A Call to Community

Posted on by Wendy
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

In the past week, I have read and heard several different devotions and sermons that focused on the Road to Emmaus account found in Luke 24:13-35. I have learned to pay attention when the same scripture crosses my path within a short period of time because God often uses His Word to communicate with us. So, when my hubby casually mentioned that the same scripture was the topic in his men’s prayer group, I knew I needed to sit down and prayerfully read the account again.

There’s so much to learn in those twenty-two verses.

I think it’s noteworthy that when two followers are discussing Jesus, He joins them. They weren’t in a place of worship. There was nothing formal. They were simply discussing Jesus, the crucifixion and the accounts of the resurrection.

Of course, Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

We can always trust Jesus to keep His promises.

I also love that when Jesus was going to depart and they asked Him to stay, He stayed. These men were in shock and disbelief over what they had seen and what they had heard, yet they were wholeheartedly seeking Jesus. When we humbly seek Jesus with open hearts, He will always be there.

Even when we can’t see Him, He is there.

But, I suppose what spoke to me most, was what happened in the breaking of the bread.

The text says, “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and began to give it to them.” Luke 24:32

When we sit down at a table to fill our physical need, but intentionally remember to give thanks to the One who ultimately provided it, we are openly acknowledging that we are both physical and spiritual beings. When we ask God to bless what we are about to eat, we take it a step further.

We live in an ongoing tension on this side of eternity. It’s easy to recognize the physical. It’s right in front of us. But, acknowledging our spiritual needs takes effort and discipline.

Jesus didn’t have to give thanks for that bread; He is part of the Trinity, but He chose to give thanks, probably so those two men would always remember to do the same.

Verse 31 tells us that when He gave them the bread, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.

Even though Jesus left them right after they realized who He was, those two men returned at once to tell the other disciples that they too, had seen the risen Christ. Keep in mind, it was a seven mile trip, so that was 14 miles for them in a single day. They couldn’t wait to share what they had learned.

Maybe we need to be reminded of the importance of breaking bread with other believers. Community is so important.

Scripture has a way of meeting us where we are. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊

Fig Tree Inspiration

Posted on by Wendy
We always have the choice between mourning for what was or celebrating what is.

About a month ago, we had some unseasonably warm weather. Everything started blooming. Then, we were slammed with a cold snap. For four nights, my hubby and I covered our tender hydrangeas. Unfortunately, we couldn’t cover our fig tree. It’s really big, but also very established and we felt like it would be ok.

It had already put out some nice big leaves. While the hydrangeas that we were able to cover had little brown spots on the ends of their leaves showing some damage, the fig leaves turned completely brown and withered. The hydrangeas bounced back fairly quickly, but our fig tree showed no sign of life for a long time.

I began to worry about it a little bit. Had the cold snap killed that mature tree?

Finally, I saw some signs of life, a few little green nodes. It was slow, but it finally started coming back. I removed most of the dead leaves, but a few were too high for me to reach. As I was examining it this week, I was amazed at all of the new green growth bursting around what looked completely dead. I had allowed myself to become discouraged because I couldn’t see signs of life.

But, that fig tree, with its established, deep root system, was at work beneath the surface. Life was still there and regeneration was going on even though I couldn’t see it.

As I looked at the withered leaves still hanging on the branches among the new bright green ones, I was reminded how easily we can get discouraged in our own cold and dark seasons. We too, sometimes believe that our prayers aren’t heard or that growth, regeneration and redemption aren’t possible.

But, God sometimes starts at our roots and the important, hard work that goes on, happens on the inside. That work and growth sometimes take a lot longer than we think it should. We wonder if change will ever occur, but then it does and life bursts forth, just like those tender brand new leaves.

I could mourn what was lost when I think how big the original leaves would have been without the cold snap.

Looking back and mourning what could have been is always a choice.

But, as I marvel at a tree that looked completely lifeless a couple of weeks ago, I choose to celebrate its life and new growth, so very thankful that it made it through a dark time. It reminds me that I should do the same during my own dark times. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He is Still in the Boulder Moving Business

Posted on by Wendy
He is still in the boulder moving business.

I recently watched an Easter service where the pastor showed a picture of what the boulder probably looked like that sealed Jesus’ tomb. It was massive. Most internet searches say it would have weighed somewhere between one and two tons.

That photo sprang to mind when I later read Mark 16: 1-3: “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

I marvel at their faith. They loved Jesus. They wanted to serve Him in the best way they knew how, which was anointing His body. They got up first thing in the morning, got what they had together and went to serve. There was no physical way they could move that stone, but they went anyway.

They brought what they had. They showed up and had faith God would too.

Their faith was rewarded.

“But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” Mark 16:4

Their stubborn desire to serve Jesus with the gifts that they had, gave them a front row seat to the greatest miracle ever bestowed on humankind. In Mark’s Gospel, they were the first to witness an empty tomb.

How often do we make excuses for not being able to serve? We claim that we don’t have enough time, talent, or money. Sometimes we don’t set out on a particular mission because we don’t think we can make a difference. It’s a dark world we live in. Just turn on the news. Can a handful of believers change anything? Is there even a point in trying? Should we just stay at home and pray for Jesus to return?

These three women give us our answer.

We serve a living God who is still in the stone moving business. He moved that boulder on the first Easter morning and He is still moving boulders.

Our job is not to doubt our abilities or focus on our lack of resources. Our job is to bring what we have and serve, no matter how big or small the mission may seem, remembering in God’s hands nothing is impossible. Three determined women reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊

Easter is Coming!

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He is risen!

We are at the end of Holy Week. It’s supposed to rain today. It always seems to be either gray or raining on Good Friday. It’s almost as if creation itself, remembers and mourns the day that mankind decided to kill God. It appeared, for a time, that we succeeded.

As Jesus’ followers mourned and Peter was filled with remorse over his denial, evil celebrated. I truly cannot imagine how dark that Friday and Saturday must have been.

But, God had a plan.

Aren’t we thankful for any statement that begins with “But, God,”? It always means the miraculous is about to happen, so you better buckle up.

As horrific as that weekend must have been, God knew Sunday was coming. So, when Mary went to the tomb, just as she was supposed to according to Jewish law, she was met by the resurrected Jesus and history was changed forever.

And Peter was forgiven. He took his second chance to acknowledge Jesus and ran with it. He became the Rock that Jesus knew he could be.

As we sit in the gloom of Good Friday, mankind looks as evil as ever. There are those who are still actively trying to kill God and they too, seem to be succeeding.

But, take heart friends; God still has a plan.

Easter is coming.

As dark as our days might be, they aren’t as dark as that Friday and Saturday were. Those believers didn’t have the benefit of living on the Sunday side of the cross.

Let’s take some time this weekend to remember the sheer weight of Friday and Saturday, but when Sunday comes, let’s truly celebrate as a people who are forgiven and loved by a God who is very much alive. He is risen! Praise God!

Happy Easter!

Wendy 🙂

Fruit Tree Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
God can use every bit of our stories.

My Daddy grew up farming. He was one of eight children and they barely got by. I’ve often heard him tell stories of the hard work he and his siblings did, out in the hot Georgia sun, plowing the fields with a mule. They ended up moving into town when he was in high school and his farming days were behind him. He joined the Navy and went on to follow several different career paths.

I suspect if you would have asked him when he was growing up if he ever had any intention of farming again, he would have laughed. Yet, he has always loved to grow things. He grows tomatoes every summer. I’ve seen him grow everything from figs and strawberries to cabbage and blueberries and always successfully.

Recently, my hubby and I wanted to plant some fruit trees. We planted in the fall when they all looked like sticks. There was no sign of life. Daddy told us how to plant them and how important it was to put straw around them. He warned us about the deer and while we knew he was right, we thought we had more time. We were wrong. The deer ate the very first leaf off of one of our fledgling apple trees. We heeded his advice and put some wire around them to protect them. He added pie pans to make noise in the wind.

The deer have left them alone.

When he asked me if we wanted him to fertilize them, I told him I would defer to his knowledge. He went ahead and fertilized them.

Last weekend, after a cold snap, I was delighted to see that our little orchard, which several months ago, showed no sign of life, was teeming with leaves and I was so very thankful for his guidance.

He told me that we could plant our tomatoes after Good Friday. I have no doubt, they too, will flourish.

I often marvel at how God uses our life experiences to help guide others along the way.

Daddy didn’t know it at the time, but he was learning valuable lessons in that Georgia heat of his youth, lessons that he now can pass on to his children and grandchildren.

In God’s economy, nothing is wasted.

So, take heart my friend. Whatever circumstance or situation that you find yourself in today, whether good or bad, exciting or mundane, beautiful or incredibly ugly, put it in God’s hands and let Him use it. In His hands we can find restoration, redemption and a peace that passeth all understanding. Some thriving fruit trees reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊

The Power of Prayer and Praise

Posted on by Wendy
Prayer and praise together are powerful.

I’m participating in an online Bible study on the books of Chronicles. They are the history of God’s relationship with His people. There are examples of both good and bad kings and lots of examples of the downright failure of humankind to stay faithful to God. King Jehoshaphat was one of the good kings and the account of one of his battles in 2 Chronicles, really stood out to me.

Some of his enemies had decided to fight him for no good reason and he went to God to beg for His intervention. He first praised God’s mightiness and faithfulness, by listing the many ways God had saved them before. Next, he openly acknowledged that they were powerless against the great armies that were coming against them. He said they don’t know what to do so they were asking God for help.

God answered the king through a prophet, “This is what the Lord says to you: Don’t be afraid or discouraged by this great army because the battle isn’t yours. It belongs to God! 16 March out against them tomorrow. Since they will be coming through the Ziz pass, meet them at the end of the valley that opens into the Jeruel wilderness. 17 You don’t need to fight this battle. Just take your places, stand ready, and watch how the Lord, who is with you, will deliver you, Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out tomorrow and face them. The Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:15-17

My favorite part was what happened next. They decided to trust God.

“21 After consulting with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed musicians to play for the Lord, praising his majestic holiness. They were to march out before the warriors, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord because his faithful love lasts forever!” 22 As they broke into joyful song and praise, the Lord launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and those from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, so that they were defeated.” 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

Since they trusted that God would provide, they went out singing and praising Him with both their voices and instruments. They didn’t even lift a sword.

The account made me ask myself about my own prayer and trust. When I take something to God in prayer, do I drop my anxiety and trust Him? Do I truly believe that He will deliver me like He has countless times before?

Later in the week, I needed to have a hard conversation. As I was praying about it, a song came on the radio about fighting on our knees. I could totally relate. But then, “I’ve Got Joy,” by CeCe Winans came on and I found myself singing to the top of my lungs. “I’ve got joy in the struggle. I’ve got peace in the storm…I’ve got joy cause I’ve got Jesus.”

I felt at perfect peace when I had that conversation. I was not the least bit surprised when it went well.

A biblical king reminded me to never forget the power of both prayer and praise. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Why We Come Together to Worship

Posted on by Wendy
Worship is about celebrating God’s love for us.

My hubby and I visited a church for the first time last week. We didn’t know a soul there which was part of the reason why we chose it.  It was housed in an old warehouse with exposed brick. As we waited for the service to begin, I marveled at how the congregation elected to redeem something old and fairly dilapidated for a brand new purpose.

As we sang a worship song about coming to Jesus as you are and about no one being too far past redemption, we got to the chorus about earth having no sorrow that heaven can’t heal. A little boy around three or four went dancing up the aisle and across the front. I smiled at him thinking about how the hearts of little ones are always the ones who seem to find it easiest to worship without reserve and how the truth in that song was worth dancing about.

In modern day church, we simply don’t do that kind of thing. Although the Bible tells us that King David freely danced before God, not caring what anyone thought.

The young often have more to teach than we think.

The sermon was on Nehemiah, interestingly enough, an Old Testament book about rebuilding a wall and consecrating it to God, looking at the walls around me, these people appeared to have done the same.

The focus was on why Christians come together to worship.

It’s a legitimate question. Some of us have gone to church every Sunday since birth. I suppose each of us could list a dozen reasons why we go, some of them better than others.

The speaker gave a single reason. He said we worship together to celebrate, to celebrate who God is and what He has done for us. That alone he said, was why we come together, because whatever may be going on with us on a personal level, we have still been redeemed and saved and because of who God is, we are destined for a glorious future and that is worth celebrating.

For the people among us who are struggling, our celebration should remind them of hope and encourage them to hope for something better.

At the closing songs he had everyone in the room come together in the middle of the room as a people of God. He said he knew some of us would be uncomfortable, but to do it anyway. Everyone complied and the college student that I ended up touching shoulders with just smiled at me as we lifted our voices  together.

I left that service with a light heart and a new perspective. I was reminded that the Church is truly universal and when we come together with other people of faith to worship, the where is of no consequence, but the why is. In the end it’s really only about the Who we worship. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day! 🙂

Wendy

Have a Great Weekend

Posted on by Wendy

I have been out of town all week visiting family with no time to write.  I hope to see you back in this space next week.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Wendy 😊

Jesus Knows Your Name

Posted on by Wendy
We all have a part to play in kingdom work.

I recently heard a sermon where the pastor talked about the account in Matthew 26, where the woman pours very expensive perfume, Nard, on Jesus. While the disciples were appalled at what they considered a waste of precious resources, Jesus praised her.

“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26:13

The pastor pointed out that she has no name in Matthew’s Gospel. We learn in other accounts that her name is Mary, but in Matthew’s account she isn’t named, yet Jesus predicted that wherever the Gospel is preached, we would be talking about her selfless act. Over, two thousand years later, we are still talking about her.

Was the Gospel writer led by the Holy Spirit to know that humanity has a tendency to make idols of just about anything and so decided to leave her unnamed? We may never know.

In the end, it doesn’t matter whether or not we know her name. All that matters is that Jesus knows her name.

That sermon got me to thinking about the countless other people in the Bible who were doing kingdom work but weren’t given a name. There’s the woman at the well who may have been the first evangelist. There’s the boy who gave up his bread and fish to Jesus, all he had, and watched it feed thousands.

Are their stories any less powerful because they aren’t named?

There are the men walking to Emmaus. One of them is named and one was not. Was the encounter any less lifechanging for the traveler not named? Was he less of a disciple of the Gospel going forward?

What about the four friends who lowered their paralytic friend through a roof to get to Jesus? Jesus told them that their faith healed their friend. They too, weren’t named, yet they too, continue to serve as a powerful example of the power of faith.

In today’s society, we can bet the name of the boy with the fish and loaves would be plastered all over Facebook by his parents.

The four friends would likely be on Instagram or Tik-Tok.

We don’t like the idea of obscurity. We want the world to know when we do something we consider important. We crave the praise of others.

Yet, we worship a God whose kingdom has always been contrary to ours. It’s an upside-down concept to for us not get credit. We tend to forget that the only credit we should seek is the heavenly kind.

All of the countless unnamed people in the Bible, remind me that we each have a part to play in kingdom building and there truly are no small parts when we are working for Jesus. Whatever our gifts and talents are, we are called to use them generously, knowing that ultimately the only praise that really matters is getting to one day hear Jesus say: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊

Reflections on an Early Spring

Posted on by Wendy
“This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

We have been blessed with some amazingly early spring weather this past week. It’s only February and it’s been sunny and in the 70’s. As southerners, we have a tendency to talk about the weather anyway. I suppose it’s in our DNA which stems from our agrarian roots. This week it seems everyone is talking about the weather. Almost everyone I know grows something, even if it’s just flowering trees in their yards or daffodil bulbs and I know lots of people who grow more extensively.

I have a friend who was lamenting about his blueberry bushes and this early spring weather. He is concerned that a cold snap will kill all of the tender buds. I have another friend who just shakes her head and acknowledges that she’s enjoying the weather, but doesn’t think for a moment it’s a good thing.

Then I talk to college students who are absolutely delighted. They are wearing shorts and enjoying every minute. They seem to give very little thought to the fact that it may not last.

As I was taking a lunch time walk and admiring all of the buds and blooms, it occurred to me that spring time is a thin season. Creation bursts into bloom and it’s difficult not to see and feel God in the world around me.

I’ve always known about thin places.

Thin places are those places like mountaintops, the ocean, or rushing waterfalls where creation is so breathtaking that you just can’t help but feel close to the God that made it all.

I never thought about thin seasons.

Yet, springtime clearly is one. It’s a season that makes me feel that God is near, continuing to delight in creating beauty simply because He can. That thought fills my soul.

This is one of those times where I’m going to learn from the younger generation. I am completely aware that it’s early this year. I am completely aware that a cold snap would be bad. Even so, I am going to choose to bask in the warmth and enjoy every moment of this season whatever it brings.

Some warm days in February reminded me that I have no idea or control over what is coming, but I worship the One who does and that is enough. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊