My kids have the day off today. We have a very short fall break, so I’m taking this day to enjoy my family and soak up the beauty that only comes this time of year. We certainly have a creative Creator.
I hope you have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Author: Wendy
Answered Prayers
On September the 10th, I wrote about my friend, our school nurse, Ivy. I shared that she has ALS and that she was on medical leave. I shared that she’s a woman of very strong faith, a true prayer warrior. I wrote about her sharing with me that she believes that she will be healed.
I asked my readers to please pray for Ivy. I reminded the other prayer warriors who pass through here that we do not fight against flesh and blood enemies, but against the unseen ones who wish to harm us. We are spiritual beings as well as physical ones.
Since that original post, 2,676 people have read it in 19 countries and I’m happy to report that it’s working.
Ivy is back at work doing what she loves, healing and sharing kindness and love with the children who come to the clinic. She is the first person I see each day in the office and she always greets me with a smile. We still begin our day with a quick prayer, before we turn on the lights.
I am learning so much from her and I am blessed to know her. I am constantly amazed and inspired by the regular flow of parents who stop in the office and tell her they are praying for her. Our prayer warrior has the same response every time. “Thank-so much!” she always says with a smile. It’s the only thing that really works.
Earlier this week, she shared with me that she has movement in her feet that she didn’t have a few weeks ago. I was so excited for her and we shared in a prayer of thanks. ALS is degenerative. It doesn’t get better.
But, it seems God has other plans for Ivy. He is not after all, bound by any human understanding.
I share all of this with you now for a couple of reasons. First of all, I want to ask you to continue to pray for Ivy and for God to continue to show Himself through her and to heal her. But, I also want to encourage you to really try to wrap your brain around and embrace the phenomenal power that God’s people have in prayer.
It works. It will work in your life, in your relationships, in your situation. As Ivy says, it’s the only thing that really does.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Puff Ball Wisdom
A couple of days ago, during our morning rush in the office, a little kindergartener came in and tossed a medium sized puff ball on the counter. “This is not my puff ball!” he said angrily.
I took it from him and chuckled to myself wondering why he was so offended by a small fluffy object. It looked almost like one of those puff balls we used to tie on our roller skates when I was growing up.
The little boy went on his way and I placed the puff ball in a drawer where I figured it would remain forevermore. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would come looking for it. What could they possibly do with it?
A little while later, a little girl came into the office and asked me if I had seen a gray and teal puff ball. I was stunned. I could not imagine anyone looking for it. I told her, “yes,” and I pulled it out of the drawer and gave it to her.
Her eyes lit up and she smiled. She pulled a part of a key ring out of her pocket and carefully reattached it to a small loop on it, that I hadn’t seen earlier.
“Oh,” I thought, it was a key chain. It did have a use and it was in fact, precious to someone.
I thought about that puff ball over the next few days. I thought about how easily we sometimes tend to dismiss ourselves as useless in the world around us. We feel we’re not smart enough, or funny enough, or clever enough, or talented enough, or maybe strong enough.
We’ve all been that puff ball, thrown to the side by someone who didn’t want us. That someone could have been anything ranging from a boss, to a spouse, to friends or even family. If we’ve been a part of the human race long enough, we have at some point, been rejected by someone who didn’t want us or see our potential.
But, if we walk with Jesus, we know there’s a better way. If we reach out to Him, Jesus picks us up from the spot we have been tossed and lovingly dusts us off. He calls us by name and finds our own little inner loop that the casual observer may not see. He turns us into something useful, into something treasured.
Just like the little girl was thrilled to find her lost puff ball, Jesus is thrilled to find His lost sheep. It doesn’t matter if people have branded us useless or not good enough. Jesus gets the last word. I find that very comforting.
A gray and teal puff ball reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Mustard Seed Perspective
Our sermon last Sunday, was about Jesus and the mustard seed faith discussion found in Luke. I have always enjoyed that part of scripture because I knew that mustard seeds are small, but a few years ago, for a middle school Sunday school class, I actually went out and bought some mustard seeds so the kids could see them.
I’ll have to admit that I was stunned. Those seeds are seriously tiny and Jesus talks about them in more than one instance.
In Luke 17, Jesus tells the disciples that if they had faith even as tiny as a mustard seed, they could tell a mulberry tree to uproot itself and throw itself into the sea and it would. That seems like an extravagant gesture.
But, our pastor pointed out the verses before it where Jesus tells the disciples to forgive their brothers if they ask for forgiveness and repent, even if they do it seven times in a day.
The mulberry tree begins to look a little bit easier, doesn’t it?
Forgiving someone repeatedly, goes against our human nature. Forgiving someone one time is hard enough, twice is even more difficult, but at some point, our go to, is to write them off and be done with them and to remain angry.
And therein lies the problem. Carrying around anger and unforgiveness damages our souls. It weighs down our hearts. It separates us from God. It also leads to a host of physical problems from anxiety, to high blood pressure, to stomach issues.
Walking away from people who wish us harm, is perfectly fine, but our souls need for us to forgive.
How is that possible when someone has wronged us over and over?
Jesus says if we have the faith as tiny as a mustard seed, that will be enough. Refer to the picture of the mustard seed and the penny.
If we have just the tiniest bit of faith, Jesus can do the rest. If Jesus is within us and we pray about forgiveness with open hearts, the Holy Spirit will make a way.
So, our excuses of not being strong enough to forgive, don’t work because it’s not about us. It’s about Jesus and He says with God all things are possible and He says that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to succeed in what He asks us to do.
Sometimes the next step is to ask ourselves if we believe Jesus is true to His word. If the answer is yes, then we know we have all we need to move forward.
A tiny mustard seed reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Watching for the Flags
On Sunday after church, my family decided to go for a walk at the Botanical Gardens. We all had individual projects to work on, but the weather was so wonderful, that it felt wrong for us not to get out an enjoy it.
We are big believers that God has His fingerprints all over nature and for us, enjoying Creation as a family, is a form of worship.
We meandered a while by a creek that eventually lead us to the river. We walked along the river for a while, taking photos and breathing in the cooler fall air. We eventually followed a trail that lead us back up to civilization. There were lots of flowerbeds and some sculptures and fountains. Some areas had lots of steps.
The last steps that we headed up, had yellow flags in some places. Those flags warned us not to step in those areas because the bricks were loose and a fall could happen that could lead to injury.
My daughter and her daddy had the discussion about what would happen if one were to step on those steps anyway and fall. Could that person sue? My hubby told her he didn’t think you could sue the state of Georgia.
I thought about those flags and that conversation long after our little hike.
I thought about how nice it would be if we had little caution flags in real life, warning us of the places where we should not tread.
Almost as soon as I thought it, a little voice in my head reminded me that we do have those warnings.
When we are in regular prayer, and we read our Bible, the Holy Spirit is really good at warning us of the places we should not go and about the decisions we should not make.
When I think back on my own life and some of my own biggest mistakes, I knew on some level, that they were wrong before I made them. But, I made them anyway. Sometimes the consequences were disastrous.
And as I found myself in a pit of my own making, was it right for me to blame God? After all, I had been warned.
Ummm, no.
What about as a society and as a country, do we get those flags? Of course we do. God is not a Sunday God. His rules and plans don’t just apply to us on Sundays sitting in the church pews. They apply to our everyday lives as well.
When we make decisions contrary to His teachings and there are consequences, do we have the right to be angry? Can we sue God?
It’s so easy to “lean on our own understanding.” After all, we tend to believe that we know best.
But, the Bible tells us differently. We are warned not to do certain things. There are flags.
Sometimes we don’t understand why, but trust and obedience are part of our faith, no matter how difficult that may be at times. We can choose to avoid the flags or not.
I’m learning in my own walk, to watch for those flags. Some stairs in need of repair, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Made to Be Courageous
Last week, there was an annual event held at schools in countries across the world. It was called, “See You at the Pole,” or SYATP. It entailed students meeting before school at the flag pole for prayer, prayer for their family and friends, prayer for their schools and prayer for their nation and world.
It has a fascinating story. In 1990, ten high school students, only ten, in Burleson, Texas, felt the need to pray for their school, so they got permission to meet at the flag pole at 7:00 AM and pray. That in itself, is newsworthy to me; high school students wanted to gather to pray before school.
How many adults are willing to make extra time before work to pray, much less to gather with other Christians to do so?
Word spread, as it always does, when God’s work is involved, and by 1999, forty-five thousand teens were participating. I can’t even do the math for that jump, but it’s huge. The Holy Spirit is unstoppable.
The entire ordeal is student lead and cannot be in any way, planned or endorsed by the school, lest we get into that separation of church and state issue.
This year, millions of students met at their school flag poles to pray. Their theme was, “Cry out to God.”
These teens have really inspired and convicted me. We lament about the lack of prayer in schools, but clearly these teens have found a way around it.
What are the adults doing? While the adults are definitely acknowledging that our country and our world is a mess. What are we doing?
I heard a song last week, by the Group Casting Crowns, called, “Courageous.” I had never heard it before, but the words really stuck with me. “We were warriors on the front lines standing, unafraid. But, bow we’re watchers on the sidelines, while our families slip away……Where are you men of courage?…..May the watchers become warriors……The only way we’ll ever stand is on our knees with lifted hands.”
The words are powerful because they are true. The only way we will ever stop the evil that has spread across our country and our world, is through repentance and prayer. We were never meant to walk in fear of evil. We were meant to conquer it, because Jesus conquered it and He lives within us.
A year ago, I pinned something on Pinterest that said, “Do not be afraid appears in the Bible 365 times as a reminder to not be afraid everyday of the year. Not a day goes by that I don’t get a notification that somebody liked or saved that pin. That tells me, that fear is on the mind of a lot of people.
God’s people are not supposed to live in fear. There’s so much scripture to back that up. One of my favorites is, “This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Millions of teens joined together last week to cry out to God. They were courageous. Shouldn’t the grown ups be doing the same? May the watchers become warriors.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
P.S. I have attached the song, “Courageous,” if you would like to hear it.
Muffin Grace
Yesterday morning, I had a really hard time getting out of bed. I just felt exhausted. I’m not sure why. I went to bed at a decent hour. I slept well. I had no physical complaints, but I was so very tired.
Our awesome nurse is back at work and I again, look forward to spending our morning quiet time together and starting our day with a quick prayer. Yesterday morning as we prayed together, I asked God for the same thing that I had asked for all morning. I asked that He let us be a light to others who desperately need it and to please let us see Him in those around us.
I am sometimes much more aware of my everyday dependence on grace than others. Yesterday, I was acutely aware that it was going to be a seriously long day if God didn’t intervene in some way.
Right after the bell rang, a little girl came into the office carrying a couple of bags. This wasn’t unusual. I work in the office of an elementary school. Kids are in and out of there all of the time.
But, yesterday morning, the little girl who came in the office, told me and my co-worker that her mom had sent us muffins to apologize. We were stunned.
The day before, there had been a mix up with the little girl’s transportation which happens fairly often at elementary schools. Notes don’t get delivered. Children don’t go where they are supposed to. That day, the parent had misunderstood the availability of an after school program. A simple phone call had straightened it out.
Parents are often upset about transportation snafus. Apologies are fairly rare.
Yesterday morning, this precious little girl came in, all smiles, with muffins and orange juice from her mom, to apologize to us for the mix up. We thanked her graciously and told her to thank her mom for the gifts and to assure her they were completely unnecessary.
When she left, my co-worker told me in the fourteen years she had been doing her job, she had never seen anything like it.
As I went to my desk, with my blueberry muffin and my bottle of orange juice, I thanked God for showing Himself, as He always does when I desperately and humbly seek Him and I realized that I would in fact, make it through the day after all.
The Bible tells us, “I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me.” Proverbs 8:17
I would like to challenge you and encourage you to do just that. You might just find yourself wonderfully surprised. It’s so important to remember to seek God in the ordinary.
A little girl and a blueberry muffin reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
River Rock Wisdom
On a recent hike in the mountains, my son discovered a pile of river rocks stacked up on a boulder. It was very unexpected, in the midst of all of the wilderness and nature at its best. But, there it was. Clearly, man and nature had intersected.
I love rocks. I love that they often tell a story with their layers. I love that some of them catch the light. I love that some of them have beautiful colors. They represent history for me. When I hold one, I am in awe of the hundreds of years that it took to form it.
I am particularly fond of river rocks. They tend to be perfectly round and smooth to the touch and I enjoy picking them up out of the water and holding them in my hand. They remind me of being in process.
River rocks are beautifully smooth because they have been shaped by water rushing over them for years and years. All of the sharp edges have been slowly worn away over time. What is eventually left behind is a perfectly formed, round rock.
River rocks remind me of our human struggle. Most of us have all types of sharp edges and when life gets hard and pours over us, we can stand tall and grow bitter. We can hold onto anger, pain and resentment and our edges can grow even sharper.
But, there is another way. We can bend. When life gets hard and it always does, when tragedy strikes, and it sometimes will, we can get on our knees and raise our hands to heaven. We can pray for peace. We can pray for strength. We can lean into Jesus and let amazing grace wash over us like a river washing over those rocks.
And as time goes by and our faith grows, we can lose those edges as we let go of all of those things we were never meant to carry in the first place. Our hearts can become smooth and beautiful like those river rocks. We can become a sight to behold and something that draws others to us, just like those stacked rocks my son found.
But, we have to remember that the process takes time. As long as we are on this side of heaven, we are in progress. We have a choice to make. We can allow life’s circumstances to make us sharp and hurtful to those around us or we can choose to allow God to use those to mold us into something different, something better, something unique and beautiful.
We always have a choice. Faith, is a choice.
Some river rocks reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Pencil Grace
One of the first things I was given when I joined the church choir, besides a choir book, was a pencil. I couldn’t imagine what in the world I would need with a pencil in the choir. We are singers, not writers
Turns out, we are note takers. Music is like a foreign language to those of us who don’t read it and I don’t. I have to write down things like who is singing a solo and when we are all supposed to come in. I even have to write in when to breathe.
Can you imagine not knowing when to breathe? But, in the world of choir, we can’t just breathe anytime we want to. We have to breathe before long notes. We can’t breathe in the middle of a word and perhaps most importantly, we have to breathe together.
Choir is definitely a team deal and working together is of the utmost importance.
But, as we are handed out different pieces to sing each week, I often find notes already written in the margins by someone who sang a particular piece before I did. Sometimes it reminds us to do the same thing as before, like to hold a note out for a certain amount of time. But, sometimes the margin note tells us to do something completely different and we have to erase it, because we aren’t doing it that way this time around.
And therein lies the beauty of the pencil. Pencil marks can be erased. I have never found anything written in a choir book in ink. It’s always in pencil. The pencils allow the song to be completely changed into something beautiful and unique every time it is sung.
Those choir books and their pencil marks got me to thinking about how often we make marks that we shouldn’t have made on all types of situations. We sometimes say things we shouldn’t have said. We sometimes do things we shouldn’t have done and we walk around feeling like there can’t possibly be forgiveness of our mistakes.
We feel like our marks are made in dark Sharpie markers or at the very least, in ink. Ink is permanent.
But, Jesus teaches us another way. Because we have Jesus, our sins, our mistakes, are written in pencil. His death and resurrection act as the perfect eraser and when we go to Him and confess our sins, we end up with perfectly white space to begin again.
Like those choir books, we are free to create a new and beautiful song in a way that is unique to each of us. Some erasable pencil marks reminded me that grace gives us the gift of beginning each day with a fresh start.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
The Calming of Creation
On Saturday morning, as I sipped my coffee on my porch, I basked in the cool morning air. I knew it was supposed to be in the 90’s again, but at that moment, it was pure bliss. An idea was forming in my head as my family all came and joined me. I wanted to go hiking.
My daughter had planted the seed earlier in the week, but I had kind of dismissed it.
Saturdays, these days, include laundry, cleaning house and grocery shopping. There’s not a lot of extra time. Besides, it was going to be hot on Saturday. Fall may have appeared on the calendar, but no one had informed nature. If I didn’t get my chores done on Saturday. When would I get them done?
But, as I sat there in the coolness, I felt the nudge to get out of the house. Our family loves hiking together. We enjoy Creation together. It brings us closer together and it brings us closer to God.
As I tossed out the idea, we got on our phones to find a place close by that we hadn’t been to before. We found one and threw on our clothes, took the top down on the Jeep and hit the road.
It was a gorgeous day and we played the radio and sang together. We drove a long time, and got lost, but the day was beautiful and no one seemed to mind. After several turn arounds, we finally arrived at the trail head.
The sun had been really hot out on the highway and I questioned myself a couple of times along the way, about the wisdom of hiking in the heat. But, the temperature was much cooler in the mountains and there was shade everywhere. As we passed by one friendly hiker after another, I was glad we had come.
It’s always interesting how differently people act when they are in nature. I don’t think we crossed paths with one person who didn’t smile and speak to us. It’s almost like people are more naturally relaxed when they are in the presence of the wonder of Creation.
Our trail was around five miles up and back and paralleled a noisy creek for almost the entire hike. We saw several nice waterfalls, but we got to hear the splashing water constantly. It was very soothing for some tired souls.
My hubby and daughter got ahead of my son and I, several times. He and I often hang back when we go exploring, and take pictures and try to soak up every single detail.
At around 5:00, we headed back to the car, starving, all regretting the decision to skip lunch because we had a late breakfast. We had the best meal ever at Zaxby’s along with great conversation.
Saturday’s hike reminded me that time with family is precious. It reminded me that whenever I get stressed and overwhelmed, getting outside, away from man-made distractions and into the Creation of God, is usually the best choice. It reminded me that most of the stuff on my to-do list can wait and that when I truly seek God in the midst of my daily chaos, He never disappoints.
Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂