Category: Building Christian Character

In 1938, a teenager named George Weidenfeld, was rescued from Vienna, Austria, right before the start of World War II. He and many other Jewish children were saved by English Quakers. They were taken to safety in England. At the time, most of the Western World was looking the other way as the Jews were being rounded up and massacred for their faith.

Young George was blessed in his new country. He became a publisher and eventually a millionaire. He was knighted in 1969 and became Lord George Weidenfeld. He is now 95 years old. The years have been good to him and he’s still in very good health. He could easily retire and enjoy his wealth.

I mean, he’s 95. He’s worked hard. He’s survived tragedy. What can he do at this point? What indeed?

Sir Weidenfeld has taken it upon himself to set up the Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund to rescue persecuted Christians in Syria and Iraq. His goal is to rescue 2,000 families. He says he feels he has a debt to repay to the Christians who rescued him and so many others from the Nazis.

He’s particularly inspired by the English stockbroker, Sir Nicholas Winston who helped to organize the Kindertransport Program which rescued nearly 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland prior to World War II. He recently died at the age of 105.

It’s now 2015 and another war rages on. It’s been 70 years since World War II ended and another massacre is in play. This time Christians are being killed for their faith all over the Middle East, and the Western World has once again, looked the other way.

In mid-July, Weidenfeld’s group provided transport for 150 Syrian Christians to safety in Poland where they will continue to provide support for up to eighteen months, to get them resettled somewhere safe.

It doesn’t seem like much when we consider that 230,000 have already been killed in the ongoing civil war in Syria. But, it’s something. The Jewish faith, like the Christian faith, teaches that every life matters to God. Every soul matters to God.

Weidenfeld knows that he can’t save the world, but he can do something. Most Western governments, including the United States, have refused to help him in his efforts because he is only rescuing Christians and not Muslims who are under fire.

His response is that the Muslim countries in the region are not without resources. They have the ability to help their fellow Muslims. The Christians, however, are completely without protection. He feels he is answering a calling.

Was Weidenfeld saved all those years ago for just this moment to help these Christians escape to safety? It’s impossible to say.

But, we can say that God does have a plan and that there is always hope when we put our trust in Him and maybe it’s equally as important to remember, that as long as we are breathing, there is work to do. If you are reading this, you are not done yet.

What can you do today to make a difference?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

I can tell that fall is coming soon because the mornings have started to get cooler. The humidity is starting to get lower and there are spider webs everywhere. Spiders get really busy in the fall and their webs are abundant.

I’ve learned to make peace with the eight-legged creatures over the years. I’ve even gone out of my way not to disturb them when they decide to take up residence in my garden. However, there are few things that I find creepier than walking through one of their webs.

They have a tendency to stick to my hair and clothes and of course I totally freak out, not knowing where the spider itself is. Let’s face it, some spiders are poisonous and can be dangerous.

I tried desperately to capture the above web with my camera a couple of days ago. I could see it, but I couldn’t make my camera see it. I tried several angles, from a safe distance of course. But, I eventually gave up.

Then yesterday, I saw it gleaming in the light and dashed out for a photo. Then the truth struck me. It’s all about the light. In order to see that web on camera, it needed to have a certain amount of light hit it. To see it period, it needed to have a certain amount of light to hit it.

If it were dark, I would walk right through that web and well, you know, freak out.

I thought about the light and the web as I was scrolling through the photos, and how God’s light is a guide to keep us from walking through pesky webs that life might throw at us.

The Bible tells us, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

That means when we are walking with God, not only are we following the light, but we are also supposed to shine our own light. How do we do that?

First of all, we have to spend some time reading His word. If we want God’s light and truth to shine upon life’s troubles and issues, we have to learn what He says about life’s troubles and issues. The Bible is the only place we can truly find those answers.

Next, we add in prayer and time with other Christians.

Finally, we use those answers as a light to guide us around and away from sticky webs. Along the way, we can take others with us, helping to guide them.

That’s how the light works. God shares with us and we share with others, but we have to seek the light. He won’t hit us over the head with it.

The choice is ours. Do we seek the light or do we take our chances with spider webs in the darkness?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

I was recently talking with a friend of mine about my summer mission trip and she said she would like to go next summer. She said it always made her feel really good when she was helping others. I immediately agreed with her, but the concept continued to run through my mind, long after our conversation was over.

My friend was right. Doing good to others always makes me feel good, but there’s something going on that’s much deeper than just feeling good. I think Christians have an intrinsic desire to love others because Jesus loved us. Love often translates into helping others.

But, it has to, doesn’t it? Love is active. We can say we love people all day long, but until we do something physical to show it, how do they know?

Jesus set the example of active love throughout his ministry. He healed others. He cast out their demons. He friended those who were friendless. He wept with his friends. He prayed with his friends. He listened to those who sought him out, even those who society deemed to be unworthy. He called out those who were on the wrong path, not to condemn them, but to save them. Ultimately, he died for us all so that we could live eternally.

Jesus’ examples of love for mankind were anything, but passive.

So, if we want to be Christ like or true followers of Christ, shouldn’t we follow some of Christ’s many examples of active love? I think it becomes really easy to show up to church on Sundays and put our offering in the plate and show up the next week and do the same thing.

Can we honestly consider that to be actively loving others?

I think the Holy Spirit gets really energized when we reach out and help those in need. I think we are filled with a special kind of joy that can only come from the Spirit. That’s the reason we feel so good when we are doing good for others. It’s a desire placed in our hearts before we were even born. It’s that pull to worship God and follow Jesus.

We often can’t name it, but it’s there deep inside, just waiting for us to listen and act, not because it’s required of us, but because we want to.

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

So, if we are seeking some true joy in our lives, perhaps we should seek a way to help someone in need. The world is truly desperate for Christians to share our light and love. Let’s let it shine in any way we can.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

I once had a dog, Sadie, who was terrified of thunder. The minute the first rumbles started, she would begin pacing. No amount of talking to her, or petting her, would calm her down. We eventually had to put her on anti-anxiety meds during thunderstorms. Yes, I had a dog who was on Xanax.

But, we really didn’t have much of an alternative. She weighed 115 pounds. Calming an agitated dog that size, was not an easy task. And if a thunderstorm rolled through during the night, nobody got any sleep.

The most frustrating part of the matter was that she was never in any danger. She was always completely safe. We were just unable to make her understand that. She lived with an unnecessary fear.

How often do we react exactly like Sadie did? How often do we walk around white-knuckled and terrified because there are thunderstorms raging in our lives that we just can’t understand? We didn’t plan for them. We didn’t expect them and when they occur, we are terrified.

Sometimes the storms are short-lived and we are frightened for a little while and when they pass, we go right back to living exactly the way we did before they popped up. We could take the time, when they pass, to seek some peace and be ready and calmer for the next round, but we often don’t.

Nope, it often takes a full-blown tornado; think of situations like a cancer diagnosis or a marriage ending; that make us really seek the one source that can truly calm our terrified hearts. By the way, the solution doesn’t come from the pharmaceutical companies.

Peace comes from a close walk with Jesus. He was called the “Prince of Peace,” before he was even born. He told his disciples, “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

Peace is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

So, why is it so hard for us to be at peace? Maybe it’s because as Christians, we so often forget that although we live in this world, we are not of it. We focus most of our time on our physical selves and not the spiritual; that’s the part that lives forever.

We get caught up in life’s storms and like Sadie, we are needlessly terrified.

I ran into a friend of mine at the grocery store yesterday. I hadn’t seen her all summer, but in the spring, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was angry. We talked about it at the time, and I assured her that was normal. She finished all of her treatments and has healed.

When I saw her today, she was a different person, all smiles and so much at peace. We talked about her future plans for work and she was looking into different things, but she said she knew God has a plan. She was completely at peace.

She survived a tornado. She held Jesus’ hand and he took her to the other side. She learned that the storms really aren’t that frightening after all, as long as she has her faith.

Unlike my dog, we have the ability to choose peace. My friend did. I think it’s worth pursuing.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Yesterday, my pastor asked us to really think about what it means to take communion. He said that many of us think of dainty little cups with dainty little wafers. We politely sip and go on about our business. He said that coming to the table with Jesus wasn’t a one time polite invitation and that we are truly missed when we are elsewhere.

He then went on to talk about being welcomed to Sunday dinner at different people’s houses while growing up and how friends can really become family.

I was reminded of my own Sunday dinner experiences. My mama always had a big Sunday dinner and there was always room for extras. I had one friend in particular, who would call me right after church and ask what we were having, almost every Sunday. She would then be over in a flash.

Mama always welcomed her at our table and Daddy would ask where she was if she didn’t show for the Sunday meal. She was always welcome. She was family. We knew it and she knew it. We loved her and she was missed when she was away. My parents always told her so.

Mama always had a way of making all of my friends feel welcome and she always kept extra food in the freezer for extras who might show up. There was always enough. I never really had to ask.

Now that I have teens of my own, I try to provide the same welcome that my mama always did. When my daughter has friends over to study, we always invite them to stay for dinner. At first, they acted surprised at the invitation, but they usually accepted it.

Now they are completely comfortable and expect it, which is fine with me. My daughter has one particular friend, just like I did, that has her own chair at our table. She always sits in the same spot and considers it hers.

We like to engage the teens in conversation and ask them what’s going on in their lives and they like to talk about themselves. They feel comfortable helping themselves to seconds. They feel welcome. They feel like their presence matters to us.

When I don’t see one of my kids’ friends for a while, I always tells them that I’ve missed seeing them.

My pastor pointed out that Jesus feels the same way when we are absent from His table. We are all welcome. We are all family when we come together. We are missed when we don’t show for whatever reason. But, He saves a chair for us and He welcomes us back, no matter how long our absence may be or whatever the reason.

The invitation is always open and the banquet is always ready, but not for that polite, four fork, linen napkin in your lap, meal. Nope, this invitation is for real fellowship over a real meal. Think fried chicken, corn bread and iced tea. This table is for authentic communion and community.

There’s always enough. We never even have to ask. Why in the world, would we want to miss it?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Last Sunday, my hubby and I started teaching a middle school Sunday School class. We had taken a break for the summer while school was out. We had done a little soul-searching about teaching this year. We started teaching middle school when my daughter was in middle school. My son came two years after and now we had two high schoolers.

Was God still calling us to teach young teens or was He calling us to plug in somewhere else? We both felt that we were supposed to continue with the middle school class and on our first class, we were reminded why.

We had been talking about how every person is special to God and that when we let the opinions of other people who label us as good, bad, popular, nerdy, etc…, matter, we take our focus off of God. His thoughts about us are the only truths that matter. We also talked about how when we label others with those same labels, we are criticizing God, who created everyone. Do we really feel qualified to do that?

One of the girls said, “Well, not when you put it that way.” Score!

We also talked about being a Christian, and the same thirteen-year-old, shared that her best friend admitted to not being a believer and that it upset her so much that she spent an hour trying to convince him otherwise. She shared that something inside her just couldn’t let it go.

I told her that she was listening to the Holy Spirit. She hadn’t really thought of that.

Therein lies the beauty of working with middle schoolers and young believers. They are passionate about their faith and they want others to be as well. They are actually concerned about their friends who aren’t Christians.

Most of us lose that deep conviction along the way. We grow up. We have families, and bills to pay, and groceries to buy, households to run, meals to cook, and so much uncertainty. We still believe, but we are so busy and tired. It may concern us that our neighbors or friends aren’t Christians, but certainly not enough to discuss it with them for an hour. We might be labeled as judgemental.

But, this teen girl was truly worried about her friend. She witnessed out of love, not out of judgement or condemnation. The love makes all of the difference.

My hubby and I talked about it afterwards and we were so impressed with her tenacity. Have you ever noticed that the seniors and the very young in the church, are often the most open about their faith? One group believes because they have no reason to doubt due to the fact that they haven’t done much living yet. The other group believes because they have been through the fire and have had the privilege of seeing God at work.

Those of us in the middle could learn a lot from both of these groups. We could slow down and breathe. We could worry less and trust more. We could pray about everything and listen to our hearts more.

Who knows what our world would look like if we did?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂