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"The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul."  

Delightful bites from the Word of God.

Daily Bread

8/16/2021

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A friend gave me a bread recipe. She titled it "Charlie's Everyday Bread." It was a simple recipe, a bread without fanfare or pomp, suitable for supper or morning toast. It wasn't loaded with seeds or grains, not eye-catching like rye/pumpernickel swirl, and not delectable like cinnamon raisin. Yet, its simplicity made it useful in so many ways. 

God's Word is also called "The Bread of Life." Jesus and the Word are one and His Words in scripture will never leave us wanting. They feed our spirit, guide our thoughts, and command our emotions. He is waiting to feed you. He has something for you. It may not be earth shattering to some, but it will surely sustain you for today. Oh how we need Him every day!

As part of my reading today, I read the story of Peter walking on the water. I always sit up and take notice of Peter in scripture because I identify with him on many levels. He was zealous, sincere, adventurous, transparent, impulsive and mostly blundered his way through life, living fully by learning from his many mistakes. 

It was Peter who corrected the Lord and was subsequently rebuked. It was Peter who cut off Malchus's ear out of his intense loyalty and in defense of the Lord. It was Peter who boasted of his loyalty and then denied the Lord three times.

It was also Peter who wept bitterly over his faults and failures. It was Peter who immediately wanted to walk on the water with the Lord and believed that the Lord could make the water hold him. It was Peter that the Lord mentioned in His first appearance after the resurrection. And it was Peter who received the name "The Rock" from Jesus in reference to building His church. (Sorry Dwayne. Peter had it first.) It was to Peter that God first revealed the inclusion of the Gentiles in His Kingdom when He gave Him a vision and proclaimed all animals clean. And it was Peter who guided the Roman church after the ascension. And tradition reports that it was Peter who requested to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus Christ.

As I read the story this morning, a few things I had never thought of before stuck out to me. 

~The first was the idea of "gradual sinking." The Bible said that Peter BEGAN to sink. I know ships sink gradually, but people? Yet, I noticed that this sinking began when Peter took his eyes off the supernatural Christ and started looking at the terrifying storm. When we lose sight of Jesus, the object of our faith, doubt, fear, and unbelief begin to creep in. We must keep our eyes always on the one who is with us in the storm and believe that the storm will not overtake us.

~After rescuing Peter from drowning, the Bible says that Jesus and Peter walked back together to the boat. As they walked, the storm was still raging. It did not stop until they had re-entered the boat. Yet, Peter who had just a minute before been sinking into the depths of the sea, was at peace. The storm had not changed. The wind had not died down. The waves had not become smaller. Everything was the same except that Peter held tightly to the hand of Jesus and he was at peace. So when a storm develops in our lives without warning, we must hold out our hand to Jesus and say "Lord, save me" and then hold tightly to His hand until the storm passes and we have safely reached the other side.

~After the boat reached its destination, many of the townspeople came to Jesus bringing the sick and feeble to Him for healing "beseeching Him that they might only touch His garment." Sound familiar? Just a few days before, the woman with the issue of blood had been healed simply by touching the hem of Jesus' garment. That story must have proceeded Jesus and the disciples to the town where they were docked. Our testimonies, no matter how big or small are important. We MUST tell them! These are what bolster the faith of others to believe. When Peter and Jesus reached the boat, the disciples exclaimed "Of a truth, surely you are the Son of God!" The townspeople, upon hearing of the woman's healing also knew that Jesus had power to meet their most pressing needs. "And as many as touched were made perfectly whole." Although the Bible doesn't record it, I imagine that those who were healed also went away proclaiming the goodness, the power, and the person of Christ.

I was challenged to go and tell! Tell of the things that Jesus has wrought in my life. Recall the storms that He has brought me through. Recount the times that He touched and healed me in my body, my mind and my spirit. How will they hear if we do not tell? No story is too small, too ordinary, to plain if the hand of God is what brought it about. 

I pray that my dose of daily bread for today will somehow touch and bless you today. Tell me, what did God feed you this morning when you sat at His banquet table? He has prepared something just for you, just for today. It may be simple, but it will fill you and provide all you need for today.

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Ignore the Pecking Crows

4/26/2021

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I was outside today and saw a hawk flying in the sky. Three crows were dive bombing him, disturbing his flight, causing him to weave and bob to avoid their vicious attacks. He endured their harassments for a short time but then quickly began to circle, spiraling upward as he went until he reached an altitude so high that the crows refused to go there. There he soared and soared, freely gliding, dipping and rising. It looked musical as if the wind through his wings was producing a song of freedom, of deliverance, and peace.

This scenario is not unfamiliar to the child of God. The devil comes to mock, accuse, and lie about the child of God. He is like a crow, pecking, trying to keep us grounded to get hung up in the muck and mire of life. 

It’s then we remember that Christ Himself now causes us to rise above the little irritants, yes I said little irritants of life, because the devil has been defeated by the work of Christ on the cross and has put the enemy under our feet! His attacks are futile, at best. Praise God!

So we can sing with the Israelites, “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted: The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.” Ex 15:1 And He has “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ep 2:6 “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Col 3:1

Second Samuel 22:49 tells us that God ”will also bring me out from my enemies; You also raise me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent person.” So as the devil attacks, God causes us to rise above and causes us to soar with eagle’s wings.
So SOAR, child of God. Don’t look at your enemies or those who are coming against you.  Look up at the one who is seated on the right hand of Almighty God and RISE. RISE up to be seated with Him! He is your vindication, your victory and your very great reward!

Isaiah 40:31
Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
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We've Moved Too Far From The Cross

2/8/2021

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After nearly 30 years at the same church, we are church hunting. To make things more difficult, we pastored the church that we left, of course, so finding a church has proven be a little more tricky, so we have been traveling around quite a bit to different churches, even trying different denominations. I've been surprised by what I'm hearing. 

I hear a lot of songs about Jesus, sermons where His name is mentioned, but hardly any preaching on Jesus and I have to wonder, who is Jesus to these folks? He seems to get no more than lip service. I've heard that sin is just a general term, a condition we all have so that's okay-even to be expected. We're told that we're a mess and that's okay with no mention of the victory afforded us by the cross of Christ. We "manage" everything the Devil throws at us, but is life meant to be managed or conquered? Did not Christ conquer sin and evil? Did He not win the victory so that we could live in peace and as overcomers? Isn't that what His Word promises us? And repentance is almost romanticized as some change of heart that we make where we just decide one day to quit running from God and start running to Him. There's no mention of Godly sorrow, which is, most notably, a precursor to repentance. 

​2 Cor 7:10 God designed us to feel remorse over sin in order to produce repentance that leads to victory. This leaves us with no regrets. But the sorrow of the world works death. If we do not understand the true nature, cause and effect of sin, repentance can be shallow, which is not true repentance at all and so we continue on in mediocrity and defeat.

For years, I have tried to settle something in my heart. I've known Christians who were in their 80's who have all their lives moved deeply and powerfully in the Spirit whose only testimony at testimony time is sharing about the day that Jesus saved them. With tears streaming down their faces, they retell of their salvation experience of decades ago as if it happened yesterday. I had to ask myself, does salvation mean that much to me? To be honest, there were many years that I didn't feel so moved about the cross and what Jesus did there because I, like many others had moved on past the cross and into the deeper things of the Spirit. And I've realized that my faith had wandered from Jesus, His Cross and all that He accomplished there to trusting in MY faith, MY confession, MY works. It's a subtle transition, but oh, so dangerous. I realized that by leaving the cross, I had grown malnourished and weak. I was not walking in victory and my prayers seemed to be weak and pathetic, unlike what they used to be. In some ways, I became the Devil's punching bag and instead of punching back ( power provided by the Cross), I just covered up and prayed that it would stop.

With all the extra time I have had the last year, (thank you Covid-19),  I've spent a lot of time reading scripture and I'm seeing that the whole book points to Christ and what He accomplished on the cross.  I'm fearing that the church has moved too far from the cross and we're missing out.  And if we're not getting it, there's no hope for the world.

 hear a lot of sermons on peripheral issues (mostly that talk of my part in the Christian life, but not Christ's part in me living for Christ) and few that just teach and exalt Christ's sacrifice, or His healing power. Calvary just seems to be "the given" in every sermon. I've heard little on the baptism of the Holy Spirit which scripture says is necessary power for witnessing and available to ALL believers. Not once has there been prayer for believers to receive this necessary tool. Last days preaching isn't even last, it's non-existent except to mention our need for revival. As far as sanctification, I've heard what it looks like, but not how it happens. And I've never been reminded that the cross of Jesus Christ and what it accomplished is just as important for my sanctification as it was for my salvation I come away from services pondering the scriptures used and wondering how they used them without mentioning the main point of the passage. 
This is dangerous ground. It's changing "the gospel."

Christ and the cross should never be seen as only a starting point. Isn't it so human to be thrilled with something, until it grows old or outdated and then we "move on" to deeper, more practical subjects. I see this as a danger especially in Pentecostal circles. The cross of Christ is not a stepping stone. He's the Cornerstone. He is the foundation and culmination of all history, past, present, and future and is the central point of all that has been and will be. He is our destination. It is His blood that gives us access to God. All and every blessing we receive through the Holy Spirit comes ONLY because of what Christ did at Calvary. And in the end, all things will be summed up in HIM!

Eph. 1:9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, 10 regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. 

 John 17:1 Jesus spoke these things; and raising His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, so that the Son may glorify You, 2 just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.

Eph. 1:19b These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
 

All things start, end and center on Jesus. He is the pinnacle of everything. All praise goes Him. All power and authority are His. All things are subject to Him. There's no higher place than Him. We must be found in Him to have access to God. God looks for His Son before hearing prayer or bestowing any type of blessing. I believe that God is totally interested in how we think of and treat His Son. If we diminish Him or cut Him out as we move on to bigger and better things, I believe that God does the same to us because God is all about His Son and what He did for us. If He doesn't see the blood, He doesn't hear our prayers. Jesus, His blood, His sacrifice is precious and essential in having access to God so what He did for us must also remain essential in our minds.

Even now, we need Jesus. He lives to intercede for us. The intercession of Jesus is the constant reminder in heaven that we are no longer children of wrath, but are bought with the blood sacrifice that once and for all satisfied the law, satisfied God's wrath on sin and took our punishment. His intercession is our peace as we travel forward from the point of salvation through His on-going sanctifying work in our lives. 
 

Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, oh, forgive!” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die.”
Charles Wesley, Arise my Soul Arise


Don't use the Savior, treasure Him. Honor Him. Worship Him. Don't move away from the cross. Keep your mind stayed on Christ and what He did and why He had to do it. He's not a peripheral subject. We need Him still. We get no prayer answers unless prayed in His name and He is involved in every answer. 

Do you look for Christ is scripture when you read? Are you asking, "what does this have to do with Jesus?"  T. Austin Sparks wrote, "We are not trying to make Him bigger than He is, but we are trying to reach His real dimensions; and the need of the Lord's people is to have a new apprehension of the greatness of their Christ, a new appreciation of the Son of God's love-and what a mighty, majestic, glorious, wonderful Son He is-and then to remember that unto us that Son is given. " 

Truly, I know so little of Christ. I don't know about you but I pray often that not one drop of His precious blood would be wasted in my life. I want all that He died to give me and all that He desires me to know of Him. And so, I stay close to the cross because it is the constant reminder of  where I have been and where I am headed. 




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Good Gifts: Answered Prayer/Red Letter Journey Stop #2

8/12/2020

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“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:7-11

This passage is my next stop on my red-letter journey (just reading the words of Jesus). I had committed to read only scripture and nothing else except my concordance. I do this several times a year.  I love other’s words but I love The Word the most! Some days, I just hug it to my chest and cry because it’s life to me. The first time I did this was when I was pregnant with my 2nd child.

I was not able to have children. I was miraculously healed as I sat by myself with the Word in my living room.  (That’s a story for another day.) After my first child was born, I had two miscarriages and I have to admit that  it threw me for a loop. Didn’t God fix my body? Why was I having miscarriages? Did He renege on His promise? Did He change His mind? Did He change?

A few years later, I sat down to read my Bible. I had recently finished a book about generational curses and had seen some things in it that spoke to me which I had committed to prayer. When I opened my Bible, a promise calendar I had received in the mail fell out so I decided to read the promise for that day. It was from 2 Samuel 22:20-22. 

“He also brought me forth into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
“The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
“For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.

At that moment, it really didn’t mean anything to me. Later that day, I went to the doctor because I had been feeling flu-ish for a while. I was completely shocked when the doctor told me I was pregnant. Now normally, I would have been afraid because of the previous two pregnancies but instead, I felt a sweet peace and that verse echoed through my mind and I felt sure that God was promising me this child. 

At about 8 weeks, I started to spot as I had the previous two pregnancies and the doctor informed me that my placenta was detaching and there was nothing they could do. I saw it on the sonogram. If it continued,  I would lose the baby. Again, that verse echoed through my mind and I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. 

At about 14 weeks, we traveled to Illinois to attend a Campus Pastor’s retreat. The second day there, I started to bleed heavily and passed a clot the size of a small saucer. My husband rushed me to the nearest medical center. They informed me that I was having a miscarriage, and transferrered me to the nearest hospital about 30 miles away. I refused to let the ambulance leave until my husband retrieved my Bible from the car where I had left it when we arrived at the emergency room. All the way to the hospital, I hugged 2 Samuel 22 to my chest and reminded God of what He had said to me. At the hospital, I received the same diagnosis from the gynecologist who saw me. There was no heartbeat and too much blood. Then something just rose up in me and I sat up on the bed, looked that doctor right in the eye, stuck my finger in his face and said, “I don’t care what you say. God promised me this baby and I’m having it when it’s due!” And then I laid back down. Well the doctor didn’t quite know what to think (and frankly, neither did I because I didn’t see that coming at all! It just came out!) He ordered an internal sonogram to take a look and prove to me that he was right in his diagnosis before committing me to the nearest mental facility. He came to my room afterwards with a puzzled look on his face. “You did not lose the baby. It’s just a really active one. It’s literally bouncing off the walls, going from side to side. That is why we couldn’t find a heartbeat. Furthermore, your placenta is perfectly attached and there is no scar tissue or any signs of bleeding. I really don’t understand this.” Needless to say, my second daughter was the only one of my four children that was born on her due date just as I had said and just as God had promised. When she was born, I sent a birth announcement and a letter with the plan of salvation to the doctor. 

Not every story turns out this well though, does it? Not all of my stories have. And if you’re like me, you might ask the Lord “Why?” It seems that there is a disconnect somewhere because this scripture and many others clearly promise that if you ask, seek and knock, believe, and ask according to His will, you will receive what you’re asking, seeking and knocking for. So what is missing? Did something get missed in the translation? 

This is where the rubber hits the road in the Christian life, isn’t it? When things happen that seem to us contrary to what the Word says and we have no explanation. When we pray and pray for something good and it doesn’t come to pass. Well meaning people might just tell us that God is sovereign, everything happens for a reason and He knows best, and just to trust Him.  That sounds so noble and there is some truth in that, but after so many times of repeating this mantra, a subtle distrust, an underlying suspicion of God will develop. The scripture above tells me that I should be delighted when God answers my prayers but I shouldn’t be surprised. I believe God really meant what He said in the A-S-K guarantee and is just looking to show Himself strong, to show off a little, just for me. He’s looking to delight me, as a good father does.

And here lies the dilemma. Sometimes what God says doesn’t happen for me. It might happen for others, but sometimes it doesn’t happen for me. So instead of just letting it go and setting myself up for it to happen again, I want to know why.  Obviously, the problem lies with me. I want to know why because I believe that God meant what He said and that He is perfectly capable and wanting to prove Himself to me, and His Word trustworthy. 

To glibbly say that God is sovereign just doesn’t cut it for me. If God’s sovereignty means that God is going to do what God is going to do, then what is the purpose of prayer? Why is there so much instruction in the Word concerning prayer if our prayers are not going to make a difference? Sometimes our prayer experiences make God look more schizophrenic than like the good father mentioned in the passage above. The distrust that builds causes us to neglect prayer or to quit praying altogether. Except when we’re in church. Or someone asks us to pray. Or we are desperate. Oh, we would never admit it out loud. It sounds too blasphemous. We just let life bowl us over instead of causing us to ask hard questions in search of the  truth. And God gets lost or mis-represented in the shuffle.

Asking, seeking and knocking prayer is not some form of spiritual exercise to keep us busy. It’s not just some religious thing that we do because God tells us to. And it certainly was never meant to be an exercise in taking a shot in the dark! He has purpose in it and there is power in it, if we do it His way! 

God does not hear every prayer.  Uh oh, I think I probably just kicked someone’s sacred cow.  But it’s true. If our hearts are not right before God and others, He will not hear our prayers. If we are not born again, if we have unforgiveness towards someone, if we are mistreating others, God will not hear or listen to our prayers. This is step one. If this describes you, stop right here and make it right, whatever it is or your prayers will not be heard or answered by God. 

Step 2: Remember Honi? Remember how he was criticized for putting a demand on God? Remember how God answered and even adjusted His answer to meet Honi’s demands? Could it be that Honi was not being a spoiled brat but was actually acting in great faith? Isn’t it faith that moves the heart and hand of God? Jesus couldn’t resist faith. He never denied a faith-filled request-not once. What is faith? What does it look like in prayer? Is it simply an acknowledgement that God exists or does it go much deeper than that? How are faith and prayer related? Could it be that prayer takes faith and faith puts a demand on God? Could it be that prayer is more than just asking God for something, but actually expecting that because He is good and keeps His Word that He will give us what we asked for? 

We may never understand everything about how prayer works in the Kingdom of God until we are living in the age to come. Still, there is plenty that the Bible says can happen, should happen, and that happened in past history that is not happening in my life. If God is no respector of persons, then that tells me that it's possible in my life as well. It seems to me that there is  alot of prayer going on in the world and very little happening that we can see. I don't believe that prayer was meant solely to be an exercise in waiting, or patience, or blind trust. I think prayer is for the purpose of seeing results, of seeing God's Kingdom on earth as it was intended when Christ brought it here. This is what turns the head of the skeptical, unbelieving sinner. 


Now I know that by now, your religious alarm bells may be going off! Oh no! Not that name it-claim it, blab it-grab it faith stuff! But just hang with me! If we want to have God's power in prayer, then we better understand God’s rules of prayer. We had better understand what scripture really says about prayer. Try reading the red letters and doing them! Go ahead! Experiment. Even if it makes you step out of your comfort zone! (Swimming upstream is never easy!) Wrestle with the parts that are hard or are not your experience. Be willing to take responsibility when the fault lies with you and make adjustments.   If these red letters are not a reality, ask God why? Don’t we want to have all that Jesus bled and died for us to have? Don’t we want to live in the power and blessing of the Kingdom of God that was ushered in with the coming of Christ? I don’t want one drop of His precious blood to be wasted on my ignorance. I don't want the Holy Spirit to be inactive in my prayer life. If there is power available for me to live and see God’s power in my life and the lives of others, I want it! Don't  you?

Step 3: Faith-our part in the prayer process. This is our next stop on this red-letter journey.

Below: My little miracle baby today! 

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Players, Ponderings,and the Possibilities of Prayer/Red-Letter Journey Stop #1

7/30/2020

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I’ve been doing a lot of pondering lately. As I thought about the account of Moses and the children of Israel in the desert, I pondered how the Israelites, having just been delivered from the oppression of Egypt, having just come through the Red Sea on dry land, and after spending 3 days sanctifying themselves in anticipation and preparation for meeting God Himself, could so quickly get to the place of worshipping a pagan image. How could they dance under the shadow of Mt. Sinai at the same time God was meeting with Moses, celebrating amidst the noise, smoke, fire and thunder of God's very presence? And why are we so prone to forget and wander from God, forgetting all that He has done and putting our trust in everything but Him? 

I pondered on what true conversion and salvation looks like, how the Bible defines it, and how it is necessary for citizenship in the Kingdom of God (but not necessarily the modern definition of church). This was after reading a question posed by my Pastor when he raised the question of the difference between being a follower of Jesus and being a fan of Jesus. I pondered the difference between the church of God and the Kingdom of God.  (More to come on that too!)

But today, after reading just the red letters of my Bible, I want to begin to broach the topic of prayer answers, or lack thereof, of asking and receiving, of faith and doubt, of the role players in prayer, and the possibilities in prayer. 

Haven’t we all asked the “Whys?” of unanswered prayer and hard circumstances? Why God? Why this? Why now? Why me? I know I have. I don’t particularly think that it’s wrong to ask God questions, however, I do think it’s wrong to question God, to question His ability, motives and His methods. That only leads to bitterness, doubt and unbelief and is a dangerous place. Yet, at times, things happen that cause us to grow suspicious of what God is doing. His ways are higher than ours, His thoughts massively deeper than ours, and are done with an eternal purpose (a Kingdom purpose) in mind which may tax our ability to understand His eternal idea in the temporal. And although I do believe that God is sovereign, I don’t use that excuse to neglect my investigation of why things happen to me and what God wants me to learn, grow in, or change as a result. I don’t allow myself to think that I have no control of my own life because it is obvious from scripture that our lives are planned by God, but we have some input, the scripts can be altered. Prayer changes things.  

I worked with a young lady whose life motto was “Everything happens for a reason.” It was a glib expression that she used everytime something bad happened to her. What I never understood was why she never took it one step further. She never tried to find out what the reason was. Seriously, I could have helped her out so many times if she would have asked but she continued in her self-imposed ignorance, rendering herself a particle in the chaotic cosmos of life, floating along as helplessly as a dried leaf floats down a fast moving stream. I am someone who wants to understand the “Whys?” of life, even if it proves me to be at fault. Even if it hurts. That’s called growth! That doesn’t mean that God has explained every bad thing that has ever happened to me, because He hasn’t (yet), but He has shown me many times when I was partially, or totally ignorant or complicit in them and I was able to make adjustments so that they could be avoided in the future. I’ve also found that the understanding the truth helps ease some of the angst that comes with hard times and gives me hope for the future. 

I’m sure that Zacharius, after questioning God’s ability while ministering in the temple, never did that again. After being rendered mute for his wife’s entire pregnancy, I bet he learned his lesson. Just think of it. When Elizabeth wanted pickles and ice cream, he just had to go get them because he couldn’t tell her to go get them herself. Can you imagine having to go through the first pregnancy, at their age, without being able to say one word? Just having to listen to her complain of back pain, swollen feet, stretch marks and not being able to tell his buddies how much he was suffering too? Wow! What a predicament! LOL! While Elizabeth was telling everyone what a miracle her baby was, Zacharius was prevented from saying one word of his experience in the temple and boy, what a story he had to tell. 

Meanwhile, in another town, after hearing even more incredible news from the angel, Mary, fully believing what the angel said was possible and would happen, simply questioned the “Hows?” of his message. I have to admit, I would probably have the same questions as she did because let’s face it, she was going to be asking people to believe the unbelievable when most would just believe that she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Afterall, there had been no miracles in Israel for 400 years, unless you believe the legends of people like Honi who slept for 70 years in an old tree trunk and who drew a circle around himself in the dust and vowed not to leave it until God answered his prayer. And that story is what got me to thinking about prayer and answers to prayer. 

Honi, a Jewish scholar of the first century and a supposed miracle worker, petitioned God for rain when the rainy season was late in coming and vowed not to step outside the circle until God sent it. According to the legend, he stayed in the circle until God sent rain and when God did send rain, then he complained that it was too hard of a rain, so God changed it to a nice, soaking rain. (Boy could we use this man in Centre County these days!  Instead, we have Moses living somewhere incognito in the area and he parts the waters of every rain storm that heads our way! Sorry, I got a little distracted by the drought!) Some people felt that Honi was irreverent in his prayer, making demands upon the Lord. Who did he think he was? But if the legend is true, it worked! And that is when my mind began to ponder. I began to think about desperate prayer, something our Pastor speaks of frequently. I began to think about making requests in prayer vs. making a demand in prayer. Obviously, this man put a demand on God, and God answered. He didn’t pray some flowery prayer softening God up with some praise and worship and meekly asking if God wouldn’t please send some rain, not too much, not too little, piously praying Proverbs 30:7-9, and adding at the end, “if it be Thy Will.” Of course, this is a legend and not Biblical truth. So I began to look in scripture at the prayers people have prayed and at the times when prayers were answered. I began to think about our position as children of the Kingdom and what rights, responsibilities and privileges that affords us. I began to remember the times I have been desperate in prayer, when I’ve taken authority over the works of the devil in prayer, when I’ve seen instantaneous miracles in prayer, and of all the answers to prayer I’ve received through the years. But mostly, I pondered who it is that I prayed to and what He has said about prayer and frankly, I think Honi was on to something. 

So, if this has piqued your interest, stay tuned. In the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing more on this and the other things I have been pondering as well because if I know anything about my Pappa God, they all fit together for a reason that is going to change my life! 

What from God's Word have you been pondering lately? I hope you have a place as lovely as the pond in the photo to do your "pondering." My husband and I often walk these grounds and discuss what God is showing us from His Word, inbetween photos, of course. My hubs is so patient with me. I just can't "see a photo" without at least trying to capture it with my camera. Oh, the life of an artsy-fartsy girl but you have to admit, God puts some beautiful art out there for us to enjoy and I want to remember every single piece of it.


Until next blog, could I suggest spending some time in God’s Word? Maybe you too, could read just the red letters of the New Testament. Or perhaps look up every reference to asking, seeking, knocking, prayer. Read the new testament and record every prayer answer and every request that was answered by Jesus. Find out if Jesus ever refused to answer when faith was present. Find out if Jesus ever refused to heal. Find out what Jesus said about faith. What He said about prayer. What He said IN prayer. Put a demand on the Holy Spirit to do what He does best, teaching and revealing the Word of God to your heart. I would be so bold to say that when He’s done, your life won’t be the same either.

​

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The Lamplight Life

7/11/2020

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Did you ever feel like you are in limbo? Like your whole life is up in the air and you dont know how it's going to shake out? Like you're in a waiting room and everyone else's name has been called but yours? Like you're just doing nothing for God because alot the ways you served Him before are no longer part of your life's routine? Like you've lost your sphere of influence? Do you worry that you're wasting time while you struggle and pray to find a new normal because nothing in life feels normal anymore?
I've been feeling that way lately. But then I realize that time spent seeking God is never wasted time. He's heard and answered every prayer even if I don't see it yet. He does not see time as I do. What's 60 years to an eternal God? In His economy, I might not have waited very long at all.
Perhaps He is just enjoying having my undivided attention, where I'm just with Him instead of being busy doing things for Him. He has not let a single word I've spoken to Him go unheard. He has not let a single tear fall to the ground. He has kept every one and they are precious to Him.
Starting over or heading a different direction is daunting. There's so much that doesn't feel comfortable because it's new and different and unfamiliar.
I am full of desire to be busy about His business. In my heart, I want to be salt to the whole earth and light to the entire world and as I ponder how to do this, its almost overwhelming. But the key to re-starting is to start small, in my own home, to continue being light to all who enter there. That is more challenging than it sounds because home is where the real me is revealed but it's also where I can have the most impact.
So for today, I will shine as brightly as I can as the oil of His grace fuels my flame. I will surrender my tomorrow into His loving, capable hands and I will follow one day at a time even though I dont know where I'm headed. "But I do know who I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I've committed into Him until the day of His return."

Disciples and the World - “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor d...

BIBLEGATEWAY.COM
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 5:13-16 - New American Standard Bible
Disciples and the World - “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for…
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Is He Enough?

7/6/2020

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In his sermon a few weeks ago, our Pastor asked the question, "Is Jesus enough?" If the only thing that God offered us was the knowledge of the Savior, would that be enough for us to be willing to give everything that we have to obtain it? Would we be willing to give up all the other blessings that we currently enjoy to just have Jesus? Would we be willing to sell our houses and go into the unknown just to have Him in His fullness or is He just something we have added to our lives to enhance them? Is He more than fire insurance? Would He be enough? That is a compelling question. Corrie Ten Boom said that "You can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have." She certainly knew this truth in her life's deepest experience. What is my experience? Have I ever really been to the place where Christ was all I had? Have I found Christ to be all that I need in the darkest, deepest valleys of life? More importantly, do the mountaintop blessings and the comforts and acquisitions of life that He has so graciously provided for me pale in comparison to knowing Him? If it was all taken away, would I find that He is all that I want? Am I in love with the Blesser or the blessings? In 1999, after a devastating car accident that left two of my 4 children brain injured, I went to an appointment at the school district office to review test results for my daughter who was starting kindergarten just 3 months after being released from the hospital. They were devastating. My formerly bright, engaging, athletic, witty 5-year-old was barely functioning on the level of a two-year-old. To add to my distress, they informed me that they didn’t know much about working with brain injuries so they were sending a counselor to take a class so that they could better meet her needs. No brain injury is the same. Even the doctors can’t give you any definitive promises concerning them. Their efforts did little to reassure me. As I left the meeting, I was distraught so I headed for my church building and sat down at the piano and began to play and worship because at that moment, Jesus was the only one that could help me and the only one that could help my daughter. As I worshipped, the Spirit of God began to minister to my heart and this chorus flowed out of me. I love to worship You
Worship at Your feet, Lord
Bow down to Your Name
And tell You that I love You
If the seas would turn to dust
And all time would pass away
I’d still be at Your feet
Worshipping You Lord Even though I wrote that chorus 20 years ago, it still ministers to me and in more recent times, it has been more of a declaration at times as I have had to let go of things that have long been blessings in my life, as I find my new normal. It has been my battle cry when I’ve felt like I just can’t go one more step. It’s been a song of resolution when hope seems far away from my situation, when it seems God’s ear is deaf to my pleas and my emotions are trying to convince me that He doesn’t care. Deep down, I know that He is enough. He is more than enough. He truly is all that I need. In Habakkuk 3, the prophet knows that tragedy is coming to Judah because they have forgotten God. He was no longer enough for them. They were distracted by other things and leaning on their own strength and not honoring the Word of God. And so God was raising up the Chaldean army to come and carry them away captive. After hearing the vision, as scripture says, Habakkuk’s response was this: Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive tree should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, YET I WILL EXULT IN THE LORD, I WILL REJOICE IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION. THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND HE HAS MADE MY FEET LIKE HINDS’ FEET, AND MAKES ME WALK ON MY HIGH PLACES. For Habakkuk, for Corrie Ten Boom, for Elizabeth Elliot, for Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail, for the Apostle Peter, for Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for all those who have been imprisoned and martyred for Christ, HE IS ENOUGH. HE IS ALL THEY NEED. HE IS EVERYTHING. And the secret is found in the last part of verse 19. “The Lord is my strength, and HE HAS MADE my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.” So when I find myself feeling unsettled, discontent, weak, wallowing in self-pity, and pondering on doubts in my mind, it is then I know that I must rely on His strength to pull me out of where I am and up to the place of being seated in heavenly places with Him because from there I can see more clearly the whole picture. It's there that I know that Jesus is all that matters and everything that I need is found in what only He can provide. He is supreme and the center of everything. It’s then I know that the only important thing I have to do with my life is to be at His feet, worshipping and allowing His life to flow to me and then through me to a world that needs to know that He is enough.

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Surrender Forward

5/16/2020

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Surrender forward. What a choice of words. My Pastor said that God has given us this "sabbath pause", otherwise known as Coronavirus to give us a spiritual reset. It's a time to examine our "normal" and decide if we want to return to it or to "surrender forward."   It almost sounds like an oxymoron. In war, surrender is synonymous with failure and defeat. There’s no such thing as surrendering forward. Yet, to me, it is one of those Biblical paradoxes that arrests my attention and bemuses my mind. It causes me to settle into Kingdom thinking that far exceeds my own earthly comprehension.

Changes in routine, like the Covid19 quarantine, can cause feelings of isolation, boredom, or hysteria. It exposes vulnerabilities that in normal times, we can suppress, ignore, or hide. We grow restless, or worse, when our usual distractions are taken away and we are left with nothing but our thoughts and the realities of life. There is time and often need for self-examination and reflection of where we’ve been, where we are, and in what direction we’re headed. It’s in these times that we can have the clarity to hear what the Spirit is trying to say. His words may be hard, even unbearable. Running away may look really appealing. And while movement may be required, away is not an option because when we run, we run with what He was wanting to address. We can return to where we were. Neither of these options will produce change. Or, we can choose to move forward in surrender to His plan. The Christian life is never static. It is either surrendering forward or sliding back. There’s no resting place or arriving point on this side of Glory. The war will rage until the King of Peace comes to earth and makes peace and we, my friends, are embroiled in this battle, whether we want to be or not. 

Returning to “normal” as many are desiring, will only bring us back around to where we are now. That may be okay for some people but as one who sees a need for personal change, surrendering forward is the only option. Depending on where you are coming from, that may look very scary. You may feel your plate is already full of trouble and brokenness and what if surrendering forward will only add to where you are now before bringing you through to goodness? God will always take what the enemy means for evil and bring good out of it, but what is frightening is that we don’t know what route He will take to get us there or if we can possibly have the stamina to do it. The struggle is real. I know. I’ve been there. I am there. I don’t like to admit that I sometimes get a little suspicious of God, but I do.  I know that He is for me but I don’t always understand His methods. And sometimes, His methods don’t make sense. And most times, His methods are not easy on my flesh. 

In her book “Uninvited”, Lysa Terkeurst poses the following questions. Do I think God is good? Do I think God is good to me? Do I think that God is good at being God? I’ve been seriously pondering these questions, conducting an honest examination of where I have been in life and what my future might look like. I’m taking a look at the “Covid19 “unedited version” of myself and allowing God to point His light fingers at the parts of my heart that, on a normal day, I try to hide from Him. He’s pulling out the things that I push way down because they’re painful or shameful to look at. I especially don’t want to discuss them with Him! But truth be told, they are there and they affect me more than I realize. They have, in many ways, determined my “normal” up to this point. They have to come into the light of God’s love. And when they do, God does what He does best. He takes them and replaces them with healing and goodness and peace. Not temporary peace, not false peace, but peace that resides, that abides and is constant, no matter my circumstances and no matter what my “forward” looks like. And now, more than ever, people need the peace that only comes from Him and through Him. 

As I was walking by the creek, I was reciting Psalm 23 out loud and thinking about how each stanza applies to my life. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing! He leads me to places of refreshment and nourishment so that my life is good. Even in the dark shadows, I don’t fear. His rod protects me and His staff keeps me close to Him. He prepares a table for me and lets my enemies know that I am His prized possession and he marks me with the oil of His Holy Spirit. Not only do I lack nothing, but I have all that I need in abundance. Surely, definitely, absolutely, without a doubt, goodness and mercy (neither of which I deserve), will follow me all the days of my life.

So what will my response be?  I will “lean in” and let my walls down before God. He knows my heart and loves me anyway. His eyes see through to everything I am trying to hide, even to the things I have tried to hide from myself. The things I’ve put away to deal with another day, in Scarlet O’Hara fashion, need to be put on the table. I’m running to Him, not from Him. Isolation only brings trouble. The devil loves us to isolate ourselves from God and each other. It’s where he does his best work. Eve was without Adam in the garden when the devil deceived her. And in this time of uncertainty in life, I must trust that God is good to me. I must believe that He is good at being God. And as Lysa adds, that “Today is yet another page in our great love story.” .



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Speaking Your Heart

2/27/2020

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While waiting to leave for Bible study this morning, I picked up a book “Putting Your Heart On Paper” by Henriette Anne Klauser that I got as a freebie from a giveaway site on Facebook. Although it is about writing, the sentiment was also applicable to our spiritual lives. For me, writing is very much a spiritual event as I feel compelled to write words that will encourage and uplift. Ephesians 4:29 says:

29 And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.

I love the way that’s worded-”let you words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help.” I truly believe there are not enough grace words in this world today. Life is hard. Scripture clearly states that “in the last days, things will grow worse and worse” or “worser and worser as one of my grandsons would say. How true that has become in the 60 years I have had on this earth. 

Sometimes when we start a new writing project, we don’t know how to start. She suggests that the trick to getting started writing is simply to write. She said that when you sit down to share your heart, you often say what you didn’t even know you had to say.. You don’t need to know the end to begin.. You don’t even need to know the beginning to begin. Just begin even if the first thing you say is “I don’t know how to begin.” She suggests going to your writing with an empty, open hand, with questions and let the writing answer.

Then she said something I absolutely love. “It’s what you know after you know it all that counts. Putting your heart on paper is about so much more than writing. It’s about living a life that is connected with others.” 

I couldn’t help but think that these ideas are so true when it comes to prayer. If you are having trouble praying, just pray. 

~Even if your first sentence is God, I don’t know what to say. That’s okay because the Holy Spirit is our helper. 
~Even if you hurt so badly, no words will come out. God sees and knows your hurt and your heart. He’s there,    He cares
~Even if you don’t know where to go in prayer or what to pray about. He will lead you and you will be surprised and delighted at where He takes you sometimes.
~Even if you don’t have anything good to say. He just wants to be with you.
~Even if everything is wonderful and you have no requests. He is wonderful and loves it when you tell Him so.

And when you and He are done talking, you will know thing, things that He said to you that no one can take away.  Prayer is so much more religious activity or a spiritual 911 call. It’s about connecting with God, knowing Him, enjoying Him, understanding Him, seeing Him for who He really is. 

The finished product of prayer is a deeper love, a more peaceful heart, and a changed life. 

So today, even if you don’t know how or what to pray, just pray. He’s waiting to meet and talk with you. 

​
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Eager Watching

11/2/2019

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Are you living in a desperate situation that never resolves, no matter what you do? You've tried absolutely everything humanly possible. You tried everything within your power and the power of others you've enlisted in the stuggle. You've wasted hours and hours looking for a solution like a squirrel looking for a nut to bury for the winter stockpile. You've cried oceans of tears. You've thought and thought and thought trying to figure it out but your thoughts only fall over each other and you end up in a heap on your face. You've begged, pleaded, bargained, and bribed. You've bent and twisted, almost to the point of compromise, or perhaps into compromise. You've been beyond desperate and back again. And still the answer doesn't come. In fact, the situation seems to be getting worse.  And of course, you've prayed and prayed and prayed, hitting it from every angle with what you hope will be the key to unlock the mystery that will bring the situation to a God glorifying, pain stopping end.

Every morning when you wake up, you immediately feel the stress and gravity of the situation assaulting your mind and twisting your already anxious, bruised heart. You arise to face the day with a two ton weight in your chest. By evening, after a day of ardent, constant battle, you are totally exhausted but sleep won't come and you toss and turn and wrestle through the night, reminding the Lord that you need to sleep if you want to face tomorrow in strength. You remind Him again of the situation that continues seemingly unnoticed by His all seeing eye. 

Eventually, when the only words you have left to say to anyone are, "I'm so tired", you come to realize that you can't fix it. You need a miracle. It seems that you're back to square one. All the work you've done so far seems to mean nothing. You acknowledge to yourself and God that HE is the only answer. If He, and only He, doesn't intervene, it will end in disaster and life altering heartache. It's at this point that you take one last look making sure that there isn't one more thing you can try and you throw it up in the air and say to God, here, take it. I put it in your capable, loving hands. 

This process can take days, weeks, or if you're anything like me, years. You reason that surely a mature Christian should be able to unravel this riddle and bring the right answer to light. After all, faith perseveres, right?


In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. Ps. 5:3


Herein lies our answer and our victory. Each morning, you wake and immediately say to God, Here it is. I put it in your loving, capable hands." 

Lysa Turkerust wrote a similar prayer that I like better. 
"Lord, I need Your peace. That's why I'm handing this entire situation over to You. Humble me. Keep me from being wise in my own eyes. Show me what steps to take. And help me to trust You with this every.single.day. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

After you pray this prayer, you watch. Watch for what? Watch to know that God is working in your situation.

This can come in many ways. It may be a word spoken to you. It may be a verse that jumps off His Word and slaps you in the face and says THIS is your word for today. It may be confirmation from another who "happened" to pray the same exact prayer on the same exact day as you without any communication between the two of you. Or it may just be that you know that when you pray to Him, God hears and if God hears, He answers. 

Be warned! Progress is not evidence or lack of evidence that God is working. It is so easy to see progress and shift our faith from God to the progress. Desperate situations are very fluid. They ebb and flow. The move forward and slip back. Putting your faith in progress will take your emotions all over the map and your faith will waver. Our faith must remain in one that we are trusting in for a miracle. He's the one who knows things that we do not know. He understands how things need to work. They may look worse before they get better and we must remember that night is darkest right before the dawn. But we must never lose hope. We must learn to let go without giving up. 

When this is your everyday, you can experience increased peace, joy and hope every morning as you pray this simple prayer. Can you just put it in God's hands and just forget about it the rest of the day? Rarely, if you are me, but I am leanring to find the balance between that and spending my days in anxiety and frantic praying. When the situation comes to mind, I simply remember that God took that from me first thing in the morning and that His hands are working on it and I can worship and thank Him for the resolution. I know where I am. I know where He's promised to take me. What I don't know is what lies inbetween those two points, but He does and He will walk with me every step of the way. In that, I have peace because I know that my Father can do anything and He will, just because I am eagerly waiting for Him to delight me by answering my request. 
​







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