Author: Wendy

As Iron Sharpens Iron

Posted on by Wendy
Lent is an ideal time to seek out other Christians and work on growing together.
Lent is an ideal time to seek out other Christians and work on growing together.

A very dear friend of mine became a Christian about a year ago. I could write an entire post about how God worked behind the scenes to bring us together, especially for such a time as this. When we get together these days, our conversation always turns to Christianity. We talk about our walk, and about God, about Jesus, about the cross and about the Holy Spirit. We discuss the Bible and what different verses and passages may mean.

She wrestles with God a fair amount of time and I often find myself as a counselor of sorts in matters like His will, and His timing, and His plan. Recently, she told me she thought she was a bi-polar Christian, sometimes on fire with hope and light and at other times in the complete pit of despair.

I quipped right back that once again, she was not special in her trials that those particular issues were something that all Christians faced. She told me I was wrong. She said that she thought that most Christians simply wanted to be comfortable. They wanted to know that eternity was in the bank, so to speak, and then they simply wanted to dress nicely, and dress their families nicely and come to church on Sundays, maybe attend a Sunday school class and then go about their business for another week.

Her statement took my breath away. Was she right? Did the majority of church going Christians look at salvation as a 401K for heaven? I have pondered this concept for a week or so. I have to admit, there have been times in my own life where I would fit into that category. Maybe you can relate?

We live in a country where it’s easy to be comfortable. It’s easy to take the ability to worship freely for granted. It’s a simple matter to be lulled into complacency in our walk. But, perhaps Lent is an ideal time to wake up and get off the pew.

Just last week, 21 Christians were beheaded in Egypt because of their faith. There’s a terrorist group out there that has made its mission to kill all Christian believers they possibly can.

At the very least, I think all Christians should be praying for the safety of our brothers and sisters around the world, not because the same violence could occur on our own soil, but because those people all the way around the world, are God’s people. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, whether or not we have ever met them. The blood of Jesus connects us all.

Please join me during Lent and pray for all Christians and their safety and deliverance. Let’s come together and create a prayer net for each other. Let’s also go to God in prayer and ask Him if we have become comfortable and how we can get off of the pews and get plugged in. And lastly, let’s remember that, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 NLT

Let’s seek out other Christians this Lenten season and work on growing together. There’s no telling what great things could happen.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A More Intimate Relationship

Posted on by Wendy
Lent is the perfect time to work on a closer walk with Jesus.
Lent is the perfect time to work on a closer walk with Jesus.

Last Sunday was Transfiguration Sunday. That wasn’t a term I ever heard as a kid. I knew the story. It’s when Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a mountain top and He transformed into His divine form. His face and clothes became a dazzling white and Moses and Elijah, who had been dead for centuries, also appeared. A cloud appeared and they heard God’s voice. He said, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

Then it was done. Jesus transformed back into His human form. Elijah and Moses vanished. The voice of God was quiet. Peter, bless him, suggested they build shelters for the two prophets and Jesus and stay up there on that mountain forever.

Who could blame him? When we have mountain top moments, we want them to last forever. When we have breakthroughs in our Christian walk, we would often like to stay right there, on that retreat, or at that revival, or at that bedside where a miracle of some sort, occurred.

But, that’s not God’s plan for us. When we experience those intense moments, we are to learn from them and hold them close, but when a fire gets lit within us, we are supposed to spread it. That was Jesus’ Great Commission to all of His followers.

And let’s not miss what God said at this amazing mountain top moment. “Listen to him!”

Today is Ash Wednesday. It’s the first day of Lent. For the next 45 days, these three little words really should be our mantra. As Christians, we are supposed to take this time to not only repent of the things that pull us away from God, (which is why some people choose to give something up during this time like wine, coffee or chocolate); but can also take this time to contemplate activities that can draw us closer to God.

We could commit to reading the Bible daily, or reading one of the Gospels, or all of the Gospels. If we really want to listen to Jesus, the Gospels are a great place to start. We could serve at a soup kitchen or volunteer to serve in some way that we don’t normally serve. We could commit to 15 or more minutes of quiet prayer time, if we want to hear Jesus, we have to be quiet and still. We could write in a prayer journal daily for Lent. These are all activities that draw us closer to God.

While mountain top moments are incredible and often life changing, truthfully, I can’t think of anything more satisfying and comforting than a very intimate walk with Jesus. The peace and joy that come from it are impossible to beat.

I’m going to try to make this Lent about listening to what Jesus said and closely examining what He did, knowing that although it will take me to the darkness of the cross, it will also take me to the other side, to the glory of Easter. The best way for an intimate relationship, is to know Him well.

Lent seems like the perfect time to deepen our relationship with Christ. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you. What are your plans for Lent?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Lessons from Improv

Posted on by Wendy
They underlying mission of Improv is simply to teach the players to listen.
The underlying mission of Improv is simply to teach the players to listen.

Back in early January, my church started an Improv group. Our pastor has written plays and acted on the side, for the majority of his adult life. My hubby and I have found over our years of working with kids and teens, that their favorite part of any curriculum that we bought, or created ourselves, was skits. We found that even when Sunday school attendance was at record lows, the kids would all show up to be in a play.

So, after a couple of meetings with our pastor, the idea of a Sunday Night Improv Group was born. We invited teens and adults to participate, two groups who often don’t mix. On the very first meeting, the pastor explained that Improv is simply about really listening to what your partner is saying. It’s not about thinking about what you will say next, but really listening to them. Right away, I could see some value here.

He went on to say that comedy, good clean comedy, humor, and laughter are gifts from God. The first night was fun, but everyone was kind of nervous. It’s been really cool to see everyone start to loosen up, which is also interesting, because we have different participants each week. We have some regulars, but we also have new people.

The really amazing thing is to watch the teens easily interacting with adults and some of the adults are a good deal older. But, everyone laughs and everyone, even new people, at this point, seem to be perfectly comfortable. We clap for each other. We laugh at each other and ourselves. Through our laughter and silly games, we are learning to listen to voice inflection and tone. We are learning to use and watch for body language. We are learning to trust each other.

Laughter is such an important part of life and comedy truly is a gift. As I was watching the 40th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live on Sunday night, they showed a clip of the World Trade Center which immediately caught my eye. We were all too sad to laugh for a long time after 9/11. There was no SNL for a while. It seemed like our entire country would be glued to our television sets in tears, perpetually. I remember.

But, at some point, we were ready to laugh again. We were ready to begin the process of healing. They showed the clip of Rudy Juliani and the creator of SNL making an announcement that it was okay to be funny again. True to SNL style, the clip itself was funny.

Laughter truly is great medicine. It has the ability to heal us and it has the ability to bring us together. It really is a gift from God that I am seriously thankful for.

It’s exciting to watch our little group grow and eventually, our pastor has a play he wants us to do. It’s a serious play about our journey with God and the highs and lows that are part of it. But, for now, we are playing and laughing and enjoying being part of a faith community. What a huge bonus, that it happens to be so much fun.

It’s a great reminder that God is everywhere, even in the laughter, and I find that amazingly reassuring.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Removing the Word If

Posted on by Wendy
When we find ourselves short on faith, we can honestly ask God for help.
When we find ourselves short on faith, we can honestly ask God for help.

I was just reading a very interesting exchange between Jesus and a father in the Gospel of Mark, chapter four. Jesus had just come down from the mountain where the Transfiguration had occurred. He had taken three of His disciples with him on his journey and was rejoining the other nine when a man from the crowd called out for His help.

Apparently, the man’s son was possessed by a spirit that had taken away his speech and threw him to the ground making him foam at the mouth and gnash his teeth. The father was desperate for help for his child and had appealed to the nine disciples who were present for assistance, but they had been unable to help.

Jesus instructs the man to bring the boy to Him. When he does, the spirit immediately throws the child on the ground and causes him to convulse. Jesus asks the man how long the boy has been this way and the man says since childhood and the spirit sometimes throws him into a fire or water to try to kill him.

I can hear the desperation in his voice when he begs Jesus to help his child. “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Mark 9:22b

I picture Jesus very quietly and intently looking the man directly in the eyes and sternly giving His reply. “If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23

But, this man was not giving up. He was in the presence of a power he had never known and he continued to plead for his child. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

I can definitely identify with this poor man. He is desperate. He’s afraid. He wants to believe. He has some faith, but not complete faith. Don’t we all struggle with situations like that? We believe. We pray. We want to have complete faith that God will take care of it, but we continue to worry anyway. Giving it to God and not taking it back is a lifelong struggle for most Christians.

Do we go to God in prayer with complete confidence or do we take the unspoken word “if” with us? If is a big word when it comes to faith.

But, the scripture here seems to tell us that even when we falter, even when our faith waivers, He will help us anyway. He goes on to heal the boy despite the father’s incomplete faith.

I think the key when we are struggling with our faith is to admit it. The man told Jesus he believed, but asked Him to help with his unbelief. We have the same option today. Jesus doesn’t ask us to fake it. He asks for our open and pure hearts and our honesty. If we have needs, we are supposed to ask and if one of our needs is the lack of faith, we need to ask.

When we do, Jesus will help build or restore our faith. He will remove the “if” from the situation and then all things become possible. Doesn’t that sound fabulous?

What do you think about “ifs” and faith? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Heart Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
God looks at your heart.
God looks at your heart.

You would have to live under a rock to not know that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. I mean, everywhere I shop I am assaulted by red and pink hearts, hanging everywhere. The pizza places are even selling pizza in the shape of a heart as their Valentine’s Day specials. All of these hearts and heart-shaped memorabilia got me to thinking about what God says about our hearts. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share a few Biblical truths about our hearts.

A quick internet search shows the word heart turns up in the Bible anywhere from 570-830 times, depending on the translation. That seems like a lot to me. Our hearts seem to be a big deal to God.

In 1 Samuel 7, when God sends Samuel to look for Israel’s new king, He warns him not to pick the new king because of how he looks. He tells him that, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Now, there’s some sacred wisdom that we probably should all strive to do better with; I know I should. It’s super easy to judge people by their outward appearance. The prophet Samuel was tempted to do the same, but God looks deeper. He looks within. It doesn’t matter how perfect or flawed the package appears on the surface; we are called to look deeper and to try to see a person’s heart.

This lesson can also serve as a reminder for ourselves as well. It doesn’t matter how we look on the outside either. It’s our heart that matters to God, no matter what other lies we may have been tempted to believe along the way.

Another heart verse that jumped out was, Proverbs 4:23; “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Our hearts are the gateway to who or what we worship. What or who we allow ourselves to get focused on or to love, can determine our destiny. We have to be very careful that we don’t fall in love with worldly pleasures and things that can prove to be dangerous for our souls. We have to guard our hearts.

What did Jesus say about our hearts? Actually, He said a lot of things, but my favorite is from Matthew 5:8; “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.”

I once heard a pastor say that if we had pure hearts, we were always on the right track. How do we get a pure heart? I think we have to spend some serious time in prayer everyday asking God what His will for our lives is and asking Him how we can love others better. If we are putting His will in front of our own and loving others, I think we are truly seeking to have a pure heart. God will help us with the rest.

I hope you all have a fabulous Valentine’s Day!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Rushing the Seasons

Posted on by Wendy
When we bloom in the right season, things work out beautifully.
When we bloom in the right season, things turn out beautifully.

When I took a walk yesterday, I saw a clump of daffodils completely in bloom. I would normally be cheered to see them. They are always an early announcement that spring is close by. Unfortunately, it’s only February 12th. It’s supposed to be in the twenties this weekend and then only a high in the forties for a few days. Sadly, I don’t think those daffodils will survive. They weren’t made for winter weather.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m always ready for spring. I am not a fan of winter. I can’t stand being cold and all of the layers and coats required for me to be warm are just a huge inconvenience. I was telling someone the other day about how I was longing for spring. Never mind the fact that our winter has been incredibly mild this year. I’m ready for the next season.

Those daffodils got me to thinking about what happens when we rush into the next season, before we fully finish our current one. We too, can get frostbitten like those tender blooms.

Think about it, when we are in a dark season of mourning or loss and we don’t allow ourselves the full amount of time it takes to heal, we sometimes do things like rush into a new relationship, or a new job, or impulsively sell our house, or get a new dog; (this list is close to endless.) We often find that as time passes, we regret those decisions and we most likely would not have made them, had we given ourselves some time and space to finish the dark season completely.

No one likes a dark season, but to get past it, we have to let it fully run it’s course and allow God to heal us. We have to wait.

Sometimes a season of growth is equally frustrating. We are ready to get going and do big things, but God wants to grow us more before we move. When we get impatient and move before we should, we often falter or fail at what we were attempting. God’s timing is different from ours. Waiting takes obedience, but it also builds faith.

I’ve always loved the Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. “There’s a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

The early daffodils are a reminder that we really need to appreciate and respect our current season, whatever it is. We don’t have to like it, but we need to completely finish it before we can move confidently healed and prepared for the next. God will let us know when it’s time and grace and faith will sustain us along the way.

Because when we wait on God, we are never disappointed. He always has big things planned.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Committing to Show Up

Posted on by Wendy
How different would our world be if we all committed to show up?
How different would our world be if we all committed to show up?

Yesterday was a super busy day for me. I subbed in fifth grade. My son had a dental appointment right after school that I had to rush him to. He had two cavities which will result in a second trip. I ran him home and then I rushed to my daughter’s school to pick her up from tennis practice. I rushed home for dinner and then rushed to a brand new small group from church that was meeting for the first time at 7:00.

I have to admit, I was not feeling it at all. I was exhausted. I wanted to put on my sweatpants and sit on a couch, but I had committed to go and be a part of this group weeks ago. Isn’t that always the way with human nature? We love the idea of doing something different, of participating in something that will grow us or change our lives in some way for the better, but when it comes down to it, we lack the commitment. Exercising and eating healthy are perfect examples of our failure to commit.

My hubby and I even talked about people’s lack of commitment on our way over. Why aren’t people willing to commit to growing spiritually? Why won’t we commit to show up?

Not surprisingly, we had a fabulous time. There were three other couples and a delightful single lady. We were all different ages and backgrounds. We had a nurse and a firefighter, a teacher and a pilot, a widow and a graphic artist. We had retired people and people who still have kids at home. We had people at different stages of their faith walk.

So often in churches, we group ourselves with people who are just like us, raising kids, empty nesters, young couples, retired people or youth. We tend to stick with people who are at our same age and stage. I always have. But, here’s the thing, we miss out on a fabulous opportunity to learn from each other and to pass on wisdom and life experiences to each other. We miss a unique opportunity to grow our faith by being with people who see things differently because they have traveled a different path.

The twelve disciples weren’t all fisherman. Matthew was a tax collector. We don’t know about all of the rest of them, but their backgrounds varied. Peter was married, but we don’t get that information on all of them. They were most likely not all the same. They had different stories and each brought something different and unique to the table, just like we do.

Our first little video session was called, “Committing to Show Up.” I smiled when I saw it. I’m way too deep in my faith walk to believe in coincidences. I attended tonight because I had committed, not because  was in the mood, but I was so blessed because I did. How many other things would we be blessed with if we honored our commitments?

We commit to a lot of things. There are things like exercise and diet, but there are also things like building better relationships, or attending church more regularly, or reading the Bible daily, or setting daily prayer time, or serving others in some way. What would our lives look like if we honored those commitments? What would our world look like?

What if we just committed to show up? We might be delighted with the results. I can’t wait to go back to my next small group meeting.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Life Lessons from a Couple of Papillons

Posted on by Wendy
When we watch for God in the everyday, He always has something to teach us.
When we watch for God in the everyday, He always has something to teach us.

I am looking after my parents’ dogs for a few days while they take a vacation. The little darlings are poster children for high-strung. They bark constantly. They have to be fed twice a day with special food. The little one has to be hand fed most of the time or he won’t eat and they have to be leash walked rain or shine, even when it snows.

My parents love their dogs and I love my parents, so I look after them with a joyful heart, (most of the time), when they ask me to, which really isn’t that often.

My daily prayer is always that God will show Himself to me in some way, in the world around me. It’s often surprising where He shows up, but this time, it was through those two little dogs.

First of all, the smallest one, Levi, only wants to be in my lap. He would rather sit in my lap and be right by my side than eat. He wants constant contact, which can be quite annoying, but then it struck me the other day how God would love for us to pursue Him like that. What if our goal in life was constant contact with Him? What if we wanted nothing more that to be at His side? What if we put that contact and closeness before everything else in our lives, including food? What would our world look like?

I’ve been turning that little nugget over in my head for days now and have marveled at the very real concept that God placed right in front of me, thanking Him for the lesson and asking Him for more.

Well, you know what they say, careful what you ask for…. I was leash walking them at 6:00 AM, yesterday morning, inside our fence because their safety, due to their size, is a huge concern for me. We had an 80% chance of rain, which was no surprise. We always have rain when I’m dog sitting. It wasn’t raining yet and I felt like I had won the Lotto. Then I heard them.

There were coyotes nearby. They were howling and yipping at the tops of their lungs. I froze. Were we safe inside the fence? Could the coyotes hear us? Would they try to get to us? How far away were they? I expected the pups to freak out and bark. Nope. They went on about their business as I silently prayed for our safety. They finished and we quickly went into the house.

Those two little dogs never flinched. They never missed a beat, seemingly oblivious to the danger that was close by. Isn’t that how we are supposed to trust God? The Bible tells us over and over that we are not to fear worldly predators. We are supposed to pray and focus on our all-powerful God and know that He’s going to take care of us. He has a plan. We are loved and treasured and we need not fear. Our job is to have faith.

Once again, I learned a valuable lesson from those little dogs, reminding me once again that He is everywhere, always available to speak to us. The question is, are we willing to listen?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Being Thankful in Sickness and Health

Posted on by Wendy

 

We can always find something to be thankful for, even on sick days.
We can always find something to be thankful for, even on sick days.

I am getting over a bout of bronchitis. I finally gave up and went to the doctor on Friday at my hubby’s gentle nudging. I think he was concerned that I may actually cough up a lung in one of my coughing fits. The doc’s prescription was antibiotics and rest.

The antibiotic part was no big deal. It’s just taking a pill everyday, but rest for me, was a little trickier. I hate to just sit and do nothing. Even when I’m sitting, I’m often making some kind of plan, a grocery list, or a blog post, or plans for a vacation six months from now.

But, Saturday, I was completely wiped out and didn’t get out of my pajamas all day long. I felt like such a loser; but guess what? The world did not grind to a halt because I needed a sick day. The dog was happy to snuggle in my lap all day. My teenagers brought their respective electronics and joined me in the living room. They were perfectly happy to stay in their jammies too.

And as badly as I felt, I found myself giving thanks. First of all, I’m normally a healthy person. I feel good the vast majority of the time, something I’m ashamed to say, that I often take for granted. I thanked God for my health. It truly is a blessing that healthy people often forget.

I thanked God for family to help take care of me. Here again, we so often take for granted the family God has blessed us with. We see them everyday. They get on our nerves. We get on theirs, but family is a blessing.

I thanked God for medication. We live in a country where healing drugs are readily available. Bronchitis could easily kill someone who didn’t have access to antibiotics or even over-the-counter meds to take care of a fever.

I thanked God for my house. Shelter is another thing that we often take for granted. My home also has running water and heat, something people in many places in the world don’t have. I’ll bet yours does too.

I could have taken the day and wallowed around and felt sorry for myself. I could have lamented about the hairballs that needed vacuuming up. I could have pushed myself to get up and power through it somehow, but I didn’t.

I believe that our bodies are a gift. For us to be as effective as possible in using them to spread the love of Jesus, we have to work on keeping them well. When we get sick, I think we actually honor God by submitting to our exhaustion and resting, so that our bodies can heal. Perhaps it’s a show of humility to admit that we need rest. When we do, we are admitting that we aren’t perfect or bullet proof. We are simply humans who sometimes get sick.

When we humble ourselves and pray for healing, it’s also a perfect time to give thanks for all of those blessings that we sometimes forget in our daily rush. If we do that, perhaps we can get spiritual healing along with our physical healing and maybe that was what we were supposed to do all along. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeing Jesus at Publix

Posted on by Wendy
You never know how far a few encouraging words can go.
You never know how far a few encouraging words can go.

I’ve been fighting a cold this past week. Each night I would go to bed hoping that tomorrow I would feel better. Each day, I woke up feeling a little worse. Yesterday, when I awoke, it took everything I had to get out of the bed as my throat and head battled over which would hurt worse.

My normally peaceful morning was also marred by an argument with my fifteen-year-old, daughter. I dropped her off at school after a long, silent ride and went home and fell back into bed for a little while.

I had so many things to do and of course, we were out of some essential groceries, like milk. I prayed that God would sustain me through the day. I prayed that He would show me His face. After I dragged myself up again and into the shower, I continued to pray for some sign of encouragement. Could He hear me? Was He listening?

I received an apology text from my daughter. She told me she just wasn’t “feelin’ it today.” Well, that made two of us. I told her it was no biggie. I try to model quick forgiveness for her, the best I can. That little exchange did my heart good, even though my head was still pounding.

When I got on the road, there was construction everywhere, stop and go. When I got to Sam’s Club, there were only two lines open with six people in each line. Sigh. When I got to Publix, things were looking up. I was almost done with my list, when I picked up a bottle of laundry detergent by the lid and it dropped and spilled, on the floor, on me, on the bottle itself. What a mess.

I couldn’t leave the mess. I told an employee about the floor, so no one would fall, and picked up the bottle and put it in my cart. It only seemed fair. Who would want to buy it? My hands were covered in the detergent when I went to check out. I explained to the cashier what had happened and asked for a paper towel. He insisted on getting me a new bottle and he gave me a wet wipe. I really do love that store.

Checking out in front of me was a couple from our last church. She heard the whole thing and before I knew it, she had come back around and was standing behind me. I’ve always had great admiration for this woman. I can see Jesus when I see her. She’s a tiny lady, but packed with power. There were many times over the years, when she went out of her way to thank me for my service to the kids or youth in the church. It was a really difficult decision for us, when we decided to leave, but I am still amazed at how kind everyone was.

Well, here we were at Publix; I was a mess inside and out at the moment, and she was a picture of peace and encouragement. She told me that she just wanted me to know how much she missed me and my family. She told me she understood our reasons and respected them, but just wanted me to know that we were missed and loved.

I was fighting tears at this point. I have always believed if you look for God in the world around you, He will show His face in often unlikely places. I desperately needed an extra helping of grace and encouragement and I asked. Once again, He provided, this time through a darling woman at the grocery store.

You never know the power of a little encouragement or a kind word. I always try to be the face of Christ when I leave my house, but today I got to see the face of Christ. Let me tell you; it was beautiful.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂