How's Your Tank?

 Even youths grow tires and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV

How's your tank? Are you running on empty?

We are entering into one of the busiest seasons of the year. This coming week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Some of us will travel, some of us will stay home, and some of us will have to work.

There are days when I get overwhelmed by thinking about all that lies ahead: decorating, buying gifts, more cooking, cleaning...the list can go on and on. 

Occasionally, I feel like nothing is going right. My body isn't cooperating from arthritis to other aches and pains, from allergies to tummy troubles. I wonder when will my body just work right?

Every so often I get frustrated with those around me. If they would just listen and pay attention things would just be so much better.

Lately, I have grown weary of our income. I had counted on a couple things happening that would increase our income and those opportunities did not happen.

All of this plus other things can cause me to grow weary, I wonder how I can possibly go on? This year has brought about challenges. Trials I was not counting on. It felt like God has said "No" a lot. I wonder "why, why God are you not granting my request?"

Recently, I read the book of Job. This is not a book in the Bible I enjoy- there are a few. This time though I asked God to help me see and learn something new. He granted that request. Job lost everything and yet he never blamed God. He grew weary and wondered "How long?"

“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Job 29:2-3

"Those who hope in the Lord, will renew," even though I have been weary I still have hope. 

Hope that Thanksgiving will be a day of thanks and not only that day but everyday to take the time to give thanks to God.

Hope that God will help me organize my day to accomplish what I need to, not all I want to, but what I need to. Our house will get decorated and gifts will get bought or made, somehow. Everything will be clean and food prepared.

Hope that my body will cooperate better and I will take care of myself.

Hope that my reaction to those around me will show His fruits and not my weariness.

Hope that I will trust in God's provisions. That I remember that He has always provided what is necessary and exactly when it was needed.

As I hope God will renew my strength and help me not to be weary. My prayer is that you will also find your hope in Him and let Him restore your strength. He loves you!

Well Excuse Me!

 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

From the moment I saw them, I wondered what they were up to. It is not unusual when we go downtown to see different people on the corner holding signs about what they stand for. Usually, I can walk on by them which is good because I usually have children with me.

This particular Saturday though it was just my husband and me. As we began our walk to where we were heading I hear a lady asking others, "Do you know Jesus?" I thought, "I sure do." So I was prepared if she or anyone else asked me. Because she wasn't alone. There was a problem though, even if the person she asked said, "Thank you, I'm good." She would continue to walk with who she asked for about 50 feet handing papers, hounding this person, and to me that's a problem.

We made it past the first group and then arrived at the corner where we needed to cross the street. We saw a man in the center, he was different. He had a microphone and was preaching to those going by. Every scripture he read, I knew. Then there was the man with the sign "Repent and Believe." He immediately began, "Do you know Jesus?"

"Yes, I'm good."

Then he began to walk with and keep hounding us, where my husband shared, "Listen, I am a pastor."

"Why are you against us then?"

What?

Against them, we weren't against them just the way they were going about sharing Jesus. Hounding and being right there in people's personal space is not exactly the way God wants us to make disciples. Not sure how many are really saved by their approach. 

The couple who was joining us, who already believe just prayed the prayer again to not be harassed. How many others did the same?

How do we make disciples?

By how we live, living in such a way that other's crave to know what makes you different. Sharing God's love with others by making friends and being their friend. Sharing your story of how Jesus has changed your life.

God wants each of us to know He sent His son, He died for each of us for all of our mistakes, and He rose again. If we believe, ask forgiveness, and ask Jesus to be with us then we can be saved.

Pretty sure those on the corner yelling and hounding "Repent & Believe", need a better way to share God's love. 

Walking in Darkness

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Standing there in the dark cave I couldn't see my hand in front of my face and for a few moments it was alright, still I was craving the light. The temptation to pull out my phone and find the flashlight was crossing my mind. The guide though assured us that if we waited it would be worth it, also while explaining to us that if we stayed in the darkness for too long we would actually go crazy.

So I waited and yes, when he began to turn the lights on it was worth it. It was a simple projector that displayed little lights in the cave, but it was spectacular view. It was like twinkling stars in the sky.

I don't know about you, but I do not like the dark. There is a reason I have a night light in every room of the house. It maybe because my little brother liked to tease me, by hiding around the corner in the dark just so he could jump out and scare me. Walking in the darkness, is no joking matter.

There was a time in my life I walked in partial darkness. I accepted Jesus as a young teen and I knew He was there, but I didn't let Him into all the places of my life into the dark corners. Have you ever noticed that when you do turn on a light in the room, that there is still some places the light doesn't reach?

I had not let the light of the world into all the places of my life. Sure the light guided me, there were times when I was faced with decisions between right and wrong and most of the time I chose to walk in the light. But I still didn't trust completely in the light.

But to have a daily time to read the word and study what the light was trying to say to me, there just wasn't time for that. A simple "Now I lay me down to sleep...God Bless..." was a good enough prayer, right? Still the light was in my life, even when there were dark times.

The day came though that the light needed to get into the corners. My money decisions were leading us to ruin. My husband trusted me and yet I had failed. Could it really be that the world's way of spending our money wasn't the right way? Was maxing out our credit cards and not paying our mortgage not the right way? There was only one way to bring light into the darkness, to surrender to the light.

Now I do not walk in darkness, I walk with the light of life. Will you let the light come in? Will you let the light drive out the darkness? Can Jesus come into all the corners and crevices of your life? 

God's Plans Are Good

 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

We all go through trials. There are times we do not understand what is going on. It is during these times that I try my best to keep my eyes on Jesus.

Several years ago, we had a trial at the church we were serving at. The people in charge wanted to close this little church down. We got on our knees; we trusted God that it was not time for the church to close.

Whenever I need confirmation from God I prayed for a sign much like Gideon, instead of a wet cloth and dry ground I pray for teddy bears in strange places. God has sent them over and over, a bear on a perfume counter, a pest control bear, and even a bear maze through a corn field. These are just some of the teddy bears God has sent me to confirm that it's alright to move forward.

At the time of this little church's decision and how we were to move forward, God sent me several teddy bears in strange places. I had confidence that God would keep this little church open and He did!

At the beginning of the year, we knew there was a small, very small group of people who were trying to do their own agenda. We were uncertain as to what would happen, but we were certain we had God to go to. We prayed and had several of our prayer warriors praying.

Again, when I need confirmation from God, I asked for the teddy bears in strange places. At first I wasn't getting any. This is not so unusual, sometimes God teaches us to wait. At this time I believed that my husband may need the confirmation more than me. God was working on him and his trust. Sure enough once he received his signs from God that we would be able still serve God where we were, I received my confirmation.

This gave me assurance that it would be God's will that we would stay. There was also something different this time, God was giving me other ideas like a home church. He was letting me know even if His will wouldn't be followed He would still have us in His hands. 

There are time when other people do not follow God's will. They make decisions without truly checking with God. There are times when I've followed my own agenda rather than God's, we all do it. The good news is that God still has us.

The night we went to find out if we would still get to serve God where we were, we were 99% sure God's will would be done. Unfortunately, the 1% happened. We would no longer be serving God here. We were devastated. 

But God still is God....

We knew God wanted us to still serve Him. Now the question was "What now Lord?" Is it a home church or is it something else?

A month before we heard the decision of those higher up, my husband needed a retreat. The weekend before I discovered that the pastor of the men's weekend did not have an assistant pastor to serve with him. I suggested my husband go and forget about all the turmoil going on. While he was there he met a pastor of another church, who kept saying "I need an assistant pastor". My husband didn't think much about it after all we knew what God's will should be.

Soon after sharing that God's plan didn't happen, God's other plan was taking shape. No matter how devastated I was feeling I still knew God had great plans for us. This pastor reached out to my husband.

God opened up a place for my husband to continue to follow his calling. A place where he could still serve God, teach about God, and trust in God. A place where I can still serve God, teach about God, and trust in God.

I will continue to seek out God's will and ask for teddy bears in strange places whenever I need assurance. I will continue to follow Him even if other's don't.  I will trust that God knows the plans He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me.

The same is true for all those who trust in him.

God's Love is Always There

 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

God's love is always there, it never leaves us. At times though we may wonder "does he even care, because this is not the way life is supposed to be."

Someone we love dies and all we wanted is more time with them. A friend has an illness that the doctors can't figure out. Family members won't speak to you. There isn't enough money to cover this month's bills much less buy food to eat. Where is God's love?

These past two years we wonder where has God gone? Why doesn't He just wipe away this virus? After all I trust in Him, I accepted Him, and I do what He asks of me.

Noah was a righteous man and he had to float on the water for almost a year. David was known as a man after God's own heart. Moses followed God, but He had to stay in the wilderness 40 years and never got to enter the Promise Land. God loved David, even though God loved Him, David spent a good many years running and hiding from a man who wanted to kill him.  Paul was a missionary for God and he spent most of his time in jail.

Life here on earth is hard! I have had to face unplanned surgeries and some days it feels like my body is falling apart. We've struggled to have enough money to pay our bills. My husband and me gripe at each other. We don't live in a rose garden where everything is perfect, but don't rose bushes have thorns?

The good news is every struggle we face, every trial that comes up, every rough patch God's love is always there. The hard days...God's love is there. The unexpected trial...God's love is there. The death of a loved one...God's love is there. In a crisis...God's love is there.

Through it all one thing remains God's great love!

The Bible

 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

God creating the world, Noah building the ark, Moses freeing the Israelites, the Ten Commandments, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's Den,....all of these stories I heard growing up in church. They were stories I heard every year. I also heard about Jesus and how he was born in a stable, grew up and died on the cross, and then rose from the dead.

I would also read these stories in my Children's Story Bible. 

It wasn't until one Easter when our church decided to act out Holy Week. Someone washed my feet and all of a sudden the words of the Bible came to life. Jesus humbled himself and washed His disciples feet. He didn't have to but He did. He showed them how to put others before you. That night I felt the sacrifice this person made to wash my feet.

My first real Bible was given to me at church. It was a Bible geared towards teens, it simply said "The Way". It looked inviting with pictures of teens in the words on the front. I was also given a tiny Bible which just had the Psalms and John. I brought it to Sunday School and we would read it there, but I don't remember reading it at home. The words though were in me.

Whenever I felt scared or unsure, I remembered God could help me. My prayers went from "Now I lay me..." to more personal prayers. At first it was a lot of asking God to help me rather than what do you want me to do, Lord?

Soon I began to hear songs using God's word, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." So when I couldn't handle our money anymore, and we were about to lose our home. I knew the only place to go was to God. He was the one who could take away my guilt and I was willing to deal with the consequences of my bad choices.

This was my turn around. After this my prayer life increased and got deeper. I was asked to coordinate the prayer needs at church. I began reading devotions and the Bible. Did you know there is a lot more to the Bible then the stories I heard growing up?

The Bible is God's living word. It speaks to me when I need it to. It's amazing how I can read a verse one day and then at another time read that same verse and it will speak to me in a completely different way.

Whenever I am having a tough time God's word it there to help me. Of course God is always there for me to talk to, but sometimes He speaks to me through His word. The Bible is that important. Don't be afraid to get it off the shelf, blow off the dust, and open it up a read it. It's time to dive in.

Cats They Are Something

 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 1 John 4:8-9

I watched this black and white cat as he walked across the sidewalk and up our stone pathway. He was cautiously walking up, wondering if it was safe. "Hey kitty, it's alright." He sat there until we sang "Jesus Loves Me".

There our orange cat sits on his perch, not moving much except to eat or to take care of business. If he by chance does step on the floor he does it very cautiously in case she's around, he's afraid of her. Sometimes he takes a chance to traipse around the house, but he knows she's there just waiting.

Our Siamese cat at times can fly through the house often landing on the computer chair so it can roll across the room. She stands at doors "meowing," because she wants to be on the other side. She let's her voice be heard. She will sniff her food and if it isn't to her liking she turns and walks away. 

Our son's black cat is very glad to have company, she will crawl on your lap as soon as you sit down. She stays there as long as you're there. She will appear wherever you are and meow, she likes to be around people.

These cats could easily describe us. We could be sitting on the outside and see people gathering together. We want to be apart of the group, but as soon as we find out they're praising Jesus. We turn and walk a way. Why we would we want any part of that?

We can end up so frightened that we're afraid to move. If we have to go anywhere we move cautiously. We think something is always out to get us. We live in fear.

Maybe we take time to play and have fun, but then we worry about what others are doing. We feel we're being left out. We're finicky and want things our way. We worry.

We could be the one who demands all the attention whenever we're there. We do things to make sure all eyes are on us. We need loved.

Each of us are gifted with a God given personality and it makes sense we are different. We just can't let our personality, worries, and fears keep us from the one who loves us most of all! God is love without him is no real love. He sent us Jesus so we could live our life for Him.