Author: Wendy

Valley Times

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My hubby and I teach a middle school Sunday school class. Yikes! Right? Our son is in the class, so it’s not quite as scary as it sounds. We were recently talking about Joseph. You remember him; the coat of many colors guy. As we were preparing the lesson, it struck me that this kid went through some really tough times. Yes, he was a bit of a brat in the beginning, but at 17 he was sold by his brothers and sent to a foreign land where he didn’t speak the language or know the customs. Then he was put in charge of a high official’s house. Things were looking up. He was comfortable and cared for, then the man’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. He did the “right thing” and turned her down. She falsely accused him of attacking her and he got thrown into prison. This guy couldn’t catch a break.

As I re-read the Joseph story, I thought of how often bad things seem to happen for no good reason. I thought about how sometimes when life is dark, we pray and pray for deliverance, but God doesn’t appear to be listening. He doesn’t get us a better job, or change our spouse, or change our financial situation; I’m sure you have your own blank to fill in here. The point is sometimes, when we are in a valley and we find ourselves praying diligently for a way out, God leaves us where we are, just like Joseph, but it turns out that he is listening. He throws us a lifeline.

In Genesis 39:2 NIV, it says, “The Lord was with Joseph so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.” Then when he was in prison, “But the Lord was with Joseph in prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.” Genesis 40:21 NIV God didn’t rescue Joseph because he needed him to be right where he was. He didn’t remove him from the situation, but he helped him. He intervened.

Joseph was a piece in a huge puzzle of God’s making. He went on to save what was to become the entire nation of Israel from starving to death. He didn’t know it at the time and it couldn’t have been easy for him. Joseph’s story makes me re-evaluate my valley times. How do I do during these times? Do I pray and keep the faith? Do I get angry and give up? Do I feel sorry for myself? Do I feel that God has abandoned me?

In hindsight, I can see that I have never walked alone, even though it may have felt that way at the time. In the future, I pray that I can remember Joseph’s story and that the Lord is always with me, no matter where I am or what I am going through. How do you do in your valley times?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Life’s Seasons

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The creek is beautiful in every season.
The creek is beautiful in every season.

I took a walk today and definitely felt the nip of fall in the air. I have already heard my daughter say “I can’t wait for fall.” Initially, I found myself agreeing with her. Then I started thinking about how we are always in a rush to get to the next season. You know what I’m talking about. When you are in middle school, you can’t wait to get to high school. When you are in high school, you can’t wait to get to college. When you are in college, you can’t wait to get out and get that first job. When we date, we can’t wait to get married; then we can’t wait to have a baby. The list is endless about how we like to rush life or try to speed up time.

Now there’s a difference between looking forward to the next season with optimism and missing out on the current one because we are obsessed with the next one. I have always struggled with this issue. I’m a planner and I love to plan all of my next steps. There’s a plaque I once saw that read, “We plan; God laughs.” I feel like whoever wrote it, had my name on it. I have learned that planning gives me a sense of control and therein lies the rub. I like to control my surroundings and my future.

God has a different plan. He says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 NIV  He says, ” For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV  Is he saying I need to stop worrying about what’s coming next and start enjoying the season I am in right now? Is he saying that he has his own plans for me? I believe that is exactly what he is saying. I think he’s saying, “I’ve got this. You just worry about doing what is in front of you today, in this season, in this moment.”

Well, that’s a load off, but focusing on today is easier said than done. So I am asking myself, what season am I in and I’m asking you, what season are you in? Is it one of growth? Is it one of rest? Maybe it’s a really tough season, a valley time. Maybe it’s an exciting time or a frightening time. Maybe it’s a bone crushing painful time. Whatever the season we are in, I think we should stop and take a deep breath, look around and recognize where we are. If it’s a happy season, give thanks for it; enjoy it. If it’s a painful or sad season, ask for continued strength and know that God is with you and no season lasts forever. If it’s a season of rest, savor it; because there may be mountains to climb up ahead.

Being still is difficult for me, but something I’m really working on. Living in the moment and appreciating this day without looking forward is also tough, but with God’s help, I’m learning. How are you doing with your current season? Think about it and then go enjoy the last blast of summer as fall edges in. It will be Christmas before you know it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

You Really Do Have a Choice

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Someone pulled out in front of me while I was driving my kids to school this morning. I mean like I had to slam on brakes to miss them. “Blow your horn!” my teenager said. I didn’t. I wanted to, but I didn’t. There was a time when I would have. I mean, the nerve of someone to pull out in front of me. How dare they! Didn’t they know I had children in the car with me? (They probably didn’t.) Didn’t they think about the consequences? There could have been an accident. Were they trying to kill me? (They probably weren’t.)

They most likely weren’t giving me or my kids a second thought. Their thoughtless act most likely had nothing to do with me. It had to do with their own self-focus. Huh? What I’m saying is, I believe that the vast majority of times when someone cuts me off in traffic or is rude to me at Wal-Mart, it is not personal. They aren’t being rude to me; they are just being rude. You are probably agreeing with me at this point. It’s perfectly logical. Right? But, here’s the catch.

If  I know that people who act rudely are doing so because of their own issues not mine, why should I give up my peace and get angry? I mean if I’m driving along in my car, minding my own business, singing along with the radio (oh yeah, I’m that girl :)) and someone cuts me off and makes me slam on brakes, should I give up my happy, give into anger, give them the finger and be angry the rest of the day? If  someone steals the parking spot at the mall that I was patiently waiting for with my blinker on, should I take it as a personal insult, seethe inside and ruin my trip? I say no. Happiness is a choice and anger is too.

I believe that the key here is to be less focused on myself. I need to remember to let the person who has offended me own their act and they can keep the negativity that comes from it. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to “Always be joyful.” If I get angry over inconsequential acts, then I am choosing to let someone steal my joy. Why would I want to do that? When we are walking around angry all of the time, we can’t let our light shine.

I’m working hard on this concept. I like to be treated the way I treat others and it sometimes just doesn’t work out that way. Still, I think holding on to joy is worth the struggle. Light is always better than dark. There seem to be a lot of angry people out there right now and the world is awfully dark. Let’s hold onto our personal peace and joy and not give into anger without a fight. Are you with me? How do you do with anger?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy

Can One Person Make a Difference?

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God remembered Noah.
God remembered Noah.

We live in a world that is pretty bleak at the moment. Just turn on the news and in the first five minutes, there will be reports on school shootings, a bad economy, random acts of violence, corrupt leaders and the Middle East is in turmoil, again. With the situation looking so dark, we may sometimes wonder if anything good that we may do is even worth it. Is it possible for one person to make a difference in this crazy mixed up world? What’s the point? Let’s take a look at Noah. Genesis 6 tells us that the world was filled with corruption and violence. Hmmm, does this sound familiar? God was done with mankind and was sorry He even created us. He was prepared to wipe us off of the face of the earth, but… But is such a tiny word with huge meaning. Verse 8 says, “But Noah found favor with the Lord.” Way to go Noah! It goes onto say that he was a righteous man and the only blameless person living on earth at the time and he walked in close fellowship with God. So even in His anger, God was looking for one good man (or woman). God wanted to find good in humankind and He did. That one good man, just one, gave God hope for the rest of us. Noah gives me a tremendous amount of hope. Noah tells me that God looks for the good in everyone and if we walk in close fellowship with him, we are pleasing Him. How can we do that? I think prayer is a good start. If we are praying regularly, then we can hear Him. Then we should follow His example and search for the good in everyone. As I write this, I know I have a lot of work to do, but I can make a difference and so can you.  Seeing good in everyone is a tall order. Thanks to grace, I can fail. All I have to do is try my best and let God do the rest. How can you make a difference to someone today? Have an awesome day! Wendy 🙂

The Fog

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Sometimes some fog can produce beautiful results.
Sometimes some fog can produce beautiful results.

It was foggy when I was driving my kids to school this morning. The sun was up and burning through it and it was quite beautiful. I live in a rural area, so there were pastures and ponds covered in it. I could make out shapes, but I couldn’t see clearly. I remember, when I was growing up that my mother always gave us a “fog warning” on days we were expecting fog. “We have to leave early this morning; it’s foggy out.” As a child, I never understood that. Why were we supposed to dislike fog?

As an adult, I get it. Mornings are always crazy and as a mother of two, I know that they will push the time to leave the house for school til the last second. It’s rush, rush, rush! We are in a hurry and the fog slows us down. We don’t like to slow down. We like to go, go, go! We like to know what lies ahead of us on the road. The fog obscures our view.

Sometimes, our lives get covered in fog. We are in a season where we just can’t see what is in front of us. We can’t see what lies around the next curve. It frightens and frustrates us and we don’t like it. I have come to understand, that there are times when God wants us to focus on Him, not on the road, but on Him. Sometimes, He has to slow us down to a crawl to get us to focus on what is important or to hear what He is trying to communicate to us. These are the times when I really have to take it one day at a time, which is very difficult for me because I like to plan everything months in advance. I also prefer megaphone moments, but God’s way is often a whisper. Sometimes the fog is a short season and sometimes it seems to linger for years. I think the key is to learn to embrace the fog.

The fog is God’s way of growing our faith. We don’t have to know what’s coming next because our Heavenly Father does. We don’t have to fear because He has our back. And when we get really brave, we give Jesus the wheel. That’s when we really have to fasten our seat belts  because wherever He takes us, it will be a wild ride, but one so worth taking. Have you had any fog in your life recently? Please feel free to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Enough

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Birds always seem to have enough.
Birds always seem to have enough.

When do we have enough? I was sitting at the kitchen table on a Saturday morning while my husband was paying the bills. He was commenting about having enough left over to live on. I found myself praying once again, about money. We always have enough, but rarely any extra. For some reason, the story of manna and the Israelites kept popping into my head. I decided to go and look it up.

I hadn’t read the story in a long time and I found the details fascinating.  In Exodus 16, God tells Moses that he is going to rain down food from heaven. The people are to gather up as much food as they need for the day. He tells Moses that he will test the people on this. Of course, being humans and doing what humans do, there are some who break the rules and gather more than they need. In the morning, it has a terrible stench and is filled with maggots. Yuck! Verse 18 tells us that everyone had just enough, no leftovers.

This idea of enough really got me to thinking. When do we have enough? If I have plenty to eat at every meal, is that enough? If I have clothes and shoes to wear each day, is that enough? I really struggle with that one. I always long for a new wardrobe when the seasons change, but as I am doing my family’s laundry, I can never find enough hangers for the clothes I have. Surely, I have enough. What about cars and electronic gadgets? If I have a reliable vehicle to pick my kids up from school with, does it need to be new and shiny? What about my cell phone? Does is really need to be “smart” or will something to make and take calls suffice?

I could go on indefinitely about the many material blessings I have been given. Still, I often find myself longing for more. Maybe it’s my nature or maybe it’s because our fallen world teaches us we never have enough. Maybe it’s a little of both. Either way, I always find instruction when I go back to the Bible. God’s command to the Israelites, was to take as much as they needed, not as much as they wanted. Uhoh! I think I have some work to do.

My granddaddy always said,  “You are old enough, where your wants won’t hurt you.” I never liked that phrase, however, I think he was onto something. He was paraphrasing God’s command to the Israelites. I think I really need to work on my wants versus my needs. How about you? How do you do with wants and needs? How much is enough? Feel free to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

In Remembrance

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God Bless America!
God Bless America!

September 11th is still a tough day for me. It’s hard to believe that it’s been twelve years since our country was attacked. It seems just like yesterday. I suppose, for those of us who are old enough to remember it, it will be just like when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded or for my parents, when President Kennedy was shot. In moments like these, when unfathomable tragedy strikes, time seems to freeze. We are paralyzed with fear and  shock.  We all pull together as a nation. We are kinder to our neighbors or a stranger on the street. We drop down on our knees and pray. We go back to church. Life becomes more precious, for a time.

As life goes on, and even after the darkest times, it does, we forget. We forget the shock and pain. We forget the things in life that really matter most: faith, family and friends. We forget to take time to be kind to that stranger or our neighbors. We forget to pray. We get busy again with work, schedules, practices, kids, you fill in the blank. We get busy with life and we forget, until the next tragedy occurs.

Whether it’s a national or personal tragedy, we promise ourselves once again, to do better with balancing what matters the most and everything else. We make promises to turn back to God where we get our strength and peace. I am going to take this day to thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon our country. I’m going to thank Him for freedom and peace here in our homeland. I’m going to pray for our leaders and that He will grant them wisdom to lead us in this deeply divided world. I’m going to ask Him to help our nation turn back to Him. I’m going to ask Him to be with those who lost someone precious to them on that day. I’m going to thank Him for my husband and my children, for my friends and my family. I’m going to ask Him to help me remember that everyday on this planet is a gift.

Then I’m going to go hug my children, kiss my husband, pet my dogs and take a walk and soak up His creation. I think I will have ice cream for desert. Because this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Let’s make every minute count. How will you remember 911?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

God Loves Average

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God takes average and makes it fabulous!
God takes average and makes it fabulous!

I live in a town where the norm is above average. Everyone likes to talk about how their kids are gifted and everyone is into sports. Many of the parents here truly believe their son or daughter is going to get a college scholarship for baseball, soccer, football, name the sport. We are in a super competitive environment. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a great place to raise kids. It’s safe; the people are friendly and the vast majority attend church. However, if you have children who don’t like to compete or if  you as parents, don’t like to compete, then you could find yourself labeled, the dreaded “Average.”

No one wants to be average. Everyone wants to be above average. Right? Average is uninteresting and downright boring. As we begin another school year, I was contemplating the concept of average.  I looked it up in a dictionary and found: ordinary, usual, typical. That’s not that bad, except when you are a teenager and you want so badly to get noticed or when you are a middle schooler and you want so desperately to get put in art class, but you get put in P.E. with all of the super jocks again. Maybe you begin to think that God just loves athletes and beautiful people more than everyone else.

Unless, you pick up a Bible, when I read the Bible, I find that God loves average. If David had been a, 7 feet tall warrior, it wouldn’t have been a miracle that he took Goliath down (with a simple slingshot). If Moses wasn’t  a stutterer, it wouldn’t have been quite as miraculous that he was the one God sent to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. If  Mary would have been a pampered princess, the prophecy of Jesus’ birth would have never been fulfilled. The Bible is full of these examples, average, ordinary people called to glorify God in some way.

God loves average, ordinary people because they give Him the greatest opportunity to shine. They also tend to be more humble than the mighty. When God calls us to do something, it doesn’t matter who we are or what we think we are capable of.  After all, the Angel Gabriel told Mary, “For nothing is impossible with God.” I think we should believe that truth and start living it.

Average is simply a title we give each other. God can take average and make it fabulous! Let’s encourage each other and especially our kids to remember that we are all special and unique to our Creator. Thankfully, He has the final word. What do you think about average?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Hello World

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Welcome! I’m glad you stopped by. This is my very first blog post. For the past eight years, I have been co-director of Vacation Bible School at my church. We choose to use Group Publishing each year because we love their themes. They are tons of fun and tied very closely to the Bible. The kids (and adults), get to sing and dance, create art, have a snack and learn more about God. They really should create VBS  for adults; but that’s a post for later.

Although the theme changes every year, Group always includes a “Watch for God” part of their curriculum. The kids get a little rubber bracelet to remind them to watch for God  all around them when the leave for the day and come back the next day ready to share what they saw. Then we create a “God Sightings Wall,” where they post all that they saw. Children are amazing in their ability to see God in what we would consider the mundane, but Jesus did say that we would need the faith of a child to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Over the past couple of years, I have taken up the challenge to “Watch for God,” in my own life and as I looked for him, I began to see  him more and more in the everyday. At some point, I began to write it down, not knowing exactly what I would do with it. Then, I began to feel a little nudge to share.

The little nudge got stronger. I often pray for what I call megaphone moments where God says in a booming voice from a burning bush, “Go and do this…” Let’s face it; those are usually rare, but after several nights of tossing and turning,  thinking about a blog and sharing the God Sightings in my life, I figured out how to create a site and here I am.

I hope my sightings will inspire you to “Watch for God” in your life and I hope you will share your God Sightings with me. Have an awesome day. 🙂

Wendy