Becoming a Mountainclimber

I LOVE the MOUNTAINS! I always have. When I was a little girl, I used to dream of one day living on Walton's mountain. When I am surrounded by them, I find that I am more calm. Relaxed. Settled. Except when they are "life mountains".

We all have them. Some are large and others are smaller and more "foothill-like". Life mountains are those problems and situations that arise that seem huge and at times, insurmountable. This morning it occurred to me that as much as I LOVE the physical mountains, there are times I long for only a flat ground of faith upon which to walk. Then the question came to me, "How much faith does that take?" The truth is, the answer is a weak, "Not much!"

"If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

While it's nice to think that they all would just move out of the way with the exercise of a little faith, they don't always. Instead, step-by-step and inch-by-inch, we have to climb them. Conquer them!

I'm at the base of a mountain. I cannot see the climb, the peak, or the other side. But I am sure that there are blessings on it.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with my DS 3 when he was only 4 years old and preparing to go to Kindergarten. With tears in his eyes, he said he didn't want to go to Kindergarten. I asked why. His answer shocked me, "Because I might have to go to fifth grade!" What!?! Fifth grade??? What did THAT have to do with going to Kindergarten? He soon told me, "You have to get shots when you go to fifth grade!" He was looking at the entire mountain and figured if he never took the first step, he wouldn't have to take the 101st step.

We all do it. We all stare up at our life mountains at times and cry out to God, "I don't WANT to go!" But he gently nudges us to take the first step...and the next...and the next and the next. Because he's there the whole time.

Today I'm choosing to climb the mountain WITH faith! Here are the promises I am taking with me on my journey:

Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.

2 Corinthians 4:8
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.

Psalm 138:7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

{If you're here to see Random Dozen--scroll past this post.}

Today I heard this song.



It's not the first time. In fact, I've known this song since my college days when it was first performed by Benny Hester. I bought the album (in vinyl) because the song spoke to me so much.

The story is timeless. It is the story of The Prodigal's Son (from Luke 15:11-32). The boy gets his inheritance early...squanders it...comes home ready to be a slave on his father's farm...then finds that his father is actually waiting on him by the road and runs out to meet him. Then his father throws a huge "welcome home" party. It's timeless in so many ways. Like the song, I've heard it a hundred times from a hundred angles. But today it spoke to me in a fresh way.

It occurred to me that we generally think of the prodigal as being away for months or even years. And I really think that's pretty clear from Jesus' words that the young man was gone for a while.

But today, as I drove down the street, singing the familiar refrain: "And then he ran to me, took me in his arms, held my head to his chest, said my son has come home again..." I thought about the times in my life when I've had "Prodigal Moments." I'm sure that every single time I've strayed in my walk, God still runs out to meet me when I return to him.

Every. Single. Time.

Then I thought how many times I've had those "Prodigal Moments" and how many times God was waiting with arms wide open.

And I was humbled.

Deeply.

Pretty Packages...

I met another "pretty package" recently. You know, someone who seems to have life all together. They are all around us. Shoot, it occurred to me today that I may even give off that appearance once-in-a-while. Some people will admit their flaws and imperfections. Others would rather continue the facade.

Yet, the truth is...all pretty packages have places that are imperfect. We all have places that don't look as pretty. Those seams that don't quite come together. Or the parts that aren't packaged as well.

An amazing thing happens, though, when God himself reaches into our lives. He takes the broken parts; the parts that don't quite fit; the parts that are flawed and imperfect...and he pours out his Amazing Grace on them. And the parts that aren't as pretty to see are made whole through the eyes of love.

And, that, my friends is what makes us perfect just the way we ARE! Do you know he loves you? Do you know that he knows exactly which part of your life is falling to pieces? And he LOVES YOU! HE. LOVES. YOU. He wants to wrap his arms of love around you and renew and restore your soul. He wants you to be HIS pretty package...for it's not the outer wrappings he sees. No. It's the heart. I love that.

In my mind, there's no better picture for this than when God was appointing David to be king. Samuel was looking at the strong men in Jesse's family. He was drawn to the older boys. The ones with brawn. But, God had other plans:

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

So beautiful!

Perception Perspective

I think that the concept of perception and perspective is quite interesting. Have you ever been around someone for the same "event" and then heard them describe it totally different than you would? Years ago I had a friend who always saw things much bigger than they were.

There were people mad at the church and her words would be, "Everyone's saying __________." Reality was there were one or two people that she knew saying something and suddenly it felt, to her, like EVERYONE was doing it. Or she'd proclaim "NO ONE wants to _________." And I'd ask who didn't want to ________. She'd respond with a small list of names. At first I thought she really was "off". As our friendship went on, I realized that this truly WAS her perception.

And, for most people, their perception is their reality.

I've been thinking about a situation that I've witnessed recently where my perspective tells me one thing, but someone else's perception is totally different. From my vantage point, it's easy to see that they (sorry for this usage of "they", I am choosing NOT to be gender specific here) have made choices that have caused the events that have happened around them. But in their mind, "everyone's picking on them" or "choosing to be negative" or "rejecting this person" or whatever the issue of the day happens to be.

I don't know how you change someone's perception. I don't know how you help them see the world through different eyes. Different heart. Different soul. With my friend I used to reflect back when she'd use those absolute words like everyone, noone and everything. I'd ask "how many?" "Who?" And often she'd start to see that perhaps she was making things bigger than they were.

My Bible reading has been WAY off kilter for some time. Part of my time this summer has been to get a grip on it once again. And, though I find it a bit odd, I've been hovering in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, as you may know, is sometimes called "the weeping prophet". The message that he had to deliver to Israel wasn't a happy one. He had to tell them they were wayward, they were off track...their perception: that all was OK and that they were living ok and making right choices and life was fine...was seriously off.

And they didn't listen. Jeremiah delivered this word for FORTY years! He faced opposition. He was thrown in jail. Again and again, he would speak truth to the people and again and again they would refuse to respond to it.

So it is with perception sometimes. I think it's our job, in some moments, to help people see the truth. It's hard because sometimes it hurts. And it's also our job to check our perception against what is really happening too. It's our job to say, "This is what I THINK I feel, see, hear, touch, perceive."

Still, the words of God speaking to Jeremiah are quite a comfort when we consider those "off moments". God continued to say "I have loved you wtih an everlasting love. I have drawn you with lovingkindness." (Jer. 31:3) It doesn't matter where you've been, what you've done, or anything else....GOD LOVES YOU and me with an EVERLASTING love. It is there whether we're in a pit or on a mountain. And, that my friends, is REALITY!

A Masterpiece

I know several people who are currently expecting babies. Each time I see a young mother, I am reminded of my own pregnancies and the births of my boys. I remember details about each of them and recall the events with joy. While they were in my womb, I was constantly amazed at the little life that was growing inside. But, boy, when they were born, all I could think is "WHAT A MIRACLE!" There is no question that as I examined tiny fingers and toes, that we had a true masterpiece.

It's easy to think about the miracle of our own children. But I wonder, is it harder to think about the miracle that we were to someone else? Is it harder to imagine that just like I believe that God created four beautiful human beings for my DH and I to love and raise, that the same was true for ME? And YOU, too?? Every human being is a masterpiece.

The next verses in Psalm 139 make it very clear that God has his hand on each and every little person that is created:

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my
mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was
not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven
together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed
body. All the days ordained for me were written in your
book before one of them came to be.

Here's the deal: God knows us intimately. He made us. And, while I think most of us "could" accept that, I'm not sure we REALLY handle verse 14 as well. "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

When I read this, I am led to ask: "Do I really praise God because I am God's handiwork?" I think many people have trouble really saying, "Yeah...every nook...every cranny was created by God. Nothing was hidden from him." AND, in verse 16, the Psalmist reminds us that he ordains our days and he knew what each day would bring before "one of them came to be".

Are you getting it? He KNEW us before he made us. He MADE us. We are HIS handiwork. He KNOWS exactly everything about us. Rather than ask ourselves if he really means us....we should give him praise for we are fearfully and wonderfully made! Do you know it fully?

Hey you...reading this and thinking, "Yeah but I've done _____________ or said ___________." STOP! You ARE a masterpiece made by the hand of God too! There's no where you can go and nothing you can do to keep him from loving you right where you are and who you are today.

That, my friends, is simply AMAZING!

More of Psalm 139

The next part of Psalm 139 is

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

"Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely..." He knows exactly what we're going to say before we do! Very few of us really measure our words and "think before we talk"...in fact they are almost simultaneous events. I've heard many people talk as though they are thinking out loud. Sometimes it's helpful and other times, it's not.


Think about it, if God knows completely the words that we are going speak, then He knows the impact those words will have on those who hear them. He knows all of our words, whether they are blessings or cursings, encouraging or discouraging.


The Psalm continues with an interesting word picture: "You hem me in--behind and before." The New Living Translation says it this way: "5 You go before me and follow me." Think about that. God, in his infinite wisdom and awesome power, will be somewhere before we get there AND he will follow us at the same time.


When I was about 4 years old, my Mom and I were heading out somewhere on a day when there was ice and snow on the porch. She said to me, "Stay here. Let me go first. I will come back and get you." She walked down the steps to the car. I guess I've always been an "I can do it myself" kind of girl...so I took the first step and did not listen to her words.


I slipped. I fell. I cracked my head open. I needed stitches. It probably wasn't seconds before my Mother was there behind me scooping me up and taking me to get my wound stitched up.


This is the picture I get when I think about God, our heavenly parent, going before us AND following us at the same time. He goes before and guides us "in the paths of righteousness". BUT when we get the "I can do it myself" or "I don't need God" attitude, he's there too...following us. And whether he's before us or following us, the Psalmist reminds that his "hand is upon us". I love that!


The next verse sums up the magnitude of these realities of God: "6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!" To that, I say a resounding AMEN!


Are you getting the picture?


Here's SUSAN'S version of these first six verses: "He has investigated your heart and soul as well as mine (v. 1). He KNOWS you and me quite intimately--the good, the bad, and the ugly. He knows us when we are working or resting. He knows our every thought. He knows which thoughts will make their way across our lips. He walks with us WHEREVER we go...whether it's on the path of obedience or it's completely astray. There's no where on this earth that we could be where God is not. No nook. No cranny. No fortress. No where.

Isn't that AMAZING? It's almost too much to comprehend!"

A New Year...A New Word

Two years ago, my SIL, Heather posted something I had not heard of before. It had to do with finding a "word" for the New Year. And so I prayed. And I asked God to reveal a word to me that would be "my word" for that year. And He really gave me the word "promise". Again and again, He showed how he keeps His promises.

Then, the next year, my heart was impressed with two little words: MOLD ME. This past year, although I didn't blog specifically about it, I am certain that my word was "FORWARD" as I needed to look forward to what lies ahead.

And, here I am in 2009 asking once again for a word on which to focus for this year. And this word LAUGHTER keeps coming to my mind and heart. I know that I get too serious. I get focused and although I LOVE to laugh, I forget to do it. It's like a muscle, and it must be exercised.

When I went to the Bible to really see if that's the word that God has for me. I thought, "No, God must want me to have the word "JOY" for the year." Cause over and over again are verses about silencing laughter. I looked at some different versions of the verse that most caught my eye and my heart in The Message version:

Psalm 30:3-5:
2-3 God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together
God, you pulled me out of the grave,
gave me another chance at life
when I was down-and-out.

4-5 All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!
Thank him to his face!
He gets angry once in a while, but across
a lifetime there is only love.
The nights of crying your eyes out
give way to days of laughter.

And, then, because I know the Message is a translation---and sometimes considered inappropriate, I read the verse in the New American Standard Version (which was my first study Bible):

3O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
4Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.
5For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

So, here I am, at the beginning of another year knowing that "LAUGHTER" is to be my word...but also understanding that it's not the kind of laughter that is without pure JOY. And I'm excited to see what I learn as I seek those moments to rest, laugh, and enJOY my life.

Happy 2009, everyone!

Whoever...

Our church service today, my personal reading, and some blogs that I've read lately, have left me thinking.

Deeply.

The Pastor kind of summed up much of what's been marinating in my head for a few weeks. He used the very familiar passage of John 3:16--"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." He kind of zeroed in on that word "whoever"...and really continued to drive home that point...WHOEVER means just what it says: anyone, everyone, whichever person, all humanity. It's there for everyone.

Yet we live in a society that throws conditions into almost everything. I'll love you IF, or WHEN, or BECAUSE. When you do X, you'll get Y. Additionally, our society bombards us with images that shout to so many of us, "You're not ____ enough." You fill in the blank...pretty? smart? thin? tough? happy? good?

But, this verse in John says WHOEVER. It doesn't say "Whoever gives enough money..." "Whoever has the right clothes..." "Whoever knows enough stuff..." "Whoever drives the right car..." Nope. It only says "WHOEVER BELIEVES". There is no other condition.

Believe.

I remember when DH and I first married I took an Evangelism Explosion course. One of the illustrations in there about belief asked the seeker: "You're sitting in that chair right? When did you believe that chair would hold you? You had to believe it before you sat, otherwise you wouldn't have given it a try." Once you've sat, however, there is no "belief"...there's only reality that the chair is holding you.

Belief doesn't require proof...it requires faith. And it's OK if we take that journey one little step at a time.

WHOEVER.

The pastor asked us today, "Do you have friends who believe or act differently than you? Do you have friends who are Buddhist? Muslim? Atheist? Gay?" No matter who it is, or what the lifestyle, the entire human race fits into God's WHOEVER. And they fit where ever they are right now...

And when I really think about it, there are people with whom I "rub elbows" every single day who I am certain don't feel like they fit in the "WHOEVER" of God. For whatever reason, they are stuck behind a wall of self-doubt, pride, hate, anger, bitterness, fear, shame...and they don't let themselves believe that GOD GAVE HIS SON for WHOEVER. But HE did.

And he did it for one reason and one reason only.

Because he LOVED the WORLD. EVERYTHING and EVERYONE in it.

And because of that amazing love, WHOEVER can have FOREVER!

More Reading Notes...

If you read my blog regularly, then you know that I am reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. I posted about this last week here.

The story is a famous one from the gospel of Luke where Jesus drops by the house of Mary and Martha. According to some scholars, he may have dropped by with up to 70 other people. While Jesus sat in the Living Room teaching, Mary sat at his feet. As her sister, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, Martha was scurrying about to make preparations for the meal. She gets a little testy and goes to Jesus and complains about her sister's lack of care in this situation.

Now, many people that I talk to are in the SAME boat as me...they wonder just HOW the work would get done if the hostesses BOTH sat down. They did, however, have to eat, right?

I just finished chapter four and think that Weaver agrees with this. It's not that the service was wrong, it was that Martha was worried and couldn't stop and sit still for a moment at the feet of Jesus.

Weaver notes that in that day it was certainly expected that women would make all the preparations. It certainly wasn't that Martha didn't LOVE Jesus, she DID invite him into her home. But Jesus sensed her worry when he said, "Martha, you're worried about many things, but only one thing is needed." His note would have surprised the men in the room, because he was inviting her to take a seat with her sister at his feet. He was inviting her to rest and to know him.

This chapter ended with a BIG ah-hah for me. We ARE surrounded by legitimate needs and legitimate areas of service. When you have a Martha personality, it's your nature to jump up when no one else will and say, "I'll do it." We might even do it well...but it's not what God wants us to do.

Weaver says...

while there are manythings that need to be done, things I'm capable of and want to do, I am not always the one to do them. Even if I have a burden for a certain need or project, my interest or concern is not a surefire sign that I need to be in charge. God may only be calling me to pray that the right person will rise up to accomplish it. What's more, I may be stealing someone else's blessing when I assume I must do it all.

Interesting, isn't it? Weaver quotes Charles Spurgeon who wrote:

"Her fault was not that she served. The condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. Her fault was that she grew 'cumbered with much serving' so that she forgot him and only remembered the service."

May we all choose "one thing" that is needed today and not bite off more than we can (or we SHOULD) chew!

My Reading Notes

As you might know, I am participating in the "Fall into Reading" challenge as outlined in my last post. I picked up Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver again yesterday. Two things struck me in my reading yesterday:

1. According to some of the research and thinking of the day, 70 people may have come to Mary and Martha's home that day for dinner. SEVENTY! Including JESUS! The problem is (in Martha's mind) that she is doing all the work, while her sister sits at the feet of Jesus. Weaver notes that Martha opened her home to Jesus and his entourage, but didn't automatically open her heart. As Luke says, "Martha was distracted by all the preparations that HAD to be made." In Martha's mind, nothing less than the very best would do. Would any of us be any different if Jesus himself came to eat in our homes?

2. But, Weaver notes that the busyness of the Kitchen is not the same as the intimacy of the Living Room.

Interesting. When I read this yesterday, I was struck by an event that happened in my own home last Christmas. We hosted our annual Open House where we invite all of our church members, families, and friends to come celebrate the season with us. In an effort to relax and enjoy this event more over the years, we asked people to bring a snack to share. Still, there is much to do during this time.

After many of the guests had come and gone, there were about 20 people still relaxing in our Family Room. I was busily trying to pick up little messes that had occured in the rest of the house. I found myself in the kitchen, trying to bring some order out of the chaos.

One of the guests in the family room, a friend from church, said, "Susan, come sit down and visit for a while." I realized in that moment, I had not really spoken to any one of those guests while they had been in my home that evening. I was too busy trying to keep up. I sat down in the Family Room with them, but I couldn't stay there. I HAD to get up and keep doing what I was doing. I think I sat for a total of five minutes...MAYBE!

How many times do we miss the opportunity to sit and relax with other people? And how important is it that we DO take the time to visit and get to know each other?

How much MORE important would it have been if we were in Mary and Martha's home?

Weaver makes another interesting observation:

"The kingdom of God, you see, is a paradox. While the world applauds achievement, God desires companionship. The world clamors, "Do more! Be all that you can be!" But our Father whispers, "Be still and know that I am God."

May we all take some time to "BE STILL" today!!

Extra! Extra!

For some reason tonight I feel the need to do an extra update tonight. It's been a busy week around here...and there's quite a bit to share.

1. My friend's daughter had the baby last night. He weighed in at just over three pounds and is already breathing on his own! His Mother is doing OK and is starting to stabilize. It's still going to be a bit of a challenge in the next few weeks...but this is MUCH better than it could have been earlier in the week. They are crediting all the prayer with their miracles. Thank you to those of you who were part of the praying world.

2. My small group was going to go make a hospital visit tonight...but could not get in to see her. Instead we went to dinner. It's been a few weeks since we actually were all together. I am so thankful for this group of women! We can laugh, cry, and share our hearts with one another. That is a treasure to me!

3. When I came home from dinner, there was a double rainbow in the sky. It was a beautiful reminder that God keeps His promises!!

4. As I arrived home, I saw the most precious site...ds 1 and ds 4 outside fishing in our pond. DS 4 caught a small bass and DS 1 helped him get it off the line. He was so excited. As he put his line back in the water, and after DS 1 went back inside, however, he noticed a gator (yes, an ALLIGATOR) swimming his way toward his line (it only had bread on it). DS 4 did the right thing and made his way to our porch. DS 1 ran back outside to help him get his line in. I've lived in Florida all my life and don't recall seeing alligators as frequently as I have in the past three or so years! I don't like that!!!! Still....it was precious watching DS 1 tell DS 4 how he "did the right thing."

5. DS 3 got his haircut today. This was a BIG DEAL...since he hasn't had it cut for over a year. It's the "in" thing right now to have it long. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you'll know that hair is not a battle I'll fight. It can be cut. It grows back. It's not an argument worth having (in my opinion). BUT I have been trying to explain to him that long hair grows better (and more healthy) if you keep the dead ends cut...he was scared to go...but the girl did a good job. It's cleaned up and Mom's happy!!

6. DS 2 received a nice compliment today at soccer. He has been in a camp all week and yesterday they were visited by a HUGE international player and coach...don't ask who cause I don't know...but anyway, he told DS's coach what a good player he is and that he knows the game. I know it made DS 2 feel good that someone noticed his play.

7. Tomorrow we leave for Cocoa Beach for the weekend. DS 2 is playing in a soccer tournament there. I am taking DSs 2, 3, and 4, My Mother, and DS 2's girlfriend. It should be a nice weekend get away.

See...I told you I had a lot of updates!! Have a GREAT night!!

And another week rolls around....

Thirteen of Susan's favorite Bible verses (minus John 3:16) I had to ask ds 2 what to write and so this Thursday Thirteen topic is courtesy of him. 1…. Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." 2. Phillipians 4:13 "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." 3. Isaiah 40:31 "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 faint." 4. Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for you, O God." 5. I Corinthians 13: 13 "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest is love." 6. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Behold if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." 7. Romans 8:28 "For we know that all things work to the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." 8. Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." 9. Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is---his good, pleasing, and perfect will." 10. Romans 12:9 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil and cling to what is good." 11. Psalm 23: 1 - 3 "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." 12. John 15:5 "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him , he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." 13. Romans 8:31 "What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Red Headed Rants and Rambles 2. The KtKronicles 3. Treasure of Jewels 4. V I R T U E

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A HUGE pill to swallow

A dear friend and I were talking recently and she told me that her husband was memorizing Romans 12. I decided to take a break from my Psalm reading in The Message and see this chapter through new eyes. All I can say is WOW!! I am going to excerpt just a bit of it here:

1So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.

This kind of goes along with the heart transplant that I started asking God for on Sunday. It's critical that we take our everyday, ordinary life and actually place it before God. I am reminded as I read this that many of us are in danger of becoming desensitized to the ugly things that are part of our culture....language, promiscuity, dress, etc. It's all changing. These verses are a gentle (OK about as gentle as a 2X4) reminder that we need to fix our attention on God so that we can be changed from the inside out.

Paul goes on to say:

So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; 7if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; 8if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. 9Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it.

I love verse 6. It's so easy to get caught up in the "I wish I was more like so and so..." or "I wish I had..." and try to be something we aren't.

And the final verse quoted above might be the biggest challenge of all.....Love from the center of who you are....don't fake it.

I am asking God to help me love from this deep inside me....when it's hard....when people are unlovable...and when my first reaction might have been different.

So again, I sing: Create in me a clean heart, Oh God!!

OUCH...Another Message from "The Message"

OK...I have to share my reading from last night:

Psalm 15

GOD, who gets invited
to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

"Walk straight,
act right,
tell the truth.

"Don't hurt your friend,
don't blame your neighbor,
despise the despicable.

"Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living,
never take a bribe.

"You'll never get blacklisted
if you live like this."

All I can say is WOW...those are words to live by!!

God hasn't moved

During my devotion time, I am reading the Psalms from The Message version of the Bible. Here is an interesting one that I read the other night:

Psalm 11

But God hasn't moved to the mountains;
his holy address hasn't changed.
He's in charge, as always, his eyes
taking everything in, his eyelids
Unblinking, examining Adam's unruly brood
inside and out, not missing a thing.
He testst he good and the bad alike;
if anyone cheats, God's outraged.
Fail the test and you're out,
out in a hail of firestones,
Drinking from a canteen
filled with hot desert wind.

God's business is putting things right;
he loves getting the lines straight,
Setting us straight. Once we're standing tall,
we can look him straight in the eye.

I love this version of these verses! God has not taken up a new residence. He did not move. Furthermore, He wants to put things right in our lives.

I love the last verse, once we're standing tall...we can look him straight in the eyes. And what will we see when we do that? PURE UNDYING LOVE! It's a beautiful thought...and one worth really digesting.

Isn't It Incredible?

I am continually amazed that God can bring together unlikely people and form a connection that is so special! Some of us are married, some single, some mothers, some not. We have one important thing in common...our belief in Jesus.

One year ago, I hardly knew most of the 8 women that I meet with every Thursday. Here we are, one year later, and God is really doing a great thing in our midst. We are able to meet weekly to lift each other up in prayer, laugh, cry, and grow together. He really uses our differences to prune us and make us into the wives, mothers, women and friends that He wants us to be.

This time has become so precious to me. Tonight we almost decided to not meet during the month of August (many of us will be traveling during the month). Then, the Bible study verse we were to read said this: Hebrews 24 - 25 "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."

I think that is pretty clear that we NEED to be meeting. We need to surround ourselves with those people who help us be better than we are. Thank you, ladies, for spurring me on!

You've Gotta Have Friends

Remember the song that used to start the Golden Girls TV show? "Thank you for being a friend, traveled down the road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant."

My friends are so important to me. Sometimes I take them for granted, but one of the blessings tht I have is my small group. Every Thursday night I meet with 8 women to read and study together. We eat. We laugh. We cry. We hold each other accountable to live and grow the way God wants us to.

Tonight we read an interesting quote in a book we are reading together. I came home to search for the quote online and discovered the following poem (which includes the quote--written in bold here):

Real Friends
Anyone can stand by you when you are right, but a
Friend will stand by you even when you are wrong...
A simple friend identifies himself when he calls.
A real friend doesn't have to.
A simple friend opens a conversation with a full news
bulletin on his life.
A real friend says, "What's new with you?"
A simple friend thinks the problems you whine about are recent.
A real friend says, "You've been whining about the same thing
for 14 years.
Get off your duff and do something about it."
A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.
A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.
A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help
you clean.
A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.
A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.
A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.
A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when
you have an argument.
A real friend knows that it's not a friendship until
after you've had a fight.
A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

I hope that each person who reads this experiences the joy that real friends bring! Thank you for being my friends!!!!!