Can you hear it?
The old-time ice cream freezer churning...
The birds chirping...
The crickets calling each other...
The wind blowing through the trees...
The flags waving and whipping in the wind...
The laughter of family and friends...
The sizzling of the food on the grill...
The splashing of the kids in the kiddie pool...
And, of course, the flies buzzing by...
Can you hear it...the sound of a memory being made?
Even if you can't literally hear it, I know you just experienced a bit of it just then, if only for a second.
Now, try to hear the sounds of some other memories that have been made...maybe ones not so pleasant.
Can you hear them?
The guns firing...
The bullets whizzing by too close for comfort...
The cries of fear and pain...
The shouts of victory...
How about the whip lashing across the skin of His back...
And the clang of the nails being driven...
And the mocking, taunting, and name-calling...
And, one of the best sounds of all...not in anguish...not whispered...
In a LOUD, confident voice...
IT IS FINISHED!!!
His work is done, give thanks and remember it always! Receive it if you haven't already. His blood is for you...this Memorial Day and every day.
What memories! Treasure them!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
To Change or Not To Change...
...That is the question. Or not.
Yes, you see that I have drastically changed the appearance of my blog.
No, I am not asking whether or not I should.
...That is not the question.
However, as so many changes are going on around me these days, from moving into a new house and out of a storage unit to finding out my sister who has a four-month-old baby girl is now expecting another baby almost exactly a year from when this precious one was born...as all of these things and more are going on, I am again contemplating how life is just full of changes.
Change is inevitable. Change can be good...or not. Change can be joyous and bring peace...or it can be unbearably grueling and uncomfortable.
People change...though some don't change as much as we think they should! Looking back I am thankful for the changes in my life and in who I am. I am me and always have been, though over time I have become different in many ways...hopefully better. I once thought I was fine just the way I was. I had it all figured out. Thankfully God knew better and directed (sometimes forced) me down paths that inevitably shaped me more into who I am intended to be. And He is still doing that. Aren't you glad!?!
So, that kind of changing in people is good...but what about when people don't remain true to their word? What about when they change their mind and/or change their plans and it affects you and me? What about when they go back on their word after making promises and sealing them with handshakes, pinky swears, or even more serious tokens such as wedding rings? Those kinds of changes hurt. No two ways about it. They are hard. They are most often unfair and even unexpected. Are you one who has been on the receiving end of this kind of change? Even more to the heart of it...have you been on the giving end of this kind of change? I can safely venture to say that you (& I) have been on both sides of this situation any number of times in our lives.
I can't fix the hurtful situations for you. I can't promise you things will always go the way you want them to or think they should. I can't promise you people will be fair to you throughout the rest of your life. I can't even promise you that you will be fair to those who are important in your life from this day forward.
One thing I can promise you...a time-tested truth and promise to stand on. Our God...Our Father...Our Daddy...Our Lover of Our Soul...HE NEVER CHANGES! HE IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES TO US...HIS CHILDREN...HIS BRIDE...ALWAYS!!!
I know...you may be going through some things that cause you to question all of that, including His very existence. I have been there, too. Not too long ago. But, here I am, in just a short time from being flat on my back feeling hopeless, helpless, pointless, and purposeless...here I am telling you all of this with more assurance than I have ever had in my entire life, even going back to the times when I had all of the Bible knowledge I thought I could ever have and was even teaching others about the Bible. Even then, I did not know Him in the true-grit, honest and real-to-the-core way that I do now. It took that in-the-depths-of-despair point in my life to strip away all of the pretension and assumption of my previous life and force me to get real with Him so that He could be Real with me.
And now I can say to you and to all who can read and hear what I have to say...GREAT is HIS Faithfulness...He changes NOT...and His Compassions NEVER fail. His Mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING! No matter what you did last night or a few minutes ago...His Mercies are New!!! Though weeping endures through the night, JOY comes in the morning! (Psalm 30:5) He is so merciful, forgiving, and gracious.
He is KIND. It's His Kindness that leads to repentance...do you get that? (Romans 2:4) Once you really get in a real way how Kind He is...you can't help but see how kind you are not...you just can't help but repent. And when you do, it's His blood that brings forgiveness. Once and for all. He died to wipe us clean because He is also righteous and pure and just and someone had to pay the required price/penalty for our sin in order for us to ever be welcomed into His presence. And He did...His Son did. That is Amazing Grace! Undeserved. But...a fulfilment of so many promises...promises to which He will always remain faithful. His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! (Psalm 30:5)
Aren't you thankful that we can change...and that He doesn't! That's not a question, by the way!
I leave you with something you really just need to read for yourself...click HERE.
Then, you also really need to watch this...trust me...click HERE.
Yes, you see that I have drastically changed the appearance of my blog.
No, I am not asking whether or not I should.
...That is not the question.
However, as so many changes are going on around me these days, from moving into a new house and out of a storage unit to finding out my sister who has a four-month-old baby girl is now expecting another baby almost exactly a year from when this precious one was born...as all of these things and more are going on, I am again contemplating how life is just full of changes.
Change is inevitable. Change can be good...or not. Change can be joyous and bring peace...or it can be unbearably grueling and uncomfortable.
People change...though some don't change as much as we think they should! Looking back I am thankful for the changes in my life and in who I am. I am me and always have been, though over time I have become different in many ways...hopefully better. I once thought I was fine just the way I was. I had it all figured out. Thankfully God knew better and directed (sometimes forced) me down paths that inevitably shaped me more into who I am intended to be. And He is still doing that. Aren't you glad!?!
So, that kind of changing in people is good...but what about when people don't remain true to their word? What about when they change their mind and/or change their plans and it affects you and me? What about when they go back on their word after making promises and sealing them with handshakes, pinky swears, or even more serious tokens such as wedding rings? Those kinds of changes hurt. No two ways about it. They are hard. They are most often unfair and even unexpected. Are you one who has been on the receiving end of this kind of change? Even more to the heart of it...have you been on the giving end of this kind of change? I can safely venture to say that you (& I) have been on both sides of this situation any number of times in our lives.
I can't fix the hurtful situations for you. I can't promise you things will always go the way you want them to or think they should. I can't promise you people will be fair to you throughout the rest of your life. I can't even promise you that you will be fair to those who are important in your life from this day forward.
One thing I can promise you...a time-tested truth and promise to stand on. Our God...Our Father...Our Daddy...Our Lover of Our Soul...HE NEVER CHANGES! HE IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES TO US...HIS CHILDREN...HIS BRIDE...ALWAYS!!!
I know...you may be going through some things that cause you to question all of that, including His very existence. I have been there, too. Not too long ago. But, here I am, in just a short time from being flat on my back feeling hopeless, helpless, pointless, and purposeless...here I am telling you all of this with more assurance than I have ever had in my entire life, even going back to the times when I had all of the Bible knowledge I thought I could ever have and was even teaching others about the Bible. Even then, I did not know Him in the true-grit, honest and real-to-the-core way that I do now. It took that in-the-depths-of-despair point in my life to strip away all of the pretension and assumption of my previous life and force me to get real with Him so that He could be Real with me.
And now I can say to you and to all who can read and hear what I have to say...GREAT is HIS Faithfulness...He changes NOT...and His Compassions NEVER fail. His Mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING! No matter what you did last night or a few minutes ago...His Mercies are New!!! Though weeping endures through the night, JOY comes in the morning! (Psalm 30:5) He is so merciful, forgiving, and gracious.
He is KIND. It's His Kindness that leads to repentance...do you get that? (Romans 2:4) Once you really get in a real way how Kind He is...you can't help but see how kind you are not...you just can't help but repent. And when you do, it's His blood that brings forgiveness. Once and for all. He died to wipe us clean because He is also righteous and pure and just and someone had to pay the required price/penalty for our sin in order for us to ever be welcomed into His presence. And He did...His Son did. That is Amazing Grace! Undeserved. But...a fulfilment of so many promises...promises to which He will always remain faithful. His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! (Psalm 30:5)
Aren't you thankful that we can change...and that He doesn't! That's not a question, by the way!
I leave you with something you really just need to read for yourself...click HERE.
Then, you also really need to watch this...trust me...click HERE.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Movin' Mudder
This is a post I wrote this week for another blog I write for, "Faithful Feet". I wanted to share it here also, so that you all could know what's been going on with me these days. Check out Faithful Feet when you get a chance, too. We have several very diverse people from all over the world who wrote for it and post on Monday through Friday each week.
Without further adieu...
No, seriously…as I was awakened by my sleepy 4-year-old son yesterday at 7:00AM, he said “Mommy, is this Mudder’s Day?” “Yes,” I groggily answered. “Well, you need to open your present,” he says. “Can I sleep a little bit longer first and THEN open my present?” “No, Mommy, you have to open it now. It’s Mudder’s Day!” So, of course, I opened the two sweet cards…a Garfield one from him and one from my husband…then, I opened the gift, which was really more of a gift from Dad to me, though my son was clueless and was just elated that I was opening a Mudder’s Day gift from him and Daddy. Then, we proceeded to rest our eyes together just a little longer before it was time to get up and start getting ready for church.
Then, after church and Mudder’s Day lunch (by the way, in case you haven’t figured it out…I’m talking about Mother’s Day…didn’t want to lose you there…) we proceeded to go to our new house together, all three of us, and continue with the unloading of the car into the house so that we can get settled in as soon as possible.
Yes, we are moving…again! I know you probably don’t know me enough to know that when I say “again”, I mean it! In our soon-to-be six years of marriage, we have lived in 5 different houses in 3 different states of the United States. Talk about UNITED…living thousands of miles away from anyone you ever knew and loved other than your spouse and child can most definitely UNITE you! (Oh, and by the way, in case you are wondering, NO, I am not a military wife, though I know it sounds like it. I did NOT sign up for this…but, of course God had other plans!)
Over the course of all of these moves, the last one before this being into my in-laws’ house with them, I have truly often felt like a vagabond, a nomad, even a perpetual house-guest. I have often longed for that one place in which we will finally “settle” and stay and put down roots and all that jazz. I have even felt sorry for myself at times.
Then, not too long ago, I was struck with the realization that, though I am not at all saying I am equal to Jesus, my nomadic life is much like that of Jesus’ life when He was on this earth. He didn’t own an earthly home…He didn’t even rent one! He went from place to place staying with friends and using every minute to either share His message or spend time alone with His Father. He didn’t have a need or desire to establish earthly “roots” or a plush life on this earth. Much to the contrary! The only earthly roots He intended to establish were those of building relationships that led to believing in Him and belonging to His eternal family and in turn becoming more like Him. (That was actually adapted from my previous church’s mission statement.) He didn’t need a soft pillow for His head, though I have found myself being sad that I have not for the past year had my own pillow nor bed to sleep in, since my entire house has been packed up in storage. However, when I look at our situation from a godly perspective, I completely see His hand in it all and am very thankful for our unique life.
He is truly and intently leading me on a mission for Him like no other. Places I would have never thought I would visit in my life, I have lived. People I never knew existed, I have met. Things I never thought I would ever get to do, I have done. All the while, growing more in a realization of my utter need for Him in every area of my life…I could never have made it through these past several years without Him. And, additionally, growing in a way that I have become so much more bold about sharing my faith in Him with others, yet much more in tune to how to do that without shoving it down their throat. I understand people so much more now that I have come to know so many more of them/us. I let Him bring me to people who need a relationship of some kind with me in their life and in turn they get an exposure to Him that they had no clue they would be getting out of the deal! They think they enjoy having me as their friend, but what they are really drawn to is the Jesus in me…and THAT’s what it’s all about!
So, from this tired exhausted nomadic vagabond of a “Movin’ Mudder”, I say go out there and be real today…to whomever you are around and wherever you are…LIKE IT OR NOT! That’s your Great Commission!
Go where He tells you to go, do what He tells you to do, say what He tells you to say…you have His authority…use it!
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
Without further adieu...
Movin' Mudder
Yep! That’s me! I’m a “Movin Mudder”! What!?! You don’t know what that is!?! No way!
No, seriously…as I was awakened by my sleepy 4-year-old son yesterday at 7:00AM, he said “Mommy, is this Mudder’s Day?” “Yes,” I groggily answered. “Well, you need to open your present,” he says. “Can I sleep a little bit longer first and THEN open my present?” “No, Mommy, you have to open it now. It’s Mudder’s Day!” So, of course, I opened the two sweet cards…a Garfield one from him and one from my husband…then, I opened the gift, which was really more of a gift from Dad to me, though my son was clueless and was just elated that I was opening a Mudder’s Day gift from him and Daddy. Then, we proceeded to rest our eyes together just a little longer before it was time to get up and start getting ready for church.
Then, after church and Mudder’s Day lunch (by the way, in case you haven’t figured it out…I’m talking about Mother’s Day…didn’t want to lose you there…) we proceeded to go to our new house together, all three of us, and continue with the unloading of the car into the house so that we can get settled in as soon as possible.
Yes, we are moving…again! I know you probably don’t know me enough to know that when I say “again”, I mean it! In our soon-to-be six years of marriage, we have lived in 5 different houses in 3 different states of the United States. Talk about UNITED…living thousands of miles away from anyone you ever knew and loved other than your spouse and child can most definitely UNITE you! (Oh, and by the way, in case you are wondering, NO, I am not a military wife, though I know it sounds like it. I did NOT sign up for this…but, of course God had other plans!)
Over the course of all of these moves, the last one before this being into my in-laws’ house with them, I have truly often felt like a vagabond, a nomad, even a perpetual house-guest. I have often longed for that one place in which we will finally “settle” and stay and put down roots and all that jazz. I have even felt sorry for myself at times.
Then, not too long ago, I was struck with the realization that, though I am not at all saying I am equal to Jesus, my nomadic life is much like that of Jesus’ life when He was on this earth. He didn’t own an earthly home…He didn’t even rent one! He went from place to place staying with friends and using every minute to either share His message or spend time alone with His Father. He didn’t have a need or desire to establish earthly “roots” or a plush life on this earth. Much to the contrary! The only earthly roots He intended to establish were those of building relationships that led to believing in Him and belonging to His eternal family and in turn becoming more like Him. (That was actually adapted from my previous church’s mission statement.) He didn’t need a soft pillow for His head, though I have found myself being sad that I have not for the past year had my own pillow nor bed to sleep in, since my entire house has been packed up in storage. However, when I look at our situation from a godly perspective, I completely see His hand in it all and am very thankful for our unique life.
He is truly and intently leading me on a mission for Him like no other. Places I would have never thought I would visit in my life, I have lived. People I never knew existed, I have met. Things I never thought I would ever get to do, I have done. All the while, growing more in a realization of my utter need for Him in every area of my life…I could never have made it through these past several years without Him. And, additionally, growing in a way that I have become so much more bold about sharing my faith in Him with others, yet much more in tune to how to do that without shoving it down their throat. I understand people so much more now that I have come to know so many more of them/us. I let Him bring me to people who need a relationship of some kind with me in their life and in turn they get an exposure to Him that they had no clue they would be getting out of the deal! They think they enjoy having me as their friend, but what they are really drawn to is the Jesus in me…and THAT’s what it’s all about!
So, from this tired exhausted nomadic vagabond of a “Movin’ Mudder”, I say go out there and be real today…to whomever you are around and wherever you are…LIKE IT OR NOT! That’s your Great Commission!
Go where He tells you to go, do what He tells you to do, say what He tells you to say…you have His authority…use it!
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
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