Category: Building Christian Character

As Christians, people should be able to look at us and see Christ. People should be able to see who we serve in the way we act.

Conversational Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
Returning to God in prayer is always a good choice.

There’s a mama with children at our school who speaks almost no English. She doesn’t come into the office very often, but when she does, I try desperately to communicate with her. I took five Spanish courses in college, and at one point, I was fairly conversational, but that was when I was speaking it often.

It’s been well over twenty years since college and I have rarely spoken Spanish. To say my skills are rusty, is a major understatement and it frustrates me when I need them. The mama that comes into our office, always smiles patiently as I search for the right words to communicate with her and thanks to Google, we usually get it figured out.

After she came in a couple of days ago, I thought about how very important communication is across all of our relationships. Strong communication can save partnerships, friendships and marriages. Poor communication can break them.

Our communication with God, is equally important on our faith journey. If we never talk to God and never pause to listen, how can we possibly learn what His plan is for us?

If we never pray, how can we expect our prayers to be answered?

I think that prayer can become particularly tricky, when we have allowed ourselves to stray away from talking with God for long stretches of time, whatever the reason may be. Just like my rusty Spanish skills, we find ourselves feeling awkward as we try to communicate.

Thankfully, God doesn’t need Google Translate to understand our needs or are hearts. The Bible tells us that He knows our needs before we even ask. Just like that sweet mama, in my office, He patiently waits as we struggle for the words. He doesn’t get frustrated when we try.

The beautiful truth is that the more we try to talk to God, the better we get at it and with every effort, He draws us in a little closer to Him, which is where He has wanted us to be all along. Unlike my Spanish skills, we can get comfortable with prayer quickly.

The more we pray, the more peace we feel. There’s never a situation that can’t be helped with prayer. It’s never too late to pray. Our prayer skills are never too rusty for God to understand and we are never too far gone to reach out for Him.

A clumsy attempt at speaking Spanish reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Choosing Peace

Posted on by Wendy
Living in peace is a choice.

Lately our world has been very chaotic. It’s as if somehow the spirit of division and unrest has picked up a megaphone and refused to be silenced. Peace seems like a far away dream at the moment and it is, if we focus on the earthly battles raging 24/7 on our televisions.

But, what if our focus was elsewhere? What if we weren’t focused on electronic media? What if we weren’t focused on the here and now? What if we chose to believe that all of the chaos is a smoke screen delivered by an enemy who wants us to have anything but peace?

Jesus told His disciples that, “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10

What if we are allowing Satan to steal our peace?

If our peace comes from knowing Jesus, then earthly chaos can’t take it from us. If we become sick, we stay at peace, because we know God has a plan and that we are travelers here. In the end, when our bodies eventually die, our souls go home to glory.

If we see storms blowing all around us, we stay at peace because we know that God loves us and will use us in any situation to draw us closer to Him and bring Him glory. Isn’t that what we are called to do as Christians? Isn’t that what Jesus taught during His entire ministry?

“Not my will, but yours;” could possibly be the toughest phrase for any human being ever to utter. It goes against every bit of our nature, but yet, it led Jonah to help save the people of Nineveh. It led Moses to lead the people of Israel out of captivity. It led Christ to the cross that would save us all.

Jesus told His disciples that He offered a different kind of peace, a peace that they could always hold on to and trust.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Perhaps we should ask ourselves if we truly believe His words were true. Do we believe that Jesus calls us to live in peace and without fear? This may take a little soul searching because if the answer is yes, then buying into any kind of panic and chaos is contrary to our faith.

So maybe we should ask ourselves what is it we believe, and then make a choice.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Who Do We Believe In?

Posted on by Wendy
Who do we believe in?

A few weeks ago, our pastor preached a sermon on believing in God from a distance. I took lots of notes and have reflected on it for the past few weeks.

When most Americans are asked if they believe in God, they will say yes. What would you say if I asked you that question? My pastor’s next question to us was: “What are you going to do about it?”

If we call ourselves believers, how do we reflect that belief back into our world?

My pastor went on to ask questions like, “Do we treat God as just another voice as we live our lives?” “Do we consult Him along with a dozen other advisers?” “Do we seek Him first?” “Do we choose to believe from a distance?”

Although the name Emmanuel means, “God with us,” Jesus has never been one who will claim us against our will. On the contrary, if we refuse to worship God first, He will withdraw from us. The consequences become our own.

Like the people of the Bible, before us, we have a tendency to wander and we have a tendency to turn to idols. It seems to me that our latest American election has become an idol for many of us.

Whether it’s the people marching in the streets in protest, or the people gloating on social media every five seconds that Trump won, when something takes our focus off of God and becomes an obsession, it becomes an idol.

We have an American election every four years. We have for hundreds of years. God was in control when Washington was the first president and God was in control when Trump was inaugurated last Friday.

As Christ followers, we should know that. Have we somehow forgotten? Why are we still talking about an election? It has never been nor never will be a man or woman, who can turn our country around.

Our founding fathers were men of faith. As a nation, we have historically been a people of faith. At one point it permeated everything we did, from the presidency, to the Congress, to the Supreme Court, to the military. We used to pray at school. We used to pray at meals.

The Bible says, ” If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Perhaps it’s time to close the book on the last election. If it is constantly in our thoughts, perhaps it’s time to re-focus. If it is constantly on our social media, perhaps it’s time to put that down too. The answer to our questions today is the same as it always has been.

The answer is Jesus. If we are walking closely with Him, there’s no room in our hearts for all of the hate and chaos going on, but then again, we know where that comes from.

A sermon and an election reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Watching for His Suprises

Posted on by Wendy
Our faith walk is often full of surprises.

Last week, we were blessed with some delightfully warm weather for the end of January. I took full advantage of the mild weather and got outside as much as possible.

My favorite prayer time is when I am out in nature, surrounded by Creation. I also find that when I’m moving my body while I pray, I often become more alert. I can hear and see God more clearly. So, I went for a walk, hoping for some guidance, some answers, and a glimpse of His hand.

I was not disappointed. The weather alone, brought the first thanks to my lips. Then, there were birds singing and squirrels scampering. I even heard two hawks calling to each other. They often appear when I’m deep in prayer about something.

The stream that runs through my neighborhood has finally gotten full again and it made a loud rushing sound as I crossed over it.

I gave thanks for the ability to walk. I gave thanks for my sight and my hearing.

When I turned back on my street, I chuckled at some crows calling to each other and I wondered what mischief they were getting into. I waved at a neighbor and gave thanks for good neighbors.

These are all everyday blessings, the ones that we so often take for granted. They are also the ones we would dearly miss if they were taken away.

When I had almost reached my house, I thanked God for the everyday things and I thanked Him for giving me eyes to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

And then, a large rooster crossed the road right in front of me. He was beautiful and incredibly out of place. I broke out in a huge grin. I had definitely not expected to see a rooster. He was not ordinary. I stopped and watched him cross. When he was safely on the other side of the road, he let out a very loud cock-a-doodle-doo!

At that point, I chuckled out loud and I looked heavenward and gave thanks for the surprise.

It’s sometimes easy to become very comfortable in our faith walk. We know that God provides for us in dozens of ways all throughout our day, but we forget that He’s full of surprises too.

That rooster was a surprise. As I was giving thanks for all of my daily blessings, God surprised me with something different.

As I thought about it later, I wondered if that’s perhaps the key to opening new doors. Maybe, we need to be thankful for all that we already have before we ask for or expect something different. Maybe, it’s when we give heartfelt thanks for the ordinary, that we are able to see the extraordinary.

One thing is certain; God is full of surprises and when we walk closely with Him and keep our eyes and ears open, there’s no telling what we might see or hear.

A rooster reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Comfort Zone Rut

Posted on by Wendy
When we say yes to Jesus, all kinds of beautiful things can occur.

As we plow into January, many of us are taking time to do a little self-reflection and try to address any ruts we may find ourselves. I’m a gal who loves a routine. I love my comfort zones. I mean, the name alone, has the word comfort in it. But, sometimes our comfort zone can become a rut.

A rut is something we may find ourselves in because we have done it for so long, we don’t necessarily know how to get out. Sometimes we don’t even want to get out.

There are times when we do things like eat the same exact meals week after week, that we don’t even realize that we have lost our passion for cooking or for tasting some of the really great foods God has blessed us with.

There are times when we have become comfortable sitting in front of the television night after night, kind of checking out, when we could be reading a good book, or meeting friends for dinner, or actually having a conversation with our families. We could even do something crazy like play a card game or a board game.

My mama actually inspired me right before Christmas. She took a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Now keep in mind, that this woman has always loathed the cold. When we had the rare snow day when I was growing up, she watched from a window inside the house. She’s always been more of a beach gal.

But, a friend of hers convinced her to go. She bought all of the necessary gear and she second-guessed herself all of the way. The trip was too close to Christmas and she had so much to do. What was she thinking?

But, ultimately, she went and she had a blast. She told me without a doubt, it was the prettiest place she had ever been in her entire life. Sure, it was cold, but it was well worth it. She was so thankful that she said yes, to a new adventure.

There are all types of comfort zones, ruts and adventures. Some adventure may take us some place far away and exotic and some may keep us closer to home. There are also spiritual adventures.

Spiritual adventures occur when we decide to open our hearts up to God’s calling for us. Is He calling you to read the Bible more regularly? Is He calling you to get involved in Christian community? Is He calling you to reach out to others in some way? Is He calling you to pick something up? Is He calling you to lay something down? He could be calling you to heal.

All of those spiritual endeavors can be a little scary. It would certainly be easier to stay right where we are. But, following Jesus was never meant to be the easy route. However, following Jesus was never meant to be boring either.

My mama’s trip reminded me that it’s good to take stock from time-to-time on where we are and where we would like to be. It reminded me to search for the beautiful at every opportunity and to not be afraid of adventure. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Basking in the Blessings

Posted on by Wendy
Being thankful is sometimes a challenge, but always a choice.

We recently had some very cold days here in Georgia. Some of our state even got blessed with copious amounts of snow. Unfortunately, in my little town, we just got a light dusting and some bitter cold, which I openly grumbled about.

This southern girl, is not a cold weather person and I found myself really longing for warmer days and an early spring. Yes, I am aware that it’s January and that winter is supposed to be cold, and that spring is a ways away, but still.

Then, out of the blue, the following week got a little warmer everyday. By the weekend, we were in the 70’s and on Saturday, I was outside all day, loving every minute of it.

It occurred to me, that a 70 degree day in January is a blessing and that I should not only give thanks for it, but take the time to enjoy it.

It also occurred to me that being thankful is really not in our nature and something we have to work at.

How often do we pray really hard for something? It could be for a job, or a promotion, or a relationship, or financial issues, or our health. How often do we get those prayers answered, but don’t live in a way that is thankful?

Yes, we may initially thank God, but do we live thankfully? We may have thanked God for that job, but do we jump out of bed every morning happy to go to work? We may have given thanks for the healing, but are we seizing every moment to live healthier and make the most of a second chance? We may have been given the ideal mate, but are we willing to pray for him/her daily? Are we loving that person in a manner that is pleasing to God?

We tend to ask for a lot. We also tend to focus on what we don’t have. But, how much have we been given? How many daily blessings are we taking for granted? There are blessings like plenty of food to eat and clean water. There are blessings like healthy children. There are blessings like a home to live in. There are just so many blessings.

For many of us, these daily comforts have become so common that we forget how blessed we are.

Before Jesus performed His miracle of feeding the 5,000, He gave thanks. He gave thanks before God provided. Perhaps we should take note.

Giving thanks is a conscious choice. Living thankfully is a conscious choice. While it can sometimes be a challenge when all seems to be going wrong, it’s a choice with beautiful consequence.

A 70 degree day in January reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Dream Lives On

Posted on by Wendy
This picture was snapped by a patron in line at Dutch Brothers Coffee.

Today, our country celebrates and reflects on the life and the message of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I had to read his, “I Have A Dream,” speech for an English 101 class as a freshman in college. I remember being incredibly moved by his words written some 25 years earlier.

I suppose messages worth remembering, like those based on unity, love and peace, have a timeless staying power. Humanity often finds itself in desperate need to hear them.

Since Dr. King was a man of God, I’m sure he was well aware that Jesus told His disciples that the two greatest commandments were to first, love God and then to love one another. I suspect that Dr. King knew that we can’t truly love one another without loving God first because Christian love is different from mere human love.

The ability to truly love others is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We can only get that from loving God through Christ first.

I came across a story on my Facebook news feed that I found to be a perfect illustration of Dr. King’s dream and I felt led to share it today.

There were some employees at a coffee shop in Vancouver, Washington, who were doing their daily job. They were millennials. Most of us have encountered members of this group in retail establishments. They often have the slacker, completely self-absorbed reputation. This group proved to be different.

The owner of the shop instructed her employees to always take care of their customers.

In this case, a woman came through the drive-thru who was very upset. The guy at the window, went to the trouble to find out why. He had seen her before. She had been in before. She shared that she had just lost her 37-year old husband the night before.

The employees knew that they had to do something to help her. They gave her, her order for free and then they reached through the window and held her hand and prayed with her. The customer in the car behind them was so moved, she took a picture and posted it. It went viral.

As I write this, it has had over 65 million views.

When the employees were later interviewed, they said they had to do something, so they, “took the time and took her hand.”

How many people would have taken her money and let her drive on? How many people would have felt badly for her, but let her go anyway? How many people of faith would have actually reached out to her and touched her and prayed with her? How many people would have “taken the time and taken her hand?” How many people in the car behind would have snapped a picture of God’s love at work?

Clearly, the Holy Spirit was at work.

This is a beautiful story of faith at work all on its own. The fact that I saw it for the first time, the day before MLK day and that it shows people of different races praying together, is also the Holy Spirit at work. The story took place last March.

Dr. King had a dream of unity. He had a dream of us coming together despite our outward difference in skin color. Through Christ, we can achieve that and I’m happy to report that despite what we may have heard, Dr. King’s dream lives on.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Sharing the Light

Posted on by Wendy
Praising God with all of our hearts, changes our hearts.

Last Sunday, one of the teens in my Sunday school class told me she had something to tell me. I kind of chuckled, wondering what it might be. You just never know with teenagers. Their stories can make me laugh, or make me cry, and sometimes make me think.

She ended up sharing a story about visiting a trampoline park over the Christmas break. She said that a song came on, “This is Amazing Grace.” I knew the song and we sang a few lines together. She said when she heard it, she started singing along. But, the more she sang, the louder she got. She said she found herself jumping on the trampolines and singing the song to the top of her lungs.

She said she had no idea why, but she really couldn’t help herself. When the song was over, a little girl who was seven or so, began to follow her around. She didn’t know the child, but wherever the teen went, the little girl went, smiling at her the entire time. She clearly wanted to be close.

The incident remained on her mind for the rest of her break and she really wanted to talk about it. She knew there was something special going on, but wasn’t sure quite what.

I assured her that she was right. I shared with her the story of King David dancing for God after he had been blessed with victory. David was very passionate about His love for God and wasn’t afraid or embarrassed  to show it. The Bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart. She hadn’t heard that story.

I am always amazed at what happens when we willingly give ourselves over for God to use. When we put our worship of Him above everything else, including the opinions of others, beautiful things can happen. The Holy Spirit can get to work and people are naturally drawn to the light they see. It’s hard to resist.

The little girl had no idea why she was drawn to the light my teen friend was shining. She just knew she wanted to be close to it.

Hasn’t that always been the best way to share the love of Christ? When we love Him completely, it changes us. It draws people to us and ultimately to Him.

When we openly praise God, it becomes impossible to focus on all that is wrong in our lives. We are reminded that we worship the God who called the world into being, the same God who calls us by name, the same God who loved us before we were even born.

When we try to wrap our brains around that kind of love, it’s hard not to smile. It’s hard not to rejoice. It’s hard not to embrace. We may even find ourselves singing to the top of our lungs or dancing. The message is just that good.

A teenager reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. I have attached the song if you would like to hear it.

Everyday Can Be New Year’s Day

Posted on by Wendy
Everyday with Jesus is a fresh start.

As I write this, we are a little over a week into the new year. I bought a brand new calendar that I have already begun to fill with school breaks and family dentist appointments. I love a new calendar and all of the possibilities that it represents. What new things will I accomplish this year?

There was a time when I made a list of my plans for the new year. I love making lists, but I found that list making didn’t really help me get new things accomplished. By the end of January, my planned lifestyle changes like doing cardio everyday, never really took hold.

Last year, I tried something different. In early January, I created a slogan for myself, “The year with no fear.” I typed it up and placed it where I had to look at it everyday. It was a visible reminder that God is in control, no matter what. I have to admit that it worked.

Life got kind of crazy last year. I went back to work full time. There was a vicious election. Facebook was covered with negativity, as was the internet. The media tried to convince us that it was Doomsday, yet I held on tight to my little slogan and to the knowledge that God had a plan and I never really worried about any of it.

This year, I am reminded that “the calendar,” and January 1st, are human creations. Humanity along with the weight loss and fitness industry, has decided that January 1st, is the only day that we begin with a clean slate. Last year’s mistakes are wiped away. We get to start on that day with a brand new plan on a brand new path. We are encouraged to make resolutions that lead us to a better life. They can be anything from stopping smoking, to getting a better job, or going back to school.

Resolutions in themselves, aren’t necessarily bad. It’s just that human will tends to be weak. When we find that by the end of February, that we are failing miserably, we often just throw in the towel altogether. We vow to try again next year.

But, there’s good news. Those of us who walk with Jesus, have New Year’s Day everyday. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of grace, we can ask for forgiveness for our many failures and begin everyday with a clean slate. We can accomplish what we set out to, when we cover it in prayer and give it to God. There’s a reason that successful addiction programs acknowledge a higher power.

There’s not a lot we can accomplish alone, especially not the hard stuff, but the Bible assures us that we are not alone. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Keeping this in mind, I would like to say, Happy New Year to you, today and everyday. Perhaps you needed to hear it today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. After a lot of prayer, I’m going to start posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Thanks to all of you who shared your encouragement and support over the past couple of weeks! God spoke to me through our words. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

Just As We Are

Posted on by Wendy
The manger calls us to come just as we are.

Next Sunday afternoon at our church, we will have our 2nd Annual Family Christmas Pageant. All of our members and anyone else who wants to come is invited to participate. We have a designated Mary and Joseph, two teenagers and we have some wise men, a few adults. Everything else is up for grabs.

We will have readers read through the Bible story of the birth of Christ and as people hear their parts, they join Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus at the manger. We will sing “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, accompanied by guitar music.”

There are very few costumes or props. Last year, our wise men and shepherds were in bathrobes. We had an adult show up in a cow costume. We had a couple of angels who were eating cookies. It was a menagerie of mismatched, imperfect people, coming together to pay tribute to the birth of Christ and I’ve no doubt that the residents of Heaven smiled on us.

It was simple. It wasn’t practiced or polished. We all came as we were, and approached the manger with what we had, no spectacular solos, or beautifully written soliloquies, just humble believers attempting to retell and relive part of the greatest story ever told.

Last year’s experience touched my heart in such an unexpected way. I’ve helped direct and write my share of Christmas pageants with great costumes and characters, but there’s something so genuine and raw that comes from approaching the manger just as we are.

Isn’t that what the meaning of Christmas is? Jesus left Heaven and all of glory and became one of us, a simple, frail human, so that we can approach God, just as we are. We don’t have to have the best clothes. We don’t have to have a great singing voice. We don’t have to have eloquent words.

Because of that baby in the manger, we are able and encouraged to come as we are, young and old, broken and ragtag, sick and well, happy or covered in sadness. We are called to come and witness and participate in the birth of love’s true light.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the Pinterest worthy perfection of this season. We tend to have a drive within us to seek out perfection, but we won’t get it this side of eternity. What our souls really seek is the perfect love that comes from Christ.

Taking some time this season, to remember that God’s own son wasn’t born in a castle and wrapped in fine linens, but was born in a stable and placed in a feed trough, should be enough to make us take pause and reflect that perfection is not what God seeks from us.

What He seeks from us, is our hearts and our true worship and He calls us, just as He did those shepherds so long ago, just as we are.

A simple Christmas Pageant reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂