some deacons to come forward and embrace him. They did. Then Wright began to pray for the man and he said, “The power of God hit and the man hit the floor on his knees and began to cry and weep, face down on the ground.”

He was then invited to stay for the sermon and sat on the front pew. At the altar call, he gave his life to Christ. He then asked to speak to the congregation and he apologized. He told them that he had come to do something bad, but God had spoken to him.

The police waiting outside, took the man to a hospital where he voluntarily checked in for some mental help. There have been no charges filed. The congregation has said if he returns, they hope to baptize him.

I think this is one of the most perfect stories I have ever read about how “the church,” is supposed to act and react to those who are lost. I imagine the Apostle Paul, up in Heaven doing a happy dance. I imagine Jesus smiling as He claims one more soul for eternity.

I am reminded that we are called to be fearless in our faith and to remember that Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

May the actions of Pastor Wright and his congregation remind us all.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Never Grow Weary of Doing Good

Posted on by Wendy
The record setting rain had pushed the pond waters way outside of its banks.
The record setting rain had pushed the pond waters way outside of its banks.

The great state of Georgia, got some serious rain over the Christmas holiday. There were records broken. It was warm and very soggy. Miraculously, the skies cleared on Christmas Day and the weather was absolutely gorgeous for a couple of days.

Kids and adults alike, were all a little stir crazy and we just had to get outdoors for some sun and fresh air. My parents have a pond on their property and we went to see how far it had spilled outside of its banks. I don’t ever remember seeing it so high. On our walk back to the house, I came across this patch of baby bass who had been caught up in a current that took them outside of the safety of the banks of the pond.

Never grow weary of doing good.
At first glance, all seemed lost.

When the rain stopped, and it always does, the water receded and left them stranded. It saddened me to see these tiny fish, dead in the mud. I called my hubby and daughter over to show them. As my daughter examined them more closely, she realized that a few of them were still alive and she rescued them by putting them back safely into the pond.

She lost more than she saved, yet she was able to save some. Maybe those few would grow to adults and parent many more.

I shared our story with our other family members, so later, when my brother-in-law took my three-year-old niece on a walk, they were on the look out for more displaced fish. Apparently, little Lois had no trouble spotting some and went about returning them to the pond as quickly as possible. She got so excited in her quest that she ran and ended up tripping and falling in the mud.

Do you think she cried and gave up? Nope, she got up and apologized to the tiny misguided fish and carried it to safety.

I thought about those fish for days after I returned home. I thought about how easy it is for us to get lost when the floods of life come. We can sometimes find ourselves outside of the safety of God’s will.

I also thought about how easy it is for Christians to get discouraged when there are so many people who need help. We can began to feel that if we can’t help save everyone then it’s not worth the effort. We can get weary and overwhelmed. But, every single person matters to God.

Loving others and sharing our faith is not a numbers game. All we are called to do is the best we can with what we have. God will do the rest.

The Bible tells us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

A three-year-old reminded me of that verse. In her quest to help, she fell, but she got up and kept helping. As a new year begins, it’s a good verse to remember and carry close. Maybe you needed a reminder too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂