Author: Wendy

Three Simple Rules

Posted on by Wendy
The butterfly is one of so many examples of God's artistic side.
The butterfly is one of so many examples of God’s artistic side.

John Wesley was the co-founder of the Methodist Church. He was an active participant in the Church of England in the 1700’s. He became disenchanted with the “religiousness” of church. He felt like there was more focus on how worship took place over who was being worshiped. He felt like Christians should be reaching outside the walls of their churches and ministering to prisoners and the poor and others who weren’t welcome in the church of the day.

He was active in the idea of “tent revival” and his ideas spread like wildfire. Many of the people who heard him speak were new to Christianity. Once they became Christians, they were eager to know how to live a Christ-like life. Keep in mind, that there wasn’t a Barnes and Noble on the corner where someone could purchase a Bible. There were no Kindles or iPhones to look up scripture. For that matter, most people couldn’t read.

So, how could he explain in simple terms how to live like Jesus? He came up with three simple rules. We tried these in an  adult Sunday School class one time. The simplicity can be deceptive!

The first rule is: Do no harm. Seems easy enough, right? Just don’t hurt anyone in any way. That doesn’t just mean, don’t go and punch them. That means, don’t gossip about the mom you think is drinking too much or about the neighbor who you think is getting a divorce or your child’s classmate who is making bad choices. What about our environment? Weren’t we supposed to be stewards of our environment? What kind of harm are we doing there?  It’s kind of like the doctor’s oath, but trickier.

The second rule is : Do good. Does this one seem easier? As we go about our day, how much good are we doing? Sure, we may not be doing harm per se, but are we doing good? Are we truly helping others? Are we striving to make a difference? Are we using the talents that we have been gifted with to further God’s plan or are we using them for our own needs and desires?

The third rule is: Stay in love with God. Oh, thank goodness, the last one is a piece of cake. Not so fast! We can all say we love God; that’s easy enough. But, when you tell your spouse or your family members that you love them, but do absolutely nothing to show it. How do they know? I can tell God all day that I love Him. Do I read His word? Do I share His word? Do I pray like I should? Do I worship like I should? Do I do His will or focus on mine?

The church in Wesley’s time was in decline and he helped to start a revival that eventually spread across continents. I think Wesley was brilliant. Try out the rules and see how you do. They are harder than they appear, but definitely worth trying. The beautiful thing about grace is there’s plenty of room for failure. We get an unlimited number of do overs. Thank the Good Lord! Right?

Let me know how you do. I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Spiritual Light Pollution

Posted on by Wendy
When there's very little light around, even the tiniest amount can light our way.
When there’s very little light around, even the tiniest amount can light our way.

When I was growing up, we visited the beach every summer. We loved to walk on the beach at night. All of the condominiums had bright lights that shined onto the beach. It was almost as well-lit at night as it was during the daytime.

Times have changed and scientists have found that the lights confuse baby sea turtles and have them swimming into shore instead of out to sea. So, when I take my children to the beach, there are no bright lights from the land to light the shore.

Amazingly, though, the moon seems much brighter than when I was a kid and so do the stars. We still take our kids to walk on the beach at night and the moon is enough.

How often in our lives to we seek the light of praise and acceptance from others? It starts when we are kids, but it never really ends. Most of us are constantly aware of what others think of us. For some, acceptance becomes a type of idol. We develop a need to be praised and emulated by friends and co-workers.

God knew this was a problem for His people. He told them early on when He led them out of Egypt that they were not to intermarry or make treatise with the people who were in Canaan. Was He trying to keep them from expanding their horizons and making new friends?

Nope. He was trying to keep them safe. He knew their nature. He knew their tendencies. Their tendencies were to turn away from Him and towards what wasn’t good for them. Don’t we have the same tendencies?

Is it easy for us to worship God and nothing else? Is it easy for us not to care about money, new clothes or new cars? Is it easy for us to offer hospitality to someone who really needs it and not care what our house looks like? Is it easy for us to go to church and seek to serve instead of seeking to be served?

Ouch. How many times have we made the statement, “I just don’t get anything out of the worship service.”? But, isn’t worship service about worshiping God and not about us. Are we there for what we can get?

I think if we begin to focus on the one true light we need in our lives, a lot of this other spiritual light pollution will start to fall away. I mean things like caring what others think and say. I mean things like focusing on material things. I mean things like feeling like our church isn’t serving us or perhaps God isn’t serving us.

I think we need to think of Jesus like the old Uncle Sam poster, that stated “I want you.” He was pointing and had a very stern look. I picture Jesus with His arms outstretched calling to us in a gentler way, but the message is the same. He wants us and when we focus on that light, the only one that matters, it becomes more than enough.

What do you think about spiritual light pollution? Feel free to comment.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Delicious and Beautiful

Posted on by Wendy
The hibiscus is an awesome example of God's creativity.
The hibiscus is an awesome example of God’s creativity.

We are using a new curriculum in our middle school Sunday school class that uses video and drawing and skits and covers the entire Bible in 32 weeks. While I like the fast paced, keep the kids interested approach, it obviously leaves a lot of gaps. The videos are only like three minutes or so.

My hubby and I decided we would show the video and do the accompanying activities one week and fill in some of the blanks the next, so there wouldn’t be as many gaps. I mean, the first one covered from Creation to the Flood. That’s a lot of ground to cover in forty-five minutes.

As I read through the first couple of chapters of Genesis again, Genesis 2:9, really grabbed me. I just love the fact that the Bible is a living, breathing work of art. Something different speaks to me every time I read it, depending on the season of my life or what I’m searching for.

Genesis 2:9, says, “The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground-trees that were beautiful and produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” NLT

What kind of trees did God make? Beautiful ones. Why? Because, God is clearly a creative God who loves beauty and wants to share it with his creation, us. The text doesn’t say, He created plain boring trees. It says they were beautiful. God created beauty for our enjoyment as well as His own.

Secondly, what kind of fruit did He create? Was it sour or bland? Nope. God created delicious fruit. The scripture doesn’t say He simply created food for our nourishment. It says He created delicious fruit.

What does this say about the nature of God? He cares about beauty and creativity in our lives. He cares about our enjoyment. It doesn’t say He created a certain amount of grams of this or that. It says He created something delicious for our enjoyment.

Verse 15 tells us that there was only one tree in the entire garden they weren’t supposed to eat from, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Chapter three tells us about the nature of human beings. We tend to want the few things or in this case, the one thing that is forbidden to us. There was plenty of delicious fruit to eat, but they chose the forbidden and that is a pretty true picture of our nature.

But, this is why the Bible is so important. It’s story after story of our nature clashing with God’s and of Him always loving us and forgiving us for following our own ways and instead of His. Eventually, He sent His son to redeem us for good.

But, today, let’s start focusing on the beautiful and the delicious that we can have. There’s so much that God has given us to freely enjoy with His blessing. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can truly learn that walking within boundaries can be an incredibly freeing experience.

What do you think. Feel free to comment.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Sometimes a Mess is for the Best.

Posted on by Wendy
This was what the coffee table looked like Saturday morning.
This was what the coffee table looked like Saturday morning.

I woke up Saturday morning with one of those killer sinus headaches that makes you want to cry. My head was pounding as I took a couple of ibuprofen, a couple of Sudafed and sipped a cup of coffee. I didn’t even feel like sitting at the table, so I slowly trudged to my couch. As I sat down, the clutter above greeted me.

I asked my darling son the evening before, to please put away all of the art supplies he was dragging out when he was done.  He obviously didn’t. To be honest, I was only mildly annoyed because my head hurt so badly.

My hubby had just been diagnosed with a case of Shingles, so he was already up. It’s kind of uncomfortable to lie flat when you have Shingles. When I asked how he was feeling, he told me it wasn’t that bad as long as he didn’t think about it. I was thinking that a day sitting in the recliner watching television was not likely to keep his mind very occupied. Then, my son came downstairs with a book.

This represents a day of keeping my hubby's mind occupied.
This represents a day of keeping my hubby’s mind occupied.

It wasn’t just any book. It was a book of my brother’s from 1989. My son just loves to “borrow” things when we visit my parents and this was one of those things. It doesn’t look like much, does it?

My hubby and my son spent the entire day Saturday, building airplanes. I think they tried every design in the book. They would make them and then test them. They used different weights of paper from construction to card stock and everything in between. Sometimes they would add a paperclip for weight or they would put tape on them.

Then of course, my son, ever the artist, had some dynamite designs for them. There were aliens on some. They had call signs. There were evil ones and good ones and neutral ones.

He needed all of the art supplies that he had left out in order to work on the father and son masterpieces. Did it really matter that they had stayed out overnight?

These were some of the best ones that flew well and got designs.
These were some of the best ones that flew well and got designs.

As I buzzed around on Saturday, doing laundry and washing dogs, I found myself thanking God for the little workshop in my den. Shingles can be horribly painful. Kids can be loud and uncooperative, but this day, the harmony between father and son was such a blessing. The day passed by and my hubby had little discomfort. My son had a ball and ended up with a small squadron of paper airplanes.

As I watch for God in the world around me, I’ve no doubt that His hand was on my family on Saturday. I’ve no doubt that His hand was on my twelve-year-old who left his supplies out and I’ve no doubt that His hand was on a mommy who figured out that sometimes a mess is for the best.

Life is so short and precious, I’m trying to appreciate every last drop. Care to join me? I’d love to hear what you think.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Faith and Religion

Posted on by Wendy
The water in this little creek will eventually end up in the ocean.
The water in this little creek will eventually end up in the ocean.

A friend of mine and I were recently talking about the new church home her family has found. They feel very comfortable there and inspired and are excited about getting up to go to church on Sundays. The only drawback, is they can’t yet join as a family because her two teens were baptized as babies and not completely immersed.

We had a short discussion about one versus the other and it really struck me how sad it is when Christians get hung up on certain religious practices. I’m talking about things like whether you use grape juice or wine for communion and whether you have communion every Sunday or once a month or once a quarter. I’m thinking about things like whether you kneel at your pew or whether you do responsive readings. The kind of music that gets sung is another big bone of contention for many people.

When we get angry at fellow Christians about these kinds of things, I think the devil is delighted. If he can get Christians mad at each other, then there’s not room to do the work of the Holy Spirit.

Interestingly enough, even the earliest churches like the one in Corinth, that Paul helped to start, had new believers squabbling with one another. The Jewish converts fought with the Gentile converts on how much law the Gentiles should have to follow and about circumcision and about and about; the list is long. This is one more good reason why reading the Bible can be enlightening for us.

Arguments among Christians are nothing new and Paul found himself wearing a referee hat for a good amount of time. Jesus makes us passionate and that’s a good thing. The Book of Revelation even warns us about having “lukewarm” faith, but I think we should be careful about judging others in how they carry out their faith walk.

If we love God with all of our hearts and we read the Bible and follow its teachings, if we believe Jesus is our one and only savior and we pray and listen, I believe in my deepest soul, that we will be lead to where we need to worship. We will be planted in a community that is perfectly suited to our calling and for His purpose for us. When we get there, it’s up to us to grow and thrive and become part of the fabric that makes that particular community.

However, we should keep in mind that our next-door-neighbor may be lead to an entirely different place. And you know what? That’s okay. On that fabulous day when we are called home to live with Jesus forever, I can’t imagine there being a gatekeeper inquiring whether we were Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, etc….

No, if you are a believer and a follower, He’s going to say, “Welcome home faithful servant; we’re glad you are here.”

Isn’t that all that really matters? I’d love to know what you think. Feel free to comment.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Back Story

Posted on by Wendy
You wouldn't know, just by looking at the picture how deep this spring is.
You wouldn’t know, just by looking at the picture how deep this spring is.

A friend recently introduced me to a daily Bible reading blog called, www.#shereadstruth.com If you are looking for a way to read the Bible daily and have a meaningful message to accompany it, I highly recommend it. Right now, they are doing a series on fresh starts and they have found passages throughout the Bible to show God giving His people a fresh start.

Today, their passage was Acts 9:1-19 and their discussion was on the conversion of Saul to Paul. This is a fabulous example of a fresh start. I mean, this guy went from hunting and killing Christians to preaching about Christ and writing the majority of the New Testament.

But, there’s an unsung hero in this story. His name is Ananias. The scripture says he was a disciple living in Damascus. I picture this guy, minding his own business and kind of lying low. He’s a believer, but it’s dangerous to be a believer and then he has a vision.

Jesus calls his name. Ananias answers him. Jesus then instructs him to go to the house where Saul of Tarsus is and heal him by restoring his sight.  Ananias says, (and I paraphrase),”Umm, Lord are you sure about this? This guy has been killing and arresting your people left and right.” And I’ll bet he was thinking, “Take that, Saul! You reap what you sow. Bullies everywhere, take note!”

But, Jesus says, “Go!” He has chosen Saul to be the person who will carry his message to the Gentiles and their kings and to the Jews.

Did Ananias argue? Did he try to reason? Did he ignore this calling and lean on his own understanding? Nope. Verse seventeen tells us he went and found Saul. And if that wasn’t enough; here’s the coolest part; He puts his hands on him and says: “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17

It wasn’t a grudgingly delivered message, like we find with Jonah. Ananias wasn’t angry that Jesus decided to use Saul. Jesus called. Ananias answered and not only did he heal Saul, he called him brother and baptized him.

Saul goes on to be Paul and we know his story, but Paul would have remained blind and huddling in a corner if Ananias hadn’t answered his call. Ananias was faithful, obedient and brave. He trusted Jesus and that trust and obedience enabled  Paul to complete his all-important journey.

There are no unimportant or non-essential pieces in God’s plan. Every single person has a part to play. Every part matters. Just because you probably didn’t know Ananias before you read this, makes him no less important in the big story. There’s always a back story. No one ever gets where they are without help from someone else.

If you ever wonder if what you are doing matters, rest assured; if you are answering Jesus’ call, it matters. You matter. So, keep on going my friend. Keep doing what you do. You’re making Jesus proud. What do you think about Ananias? Feel free to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Symbolism of the Shell

Posted on by Wendy
I picked up this shell at church on Sunday.
I picked up this shell at church on Sunday.

Last Sunday at church, we renewed our vows of baptism. The pastor told us that the seashell is the Christian symbol for baptism and at the end of the service, invited us all up to get a shell and dip our fingers in the baptismal font and pray at the altar.

It really was a beautiful service and I loved the symbolism, but I had never heard about the shell being a Christian symbol before even though I’ve been a lifelong  church goer. Being a curious sort, I had to investigate.

Since I just love to watch for God in the everyday, I was delighted at what I found. Turns out, that the shell was used in the very first centuries of the Christian church to assist in the sacrament of baptism. We know this because there are paintings of baptism depicted on the walls of catacombs where early Christians worshiped.

No one knows exactly why shells were used, but the thought is probably for practical reasons. In many places, there wasn’t enough water to completely submerge the candidate; so they would wade out and have water poured over their heads. They would want to use as much water as possible. (It wasn’t like they could pick up a bucket at the local Target). A shell could hold more water than a hand.

The shell comes from the ocean. Jesus’ first disciples were called by the seashore. When we are baptized, we are supposed to be disciples for Christ, spreading the word and the love. The shell can remind us of the first disciples as well as our own calling to discipleship.

There are shells depicted in art in many churches all over the world, from embroidery to stained glass. They are sometimes shown with three drops of water, symbolizing the trinity.

So, the next time you have the pleasure of walking on the beach, be sure to pick up a shell and be reminded not only of the beauty and wonder of nature, but also of the infinite grace of God. Be reminded of the privilege of baptism and the love of Christ. Be at peace and know God loves you and of course, pass it on!

Have an awesome day! 🙂

Wendy

Learning to Go with It

Posted on by Wendy
When your heart and soul are calm, a little chaos is no big deal.
When your heart and soul are calm, a little chaos is no big deal.

If you read my post yesterday, then you know all about my rewarding Sabbath time yesterday. Interestingly, the calm I took the time for yesterday, prepared me for my chaotic morning today.

After I dropped my daughter at school, I was planning on coming home and doing some cleaning, which didn’t get done yesterday, some laundry, because it’s everyday, exercise, because it’s a new year and I’d like to be in better shape, work on a Wednesday night kids program for church and write for gracefulgaines.

My husband met me at the door and informed me that our neighbor’s alarm had been going off. That has never happened before and since she is one of the sweetest people on the planet, I sent him over to check it out. The alarm had stopped, but he went over. The house was locked up tight. I called her, but there was no answer. I was concerned, but I let it go. I said a prayer for her safety.

I put in a call to my mom to catch up and we talked for a little while about a recent death in the family. Then we talked about a dear friend of hers who has been diagnosed with cancer. We were talking about another friend of her’s whose husband has been put in hospice care, when the alarm went off again. Mom, ever the steel magnolia, told me I should hang up and investigate.

The alarm stopped again as I went across the street. I peaked in windows and saw nothing. The alarm went off again and I dialed 911. They asked me to wait for an officer to come. I did, although it took him quite awhile. He looked around and discovered there was no car in the garage, so I was relieved. He assured me I had done the right thing by calling. He left.

I finally sat down at my keyboard and my phone rang. It was my sweet neighbor who had been out and knew nothing about the alarm. I told her about all of the excitement and she thanked me for looking after her. She was going to call the alarm company and get it figured out. I was so thankful she was okay. I said a prayer of thanks.

I sat down once again at my keyboard. My phone rang. A very good friend of mine was having a moment. She never calls to complain or vent. She’s just not that way; but today, she needed an ear. I was happy to listen and I feel like she felt better when we hung up.

By this time, it was close to noon and I hand’t showered, cleaned, exercised or written anything. I marveled at how I wasn’t the least bit frazzled, although my entire plans for the day were shot. I was praying about it and I felt like God whispered to me, “It’s the Sabbath time.” I hadn’t done anything on “my list,” but I did everything on God’s for me for the morning. I loved everyone He put in my path and I just went with it. I felt calm and blessed.

I really do believe there’s something to this Sabbath time, especially if it means learning to do His will and not mine. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Obedience Can Produce Beautiful Results

Posted on by Wendy
This was the first waterfall I discovered.
This was the first waterfall I discovered.

Yesterday, after church, I decided to make myself observe some Sabbath time. It was rather difficult for me because it had rained for the past two days which resulted in three dogs being in the house round the clock, which resulted in numerous hair balls and muddy footprints that desperately needed cleaning up.

However, in my quest to live more intentionally and a desire to be more obedient to God, I was determined to observe some Sabbath time. I gritted my teeth as I stepped over a tumbleweed of a hairball and walked out onto my screened in porch.

It was a gorgeous day. Early last week, we had temperatures in the single digits. On Friday, we had torrential rains and thunderstorms, and late Saturday, the clouds broke and the sun appeared like a long-lost friend. We had little rivers running all through our yard even after the rain stopped.

But, today, well, today was stunning. The sky was that brilliant blue that you really only get in the winter time and the temperature was in the high fifties. As I sat in my swing, sipping my coffee and taking in the beautiful weather, I could hear the rushing water of the creek behind our house.

As I was thanking God for the weather, and the beauty of nature, I began to think about that creek. The creek is often no more than a trickle. From time to time, after really heavy rain or the occasional snow, we can hear it from our house and we always marvel at how people pay for property with a noisy creek.

We have been in drought for the majority of our time here and we rarely hear it. But, as I heard it today, I felt like I was being nudged to investigate, to not only hear it, but to see it. I went inside, put on my rubber boots and headed out.

The first little waterfall I came to, I had seen before. I took a few shots of it. But, something told me to keep exploring. I followed the sound and found a second waterfall I had never seen before. I was really surprised. I was probably a hundred yards from my house and here was a second gurgling, bubbling waterfall. I took some more pictures, but something nudged me on.

This was the second waterfall I discovered.
This was the second waterfall I discovered.

I walked just a little ways further, following the little creek and the sound and what I found stopped me in my tracks. Here, practically in my backyard, was a little waterfall with a fairly steep drop making beautiful music as it crashed on the rocks. It was surrounded by big boulders covered in moss that just called me to have a seat. I did and within a few minutes, a hawk soared above calling out as he went.

This was where my quest for Sabbath time and obedience lead me.
This was where my quest for Sabbath time and obedience lead me.

I just laughed as I looked up towards Heaven. “Of course there was a third,” I whispered. “Thank-you, God, for showing me.”

God always has a plan, and sometimes, when we listen and obey, the reward can be breathtaking. I’m still working on the obedience thing, but today, well today I got it right and it was good. How about you. How are you doing with obedience? Feel free to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Staying Crumb Free

Posted on by Wendy
Every slab of granite is unique just like each one of us.
Every slab of granite is unique just like each one of us.

I have granite counter tops in my kitchen. I love them because they are varied and unique. The area by the sink looks different from the area by the stove. No two slabs of granite are ever exactly alike because they come from nature and nature just doesn’t work that way.

We are a lot like granite. We are all unique. We may have similarities to each other, but we are all unique creations. No two people are exactly alike.

What I don’t like about my granite is that it hides crumbs. I can wipe and clean and then when the sunlight lands on it, I have a mess. I have missed so much. I never even know the crumbs are there unless the light is on them.

As I was cleaning the kitchen the other day, (again) with the help of the sun, it struck me that our lives are like the granite before the sun shines on it. We carry all kinds of crumbs around like guilt over our past, I’m not good enough attitudes, unresolved pain and anger, the list goes on; you can fill in your blank here:________. Try as we might, we just can’t remove them alone.

When Jesus comes into our lives, he shines a dazzling light on the crumbs that have been left behind and need to be swept away. Sometimes the light can be a little blinding and painful as we work to sweep away destructive behaviors or attitudes that we have come to hold close. Sometimes the light is incredibly liberating as we learn to accept that we are unique and loved, “fearfully and wonderfully made,” just as we are.

Either way, with Jesus, we are wiped clean, free to start fresh with a new path and a new plan. We have to keep in mind that crumbs can easily re-gather and to keep them away, we have to walk closely with him, listen to his voice, pray and obey.  When we do, we can be  shiny and crumb free and that, I think, is something worth smiling about.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂