Author: Wendy

Making a Positive Kingdom Impact

Posted on by Wendy
We all have the ability to make a Kingdom impact on those around us. What will yours be?
We all have the ability to make a Kingdom impact on those around us. What will yours be?

I received a text from my daughter last week showing me her A in a class that she had really been working hard in. She had been sitting on an 89.5 and then an 89.7, but this particular teacher refused to round up. She was frustrated, but kept at it. When she finally got her A, she sent a picture of the grade in Power School.

She captioned underneath it, “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” I smiled. I was so pleased for her. She worked hard and finally saw results.

But, her next text brought tears to my eyes. She wrote, “Picture Mr. Bill saying it, for dramatic effect.”

Mr. Bill was her site foreman on two mission trips. He spent a week teaching her and other teens how to roof houses and do other repairs for people who were unable to do for themselves. She was super shy and unsure of herself her first year and he said she was always scooting out of the way, which earned her the nickname “Skooter.”

The next year she returned to the same mission camp with mommy in tow and a little more confidence and he took her under his wing again. I got to watch my child bloom on a roof in South Carolina.

The entire experience made such an impression on me that my entire family is going this year. I found myself getting so excited last week when I received a confirmation e-mail that we had been accepted into the camp. I was already happy to be going back. I already knew that God was calling us there.

Then I got her text and I was reminded of the impact the we all have the capability of making on the young ones around us and that God is always at work. Mr. Bill could have simply given her instructions on how to use a nail gun, but he cared enough about a shy teen to get to know her and two years later, when she reached a goal she worked really hard at, she thought of him.

It makes me think about all of the people who come across our paths and how we treat them in whatever our dealings may be. It doesn’t even have to be mission trip or a teaching type situation. It can simply be a conversation with a bagger at the grocery store or a waitress at a restaurant.

How we treat people matters, but it’s more than that; how we connect with them matters. When we are around people we don’t know, people who may be shy or struggling, people who are powerless to give us anything, do we treat them like they are special? Do we treat them like they are a fellow child of God? Do we treat them like we believe they have enormous potential?

Haven’t we all had someone treat us in that way? Isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do? Isn’t that a picture of Christian love?

As I’m gearing up for Vacation Bible School season, my daughter’s text reminds me that we all have such great potential to make a huge, lifelong impact on the Kingdom of God. That impact can last long after our physical time has passed. It can be positive, negative or neutral. I’m going for positive.

Care to join me?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He Still Parts the Waters

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He still parts troubled waters.
He still parts troubled waters.

As I was reading through Exodus and the account of God parting the Red Sea, I was reminded that God would again part the waters, some forty years later. This time He parted the waters of the Jordan River and this time it wasn’t for Moses, but for Joshua.

Joshua was a slave in Egypt like the rest of the Israelites. Joshua witnessed all of the plagues that were unleashed by God on Egypt. He would have participated in the very first Passover. He had to flee from the Egyptians who pursued them and then he got to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground. He got to eat manna from heaven.

When he went with the other spies to check out the Promised Land, only he and one other man, Caleb, brought back a good report. Joshua did everything he was supposed to, yet when God pronounced judgement on Israel for not believing that the Promised Land was good and that He would continue to protect and provide, Joshua had to remain in the wilderness for 40 more years with everyone else.

It doesn’t seem quite fair when we read it. Why should Joshua have to suffer? But, God was building him up. God had big plans for His faithful servant Joshua.

When Moses died, Joshua was put in charge. Joshua was the man who actually led the Israelites into the Promised Land and God, who had parted the Red Sea to lead them to freedom from the Egyptians, once again parted the waters to lead them into the land He had promised them.

Joshua, by most accounts would have been somewhere around 60. Let that sink in for a moment.

His life must have seemed hopeless as a child born into slavery and then when God intervened and parted the Red Sea, he must have at last felt like his life was going to become something great. He must have had hope. But, after trusting God and giving a good report on the new land, he was rewarded with more hardship due to the behavior of others, or so it may have seemed at the time.

In those 40 years, I wonder if he got discouraged. I wonder if he felt like God had abandoned him. I wonder if he ever thought he would actually get to live in the land of milk and honey. The scripture doesn’t say. It would have been very difficult to not to cave into the feelings that plague humanity.

Yet, he continued to obey and trust God and at the ripe age of 60, God fulfilled His promise to His people and using Joshua, led them home.

Joshua reminds us that God still parts troubled waters of all kinds. Whatever we are struggling with, God is still in control and He can still perform wonders for those who love, trust, and obey Him. Joshua reminds us God never abandons us; He’s always at work and it’s never too late to get to the Promised Land.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Squirrel Lessons

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A little squirrel reminded me that God intervenes in our lives constantly in ways we can't see.
A little squirrel reminded me that God intervenes in our lives constantly in ways we can’t see.

As I was traveling down the road yesterday to meet a friend, a squirrel ran out into the road directly in my path. Now squirrels are famous for being indecisive. Instead of running across the road, they will run back and forth and end up flattened. This particular one froze and if he stayed put, I would pass safely over him.

They never stay put.

I held my breath for a second, feeling sure I was going to crush him, but I didn’t. I caught him making it to the grass in my rear view mirror. It was a tiny miracle of sorts. Sure, it was just a squirrel, but it was one that got to keep on living due to perfect split second timing.

I thought of that experience for the remainder of the day. I thought about how often God intervenes for us and we don’t even know it.

I had just read that morning, the story in Exodus where Moses tells his father-in-law about the troubles they had faced since leaving Egypt and how the Lord had saved them.

God confused the Egyptians, parted the Red Sea, turned undrinkable, bitter water into drinkable water, sent manna and quail for food and then made water appear from a rock and all those gifts were for complaining, ungrateful people. Yet, when Moses told the story, he was quick to point out that even though there were hardships along the way, the Lord had saved them. Exodus 18:8

Those were hardships that they could see. God intervened in those big ways to show His power and love for His people and to build their faith. Who knows in what other ways He intervened?

How many people stayed healthy on that journey? How many babies were born? How many elderly people successfully made the trip?

It’s sometimes difficult to feel like God is with us when times are tough and circumstances seem impossible, but the Bible assures us over and over that He is and as we grow in faith, like Moses, we can learn to recognize His presence.

But, my squirrel encounter also reminded me that He is with us throughout all of our days and years in ways that we may never know. When you forgot something at home and had to turn around and go get it, perhaps you avoided a fatal accident. When you didn’t get that job you so desperately wanted, perhaps He was saving a better one for you. When the answer to an ongoing prayer was no, is it possible that what you thought you wanted wasn’t what you needed?

Looking back on my own life, I have found that to be true.

While we make an effort to be thankful for all of the blessings that we can see, maybe we should also say a prayer of thanks for all of the blessings that we can’t see. Just because we can’t see them, doesn’t mean that God hasn’t rained them down on us.

Being able to be thankful for that which we don’t see is just another step in growing our faith and trust in the One who created us and loves us unconditionally.

A little squirrel reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Hummingbird Reminders

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When we are willing to serve, we can offer refreshment for a thirsty world.
When we are willing to serve, we can offer refreshment for a thirsty world.

A couple of days ago, I was sitting on my back porch when I saw a hummingbird fly by. I was filled with excitement and guilt all at once. I was excited because I really enjoy watching them every year at the feeder and also because it was just one more sign that summer is coming.

But, I threw away my feeder at the end of last year. It was old and beyond repair. I promised myself that I would buy a new one before the little hummers arrived in the spring, but I forgot.

When my teenage son arrived home from school and joined me on the porch, the hummingbird flew by again. I shared my feelings of guilt with him. He replied with a grin, “Wow, Mom, he’s probably thinking I just flew all the way from South America and it sure would be nice to get a drink!”

You, gotta love teen wit.

But, I thought about the little bird all evening and when I got up the following morning, I prepared some sugar water for him and then I took off to Wal-Mart as soon as possible to buy a new feeder. I even chose one that is supposed to be ant proof and wasp proof. We’ll see about that.

I got it filled and hung as soon as I returned home. I wondered if the bird would return.

I watched for a few minutes, knowing that it could be hours. But, it wasn’t. Within ten minutes, the little guy was sitting on a perch getting his long-awaited drink. He lingered for a little while and I was filled with relief and pure joy just watching him enjoy the fruits of my labors.

That hummingbird stayed on my mind for the remainder of the day. I thought about how I felt convicted to serve him, to provide for him. I thought about how my son’s words added to my convictions.

I thought about how the Holy Spirit often works in the same way when we are called to serve people. Sometimes a person will come across our path, or we get a request to help with some kind of ministry in our church. It can range from serving refreshments, to helping with children’s church, to attending a Sunday School Class. It could be to take on some type of leadership role. It could be to go on a mission trip of some sort or to help provide financially for one. It could be to serve some need in our community.

The call to serve could take on any number of faces. The point is that at some point in our faith walk, we are all called to serve. We feel a conviction deep in our hearts that we really need to lend a hand in some way. We know that it comes from God because our work will glorify Him and we know that it comes from Him because the gentle nagging doesn’t go away.

The hummingbird reminded me how important it is to listen to what our hearts are telling us about service, to be open to convictions and willing to answer the call.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He Gets Between

Posted on by Wendy
The God of light not only guides us, but He fights for us too.
The God of light not only guides us; He fights for us too.

As I was recently reading through the Exodus of Israel account, I noticed that God stayed ahead of the Israelites and they followed Him. “By day,  the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” Exodus 13:21

Isn’t that interesting that God didn’t push them or force them along their journey? Nope. He stayed ahead of them and beckoned them to follow. Not only that, He went out of His way to make sure they could see Him at all times, even in darkness.

What does that tell us about the character of our God?

Skip ahead to Jesus. He is known as the, “Good Shepherd.” Shepherds also call not herd or push. They call to the sheep who know their voice and they follow.

As I was appreciating the fact that God was leading His people to safety, the Egyptians came on in strong pursuit. The Israelites were terrified. But, God gave Moses instructions to raise his staff to divide the sea.

“Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.” Exodus 14:19-20

God got in between. He got between the Israelites and those which sought to harm them. He shed light on His own people while leaving their enemies in darkness.

What does that tell us about the character of God?

Skip ahead to Jesus. He intervened too. He got between all of humanity and sin. He took on all of our sin and death. His intervention guarantees eternal life for those of us who accept Him. He was willing to get in between us and the one who seeks to harm us.

Just like God provided light for the Israelites on that fateful night, Jesus provides everlasting light to those of us who believe. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12b

Here we see that word follow again.

So, what can we learn from these Old Testament and New Testament readings telling of events over fifteen hundred years apart?

The love of God for His people never changes. He guides us. He wants us to follow. He fights for us when we are pursued by evil of some sort. He loves us so much that He sent His son to get in between us and sin for good. We all matter to Him.

So, whatever may be pursuing you today, self-doubt, pain, anger, financial woes, addiction, whatever it may be, keep in mind that when you worship the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who gently guides you, the God who provides light in the darkness and intervenes for His people, you will overcome.

Maybe you needed reminding.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

It’s What You Leave Behind

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"It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you" Randy Travis
“It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it’s what you leave behind you when you go.” Randy Travis

When the sun came up yesterday morning, I was delighted to see that my yellow irises were blooming. They even have a name, Money. They bloom every year right around my birthday and they are like a birthday wish from heaven.

My maternal grandmother died the month before I was born and so I never got to know her. As time went on, my granddaddy had a companion and her name was Kittie. She became a grandmother to me.

Long after Grandaddy died, we celebrated birthdays and Christmas with her. When I went away to college, she and I exchanged letters once every couple of weeks. We continued that practice until she was placed in a nursing home in her eighties. She was very special to me and I know that God placed her in my life.

She loved irises and grew different types. She entered them into a yearly contest. Sometimes she would complain that they bloomed too soon or that a late frost would mar them, but the yellow ones called, Money, were her favorites. They often won her a ribbon.

After she went home to be with Jesus, her house sat vacant and was set to be torn down. I called her sister and asked if it would be okay if I went and dug up some of her beloved irises. She gave me her blessing and so my hubby and I went and dug up the bulbs.

We planted them in a patch around a tree so I could see them from my kitchen window. They didn’t bloom the first year and then I found a little cat statue with angel wings and placed it in the bed. Kittie loved cats. I could vividly remember her teeheehee, giggle, when I put it there. The next year I was blessed with blooms along with beautiful memories of her.

Now, every year right around my birthday, those blooms pop out. They stand straight and tall as if they are pointing to heaven. They remind me of the importance of those who walk with us along our journey. They remind me that sometimes family doesn’t come to us through blood, but through God’s special blessings. They remind me of a beautiful soul who isn’t here physically anymore, yet her memory remains.

They remind me that life is short and that we need to make our moments count. They remind me of the Randy Travis song, Three Wooden Crosses. “I guess it’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it’s what you leave behind you when you go.”

That’s easy to forget sometimes in our constant rush, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded. Sometimes it’s good to stop and ask ourselves, “What will we leave behind when we go?” A different kind of Money reminded me today. Perhaps you need reminding too. Let’s make this day count.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Moving Towards Something Better

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes God wants us to firmly close the door on our current path before He opens another one.
Sometimes God wants us to firmly close the door on our current path before He opens another one.

I’m currently following along with an online Bible study on the website #shereadstruth. It’s about the life of Moses and his part in the deliverance of the Israelites. One day last week, I read the passage, in Exodus, chapter five, where Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go and not only did he refuse, he made their work more difficult.

They already had to make bricks, but now they were forced to find their own straw, yet do the same amount of work. Of course, they couldn’t keep up and then they were punished for it. The Israelites, in turn, got very angry at Moses for causing their newest misery.

I’ve always wondered why God would allow that to happen. They were already slaves. He was sending Moses to lead them out. Why didn’t He intervene, when Pharaoh decided to make a bad situation worse?

The writer for that day’s post pointed out that slavery had become the norm for the Israelites. She said that although it was a miserable way of life, they had become comfortable with it. God wanted to make it truly unbearable for them before He led them to something new.

Her point has swirled around in my mind for several days. I always love those Facebook quotes that say things like, “When God closes a door, don’t try to go back through it.” They always speak to me.

I know I have definitely been in situations where some aspect of my life was miserable, but the misery that I knew at the time, was what I had become used to. I was perfectly willing to stay in my misery instead of closing the door and starting on a new path. The unknown was scary.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?

I have also found that when I really began to earnestly pray about my miserable situation, that things often did seem to get worse before they got better.

Was that perhaps because God wanted me, like the Israelites, to embrace the fact that He had a better plan and that my own circumstances at that moment, could never again be an option? Was it because He wanted me to accept with all of my heart, that when He closed that door, that I was to leave it locked for good?

Have you ever experienced this phenomenon?

I have always believed that God has a plan. I have also not always sought His will as I made decisions. Those decisions sometimes created a mess for me. Yet, our faithful Father, was always there to lead me out, at times more quickly than others.

These days, I bathe my major decisions in lots of prayer and regular Bible reading. I would like to think I’m getting better at listening.

The account of God getting ready to lead the Israelites out of bondage and towards the Promised Land reminded me of God’s faithfulness even when we can’t see it in the moment. I sometimes need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Ultimate Sanitizer

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No one is exempt from the redeeming powers of grace.
No one is exempt from the redeeming powers of grace.

One day when I was subbing at a local elementary school, a little boy in my fourth grade class, approached me with a panic-stricken look on his face. He was a sweet child who was always polite and followed directions. The students were in the process of working on a social studies project which required them to use Sharpie markers.

When I asked him what was wrong, he told me in a trembling voice that he had accidentally gotten Sharpie on his desk. He assured me that it was an accident, but he was clearly terrified of getting into trouble.

I told him not to worry, that hand sanitizer, which is a part of every elementary classroom, would take it right off. I could tell that he wanted to believe me, but he didn’t, not completely anyway.

So, I showed him. I took the bottle of sanitizer and squirted it on the desk and voila! It came right off with a paper towel, just as I had promised. You should have seen the relief on his face as he thanked me several times. He was thrilled and there was a bounce back in his step.

I thought about that incident for several days afterwards. The boy obviously had doubts, that I could clean up his mistake, even though I had assured him I could.

It’s kind of like that with the concept of grace for many of us, isn’t it?

Jesus died for us so that we could be forgiven. He died for us so that we could be redeemed. He died for us so that we could approach the throne with confidence.

The Bible says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

We’re all sinners. We all make mistakes. We all fall short. The problem is that sometimes we decide to think that our particular sins are in Sharpie, while everyone else’s are in pencil or even worse, we sometimes feel that our own sins are in pencil and someone else’s are in Sharpie.

But, grace was never intended for a select few, no matter what we may have been told along the way and there is no sin exempt from the forgiveness granted to us by the cross. We also don’t have to scrub our fingers to the bone to remove that sin and earn that forgiveness. In fact, we can’t.

All we have to do is repent and ask Jesus to forgive us and He will. Just like I wiped that desk clean for that little boy, He will wipe our slate clean and give us a fresh new start, no matter the type of ink we used. He’s the ultimate Sanitizer.

That little boy’s mistake reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Even When You Can’t See Him

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"Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest is we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
“Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest is we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

A couple of days ago, I sat down at my kitchen table and had a pity party. I had just returned from the doctor’s office after a breathing treatment and armed with an antibiotic. My week-long cold had turned into bronchitis and I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

My sweet hubby, bless his heart, was trying to fix me something for lunch even though I had no appetite. When he sat down and joined me, the tears began to fall. Nothing was going right. Why wasn’t God answering my prayers? Weren’t we doing all of the right things? Why were all of my plans failing?

Now, my hubby has spent close to twenty years living with me. He didn’t intervene. He just sat there quietly listening and let me wallow. He didn’t have any answers. He didn’t offer any, but he also didn’t try to make me feel better. I suspect he knew that while I was at a low point, my own faith would help me find the light.

We talked for a little while and he went back to work.

It’s interesting how God can work through our people, those who we hold dear. I didn’t really need for him to point out all of our blessings; I knew they were there. I was just in a dark place at the moment. My hubby knew through his own faith, that he couldn’t get me out, but he knew who could and so he just listened.

I found myself asking God all that day where He was and why I couldn’t feel Him or see Him at the moment. My faith told me He was there, but like a child, I wanted proof.

The next morning, I awoke super early. I couldn’t sleep for some reason, but I felt better. The antibiotic was working. I had the entire day to myself with nothing on the schedule, so I asked God for a quiet day, one where I could seek Him and hear Him.

I did some Yoga as I prayed, in front of a window. It was the first day I could breathe deeply in a week. I kept noticing the wind moving in the trees and I had my answer.

We can’t see the wind, but its power and ability is evident in the world around us. It moves the trees and cools the earth. It makes wind chimes create beautiful music. It can also be quite destructive. Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t make it real and present.

As I was pondering that thought, my eye was drawn to a bush that comes back every year. I have no idea what it is. I didn’t plant it, but it’s beautiful and hardy and comes back on its own. It reminded me that while I do have work to do, God is working too, on things and plans of beauty that I can’t even fathom.

My part is to simply trust and be patient. I felt incredibly encouraged.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Who We Think We Are

Posted on by Wendy
God was at work in Moses' life for decades before He spoke to him in the burning bush.
God was at work in Moses’ life for decades before He spoke to him in the burning bush.

I’m following along with an online Bible study on Moses. We all know his story at least the high points. He’s the guy who survived the Nile River in a floating basket. He’s the guy who got to talk to God in a burning bush. He’s the guy who took on Pharaoh and won. He’s the guy who held out his staff and God parted the Red Sea. He was the ultimate Chuck Norris of his time. He seems practically bullet proof, right?

But, a closer reading of the Scripture, shows a more human side to Moses, one most of us can probably relate to on some level.

The Book of Acts tells us that Moses was at the tender age of 40, when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and was so moved by it that he killed the Egyptian. Exodus tells us that the next day he saw two Hebrews fighting each other and when he called them out, one said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” Exodus 2:14a

Moses took that accusation to heart and fled to the desert. He met a woman there and married her. He went to work in the family business tending sheep. They had a son. Moses was content. Life was good. Egypt and the troubles of his people the Hebrews was long forgotten, a thing of the past.

According to Act 7:30, another forty years went by.

Then, out of the blue, God appeared to Moses in a  burning bush. I suspect that Moses thought Egypt was a part of his past. He had tried on his own, to intervene for the Hebrews and they hadn’t in his opinion, seemed very grateful or open to his assistance. I wonder how often he thought about the “who made you?” comment.

But, the thing is, it wasn’t out of the blue. God had been at work the entire forty years, at work in Moses and at work in Egypt. Whether Moses could see it or not, was irrelevant. Can you relate?

So, Moses approaches the burning bush in shock and awe I imagine, and when God tells him He wants him to lead His people out of Egypt, what does Moses say? “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11b

Who am I? Can you relate to that statement? I know I can.

Who am I to lead a Bible study? I don’t really know the Bible myself. Who am I to teach a Sunday School Class? Who am I to go on a mission trip? Who am I to….?

But, the truth is, it didn’t matter who Moses was. The only thing that mattered was in verse twelve when God said, “I will be with you.”

It didn’t matter who Moses was or thought he was. The only thing that mattered was who God was and is.

And so it is with us today. Whatever we are called to do that we feel unworthy or incapable of doing, if God is with us, we will succeed. Failure is not an option for Him.

And don’t forget, it’s never too late to answer the call. Moses was eighty.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂