Emoticon Warnings!

Maybe I am the only traveler who has not used WAZE.  On our trip today, I was introduced to WAZE. This is the coolest GPS app I have seen yet!   People using WAZE have the option to select an emoticon to tag the map letting you know if an object is in the road, if there is an accident, if the police are in the median etc.  The point?  To warn those behind you.  When Lance's phone started announcing object in the road...police ahead...I was immediately intrigued.  We all know it does not take much to entertain me.

Warnings...probably saved me a ticket or two along the way...certainly protected the front end of my new ride today.  For all that, I appreciate the random stranger traveling a mile ahead of us who keeps pinging warnings.  I just offered my first warning to travelers coming behind me!  Warning sheetrock in the road!  Bad day for that construction truck.  As Christian brothers and sisters, we should warn each other when we see signs/obstacles/threats.  I am thankful for sisters in Christ who have offered me their advice along the way...warning---you are playing with fire....protect your heart and mind... I know I have been protected because of godly women who have gone ahead of me warning me from lessons they learned.   

 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Part of encouraging and spuring one another on to good deeds is to warn others of temptations along the way...maybe we can't ping an emoticon to warn each other but we can pray for one another (James 5:16) and offer godly counsel.   

Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days. (Proverbs 19:20 NKJV)

This is not because we are weak but because in Him we are strong.  God wants us to be connected to each other.  Jesus modeled this with His disciples.  I am thankful for godly friends....I am watching for your emoticons...please ping me if you see a warning ahead. 

God has called you to be the iron that sharpens others’ iron, as their iron will sharpen you (Prov. 27:17)!

Delete!

This morning I decided to clean out my pictures on my phone...some of you should be glad because I had some pretty funny pictures of my peeps!  One of you especially who tried to avoid my paparazzi skills last Friday...you know who you are!  Pictures are a great way to capture memories...I learned my camera skills from my Granny Weis.  She ALWAYS had a camera in hand. I can only imagine what she would have been like with a smart phone thus always camera ready.  We have all captured pictures of ourselves and others that are less than flattering...sometimes we are in control of the delete button at other times we have to run a CSI mission to steal--I mean borrow---someone's phone long enough to delete.  At other times, we grimace as our "friend" circulates our less than flattering picture for the masses to see on social media.


Delete....sometimes it works, sometimes it's not an option.  Hmmm.  Decisions we make daily...sometimes they are flattering to us, other times--not so much!  At times, we can discreetly overcome our poor choices and other times news of it circulates like a picture on facebook/twitter/instagram/VINE.  (A lesson on thanksgiving for later is THANK GOD we did not have the internet when I was a teenager!!)  So we may not can stop the circulation but I know someone who is way better than delete!  Jesus died for our sins so we could be cleansed and forgiven.  1 Corinthians 15:3 "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."   And no matter who knows....all of social media or just me, his death on the cross deletes our sins!  He washes our sin away!  Forgives us, died for us, loves us enough that He paid the price!  John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 


NOW what about that circulation problem?  Well, He does the forgiving but we may still have consequences for our choices.  As Christians, we are not perfect and still make poor choices post salvation but “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9 It requires our confession meaning that we recognize we did something wrong and own up to it!    After we confess/take ownership, we may still have a consequence BUT He will walk with us through the consequences and make us stronger through it.  Maybe once He grows you through whatever sin you were consumed with, He will use you to minister to others struggling in that area.  Maybe the scars (see yesterdays post) are meant to remind you of something.  Maybe He is humbling you to remind you He is in control.  Maybe all of the above. Either way, He will walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death and victory is on the other side!


I would like to say cleaning out my phone is a one time event but I can promise I will get some of you this week on camera but will be nice enough to delete the less than flattering footage (maybe :) ).  In the same (but more gracious) way, Jesus' forgiveness is also a daily need for us.  May we remember this each morning when we wake up and with each breath we take!  Jesus we need your seventy times seven delete button daily!

It's a dogs life!

It's a dogs life.  That's what I am thinking right now after I have worked in the house most of the day and look to see my poodle sleeping on my pillow…on my unmade bed as I sigh knowing I should have made it up.  I comment under my breath "it must be nice to be a dog," I move him over and think about making the bed….never mind it is Spring Break, I might get back in it!  After that thought, I laugh.  The only reason I think he has it so good is because I do everything for him.  He doesn't wonder where his next meal will come from nor does he worry about tomorrow…he knows I will take care of tomorrow…"oh, I created this," I think and smile.

Hmmm…maybe I do have a dogs life.  My life is (or should be) in the hands of God.  He knows and orders my footsteps so I don't have to worry about tomorrow.  Proverbs 20:24 NIV says "A person's steps are directed by the Lord.  How can anyone understand their own way?"    "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…Pslam 37:23.   He is saying, "I created you!" with a more literal meaning than my comment about the dog!  "…I am fearfully and wonderfully made…" Psalm 139:14.

 I don't have to worry about tomorrow because He has that under control too.  Romans 8:28 says "All things work together for good for those called according to His purpose."   Therefore, tomorrow has to be good. It does not mean trials won't come but it means He will work His will and purpose in all no matter if in my eyes it looks good, bad or indifferent.   I have every meal I need both physically and spiritually.   Ah, so maybe I can't lay on that pillow all day but I can know He has me under control so I will  yield ---- the old adage, let go and let God more real today than ever before.

Scars

Sometimes I do things just to humor myself....sometimes I do things that humor (AKA embarrass) my children....other times I do things for no good reason but either way it makes my little corner of the world well entertained.  The other day a friend (@zebrastripes) told me something that made me have one of those hallelujah fits I referenced in my last post.  So I took to the trampoline to express my joy....Reid captured this on video as I did a front flip and landed hysterically laughing at myself...which means I was ok with him laughing at me too.  Immediately, I felt a burn on my elbow only to realize I had a minor injury to remind me I am over 40!  That did not stop me from rolling around laughing but later it got my attention!  This has been a few weeks and I still have a fading scar to remind me to leave the tumbling to Abi!

Scars....they are not always bad things.  They are meant to remind us of something.  For me, to remind me I am older than I feel!  This reminds me of scars that signify an eternal price someone paid for me.  Jesus willingly took the journey to the cross because He loved us --- we all know John 3:16....For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son to die for us.  Jesus knew what He would face on the cross, the suffering He would endure, the scars He would gain.  He found it all worthwhile so we could have eternal life. Not something we deserved but something He wanted to do for us because He loves us! For us, He was happy to gain scars.  His scars from the cross were something He willingly acquired because of grace---God's riches at Christ's expense!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--  not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:8-10

As we approach Easter, may we remember the price Christ paid for us.  May we ponder the scars of the cross and have a hallelujah fit that He loved us enough to die for us!!  Then he rose again after three days --- the only change--- scars to tell the story of the cross.  

If you have never pondered these scars:

Below is an exert from David Jeremiah's website

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/about/becoming_a_christian.aspx

• Because of our sin, we are separated from God.For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)
• The Penalty for our sin is death.For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
• The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ!But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
• If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from our sins!For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  (Romans 10:13)
  ...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9,10)
  
  

Relentless

This week I was sharing something about a case I had worked with a colleague.  When I finished, I sighed somewhat in dismay that I was not able to "fix" the problem at hand.  I gave my spill, shared the 411 and said I've done all I can do so I will leave this with you.  As I began to leave, this person said..."I don't think you are wired that way..."  I smiled knowing this person knew I would not relent, would not leave it at that and would continue to ponder until I had a new angle or answer....if you know me well, you are laughing now because you know I can be relentless.

I am not sure where this trait comes from but it does remind me of one relentless woman in my life.  My Granny Weis (my mom's mom---her name was Eloise but we give nicknames to everyone in my family), she was a prayer warrior.  I was 18 when I got saved but that sweet woman prayed for me relentlessly day in and day out way before then.  She would tell me she was praying for my salvation every time I saw her.  She would talk to me about the Lord even when it made me uncomfortable and she knew it...she didn't relent.  She was never bothered by how her comments made others feel as long as she knew the Lord's name was being honored.  The amazing thing is she never quit...like I said I was 18 when I got saved.  I wish I would have asked her how long she prayed for me because I know it was a long time.  Oh, not that I was the only one!  She prayed --- by name --- for all of her children, son/daughter in laws, grand children and great grands.  She was relentless.

Knowing God's sense of humor is one reason I would love to know how long she endured those prayers for my salvation...because I found myself praying those same salvation prayers for my Dad.  I was a Daddy's girl and my dad was an amazing father but I knew he was missing the most important part of life...a relationship with the Lord. I prayed for his salvation for 17 years and the Lord answered those prayers!  I was not the one to lead him to the Lord but I know God heard my prayers.  In those prayers, I was relentless!  Why?  Because I loved that man!  I knew I had something I wanted him to have!  I had one hallelujah fit when he told me he had asked Jesus in to his heart!

A few lessons here, God says seek Him....1 Chronicles 16:11---Seek the Lord and his strength; seek His face continually.  Jeremiah 29:13---Seek Him and you will find Him...but you have to seek with ALL your heart!   This follows my life verse that God KNOWS the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Interesting to note that He knows the plans....if you want to know them you do this by SEEKING Him. It is about HIM not us.  Our prayers are to be about Him too.  Seeking and finding Him...praying for His will to be done.  This means in His timing not ours.

Don't give up hope!  If you are praying for someone, remember God's "appointed season" is not the same as ours.  That's another lesson on Titus timing!  If you are not praying for someone, may God bring someone to your mind right now to pray for....

And if you are not saved or you are struggling, maybe you have a prayer warrior praying you through. Maybe a prayer warrior has stood in the gap for you and you did not know it.  I often reflected on some things I did and wondered why I was protected...but looking back I am sure it was the prayers of my Granny Weis...or some other unsung prayer warrior I never knew was praying me through.

Listen to this song by Allen Asbury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ilYi-PJGyc

Who are you "praying through"?  I have a list...some of you are on it.  May I be relentless in my prayers --- may you be relentless in yours!

Hungry for Him...

Hungry for Him

As you begin to read this, I want you to recall what you had for supper the last three nights. If you are like me, you had to pause and think about it for a minute.  More than likely, at one of those meals you had more than one option to choose from.  Hold on to that thought....

It is not uncommon in my job to meet families who have limited to no food. For some children, breakfast and lunch at school are their only meals.  When you ask what they had to eat for the last three meals, they can tell you each item on their plate down to how much salt they used!  I have never heard a hungry child complain because they were given squash instead of mashed potatoes.  Why?  Because they don't take for granted the food they are given and cherish each morsel given.  Usually when offered, parents will accept food but say "don't worry about me, as long as my children have food, I will be fine."  Unselfish, unconditional love.....willing to skip a meal for themselves to ensure their children are fed.

A lesson in this on counting our blessings...Oh when our cup runneth over, are we thankful and hungry for more?  Do we count our blessings one by one, right down to the salt of life? Or do we complain about "squash" longing for something else-- taking for granted God's goodness?  Like our meals do we have to stop and ponder what our blessings are or can we name them right down to each morsel? 1Thessalonians 5:16-18---tells us to pray continuously and to give thanks in all things, in all circumstances....every morsel, every trial, every triumph....God has a reason...Jeremiah 29:11-13

Spiritually I want to be like the parent willing to give up something she needed to make sure someone else was full.  Do we have faith like the little girl I talked to recently?  When I asked her about giving her some food...she said..."oh my mama will not let me go hungry."  God is not going to let us go hungry when we hunger and thirst for righteousness....do we live like we believe it?  Matthew 5:1-12

May we hunger for the things of God, willing to sacrifice if asked, always longing for the things of God--counting every morsel with thanksgiving!

Seasoned by Him

For those of you who know me well---you know I am not a chef!  However, being tempted by my "chefly friends," I decided to enhance my cooking abilities!  To do so, I rummaged through and found an old cast iron skillet that belonged to my mother.  I set out to restore it.  Let's just say it was painstaking to rid it of its rust and corrosion.  BUT after a two week tedious process, one cut finger and some lung damage from the chemicals (LOL), I have a "NEW" cast iron skillet to use.

There is a spiritual lesson in this.  We are all like that cast iron skillet.  For me, God was rummaging through and found me at the age of 18. I may have looked ok on the outside but on the inside there was rust and corrosion.  I trusted in treasures of this world that would rust...Matthew 6:19 tells us not to lay our treasures up on earth because they will rust away.  The question becomes are we more interested in the things of this world that will rust or the things eternal that will last forever.  The corrosion of our lives are anything that deflects from the things of God.  Perhaps some of these things are not bad in and of themselves but if they distract you from the purpose for which you were created (to bring Honor and Glory to Him), then the corrosiveness needs to be purged.  Romans 3:23 tells us we all have some corrosion.   We may not have grease build up but we are scarred by selfish choices and decisions.   Discovering we are sinners in need of a Savior is the point at which our restoration process begins.  How wonderful is it we have a restorer who wants to bring us back to an ALL THINGS NEW (2 Corinthians 5:17) state!?  It doesn't stop at Salvation.  We continue to be refined and drawn closer to Him every day.  When we resist, we are missing out!

For me to reflect on where I was at 18 (and for some of you to remember), I know I was selfcentered but God saw beyond the selfishness and saw potential!  Like I soaked the skillet, He started soaking me---through time in His word, through prayer and fellowship some of that rust and corrosion started disapating.  He seasons me daily when I read His word and subject myself to listen to Him.  The seasoning process for the skillet is ongoing---regularly adding lard to the surface.  Our spiritual seasoning process is ongoing too --- it requires ongoing exposure to His word and gives consideration to what/who we expose ourselves to.  Fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ is seasoning as is going to church, reading His word and praying. God saw me worthy of chiseling away at my past,---like chiseling away at the skillet, it too was painstaking (after all it took His son dying on the cross). He saw me (AND YOU) fit to soak in His love and finally to slowly expose us to the refiners fire (Malachi 3:2) ....and then the cool down process---lavishing us with His undeserved grace!  I've lived the last 26 years in awe that He found me worthy of this gift!


You are in one of three places today--       

1 - A cast iron skillet in need of being found---He is ready to restore you if you just believe on His Son Jesus Christ.  Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5: 12, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9-10

2 - A cast iron skillet in the restoration process --- He has something amazing plannned for you so be willing to let Him continuously restore you.  Malachi 3:2, Jeremiah 29:11-13

3 - Gradually letting rust appear--- you have been restored--- oh you won't lose your salvation but you are missing out on some amazing blessings!  Yield to His call to return to Him!  Luke 15:11-24

Remember I started this skillet process because of the influence of a friend.  Living for Jesus you may influence someone else to long for what you have.  Be a restored skillet for Jesus! Others are looking at you!