Category: Biblical Wisdom

I have been a substitute teacher in a special education class for the past few weeks. It has definitely been an interesting experience, frustrating at times and rewarding at others. What it has not ever been, is boring!

Today, at the end of class, the students were packing up and waiting for the bell. One of the kids pulled out a key chain he wanted to show me. It was a beautiful picture of Jesus. He smiled as he pointed out the sparkles all over it. He was really proud of it. I’ll have to admit that it was a really unique piece, carved on a small piece of wood. When I asked him where he got it, he told me that he had made it.

Another student came ambling over to see what we were looking at and he asked, “Who is that?” The boy with the key chain stated, “That’s my God.”

It was that easy for him. This isn’t a boy from the best of circumstances, but he knows who his God is. He knows Jesus and he’s not afraid to say it.

How do we do when asked the same question? Do we try to explain who Jesus is and what he stands for? Do we nervously try to avoid eye contact when we talk about him? Would we proudly carry a key chain with a picture of him on it?

Philippians 2:10-11 tells us, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

God’s plan is for all people to worship Jesus. In the end, everyone will acknowledge him as Lord, whether they are willing or not.

There are many ways to share our faith. Some are complex and some are quite simple.

As usual, I learned more from the kids I work with than they might learn from me. A simple statement, “That’s my God;” really got my wheels turning.

If I were to show you a picture of Jesus on a key chain and ask you the same question, what would you say? Maybe that’s a point for all of us to ponder. Sometimes simplicity is best. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

We all know the basics of the David and Goliath story. A young boy took down a huge giant with a sling shot. We love stories like these. America was built on a story like this one. During the Revolutionary war, rag-tag farmers were able to defeat the most powerful military force in the world.

While we love these stories and love to root for the under dog. We often shy away from facing our own giants. We all have them. They may be physical or they may be emotional. Everything from anger, guilt and shame to some type of addiction are giants. Fear and worry are giants. The list is endless.

We have a lot we can learn from David’s story. First of all, the fight seemed impossible. Goliath was not only way bigger, he was better trained, or was he? David was a shepherd. He spent his days and nights watching sheep, but also protecting sheep. God was training him for this fight all along. God knew what was lying down the road even if David didn’t.

Secondly, David used all of his alone time to draw nearer to God. Every time he defeated something trying to prey on his sheep, he gave God the credit. Although his job was at the bottom of the totem pole, David himself, didn’t look at it that way. He did the task he was given and he did it well.

Lastly, he didn’t hesitate. He saw what he considered a huge affront to God and he vowed to put a stop to it. How often are we angered or saddened by something going on in the world around us? Do we grumble about it? We are all really good at doing the arm-chair quarterback deal, but do we act when we have the chance? David was a man of action.

Whatever we are facing, we have to know that God is bigger. David knew this. We have to know that He is always working in our lives for good, so if something needs defeating, we can call on Him. He will come to our aid.

We often feel that our daily tasks are mundane, but we are usually being trained to do something that matters to God. We have to remember that all of the pieces matter, so there are no big and little parts. We also need to remember when David tried on Saul’s armor, it didn’t fit him. It was too big and heavy. David realized this immediately and took it off.

He met Goliath in what he usually wore with his trusty slingshot. That’s likely all we need to defeat whatever is in front of us as well. We need to be ourselves and let the hand of God do the rest. He will not fail and with Him you cannot fail.

Nothing is impossible with God.  These are words to live by. So, whatever you are facing today, say a prayer and take aim.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

I recently revisited the Beattitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. You remember those, right, the blessed be sermon? It’s found in Matthew 5, if you want to check them out.  I always come away with something different when  I read them.

This time I read them in the NLT version. Scholars disagree whether this sermon was given to the masses or just the twelve disciples. Either way, the meaning is the same. It’s a call for us to act as well as a comfort for us, letting us know that God cares about our human suffering.

There are a total of nine listed blessings. Four are things that happen to us. The first one is “God blesses those who are poor in spirit and realize they need him, for the Kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Who among us hasn’t been poor in spirit? We are all broken. When we know we need God, the Kingdom of Heaven is ours.

The second is, “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We have all mourned the loss of someone dear. Jesus says, God understands our pain and we will be comforted.

The next five call us to action. “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” How are we doing with humility? We live in a very narcissistic world.

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” He doesn’t say, those who like for things to be righteous. He says those who hunger and thirst for it. That means we should do more than have a conversation with our friends when something is unjust. We need to have a deep desire, a hunger, to make things right.

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” How do we do with mercy? Are we merciful towards others in our lives or do we live for “pay back?”

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God.” How pure are our hearts? When we pray, is it like a shopping list of please help me get a,b, and c or is it with a heartfelt, “Lord please do your will, not mine.”? Tricky, right?

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.” Notice it doesn’t say those who like peace or like to live in peace? Who doesn’t like to live in peace? It doesn’t say those who are peaceable. It says those who work for peace. It’s active and it’s hard. Making peace is a full time job in the angry world we live in, but something we are called to do.

The last two go back to things that happen to us. “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Doing right gets more and more difficult. People are getting persecuted more and more often for things like praying before a sporting event. Jesus says, keep at it. The Kingdom of Heaven is yours.

Finally, “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you, because you are my followers.” He says to be happy a great reward awaits you in heaven. So, fellow Christians, we need to soldier on. God sees our struggle. He’s watching over us and He has a plan.

The sermon seems simple, but it’s a challenge to live a life that’s more than simply spiritual. It requires action too. I think it’s something to think about. What about you? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

We are using a new curriculum in our middle school Sunday school class that uses video and drawing and skits and covers the entire Bible in 32 weeks. While I like the fast paced, keep the kids interested approach, it obviously leaves a lot of gaps. The videos are only like three minutes or so.

My hubby and I decided we would show the video and do the accompanying activities one week and fill in some of the blanks the next, so there wouldn’t be as many gaps. I mean, the first one covered from Creation to the Flood. That’s a lot of ground to cover in forty-five minutes.

As I read through the first couple of chapters of Genesis again, Genesis 2:9, really grabbed me. I just love the fact that the Bible is a living, breathing work of art. Something different speaks to me every time I read it, depending on the season of my life or what I’m searching for.

Genesis 2:9, says, “The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground-trees that were beautiful and produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” NLT

What kind of trees did God make? Beautiful ones. Why? Because, God is clearly a creative God who loves beauty and wants to share it with his creation, us. The text doesn’t say, He created plain boring trees. It says they were beautiful. God created beauty for our enjoyment as well as His own.

Secondly, what kind of fruit did He create? Was it sour or bland? Nope. God created delicious fruit. The scripture doesn’t say He simply created food for our nourishment. It says He created delicious fruit.

What does this say about the nature of God? He cares about beauty and creativity in our lives. He cares about our enjoyment. It doesn’t say He created a certain amount of grams of this or that. It says He created something delicious for our enjoyment.

Verse 15 tells us that there was only one tree in the entire garden they weren’t supposed to eat from, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Chapter three tells us about the nature of human beings. We tend to want the few things or in this case, the one thing that is forbidden to us. There was plenty of delicious fruit to eat, but they chose the forbidden and that is a pretty true picture of our nature.

But, this is why the Bible is so important. It’s story after story of our nature clashing with God’s and of Him always loving us and forgiving us for following our own ways and instead of His. Eventually, He sent His son to redeem us for good.

But, today, let’s start focusing on the beautiful and the delicious that we can have. There’s so much that God has given us to freely enjoy with His blessing. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can truly learn that walking within boundaries can be an incredibly freeing experience.

What do you think. Feel free to comment.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

My parents used to take me and my brother and sister fishing every summer in Florida. They had a little place on the Suwannee  River and I learned to fish in the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico. Ocean fishing is always exciting because you really never know what you will catch. It may be a crab, or a small shark or a stingray or it may be the perfect speckled trout. My daddy was very particular about what we were allowed to keep. We had to throw back lady fish, cat-fish, gar fish and any trout that wasn’t the specified length. That was Florida law, not daddy’s, but I remember holding my breath and watching him measure each trout I caught, hoping it was a keeper. Daddy was a stickler for the rules.

It’s funny how fishing can run hand-in-hand with faith. It takes patience to sit for a long time on a dock or a bank and wait on a fish to bite. It takes faith to believe there really is something under that water you are fishing in. The best fishermen will insist on silence as they wait for a nibble. You have to know exactly what bait to use to get the kind of fish you are after. Great fishing requires skill.

We know that at least four of Jesus’ disciples were fisherman by trade. Two sets of brothers, Andrew and Peter and James and John were fishermen. Three of those four men were also part of the inner-circle, Jesus’ besties if you will. They were also the first called. I wonder why that was. We know Jesus had a good sense of humor. Fishermen are known for wild and fun stories. Fishermen by trade, are also tireless workers, staying out all night if needed to bring in the catch. Maybe Jesus was looking for men with that kind of strong work ethic and commitment. Fishermen, like farmers, also have to have a certain faith and belief in something larger than themselves to do what they do day-in and day-out because so much of their bounty is out of their control.

The scripture doesn’t tell us why Jesus picked fishermen. We can only guess. The amazing thing is he told them from the moment he met them, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1:17. He spoke to them in terminology they could understand and they dropped everything and went. They had no clue what evangelism meant. They hadn’t attended an accredited seminary, but these men would help to change the history of all humanity with the telling of their stories.

Over two thousand years later, I am so glad Jesus chose those fishermen, those Everyday Joes. I can relate to them. Of course he goes on to choose a tax collector and one of them was a political zealot. We don’t know the occupations of the rest, but all of them were fabulously ordinary and he didn’t throw any of them back, not even the one who would later betray him. Jesus doesn’t throw anyone back. For all of our faults and shortcomings, we are all keepers to him. No one is ever just short of being good enough. Grace guarantees our place at the table and that is something to be thankful for everyday.

So as I think of my charge to be a fisher of men, I have to ask myself, “What kind of bait am I using?” “Am I being patient enough?” “Am I being quiet enough and listening?” “Am I careful to remember that Jesus wants every single soul and that there are no throwbacks?” These are questions that I think are important to consider. Maybe I’ll grab a cane pole and ponder. What about you? How’s your fishing going?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

My family attended a wedding this past weekend. It was an outdoor wedding at a horse farm. The simplicity  was spectacular. There were mason jars with candles in them scattered along fences. There were lights strung up in the trees. There was a small cabin on the property that was built in 1804. The ceremony itself was conducted in front of an oak tree that was at least 100 years old. I truly felt like I was in God’s very own cathedral.

The bride and her father laughed and chatted as they walked down the aisle to bluegrass music. The bride and the groom wrote their own vows. The bride said in hers, that she remembered when she was a little girl, she asked her mom who her best friend was and her mom replied, “your dad.” She remembered being surprised that her mom could have a boy as her best friend. She said that as she stood there with her husband-to-be, that she understood what her mom had meant. Now at this point, there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd.

What is it about a wedding that moves us to tears? Is it the promise of something brand new and beautiful? Is it the leap of faith that a couple takes when they commit to love each other until their last breath? Jesus performed his first miracle at a wedding in Cana. I think it’s relevant to note that it was a celebration. While life is full of troubles; it also has many events worth celebrating and a wedding is one of those events. Jesus loves to celebrate our victories with us as well as holding our hands in tragedy. While most of us wholeheartedly invite him into the tragic events of our lives; how do we do with inviting him into the good times in our lives?

We love to celebrate weddings. We buy new clothes. We purchase a gift for the happy couple. We arrive to the wedding early enough to get a good seat and we open our hearts to the message and the hope. How do we celebrate the actual marriage? When the guests are gone and married life begins, how do we celebrate? Well, some people like the bride’s parents, become best friends and grow in their faith and love for one another, so much so, that it’s imprinted upon their offspring. Others don’t do so well and fight often and insist on their own way. How do we achieve a beautiful, inspirational marriage instead of an unfulfilling, tumultuous one?

Let’s go back to the wedding at Cana for a minute. First of all, Jesus was invited. He couldn’t have performed the miracle if he hadn’t been invited. We often invite him to our weddings, but not into our marriages. How can he perform miracles if he’s not there? Secondly, when we do invite him, we have to do what he tells us to do. John 2:5 says, “But, his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” The servants did and the rest is beautiful, Biblical history.

So what can we learn from this? Good, strong marriages are a form of worship. They are a testimony to God. Christian marriages are a lifelong ministry between husband and wife first and then it spills on to children. They are to be nurtured and treasured and if we want them to be inspirational and beautiful, we have to not only invite Jesus; we have to obey him and that I think, is worth the lifelong pursuit. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂