So Hot

 

 

Somewhere in time, this week, it was, or is hot.  I knew it was hot when I got into my car at lunch and the steering wheel was so hot, I was trying to drive with two fingers.  Hot!  There is another place described as hot and filled with fire and brimstone. 

My grandfather was once described to me as a hellfire and damnation preacher.  He scared people into the kingdom of God.  I’ve never wanted to do that, but perhaps I have inherited a little of the preacher in me. The heat I felt this week made me wonder why people would choose hell.

It’s bad enough to have a place where there is nothing good, no light, no laughter, no joy, but the worst part is, there is no presence of God.

How awful would that be?  God never intended people for such a place, but some people still choose it.

John 17-18 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Salvation is so wonderful because we can’t earn it.  It’s a gift bought and paid for by Jesus on the cross.  All we have to do is believe and accept.  Believe Jesus is the Son of God.  Believe he died and rose again for our sins and accept the free gift of salvation.  I promise, this decision will change your life.

Salvation is free because God didn’t come to condemn the world; he came to bring us life.  This is like a cool breeze on a hot day.  God invites us to spend eternity with him in a place where there is nothing bad.  There is light and laughter and joy.  The best part of all is that God’s presence permeates the entire space. 

There is no place I’d rather spend eternity.

 

 

Bill & Gloria Gaither - No More Night (feat. David Phelps) [Live] from bill-and-gloria-gaither on GodTube.

Reflection

 

 

Somewhere in time, today June 8^th, is my birthday.  I won’t say how old I am, but at this point in my life, I know that I have lived more life than I have left.  This caused a time of reflection.  It made me realize that life is beautiful.  It’s not perfect, but it’s still beautiful.

If I could go back and change things, would I.  Yes of course, who wouldn’t?  I would have gone to college when I was much younger.  Perhaps I could be done at this point and have a PHD already. I would have tried to be more patient. I would have tried to be kinder and more forgiving. 

You know hindsight is always better than the present for making choices.   

A few years back, my husband and I were on vacation in California. We had gone to a church that had some famous religious art. It also had a bookstore and in it I was able to purchase a card for my birthday.  It was a June 8^th card, not a miscellaneous birthday card.  On it was written this verse:

Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O Man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you. But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Really life comes down to a few things.  We all make mistakes.  We all have good times and bad times; times of health and times of sickness.  All that matters is what we do for Christ.

Do we treat each other justly? Do we love mercy?  Do we walk humbly with God?  These are the things that make life beautiful.

 

The Afters - Every Good Thing (Lyric Video) from the-afters on GodTube.

Handcrafted Original

 

 

Somewhere in time, this week, I have been working on a short story about a young girl.  My story is fiction and intended to be light hearted, but it made me think how hard it is to grow up in this day and age. It’s hard to fit it. It’s hard to be accepted.  Kids that are a little different are sometimes ostracized and laughed at. If that’s not bad enough, we are sometimes our own worst enemy.  How many times does a young person look in the mirror and think God made a mistake?

We believe God messed up when he didn’t make us taller or shorter, thinner or heavier or less prone to blemishes.  We think God messed up when our hair color is not what we want, or our nose it not shaped as need.  What about our ears, are they big, do they stick out?  We look in the mirror and see imperfections and assume God made a mistake.

Mirrors lie. They show the outside, but not the inside.  A generous heart, a loving spirit and an active inquisitive mind, these are not reflected in the mirror.

We’re wrong.  We are a hand crafted original.  God doesn’t make mistakes. He formed us exactly like he wants us to be. What our problem is, we expect the mirror to reflect the cultural norm of beauty.  This cultural norm of beauty is too limited.  God’s view of beauty encompasses all types of diversity.  He doesn’t make copies, he makes originals.

Psalm 139:13 -16 (NKJV) “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You. When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written. The days fashioned for me. When as yet there were none of them.”

If God made us and knit us together in our mother’s womb before we were ever born, we must be something special.  We are a handcrafted original made in the image of God. 

 

Britt Nicole - Gold (Official Music Video) from britt-nicole on GodTube.

Trying too hard?

 

 

Somewhere in time, this week, I started a new job.  I have been excited about change and worried at the same time.  I want to do a good job and be a blessing wherever I go.  When I heard Amy Grant’s new song, I determined she must know me.  The main chorus says “Don’t Try so Hard.”

I try hard all the time and I always seek to do my best at everything I try.  Many times I frustrate myself when my best isn’t as good as I’d like it to be.  I try too hard.

I call it the Martha syndrome.  In the story of Martha, she is working hard preparing food. She is making sure her guest Jesus is comfortable. Her sister Mary is sitting at His feet waiting to be taught.  I always identify with Martha.  It always feels better to be doing, but doing is not always better. 

But Jesus stops her and says, “”Martha, Martha you are worried and troubled about many things.” Luke 10:41

I worry over things that don’t matter all the time.  I just need to be reminded once in a while to back off, calm down and just do my best.

Don’t try so hard

God Gives you grace and you can’t earn it.

Don’t think you’re not worth it.

Because you are.

I have decided to focus on a verse this week, to help me calm down. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

It has helped. When I start to worry and stress over my new responsibilities, I remind myself to calm down. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

 

 

 

Amy Grant - Don't Try So Hard ft. James Taylor (Official Lyric Video) from amy-grant on GodTube.

Salvation is Calling

 

 Somewhere in time, September 27, 1805, George Mueller was born. George Mueller wasn’t the type of child we would have expected much from. When his mother lay dying, he was out drinking. He was arrested and put in prison when he was sixteen. In prison he made friends with others who were worse than him.  His father bailed him out and sent him to school in a different city. Maybe a change of scenery would do him good. It didn’t. He continued on, only to get into more trouble.

The change for George Mueller came in steps. The first step was attending college to become a minister. This may seem an unusual choice for someone who had no spiritual aspirations, but I believe Mueller’s family thought it might give him a good living and maybe even a desire to live differently. It worked in a weird way. The school was extremely secular and many of the students studying for the ministry were not called by God, but a few of them were. These students invited George Mueller to a bible study this began his transformation. He now knew that faith was real and God was the one he needed to serve. His life began to change.

He left for England, perhaps there they would not remember this little liar and thief and his faith would have a chance to take off. He went to England to begin his ministry, but he got sick. While he was sick he was cared for by a man whose faith really rattled George’s image of faith. George would watch him pray and it changed him. Prayers were formal and uttered with design and decorum. Not so with this man. He would fall on his knees and cry out to God with his whole heart. George was introduced to a new doctrine, one not taught in Seminary, the doctrine of Grace. This changed his life.

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

We can do the best we can, but nothing we can do will earn us a place in heaven. We are saved by grace. It is a free gift from God. For George Mueller, this concept revolutionized his life. He was able to serve God with his whole heart. God paid the price for his salvation.

 In addition to pastoring his church, he founded other ministries and one of these was an outreach to orphaned and abandoned children. His work with the orphans gained him the most attention on his life and the strength of this faith. George Mueller died on March 10, 1898 at the age of 92. In his life time, he took care of 10,024 children. When he died, tens of thousands attended his funeral.

If there is someone in your life you are praying for, just remember George Mueller.  I’m sure there were times when his family was praying and it seemed hopeless.  Their prayers were answered probably beyond their expectations.  If you’re praying, don’t give up, salvation is calling.

 

Third Day - Lift Up Your Face (Official Music Video) from third-day on GodTube.

For Mom

 

 

Somewhere in time, tomorrow, we celebrate Mother’s day. I don’t have children so I spend mother’s day with my mom.  I have been thinking back of some of the lessons I learned from my mother.  The childhood of my mother was difficult and at times she didn’t feel wanted or loved.  She chose to make sure her children never felt that way.

My mother taught me how to cook.  I’m proof that if you don’t use it you lose it.  While I was taught how to cook, my best dishes are sandwiches.

My mother taught me how to sew.  I used to make some of my own clothes but now I just buy what fits as long as it’s on sale.

My mother taught me when life knocks you down, you get back up again.  She wanted me to be strong because she knew firsthand the world can be hard at times.

My mother taught me to love my family. Family is connected through thick and thin and all the trials of life.

My mother taught me to care for those less fortunate and count my blessings.

The most important thing my mother taught me was to love the Lord with all my heart, mind and body. This is the lesson that helped me realize even if I don’t cook or sew, it’s no big deal.  When life knocks me down, I can reach up to my heavenly father and He gives me the strength to stand again.

Thank you Mom for a childhood where I always felt wanted and loved.

Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Happy Mother’s day Mom, I love you.   

Hit and Run Prayer

 

 

Somewhere in time, this week, America celebrated the National Day of Prayer.  The day almost slid by without me knowing.  I used to teach at a Christian School and we celebrated this day.  This week, Thursday was work like any other day.  When I realized it was the National Day of Prayer, I felt a little sad that I hadn’t set aside a special time just to pray. 

I’m a hit and run pray-er.  I utter short prayers all the time.  God, help me fix this problem for the client.  God help this repair to not be expensive.  God be with my family.  I don’t sit down with the intent just to pray, except at night before I go to bed. So this week, God gently reminded me to make time for what is most important. 

In the Bible, there are several passages where Jesus went off by himself to pray. He even gave us the Lord’s Prayer to help us get started.  Since He is our example, I’m sure prayer ranks high on His list of priorities.

Prayer

I like to write my prayers at time, it helps me focus.  I haven’t even done that lately.

I feel chastised and I will carve out special time to devote to prayer.

I will probably still utter my hit and run prayers. I don’t think I could get through a day without them. 

1Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

David Phelps - Ave Maria/ The Lord's Prayer Medley from bill-and-gloria-gaither on GodTube.