Author: Wendy

Slow and Steady

Posted on by Wendy
Slow and steady watering produces some awesome fruit.
Slow and steady watering produces some awesome fruit.

I recently read that the best way to water your garden is through drip irrigation. The rationale is when the leaves and blooms of veggies stay wet, it creates and opportunity for diseases to grow or things like mold.

Drip hoses look just like other hoses except when you turn them on, water doesn’t shoot out the end. Instead, tiny dots of water slowly seep through the porous hose and slowly soak the plants. At first glance, it looks like it would take forever to get the watering done. Compared to one of those spray guns where water comes out in a fast, bursting stream, using drip irrigation looks inefficient.

The key is to turn it on a leave it running for a while and yes, it really does get the roots completely soaked. The roots are where the plant needs the water and nutrients anyway, not the leaves. You never fertilize leaves. You fertilize roots.

Drip irrigation works on the slow and steady principle. When I think about it, that principle works best with just about everything in life, from getting in shape, to losing weight, to building relationships, to making and saving money. Slow and steady takes longer, but the results are usually better and more permanent.

I think our faith walk is much the same. We’ve all met those people who are just “on fire,” for God. They are often new to the faith and they often burn out just as quickly.

Faith takes time to grow, just like a garden. We have to establish strong and deep roots. It takes prayer and Bible study and worship. It takes Christian community. It’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit, so it’s not something we can simply create. It takes patience and obedience. It takes time.

But, if we take the time to walk with Jesus and be patient, a little bit at the time. Our faith, the faith that can be the size of a tiny mustard seed, can move mountains. That makes me smile and gives me peace, because I can do slow and steady. I’ll bet you can too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Christian Community

Posted on by Wendy
Christian Community can change the world.
Christian Community can change the world.

One of my favorite topics to write about is community, specifically Christian community. Paul wrote a lot about community in his letters that make up the majority of the New Testament.

My mama recently shared with me a story of community at work in her church. In her Sunday School Class, an older woman began talking about her son’s cancer diagnosis and how she disagreed with his choice of treatment. She began sobbing as she told her story. We tend to get uncomfortable when people lose control, don’t we? When we don’t have answers, we tend to distance ourselves.

Most of us prefer smiling happy faces at church. I suspect God prefers authenticity. Come just as you are. Mama said is was beautiful the way the class rallied around her. Men and women chimed in. They offered her support as they listened and offered prayer. This is Christian Community.

In my own church, our new associate pastor was listening as I was sharing my upcoming mission trip and all of God’s signs telling me to go. She placed her hand on my arm and asked me the dates, so that she could pray for me. It was totally unexpected, although I don’t know why. This is Christian Community.

A family in our community very recently lost a child in a tragic car accident. They are members of our last church. An e-mail went out yesterday requesting members of an adult Sunday School Class to help them move. They needed some assistance loading a truck. At least two members had already signed up to help. This is Christian Community.

Paul tells us in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.”

There are many ways to do good to others. We can physically assist. We can politely listen. We can give time and money. We can pray and intervene spiritually for those in distress. Every situation requires something a little different. There is always opportunity. But, either way, as Christians, we are called to be part of community.

We have so much to teach each other and so much to learn. Each one of us has something unique to share. We simply can’t do that at home watching a sermon on television or online.

Christian Community is special and powerful. It makes a difference. It changes lives. It can change the world. Don’t miss being a part of it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

What Are You Called to Do?

Posted on by Wendy
Each time we figure out what we don't want to do, we are a step closer to figuring out what we do want to do.
Each time we figure out what we don’t want to do, we are a step closer to figuring out what we do want to do. Nothing is ever wasted.

My soon-to-be high school junior, doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. Shocker right? It seems that all of the kids around her know exactly what they want to do when they grow up, or at least they think they do. Lately, I have had countless conversations with her about how figuring out what she doesn’t want to do, can lead her to what she does.

I know it seems kind of counter intuitive, but it works. She tried volunteering to tutor kids at a local elementary school last year. She didn’t enjoy that at all. She probably doesn’t need to be a teacher.

She hates medical stuff and the sight of blood, so being a doctor or nurse is probably out.

With each step she takes that helps her discover what she doesn’t like, she gets another step closer to discovering what she does.

I think our faith walk can be very similar. When we give our hearts to Jesus, we know we want to follow Him. We know that God will call us to serve in some way. We often are willing to serve, but don’t know how. What exactly is He calling us to do?

Sometimes, we just know. People who love to sing are naturally drawn to the choir. People who just love kids are often drawn to teach children’s Sunday school classes. But, what if we don’t feel that we have much talent or don’t enjoy kids?

There are a million ways to serve. Probably the best way to figure out your calling is prayer. Then start volunteering at your church. Most churches are more than happy to put you to work somewhere. You could greet people, or help take attendance, or serve on a committee. You can help make or serve refreshments. You can volunteer to visit people who are sick.

You can’t find what you are called to do by never trying anything. I always said that I was interested in working with any group of kids except middle schoolers. It’s such an awkward age. Surprisingly, (or not really, now that I’ve walked with God long enough), I find that I really have a heart for that age group. Sure, they can be mouthy, but their masks aren’t on yet. They are still open to listening and learning.

Working with the middle schoolers when I was asked, even though I thought it was something I wouldn’t enjoy, lead me to something I never would have believed in a million years that I would enjoy. I have heard people that I roped into volunteering at Vacation Bible School, say the same. They really didn’t think they would enjoy it; but they did.

Of course, we can  minster anywhere. I met a delightful girl yesterday who told me that making sandwiches was her ministry. How fabulous!

If you are serving somewhere, keep serving. The Kingdom needs you. If you aren’t, perhaps you should say a prayer and then say yes to something when asked. You never know, you may find your calling. If not, you will be a step closer to finding it. That’s just part of the journey.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Home Stretch

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes when the journey seems the hardest, success is just around the bend.
Sometimes when the journey seems the hardest, success is just around the bend.

My kids only have three days left before summer break, three short days. But, you would think it’s three months. They are dreading the last three days of school. They are tired and ready to be done.

My daughter has finals. She missed exempting one of them by three points on a test. She has an A in the class, but this particular teacher was more focused on a particular test than the overall grade. No big deal, right? That little situation caused hysterics.

Have you ever noticed that when you get very close to the finish line is the time that you feel most ready to give up?

I’ve noticed this phenomenon before. Whether you are getting ready to leave your current job, or move to a new house, graduate, or even if you are in training. The very last part often feels like the hardest. It seems like it really is the darkest before the dawn.

Our little church community has been looking for a permanent home for fourteen years now. It’s been a long hard road for them, but they have held onto the firm belief that a “church” is the people who worship together, who make a community, not the building. They have had several temporary homes, but an opportunity has recently materialized that looks to be the answer to years of prayers.

We are new members there. The entire process seems to be moving very quickly to our family, but there are members who are really starting the see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. They didn’t give up, even when it seemed impossible.

One of my favorite Bible verses is Galatians 6:9. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Paul is talking about doing good  to our fellow man. Perhaps though, if we are in close relationship with God and listening for His voice and doing what He calls us to do, we can apply it to other areas in our lives as well. If we work hard and keep our eyes on Him, we will eventually succeed, even if our success looks differently than we thought it would. We succeed when we obey. Our success builds faith.

Could it be possible that when we are closest to success is when our enemy attacks us the hardest? When you think about it, we aren’t a threat at the beginning of a journey and maybe not much of one in the middle, but right there at the end, especially if our success will build our faith and glorify God in some way, that’s when we have the biggest target on our heads.

So, if you feel like you can’t take just one day more of your current journey, say a prayer and dig in, you might be in the home stretch. Success might be just around the next corner. Keep going, one foot in front of the other. Never give up! There might be a harvest on the horizon. You don’t want to miss it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Watching for Whales

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes when we pray for signs and answers, we have to patiently wait, but sometimes our answers come quickly. The trick it so watch.
Sometimes when we pray for signs and answers, we have to patiently wait, but sometimes our answers come quickly. The trick is to watch.

My daughter has been wrestling with God lately. She had a fabulous mission trip experience last year in South Carolina. It was through a small church that couldn’t have been a better fit for her. It was life changing. We have changed churches since last year, so she didn’t really think that the same mission camp was an option.

Then her foreman, a man that she came to adore over her week there, reached out to her and asked her if she was returning. He told her she didn’t have to come with the same group. She and I talked and we tried to round up a group from our new church to go. Ideally, I was going to send my hubby, and both my kids. There were others at church who were interested. I could even go, if needed, but I had never really felt called to do something like that.

It looked like it was going to happen, but it didn’t. That week just wouldn’t work for the people I was talking to. We let the mission trip idea go.

The he reached out to her and me again. The leader of the camp also reached out to me and told me she would pray about us coming. My daughter and I prayed about it. She really just wanted one buddy to go with her. She had a friend who could go, but she would be a day late. We let the idea go again.

Last week, I was walking and praying and asking God to give me some guidance on the trip. I do try to stay in His will, but sometimes I simply don’t know what it is. I knew my daughter was wrestling, but I didn’t really know how to proceed.

When I was on Facebook that evening, there was a plea from the leader of the mission project. They were desperately short on volunteers and she named several people in her plea. She said I need, (names here,) to come and be the hands and feet of Jesus. Guess whose name was on the short list. Yep, mine. Wendy Gaines, we need you.

Now, at this point, I’m thinking about getting swallowed by a whale. For me, it was fairly close to a burning bush moment. I prayed for God to show me His will and then my name is specifically called out to be “the hands and feet of Jesus?”

I messaged her on Facebook on told her some financial concerns I had. We could swing the fee for one trip, but with wisdom teeth coming out this summer and hubby getting a crown, two would be tough. She answered right back they would scholarship me.

At this point, I could see the whale circling. I immediately agreed to go. I’m not real big on wrestling with God.

My daughter and I will be attending a summer mission trip in June. I’ve never been on one. I’m excited to see what God has for us to learn since He so clearly wants us to go.

Sometimes we pray for signs and answers. Sometimes we have to wait a while and sometimes they are very subtle. This time, it was hard to miss, but I wonder how often I do miss them. I am reminded by the entire experience to always watch for answers when we pray. Sometimes they are right in front of us. They can even pop up on social media.

How closely do you watch?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Breaking Free from the Herd

Posted on by Wendy
It takes courage to break out of the herd.
It takes courage to break out of the herd.

My daughter attends a very high achieving high school. It gets ranked nationally each year. The SAT scores are high and there are a huge number of kids who take Advance Placement courses or AP for short. The teachers and administrators really push these classes and harp on the fact that the kids can actually get college credit if they make a certain score on the final test, which by the way, the colleges raise every year. I suspect this has to do with the funds they lose on the kids not having to pay for their classes, but I could be mistaken.

My sophomore drank the proverbial Kool-aid this year and took one of the AP classes. It’s been a miserable and stressful experience for her. Quite frankly, I can’t imagine college being as ridiculously difficult as the questions that she was asked on many of her Work History tests. I’m a fairly bright gal with a college degree myself, and when I can’t understand the question, I’m crying foul, here.

Anyway, when she registered for classes next year, we had some long heart-to-hearts. The choice was hers, but she decided to register for honors classes instead of AP. I totally supported her choice. It’s just high school after all, does it really need to be that stressful? And if it takes her four whole years to finish college, so what?

She was happy with her decision. I was happy with her decision. But, her classmates, well, that’s a different story. You wouldn’t believe the pressure she has gotten to change her mind and register for AP. Her home room teacher, who doesn’t even teach her, has pressured her to change her mind. “Everyone is taking AP.”

Everyone is also talking about how miserably hard junior year always is. Many students have at least two AP classes if not more.

As she and I were talking about it this morning, I talked to her about herd mentality, one of my favorite analogies on being an individual.

First of all, I reminded her that God made us to be individuals. He gave us all different gifts and talents. Secondly, I don’t believe for a moment that His plan is for her to spend a miserable four years in high school because she took ridiculously difficult classes. If all she has time to do is study, how can she serve Him? If she is constantly stressed, how can she ever have time to be still and listen to His voice for guidance? How can she develop the gifts that she has been given?

Then I explained that when people are part of a herd, they all do the same thing. They may be miserable, but they are miserable together. When someone breaks out of the herd and the misery, and makes different choices, the ones who don’t have that desire or the courage, don’t like it. They try to use whatever means necessary to reel them back into the herd. After all, misery loves company. Shouldn’t we all be miserable together?

I don’t think so. I think that God made us all unique. Therefore, we shouldn’t all fit into the same mold as our peers. When we find ourselves in miserable circumstances, it’s usually best to take a time out and listen for His voice and His direction. I often find that He directs me to a different path.

My teenager needed that reminder today. Perhaps you did too. Forget the herd. What is He calling you to do?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Piper Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Piper's vet visit reminded me that we should trust God even when we don't understand.
Piper’s vet visit reminded me that we should trust God even when we don’t understand.

Last week, our dog Piper, was acting a little puny. I decided I should take her to the vet. He thought that she probably had an abscessed tooth. He prescribed an antibiotic and I set up a cleaning appointment for yesterday. There’s something that just seems wrong to me about paying to get a dog’s teeth cleaned. I mean, when I was growing up no one would have dreamed of getting their dog’s teeth cleaned. Did bones stop working?

Anyway, we got her from the pound a couple of years ago and she was missing some teeth then. So, yesterday morning, I couldn’t give her any breakfast because they have to put her to sleep to clean her teeth. The other dog got to eat. I don’t know when I have felt like such a heel as when she kept following me around wagging her tail. Where was her morning treat? Where was her breakfast?

I tried explaining it, but of course, she’s a dog. She didn’t get it. When I got her harness to put her in he car, she was excited, until we got to the vet.

Remember how I said I didn’t know when I had felt as badly as when I didn’t give her breakfast? Well, multiply it times ten when we got to the vet. She jumped up on me and when I squatted down on the floor beside her, she began to whine. This dog NEVER whines. I’ve never heard her make that sound. She was breaking my heart.

All I was trying to do was get her some medical attention to make her feel better and stay healthy. The vet visit was in her best interest. Why couldn’t she understand that? Didn’t she know I wasn’t abandoning her? Don’t I always come for her? Why didn’t she trust me?

I was pondering the entire heart wrenching ordeal on the way home. Of course she couldn’t understand because she’s a dog not a person. I found myself praying about doing what is best and not being understood or appreciated.

I began to get a tiny glimmer of how I think God feels when He is dealing with us and our best interests. Have you ever been in a situation where you think God has abandoned you? Have you ever felt like He didn’t care or He was allowing you to be mistreated in some way?

Are you ever able to look back on those circumstances and see how He was busy at work even though you didn’t see it? Perhaps that lost job or lost relationship was for the best? Perhaps that wrong turn, turned out to be the right way after all?

When our hearts belong to Jesus, we never walk alone. God is always with us and always working with our best interests at heart. Sometimes, like Piper, we just can’t see it or understand because we’re not God. But, unlike Piper, we can choose to trust. The God who sent his only son to save us, will never abandon us.

He has a plan even when all seems lost. Piper reminded me of that. Maybe you needed a reminder too. By the way, her teeth turned out just fine and she’s happy to be home.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Kingsnakes not Copperheads

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes a second look shows us that we didn't need to be afraid after all.
Sometimes a second look shows us that we didn’t need to be afraid after all.

My mama was a city girl. She grew up in town and walked to school on sidewalks. My parents moved us out to the country when I was just learning to walk. Mama taught me as early as I could remember to run away if I ever saw a snake. My daddy and granddaddy felt the same way. I grew up with a natural fear of snakes, all snakes.

I married a man who grew up in rural Georgia who shared my healthy fear of snakes, but in the past few years, we have changed our minds about them.

Our yard is very wooded. We have lots of squirrels, birds and chipmunks and even though we don’t often see them, snakes. Several years back, a Copperhead snake bit our dog. We never saw the snake, but the dog required medical attention. She fully recovered, and I became very wary of poisonous snakes.

The snake in the picture above, is a Kingsnake. It was hanging out near our hot tub last weekend. My hubby ran up on it as he was getting ready to work on the tub. As I walked around the corner, he called to me that a snake was back there. I froze.

“What kind?” I asked with dread.

He said it was a Kingsnake and I breathed a sigh of relief. Those guys kill the poisonous ones. It would be really foolish of us to kill one. Still, old feelings die hard and I watched from a very safe distance filled with fear of it, even though I knew it wouldn’t harm me.

It made me wonder about what other misplaced fears I might be carrying around with me. We pick up all kinds of fears over a lifetime. Some of them are good and keep us safe. It was certainly wise of Mama to warn me and my siblings about snakes. It’s not like you want to trust a five-year-old to discern the difference between poisonous and nonpoisonous ones.

But, as we get older, I think maybe it’s incumbent on us to figure out what we should really be frightened of and why. Adults shouldn’t fear all snakes or all spiders either, for that matter. Christians aren’t supposed to fear much of anything.

The Bible tells us, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

What does that mean? Maybe it means that we need to ask ourselves what kind of fears are we carrying around. Unfounded fears simply hold us back from living in freedom. They imprison us. If we have needless fears, we can always pray about them and give them to God. He can replace them with peace and power and then we can live as we are supposed to, eyes focused on Him.

We may find through prayer, that most of our fears are nothing more than Kingsnakes, not Copperheads.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Honeysuckle Moments

Posted on by Wendy
What God plants is always so much better than what we can accomplish on our own.
What God plants is always so much better than what we can accomplish on our own.

I think May might be my favorite time of the year. It’s the time of year I can walk out onto my porch barefoot and have a cup of coffee. It’s not too cold and it’s not too hot. I can listen to the birds create their symphony and I can smell the honeysuckle.

I have really noticed the glorious scent of the honeysuckle vines around my house the last couple of days. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s stronger this year, but it smells fabulous. When my daughter joined me on the porch yesterday in her jammies and she mentioned how much she liked it too, we started talking about how much of it we have around the fence and trees near the house and about how much we love the scent.

Here’s the greatest thing about it; I didn’t plant it, not any of it. Not one little blossom came from any work I did.

I did plant some jasmine several years ago. Jasmine is famous in the South, for its sweet, intoxicating smell. It’s supposed to be easy to grow and it will cover unsightly fences. I bought it and watered it and hoped for the best. It did climb a pole. It also covered up a concrete pillar. It hasn’t bloomed even once.

The honeysuckle and jasmine comparison made me think about the things we plant and the things God plants. Sometimes we try our hardest to make something work that we think is best. Sometimes we can make it work, but sometimes we can’t. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, there are things or circumstances we just can’t make succeed. They can be almost anything from jobs, to relationships, to business ideas. Some things simply were not meant to be, kind of like my jasmine.

Then, at other times, things work out just beautifully, with almost no effort of our own. There are times when things seem to fall into place almost magically. It’s almost as if every light we come to is green, and a project, or a relationship, or a new job just succeeds almost perfectly out of the blue. These are our honeysuckle moments.

These moments are nothing we did ourselves. They are gifts from a loving God. I think the key is to recognize them and give thanks. I think we probably have many more honeysuckle moments than we realize; I know I do. Those vines growing in my backyard reminded me in a beautiful way that I am loved and blessed in so many ways and that I should probably look a little closer at all I have been given.

Maybe you need a reminder too. What are your honeysuckle moments?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Honoring Life’s Mothers

Posted on by Wendy
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Mother’s Day!

Sunday is Mother’s Day and thanks to the commercial world we live in, there’s a great push to buy the mothers in our lives everything from cards and flowers to diamond jewelry and days at the spa. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving tokens of thanks to the moms in our lives who we have been blessed with, but I think we should all go a little deeper on Mother’s Day.

Most women have been a mom in some way, shape or form in their lifetimes, even if they didn’t physically give birth to a child. Women tend to be natural nurturers. God made us that way, so most women mentor or mother many people during their lives who don’t share their DNA.

Sometimes our need to create life even takes the form of creating charities or writing books or movies that change people’s lives in some way. Creating and nurturing is something most women do well, which is not surprising, when we remember how creative our Creator is.

I think Mother’s Day is the perfect day to celebrate the women in our lives who have helped us along our journey. We should definitely celebrate the women who gave us physical life, but it’s a great time to remember all the ladies who have mothered us along the way.

It’s a great day to say a prayer of thanks for all of the mamas out there who make a huge contribution to the world we live in through the children they raise. It’s also a great day to remember those who are mourning the loss of their own mothers or those who may be mourning the loss of a child. We can pray for grace and comfort for those who mourn. The Bible tells us, they will be blessed and comforted.

I’m very grateful for my mama and all she’s done for me and I’m grateful for all those women who have mothered me along the way. I’d like to wish all the mamas out there a Happy Mother’s Day. You are all truly a blessing from God.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂