LookAtTheirFaces

Yesterday morning after taking the little man to school, I realized I needed to spend some time with the Father...quiet time. My schedule was unbelievable that day...running all kinds of errands, so I found the nearest parking lot, pulled in and parked.

As I listened to the voice of the Lord, He instructed me to go to the book of Hosea chapter three. If you remember, God told Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer. With all of her wandering between lovers, at one point she ends up in slavery. Then God instructs Hosea to buy back his wife and love her even though she was a mess.

All yesterday, as I was driving or in a store, the thought of the wonder of God's love kept amazing me. Instead of looking at faceless people like I so often do, I took the time to really notice the faces of those around me. "God loves them so much" was what kept running in and out of my mind. Drivers in cars...God loves them too. Angry people...God loves them too.

I want to look at their faces from now on and realize God loves them too, and if they don't know about His love...they need to...possibility from me.

Benefits

This morning, I sat down at the piano and picked out a few tunes which the Holy Spirit laid on my heart. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about how marvelous an idea it was to praise God...you know...instead of REALLY praising God. I suppose I was looking for brownie points or something.

The songs I was singing were a mixture of the old and the new, but I knew the Holy Spirit was leading...yet...I wasn't exactly focused on the purpose of praise. Finally, I listened to what I was singing and heard the Lord speak inside of me. He was telling me...stop seeking the benefits.

Wow, everything in life is based on benefit seeking thinking. I don't buy groceries just to bless the grocery store...perhaps you do...but pardon me...I don't. Then, understanding came.

"Oh, I see now...it is like marrying a man for his money!"

Some say marry for money then love will follow. Perhaps there is some truth in that, but for me...hey, I've been a Christian since I was eight years old...the love aspect should be paramount in my relationship with Christ at this stage of my walk.

So, I will have to say...benefits are part of a loving relationship...a married relationship...a parent/child relationship. The benefits of the parent/child relationship come because the parents loved the child first. In essence, love is the primary factor in that relationship even though the child has to grow in their love for the parents. (God loved us first.)

Children are benefit seeking. I remember when the little man was about four or five. We'd gone out to one of the local breakfast places for a bite to eat. He was thrilled because he could order anything he wanted. Unfortunately, he brought that same thinking home with him. A day or so later, he sat his little fanny down at the kitchen table, looked at me, and began placing his order for scrambled eggs, bacon...etc. I looked back at him and said, "Hey, this isn't a restaurant, you can have Cheerios or toast and jelly". He had that "you gotta be kidding" look on his face. He was looking at the benefits.

Children seek love when THEY need it. When little man was preparing to return to his beloved school, we took him to the hair place to get a COOL cut. The burr was not what he wanted this year, so he grew his hair out a bit and opted for a COOL porch held tight with hair "glue". Of course he wasn't interested in my taking him into his classroom the first day cause it wasn't COOL. But when we walked into a dark house late one evening, he didn't care if his hair was porched or un-porch ed, he waited at the garage door until I got everything out of the car. He wasn't about to go inside without me. The benefits of stuff wasn't as important as the need for the one who loved him to be there for him. God first loved us...

As a parent, I desire to give everything for my children because I love them...that's how Jehovah God is towards us. He wants us to have all the benefits. He even has told us to come boldly to his throne and ask. Is the boldness a demanding, order giving type? No. It is a boldness which comes from the knowledge that He is your father and He loves you.

It is time to tweak the thinking. I'm not running to "Big Daddy" who has a wad of cash in his pocket. I'm running to "My Daddy" who has outstretched hands waiting for me to jump into His arms and express His love for me. (But...BTW...My Daddy owns everything, so if I do have need for anything, He already owns it.)

AllDressedUpWithNoPlaceToGo

Have you ever been all dressed up with no place to go? How about this...today, I was all dressed up (at least for me) and showed up at our son's class for open house and no one was there. I also had my hubby and the little man with sacks full of school supplies. Oops.
After a trip to the office, I realized I had written down the wrong day...good thing his school is close to the house!

A much worse calendar blunder occurred some years ago when I had arranged to get the kids out of school for dentist appointments 30 miles away. Yes, you guessed it. We arrived only to find out I had gotten the right day, but the wrong MONTH. We had a good time and stopped to get something to eat on the way back. I think everyone has forgotten about this blunder, or else they have been kind enough to not mention it...nah...the've forgotten.

Have a great day!

TheLoveOfAFriend

There is nothing quite as satisfying as a good friendship. Friends to grow up with...friends to shop with...friends to laugh with and friends to be there during the difficult periods of life. Several posts back I asked the question, what happens when friendships break up...especially Christian friendships...what happens when the hurt is so deep you can't breathe.

I think the answer to healing a friendship is in a basic principle we all learned the moment we became believers in Jesus Christ. It is simple, yet profound...it is called understanding God's love.

In brief, God loved us when we were still in our mother's womb. It was He who delicately formed each feature on our face and numbered the hairs on our head. Simply put...God is Love. The very nature of the one who created us is summed up in that little four letter word...LOVE. Everything God does comes from His love for us, even His discipline. It is comforting to know that no matter what we do as His child, He will always be there...loving, directing and correcting us until our lives mirror to the world His love.

Christian friendships should be even a greater reflection to the world of the love of Christ, but as all of us know, sometimes events happen which sever that close tie. If somehow, we could step back to a place in our friendship where everything was working, perhaps then, we could know just what happened to cause the rift. But then again, perhaps looking back would just deepen the pain.

As I see this is about to get long, I will try to move to the point as quickly as I can.

We have a need to first experience the Love of God. Now this is not just something to write on a poster or glibly express to those at church, but to understand His love deeply. Here are a few points to ponder:

God's love always provides hope and a future

God's love doesn't always make sense to us

God's love is there when He disciplines

God's love is there when hard times come

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You see, God always wants the best for us. He supports our hopes and dreams because He is the one who planted them in us. Sometimes His love doesn't make sense...like when He asks us to forgive a wrong done to us or to express His love to someone whom we think doesn't deserve it. He is there when discipline comes in our lives. Though it is unpleasant, it is encouraging to know He cares. And finally, God's love is there when hard times come because He will never leave us or forsake us.

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And what about a friend? A friend supports our hopes and dreams even when things don't make sense. A friend pushes us to do the right thing even if it is uncomfortable. A friend will tell us the truth in love so that we can become all He wants us to become. A friend is there all the time for us in good times and hard times.

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But what happens when YOU have been all of this to your friend, yet they have rejected and hurt you? Jesus understands because He poured His life into twelve men and yet one sold him for silver and one denied knowing Him. Yet to that one who denied Him, He gave him power to preach the first resurrected sermon bringing thousands to the same one Peter had denied!

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It seems to me, it is about understanding God's love for us first. Because in His love is everything we need to forgive that one who hurt us. Will that friendship be restored? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Sometimes the other person cannot give love because they either haven't experienced God's love, or because they don't understand God's love...there is no other explanation. But for those of you out there who have experienced God's love, you have in you everything you need to move forward out of the hurt.

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I made a poster which reads: "Daddy Loves His Little Girl"referring to God's love for me. When friends fail, I know I am loved. You see...God's love doesn't always make sense because He loves at all times. First Corinthians 13 is a very neat chapter which summarizes God's love.

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How can we move ahead? Because God loves us. How can we forgive? Because God loves us. How can we have the courage to make new friends? Because God loves us. Just think about yourself as John, author of the Book of John, spoke of himself..."I am the one whom Christ loves". Then, turn it around to someone else..."You are the one whom Christ loves".

YesIAmStillAround

Yes, I am still around. This has been quite a week for us.

I've been on a very reduced, almost non-existent, sugar diet. What this means is that unless God put it in a fruit, it doesn't get put in my mouth. The exception...a little 100% maple syrup last night and a little honey in my smoothies. Other than that, I am detoxifying my body from such items.

So far, I've bypassed an entire box of Blue Bell Ice cream Sandwiches which I REALLY like, along with all of the sweets we saw last night at Cracker Barrel otherwise known by our eight year old as "Crackle Barrel".

This reduced sugar thing was not my idea. The Holy Spirit's prodding to lay off such sweets has continued for many weeks, and finally, I realized I had better get with the program. I'm not sure exactly what I am preventing, but it hasn't been tough. Usually it is very tough to dump sweets, but this time I am aware that I am avoiding some problems by getting off of sugar now.

So, this last week, I had many, many headaches...a result of my body not getting the high blast of sugar it is used to. I've also noticed my vision this last week was not as crisp as it has been...also a product of coming off of sugar. My energy level was very low, so I'm going to have to find something to kick up the energy...little healthy high energy snacks or something.

PTL...yesterday, I was soooo glad to awaken without a headache. So, I guess my body has been somewhat sugar detoxified. I've noticed just how sweet apples are along with grapes and other fruit. I especially noticed this when my husband brought me a smoothie from a local establishment which had turbinado in it. Without thinking, I drank some of it and quickly handed it back to him...it was too sweet...wow what a difference.

With the fall coming and my usual desire to bake goodies, I'm not sure what I will do. However, dates with pecans in the center might be a good treat. I've also found that when I make smoothies here at the house which is almost a daily for me, I can freeze what is left over in a zippered storage bag and lay it on the wire rack in the freezer. In between the wires, the liquid smooshes into the open area...so when you take it out, you can break off long strips of frozen smoothie...kind of like a pop cycle.

Anyway, I hope to get back to posting on friendships tomorrow now that my head has been cleared of fuzz and junk.

Perhaps this is about that Zoe Life God's been talking about!

SoIWasALittleConfused

This morning, I picked up a rental car. I tootled around town a bit to get some errands run. At some point in the day I looked at how much gas I had and was shocked to see only a half a tank. I was more than surprised because I hadn't driven that far.

At first I was slightly irritated that I hadn't checked the fuel gage before driving away from the rental place. Then I had a thought that perhaps this full sized car must a big time, and I do mean a big time gas guzzler.

"Just how much gas does this thing need?" I asked myself.

When I glanced down on my way to Wednesday night church, the gauge read only a quarter of a tank, but that just couldn't be right. After church, I made a quick stop to return a couple of pairs of dance tights (not mine!) which were the wrong size and then hopped back in the car to start it up. I decided if this car was guzzling this much gas, I had better roll down my windows and let that cool 89 degree air whip through my sweaty hair.

As I was about to drive out of the parking lot to go home I realized I had been reading the temperature gauge all day...not the fuel gauge which showed an almost full tank. So...I was a little confused!

ListenToTheHead

I remember sitting in the pews of a small town Baptist Church in New Mexico. Every Sunday, and every Wednesday we were there or whenever the doors were unlocked. There never was a good reason to miss unless someone was REALLY ill. I am very thankful for my training there because I was FORCED to learn scripture which later in life served as a comfort to me.

One diagram I distinctly remember learning. It was a picture of a throne with a crown representing Christ on the throne of my life. Somewhere around the throne was me. I was not in charge of my life. This was a picture of what happened when I accepted God's gift of eternal life.

As I was praying and listening today, I became aware of a different picture, and perhaps for me, a better explanation of the submitted life. I suppose it is because I've been studying about the Body with Christ as the head that this visual hit home.

I was looking from the inside of my body through my eyes to the outside. It seemed I was inside a control center, otherwise known as my head, peering out. I was not in control of my head...He was. Then it was like a light bulb being turned on...understanding flooded in.

The throne picture was too far removed from me since I do not live in a country with a King, nor do I see a king as personally very accessible. But for me, Him being in control of "the control center", the mind made perfect sense. Think about it. The mind tells the body what to do...it controls the mouth, where the eyes go, what the ears hear, what the tongue tastes, and what the body feels. Naturally, there is evidence that what we think can cause sickness and disease, can create energy and stamina or can release chemicals which heal. Spiritually, it is even greater because there is not one part of our existence which cannot be directed or healed by our head...Christ.

The Head (Christ) tells us to forgive...with His forgiveness, love...with His love, give...with His gifts, heal...with His hands, speak encouragement...with his lips, help...with His insight, bless...with His blessings and go...with His feet.

Instead of listening to the hand...perhaps we should listen to the HEAD.

Abundant life to you all.

WhenFriendsCan'tTakeYouTheDistance

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My head has been in costume making for many days now...but today I came up for air and it feels good to be done. I may have some minor adjustments before the production, but the bulk is done. The front part of my home has been in shambles for over a week now. Clean up will begin as soon as any alterations are completed over the next day or two.

So, on to the subject at hand...cratered friendships.

Recently, I would say within the last several months, the Lord has been talking to me about friendships...especially friendships between women. I think most of us would say that we have been hurt by someone and most of us would admit...we've probably hurt someone else.

With our perfectionist thinking, it is easy to forget grace when it comes to our own sisters. We all crave friendships which are encouraging, fun and give us a healthy dose of Christianeese.

Not too surprising, like David and Jonathan, our friendships will be put to the test. So when they are tested, how are we to react? I want to give you what the Lord showed me (This really helped me in my thinking!)

*We must properly discern the Body of Christ.

We all are members of the Body of Christ

and must remember each of of us

has different callings and purposes.

*Friendships have times and purposes

God brings different people into our lives

at different times in order to mature us.

*Friendships are not replacements for God

When we expect friends to be our

all in all, we set ourselves up

for disappointment.

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And, I believe this is the most important lesson...friends can only take us so far. This may seem like a strange comment, but let me explain through an example.

*

Lets say that John and Mary have enjoyed a thriving friendship with their pastor and his wife. They admire their godliness and hold on to the wisdom which has been imparted to them for many years through this couple. God recently began talking with Mary about writing. She has some experience in that area but needs a gentle nudge to get started. Hurt feelings begin to sneak in because she has received little encouragement from her pastor. In fact, he has been silent and simply smiles in a "that's nice" sort of way whenever "writing" is mentioned.

*

As her anger builds against her pastor, she notices he seems to think higher of her husband and his ability in her "called" area than he does of her abilities. Little by little, the relationship is torn apart as Mary infects John with her bitterness...they walk away hurt and angry.

*

John and Mary expected more from this pastor and his wife than they were able to give. If Mary had been listening, she might have realized that God was bringing someone else into her life who would encourage her in this area. Mary expected more of them than what they had been called to do.

*

Understanding this would have preserved the friendship.

*

Paul says that each of us is a member...one a hand, one a foot, one a kidney...etc. None of us can say to the other..."we don't need you". Each activity may require different parts of the body. One job may call for the upper body only, while another job may call just for the left side of the body...you get my drift. We don't get angry when the knee doesn't extend to shake hands with someone. We don't get angry when heart doesn't do the job of the lungs. In fact that is ridiculous, yet we expect our friends to perform every member's task in our lives.

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Instead of honoring each other, we take a bat and begin the process of self mutilation, or should I say Body mutilation as we beat each other up, not realizing that we in essence are beating ourselves up.

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When the church was being taught about the Lord's Supper, they were told to get things right between each other before taking the cup and bread. In fact, they were told that many were sick and some had died because they hadn't properly DISCERNED THE BODY OF CHRIST.

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When the Lord showed me this, I realized I had good relationships...good friendships where I needed to change my thinking. I had to release them to be THEIR part of the Body of Christ. What I have experienced is a new found freedom in my relationship with them. My expectations have changed as I am discovering their unique place in my life, and my unique place in their lives.

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I would love to show you my perfect report card in the friendship area, but you should know by now...I'm not perfect nor have I been a perfect friend. Thank the Lord for grace!

CrateredFriendships

Jennifer was a lovely woman with startling big blue eyes and vibrant red hair. Whenever she entered a room everyone would turn to look at her as she sashayed in, oozing with confidence. She was a woman to be envied, and a friendship to be sought after according to many of the women at the Tuesday evening Bible Study.

As I scanned the room, I began noticing the reaction of several of the women seated within viewing distance. There was Margie who had been close to Jennifer at one time, but because of some disagreement, had cut off most communication with her except for an occasional forced "hello". Sitting right next to Margie were two other ladies whose names escape me at the moment.

I do recall an incident with the taller of the two some years back when she had experienced some tough times, and Jennifer, out of the goodness of her heart, had helped her financially. Unfortunately, this woman had become dependent upon her. Remembering a conversation with Jennifer some time later, it seems that this woman became angry when Jennifer told her she could not help her any more.

It was obvious that the "three" were engaged in a negative conversation about the blue-eyed redhead and I thought to myself how interesting they were all seated together...away from the rest of the women who had come for the express purpose of Bible study.

Although this is simply a fictitious story, it is not far from the truth. Most of us know someone, or maybe we ourselves have experienced this scenario of friendships torn apart. Christian women who have nothing to do with each other. What happens when friendships between believers crater?

I'll throw out a few thoughts in the next few posts. What have you experienced?