Choose your FACE...Change your DAY

Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart. Proverbs 27:19

I love 4 year olds...they understand so much!  A few years ago, I told my then 4 year old grandson Evan that we choose our attitude.  And he got it!

I didn’t always think that was true, but the older I get the more I believe our choosing has a lot to do with it. And if we are children of God, the living, indwelling Christ empowers us to have an appropriate attitude for the situation.

I experienced this simple truth with another 4 year old when I was teaching preschool many years ago.

It was getting toward the end of the school year...maybe April or early May.  I was reflecting on the precious group of "free spirits" entrusted to my care that year.  The Lord had done some amazing spiritual work in the lives of those five four-year-old's and in my own life as their teacher.

But I was somewhat distressed, feeling that I hadn't quite "reached" one little boy.  I felt that way because he usually looked stressed.  And he often had a negative expression on his face...what might be called a "NO" face.  Somewhat resigned to the fact that "you can't win them all," I just kept on doing what we were doing.

One day, the children were washing their hands two by two.  Little Johnny (not his real name) was not acting properly toward the child at the sink with him.  So of course, I reprimanded him.  He glared at me with his "NO " face, obviously not happy!

I said, "Johnny, don't give me that face!  Give me a gentle face!"  Immediately, Johnny changed his face...and peace came over him!  I was amazed!

Then just about an hour later, we were lining up by the door to go home.  At the end of each class day, I would stand at the door and face the children, waiting until they formed a line in front of me.  Then we would proceed down the hall and out to the waiting moms.  I looked at Johnny who, at that point, had the usual, somewhat negative, expression on his face.  When he made eye contact with me, he must have remembered our little interchange at the sink.  He immediately relaxed his expression and smiled.

Later I asked the Lord about it.  "Lord, what just happened?"  He led me to an incredible Scripture I had never noticed before:

A man's wisdom illumines his face and causes his stern face to change. Ecclesiastes 8:1b  NASB

Days later, Johnny's mom came up to me and said, "Jan, you changed Johnny's life!"  She had seen a new peace in her child.  And I praised God, knowing it wasn't me who made the change, but the Holy Spirit working in one little boy's life by enabling him to "change his face."

Not long ago, this very thread ran through discussion with a group of friends.  One woman said she wanted to be more gentle, so the Lord led her to start closing doors and cabinets quietly.  Another person wanted to not respond to mistakes in anger and frustration, so he began to speak out a gentle answer and found that it turned away his own wrath. (Proverbs 15:1)

After my husband's heart attack, John and I went to his cardiac rehab class called, "The Emotional Side of Heart Disease."

This was an excellent class about managing stress...especially the stresses associated with having just suffered a heart attack.  We both looked at each other when Patty, the rehab nurse, read an excerpt from an article called, "Laughter Really is the Best Medicine."

Move joyfully.  If you wake up in a bad mood, act like you're in a good mood, and your body can actually 'fake out' your own brain.  It's called 'fake it till you make it.'  When the copier breaks down in the office, instead of hitting it, try twirling while you tell people the copier isn't working.  Trust me, when you do this, it's impossible to feel stressed.  By substituting playful gestures for angry ones, your brain often short-circuits your own stress.

I'm not so sure I can see my engineer husband twirling at the copier, but this principle seems to be at the heart of the way the body and mind work together.

But the even better news for us believers is that we have the mind of Christ, and so we can choose to submit our body to Him and His indwelling life. We can "chose our face" and expect that His empowering, indwelling, resurrection Life will live through us...as us, all to the glory of His Name!

So dear brothers and sisters, "chose your face"...and change the way you live your human life in this world...to the glory of God...one day at a time!

...we have the mind of Christ. 1Cor 2:16b

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Phil 2:5-8

It's all about LOVE...always IS!

I was reading in my devotions the other day...actually looking for something else...when the Holy Spirit arrested me right here:

open door

...a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries... Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men [spiritual adults], be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:9, 13-14 ESV

Let all that you do be done in love.  Sounds so easy, but NOT!

In fact, Paul's words in verse 9 kinda nail it on the head, don't they:

...there are many adversaries...

That's right!  Enemies, opposition, struggles!  All against loving...why?

Because it's all about love.  It always is!

love

And the love Paul is talking about is GOD'S LOVE...not our touchy-feely kind that comes and goes.  It 's unconditional, sacrificial, others-oriented.  And that's not only hard, but impossible apart from God Himself.

So what are the adversaries that we typically struggle with?

Try these for a starter:

• fear...it's risky to love! We may be rejected!

• comparison...with its companions: jealousy, competition, pride (if we think we're better) or self-rejection (if we feel inferior)

• unforgiveness...it eats away at our souls and begins to leak out on all our other relationships (See Matthew 18:21-35, especially verse 34)

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, we are totally loved and accepted by our Father God.  So we can pass this God-Love on to others.  We can love with HIS love.

How?  By letting the Living, Loving, Indwelling Christ love through us today.

But, you might say, that's all well and good, but I am not particularly feeling loved myself today.  Maybe the place to start is by letting yourself be loved by the Father.  He's always loving you, searching you out, whether you feel it or not!  Bask in the Father's love...and then don't hold back!   Let it flow out...or as I like to say, let it rip!

Because...

...it's all about love.  It always is!

love, heart, candles

Love Will Find A Way Steve Green

Love will find a wayTo follow where you runLove will cover youAnd shield you from the sunThis will all be doneJust to heal you, to heal youLove will lift the veilYou try to hide behindLove will kiss your tearsAnd turn them into wineThis will all be doneTo reveal you, reveal you

REFRAINLove will take your shameLove will lift your headLove will take the blowThat was meant for you instead

Love will take your shameLove will lift your headLove will take the blowThat was meant for you instead

Love will never leaveNo matter what you sayLove will look beyondYour brokenness todayThis will all be doneJust to name you,This will all be doneTo reclaim you, reclaim you

REFRAIN

Love will find a wayTo follow when you run

10,000 Reasons...

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O my soul, I can't get past this worship song! Yesterday at church, 10,000 Reasons transported me to the Throne!  I pictured all of us children of God here in Dayton, Ohio, along with brothers and sisters around the world, worshiping our God together!  Not only that...brothers and sisters, not in our chronology, but in HIS eternity, worshiping around the Throne along with the angels of heaven!  More than 10,000 reasons to praise HIM!

Join in...and add your worship for One who is Worthy!

​10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

[Chorus] Bless the Lord, O my soul O my soul Worship His holy name Sing like never before O my soul I'll worship Your holy name The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning It's time to sing Your song again Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me Let me be singing when the evening comes

worship/ sunrise

[Chorus]

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger Your name is great, and Your heart is kind For all Your goodness I will keep on singing Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

[Chorus]

And on that day when my strength is failing The end draws near and my time has come Still my soul will sing Your praise unending Ten thousand years and then forevermore

[Chorus x2]

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name Lord, I'll worship Your holy name Sing like never before O my soul I'll worship Your holy name Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name I'll worship Your holy name

Nelson Mandela Remembered with Gratitude

Nelson Mandela

I "met" Nelson Mandela in an unlikely way...and it changed my life forever! At the time, I was struggling with the pressure to keep others in my life okay.    I felt like I needed to shrink back from what God was doing in and through my life so as to not cause them problems or so they didn’t think I was showing off.

This was at a time when our son was a student at University of Dayton.  Jeremy was being inducted into an honor society, and there was, of course, a ceremony with speeches etc.  I was happy to be there but somewhat dreading having to sit through long speeches.

Wow! Was I surprised!  God in His grace used the short, but pointed, speech of the college chaplain to speak to my heart.  I don’t remember what he said, but I do remember two quotes he used which changed my life that very day.  One of those quotes was that of Nelson Mandela.

And that is when I met Mandela.  And I've loved him and his legacy ever since.

Here is what I heard that day.  May the Lord use it to set you free also, my friend.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.There’s nothing enlightened about shrinkingso that other people won’t feel insecure around you.We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us…And as we let our own light shine,we give other people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others.

Nelson Mandela 1994 Inaugural Speech

Rest in peace with your Lord, dear brother Mandela!

To read more and see the other quote, click here:  The Green-Eyed Monster and other Fruit Killers

Do you have a quote of Mandela's that has meant a lot to you?  Please share it in the comments.  Here's one that my friend Stephanie Curtis posted on facebook:

 "As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew that if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." Nelson Mandela

That was for This: Marisa's Story

Marisa & Brian Moore

This is my young, beautiful, godly friend Marisa.   She is a sweet, gentle soul who loves the Lord, His Word, and her family.

I met Marisa in a Moms' Bible study/prayer group I was with several years ago.  And I fell in love with her!

Apex moms group

Marisa is a hard-worker.  She has four children ranging in ages from 8 months to 8 years.  Just take a look at her delightful little cherubs:

Mail Attachment

Don't you just feel like grabbing them right off the screen to hug their adorable little necks?  Yet, as all moms know, those four precious kiddos, especially at those ages, would be a handful for any young mom.  But not only that, Marisa is homeschooling!

Let's just say, she's busy...and, I would image, tired!

Oh, to have a break!

Wait!  It's Saturday night and that means CHURCH! Ah, church, with its peaceful, uplifting hour or two of praise & worship and its nurturing from the Word. Surely, Marisa will have that much needed break as well!

But one such Saturday evening church service, the Holy Spirit had other plans for Marisa.  And she shared it in a comment on a previous blog post.  These are her words:

...I can find myself striving and striving some more to be what I think I should be, but it is ultimately Him in me that brings about any good.

And He is SO good to enable us to act upon the prompters He places upon our hearts.

One Saturday evening I had a distinct urge that I should go volunteer in the church nursery even though I hadn’t signed up for that particular date.

When I told the hall coordinator I could serve she started crying.

Her husband’s unbelieving parents had come to the service that evening and my offer allowed her husband to be free to sit with his parents during the sermon.

Does that amaze you, as it does me?  Here this young mom, who so deserved that much needed break, in a very real sense, died to her own self-interest.  Why would she do that?   In order that life could be offered to someone else.  She may not have even been thinking along those lines.  However, she followed, what I like to call, the Lord's Holy Nudge,* rather than her own self-interests and legitimate need for a time apart from kids.

She found to be true what Paul had written centuries ago,

[We are]...always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:10-12 NASB

Only eternity will tell what "life" might have been birthed as a result of Marisa's responding to the Spirit's Holy Nudge.*

What about you and me, my friend?  Are we following those inner promptings?  They may not be our imagination, but rather the Spirit's call to die to our own convenience, comfort, interests, so that the Lord's life can be birthed in another.

If we do, we can experience, in and through our lives, the outpouring of the indwelling life of Christ:

• the outflowing streams of living water (John 7:37-39),

• the fruit...more fruit...much fruit (John 15),

• all to the glory of God, for His purpose and pleasure (Acts 13:36a).  Amen!

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 NASB

fruitful vine

*More about the Holy Nudge in our next post.

That was for This: Living the "Not I but Christ" Life

I've been thinking a lot lately about how God works within us...through circumstances, people, thoughts, events, to prepare us for what's ahead.  Maybe that's what Paul meant when he wrote,

...God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 NLT

sun & clouds

If that's true (and I believe it is), we can't take credit for anything...not even our praying and asking, not even our thoughts and desires.  Let me illustrate.

Early last month, I had just returned from a three week vacation, when I had to jump right into the beginning of school with its teachers' meetings, preps, and first week of class.  Then just as those preps and meetings were happening, I started getting sick.  To make a long story short, three weeks later my health finally began to turn the corner.  Needless to say, I was weak, under a pile of cleaning and laundry, when the Lord put a bizarre prayer in my heart,

Lord, make me spontaneously hospitable!

Now, why would I pray that?  I know that prayer didn't originate with me.  God Himself "set me up"!  In the course of my illness and recovery, someone had stopped by unexpectedly.  Later, I realized that I hadn't been as welcoming as I could have been.  Thus, my prayer!

They say you should watch what you pray for.  But my Bible says that it's the Holy Spirit that prays in and through us (Romans 8:26-29).

So you know what happened?  That's right!  Within days of that God-initiated and God-answered prayer, I got a phone call...right in the middle of my work week...with my house a wreck and with empty cupboards because of having been sick so long.  The phone call was a request for overnight lodging from my cousin for the following night.

"Well, of course!  We would be happy to have you!"

hospitality

God Himself had made me more than willing.  He enabled me to quickly pull my house together and even have nutritious food ready:  chicken rice soup and vanilla cake with berries.  And best of all,  my husband John and I had a delightful visit with my cousin that evening as we listened to his adventures from his travels out West.

When all was said and done, I realized THAT WAS FOR THIS!  That prayer was for this overnight visit...giving me the desire and the ability to "pull it off."

I have many other stories of that was for this.  And maybe some of those will be for future blogs.  But for now, let me give you some Scriptures.  And then as you reflect on your own life, maybe you would like to share one of your that was for this situations.  You can do so in the comment section.  I would love to hear your stories as you give glory to the One Who is always working within us both to will and to do (Philippians 2:12-13).

 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is [united] with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV

But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.John 3:21 ESV

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 KJV

For from Him[as the Source] and through Him [as the Means] and to Him[as the Goal] are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 NASB

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Returning to JOY!

I have this recurring image.  It began in worship one Sunday years ago.  I was struggling emotionally about some issue.  Then out of the blue, I had a sense, not a literal vision, but rather a picture in my spirit.  The picture was of Jesus and me climbing a mountain.  He had me by the hand and was carrying a "Santa-like" sack on His back.

Suddenly He stopped climbing and turned to me saying, "We can't go up any higher until you throw that burden you are carrying into my sack.  You need to let ME carry it!"

So I threw it in!  And oh, the JOY and peace...and we kept climbing together!

Now often when I'm struggling with an offense, a disappointment, a slight, a rejection, whatever, I see and hear my Traveling Companion, my Guide, my Empowering Savior say, "Okay, Jan, throw it in!  We can't go any higher if you don't!"

And when I throw my burden in Jesus' sack, freedom and JOY flood my soul!  Then we can go on climbing hand in hand together, why?  Because...

...the JOY of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

How about you?  Do you have a burden that you weren't meant to carry?  Throw it into Jesus sack!  Return to JOY and keep on climbing hand in hand with Him!

Lord, take me higher and higher in my experience of YOU and all there is of Your Fulness!  The world has a downward drag!  But I cling to You, rejoicing in my Risen, Indwelling Son of God!  Amen!

It is God's will that I should cast On Him my care each day; He also bids me not to cast My confidence away.

But oh, I am so foolish That when taken unawares, I cast away my confidence And carry all my cares. T. Baird

...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7 NKJV

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22 NIV

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  Hebrews 10:35 NKJV

 

The Sunrise Club

sunrise 8/2013 NJ

Conrad and me

I have a Sunrise Club.  My brother Conrad and I are charter members.  Whenever I go to the coast in NJ, I must get up to see at least one sunrise.  Often Conrad would call me to make sure I was up, and he would join me. Through the years, various members of extended, as well as immediate, family would sometimes come along.  But no one seriously devoted to it like Conrad and me, until...

Kaden waiting for the sun

My grandson Kaden decided to join my club.  He knew full well that the basic requirement is to see at least one sunrise.  So that we did early one morning last year when I visited Kaden in California.  We saw the sun gloriously arise over the mountains to the east of their home in Menifee.

Kaden watching sunrise

However, as we East Coast sunrise watchers all know, the Cadillac of all sunrises takes place over the ocean.  And so this summer Kaden joined me for one of those glorious events...enjoyed every day by fishermen and early morning beach-combers alike.

We even were able to get Kaden's cousins (2 of my other grandsons), Evan & Carter, to get up to watch a sunrise in Virginia Beach on their vacation.  So our number is increasing!

jeremy with evan and carter

with the boyscortney

You may ask why I love sunrises so much?  Because to me a sunrise is a magnificent picture of the manifested glory of our God.  Listen to what the psalmist says,

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.[a] Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.The sun rises at one end of the heavens    and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat. Psalm 19:1-6 NLT

VA sunrise

It gets so exciting when after the gorgeous array of color of the early dawn, the tiny sliver of sun begins to peek forth.  And then the reflection on the water...Oh my!

cloudy sunrise

But as we all know, especially sunrise watchers, many days we are disappointed by no visible glory.  The clouds, the rain, the fog, the haze may all obscure the rising of the sun.  But we all know that the sun has still risen, often with a silvery beauty all its own.

How do we know that the sun has arisen?  By faith!  Because we know that we know that we know that the sun rises every day!

And that's why I now love all sunrises -- because each and every one is a picture of the glory of God, some times more manifested than at other times.

Isn't that also true about life?  Sometimes God manifests Himself in tangible ways, like in the love of a mother for her child, in an encouraging note from a friend, in a deep experience in prayer and worship.  But then at other times, His glory is obscured, as in the death of a loved one, the suffering of rejection, the struggles of financial need.  It's then that by faith we can say, "I know that I know that...

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth!" Job 19:25 NIV

So maybe you'd like to get up early one morning and view a sunrise.  Enjoy the glory of God in its amazing magnificence or the glory of God in its magnificent obscurity, remembering that

...faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 ESV

And no matter what kind of sunrise it is, let me know if you'd like to join my Sunrise Club...or better yet, my SONrise Club!

silvery sunrise

My Redeemer

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning Who told the ocean you an only come this far? Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well I know my Redeemer lives I know my Redeemer lives All of creation testify This life within me cries I know my Redeemer lives

The very same God that spins things in orbit He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken They conquered death to bring me victory

Now I know my Redeemer lives I know my Redemer lives Let all creation testify Let this life wihtin me cry I know my Redeemer, He lives

To take away my shame And He lives forever I'll proclaim That the payment for my sin Was the precious life He gave But now He's alive And there's an empty grave.

And I know my Redeemer, He lives I know my Redeemer lives Let all creation testify This life within me cries I know my Redeemer lives

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Lessons from a family vacation  {We become like what we focus on}

To my Brother on his 60th Birthday

Dearest Conrad Happy 60th birthday!  This is a momentous occasion.  I know people might say that 60 is the new 50, but I'm sorry, 60 is 60!

I remember when I turned 60, I thought to myself,

Oh my gosh!  Daddy died at 60!  I still feel I have lots of living left in me!

And I know you do too!

Now by God's grace in your 60's, you too will be receiving each day as a gift to be embraced more fully than ever before.

And so that's my prayer for you, dear brother -- that you will fulfill God's purpose for your life everyday that you walk on this earth.  It's all gift...and it's all grace...and so are YOU to all who know and love you.

With love & admiration always Your big sister Janet

Doors...One always Open, one to keep tighly shut

LORD, I'm scared!  I feel something ugly and destructive arising.  The combativeness of my imposter-flesh is rearing it's ugly head...seeking to burst forth!  It scares me that in a moment of weakness, I may open the door to that ugly monster, disguised as "rights" and promising "satisfaction."  If I choose to open to it, forgetting that I died to that nasty, already dead thing, it will flood out to destroy everybody and everything in its wake.

You and I have been friends long enough for me to know that whatever I open up (yield) to controls me.  That dead thing, behind that padlocked door is awaiting final destruction.  Why would I yield to it and unlock the door?  Your door is always open...in fact YOU are the DOOR!

I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. Revelation 3:8 ESV

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 ESV

I yield to YOU, O precious Savior.  Carry me along in YOUR loving way.  May your indwelling, empowering LIFE have control...bringing harmony, peace, joy, love...responses rather than reactions.  By Your mercy and grace...that YOU might be satisfied and honored...unto YOUR purpose and pleasure today and always.  Amen.

For more on the ins and outs of the flesh in the Christian life see: UNION-with-CHRIST-a-summary

a double whammy for women?

I had an arresting thought the other day! There at the First Watch restaurant, during a lovely mid-morning brunch with a friend, in the midst of a conversation about the struggles we face in our jobs, something dawned on me that I had never thought of before...or heard from anyone (unless it was, at the time, a "senior moment").   Pouring out from my lips came this truth:

You know, Linda.  It just dawned on me that we working women are laboring under both curses:  the one for Adam as well as the one for Eve!

In case you have forgotten, the curse on Eve, because of her choice of independence from God instead of dependence, was:

I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you. Genesis 3:16 NLT

For those of us who have given birth, we know that pain well.  And the curse carries further into the "birthing" and "nurturing" of relationships.  Our relationships are so important to us women and, therefore, the cause of most of our pain in life.  And need I say anything about the interesting "tugs of war" we experience in our marriages?  At times, I've thought of my husband as my "Beloved Adversary," to be perfectly honest.

But as if that weren't enough, it seems that we've taken on Adam's curse as well:

...the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. Genesis 3:17-19 NLT

So as we go out into the workplace, things don't come easily as we try to "scratch out a living" (or help our husbands to do so).  There are problems in the job itself, not enough money, "irregular people" and the list goes on.

So how do we handle it all?  How did the Proverbs 31 woman bear up under the load?  (It seems even she was out in the workplace at times in her life).  I don't have any new, amazing insights except what is true about all of life no matter what the situation:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3: 5-6 NLT

...a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Proverbs 30:30 NLT

Any thoughts?

We become like what we focus on!

LBI...Long Beach Island, New Jersey -- sun, surf, and sweet memories.  Home of Surf City and Barnegat Lighthouse!   LBI was a favorite place for us Renners to vacation in our growing up years in the 1950's & 60's -- not every year but as many years as our family of 6 (and later 7) kids and 2 parents, living on one income, could afford.

It was such a beloved place that my brother Conrad and family bought a beach house there in 1998...within a block from the beach, no less!

One year, when our kids were grown but not yet married and out of the nest, we had the most wonderful Renner family reunion at LBI.  Conrad scouted out other houses on his street that were for rent. And so several of us rented for the same week, and we all (along with in-laws, friends, and pets) descended upon that little beach community.

Family reunion at LBI 2000

Vacation Blog

It was a glorious week, filled with swimming, sun-bathing, sunrise watching, etc etc.  But the best thing was the love and togetherness and community that "happened".  We shared meals together, each family taking a turn.

A year or two later, some of us rented houses again at LBI.  I was hoping to recapture the same experience of that previous vacation together.  Well, you know how that goes.  Recapturing "glory" usually never happens.  And it certainly didn't happen this time...or so I thought!

For one thing, we all couldn't make it...for various valid reasons.  On top of that, my brother Paul's family, including his sister-in-law's family, rented a house that was germ infested (probably from the previous renters).  Everyday other members of their families "would drop like flies" with a terrible flu-bug.  So there was often a "skeletal crew" on the beach from that household.

Vacation Blog06

We didn't eat together like the other year.  There was little to no fellowship or community because of struggles going on in individual lives.  My widowed mom, then in her mid-70"s, was staying with us. (Remember her?  My hero in a previous post!)  She was frustrated with issues related to our family house, which was too much for her to handle at that stage of her life!  (We probably had waited too long to move her elsewhere.)  So our conversations were largely negative.  She had to get it off her chest, but with my expectations for a nice relaxed vacation, I was hardly as sympathetic as I could have been.

Not to bore you with too many negative details, let's just say that to me the vacation was a total bust!  And I left LBI mad, mad, mad...and feeling cheated!  For the 11 hour drive home from NJ to OH, I seethed.  I couldn't sleep that night!  And I stayed stuck for days despite dealing with some issues I needed to deal with.   Until...

Until the Lord broke through, "Enough!  Now it's over!  You've dealt with what I told you.  NOW when you think of this vacation, I want you to focus on the one hour of joyful bliss we had together."

Oh my goodness!  I had forgotten about that because of my absorption with my disappointment!

Bageleddi's

It was the Wednesday of vacation week.  I woke up at 5:45 am totally awake.  Grabbing a cup of coffee at Bageleddi's (the local favorite), I walked alone to the beach.  It was warm, and the sun had just started to come up but was not yet visible.  The cloud bank above the ocean was turning shades of pink, purple, and blue...and then the sliver of sun started to appear on the horizon. I opened my Bible and read in the Psalms,

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship... God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Psalm 19:1,4-6

So Jesus and I walked and talked together that glorious morning -- perfect rest in Him, enjoying together the most gorgeous sunrise I had truly ever seen.  And I had forgotten it all!

So whenever negative thoughts about vacation would start to again flood my mind, I remembered this one joyful hour of bliss with my Lord.

As the days went by, something amazing started to happen.

Other pleasant memories of our vacation started to surface:  like my early morning walk to the beach only to discover a delightful sight -- my brothers and nephews fishing in the surf; and the fun supper at the Mud Hut with my husband and adult children; and a surprisingly wonderful conversation with an in-law that I didn't typically connect with.

By God's grace, He saved me from a root of bitterness in my heart.  As I began to reflect on what had happened in me, I started to realize what I've come to believe is a spiritual principle:  We become like what we focus on.

I remembered some of my favorite passages of Scripture:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another... For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor 3:18: 4:6 ESV

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Col 3:1-4 NIV

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things... And the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:8

So here's the question, dear friends:  What's your attitude, your frame of mind, like right now?

Maybe you need to hear the Lord say (as I did), "Focus on Me and remember joy!"

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Birthday Blog -- All of Grace!

Testimony of a Recovering Legalist: Yes, that's me...and it's all about one word...GRACE, God's miraculous and matchless GRACE.

A Branch, First Communion-01

So on this my birthday, I want to praise the Name of the HOLY ONE...for saving every day and sanctifying every day...this needy, but Christ-filled daughter of His!

This is my song! Every line has been my life...and I praise Him that...

He who began a good work in [me] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6

Grace and Nothing More!

A Branch - Convent

I thought while on this voyage long My strength God would increase And at some point along the way My struggling would cease I fought with boldness, wind and wave And yet the skirmish lost Exhausted, all provision gone The channel still uncrossed As lifeless I in stillness drift Just strength enough to pray It's only then I feel the surge That speeds me on my way

By His own hand and faithfulness He steers me toward a distant shore And the wind that billows in the sail Is grace and nothing more Yes, it's grace and nothing more

Me & my Branch pruned

I seek the bloom of holiness He leads me deep within Reveals the hardness of my heart Unearths my hidden sin My barren soul groans in despair In brokenness I cry Oh, God, I find no hope in me A smile His sweet reply For where the tears of brokenness Have soaked the fallow ground The tender shoots of holiness Now spring up all around

blooming but not ripe

Strength in my weakness Joy through the pain Hope when I'm helpless Loss my greatest gain

By His own hand and faithfulness He steers me toward a distant shore And the wind that billows in the sail Is grace and nothing more Yes, it's grace and nothing more

​CHRIST IN ME, the hope of glory! Colossians 1:27 June 16, 1947

Thinking of Spiritual Fathers

I am writing to you, fathers,    because you know him who is from the beginning. 1 John 2:13,14 ESV

This Fathers Day I'm thinking about spiritual fathers.   I've been blessed to have some.   My life has been forever enriched by being "spiritually fathered" by these people of God.

This year one of them, Dr. Howard Hendricks, went home to be with the Lord.  You may have been fathered by him also through his books and messages.

Back in the early 1980's, when my husband was at Dallas Theological Seminary, I had the privilege to take two classes with Dr. Hendricks ("Prof"):  Hermeneutics and Bible Study Methods and the Christian Home.   His classes were immensely practical, encouraging, exciting, and motivating.  One of his quotes I have never forgotten is "You cannot impart what you do not possess."**

His life and teaching had an impact on many, many others besides myself.  In fact, people like Chuck Swindoll, David Wilkinson, and others trace their growth of their vision and ministry back to the mentoring of this man of God.  [To read the article about his life in the DTS magazine, click here.]

But these days, I'm also thinking about another spiritual father, the apostle John.  In His first epistle, the elder apostle penned a tenderhearted passage on the growth stages in a believer's life (1 John 2:12-14 ESV).  Did you notice that he repeats two times the exact same description of the "father stage" of spiritual growth?

"...you know Him who has been from the beginning."

"You know GOD in His pure Person...the great I AM, the Burning Bush God, Jehovah!"  Nothing else is needed...nothing else distracts.  There's a total focus on the Ever-Present God and what HE is doing...especially in the lives of people.

Henri Nouwen, in his wonderful book The Return of the Prodigal talks about how we are each ultimately called to be the "father (or mother)" in others' lives.

...my final vocation is indeed to become like the Father and to live out His divine compassion in my daily life...every son and daughter has to choose to step beyond their childhood and become father and mother for others.  It is a hard and lonely step to take... Return of the Prodigal, p121.

Nouwen talks about three ways to truly compassionate fatherhood:  grief, forgiveness, and generosity.  All three of these characteristics require a heart completely empty of self-seeking, a heart that steps over our own stuff  and pours itself out for others.  This is where the Father seeks to take His children as they "grow up" in Him.

I love the image of "stepping over our own stuff."  It has helped me many a time in conversation or in situations to remember that as I mature in God I must be willing to step over this conflict, that slight, the other hurt, etc.  That's the way of the Father...and the way of fathers and mothers who walk in His way on behalf of His children:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1-2 ESV

Do you have any spiritual fathers in your life?  If so, thank God and imitate their faith!  If not, ask God for some...they are treasures!  And then grow to become one!

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 ESV

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**"PROF-isms" sayings of Professor Howard Hendricks

A belief is what you argue about; a conviction is what you die for.

You cannot impart what you do not possess.

You can impress from a distance, but you can only impact up close.

You teach what you know, but you reproduce what you are.

When God measures a man he puts the tape around the heart, not the head.

Jesus never discipled one-on-one.

There are many things in life you “can do” for God. And the more success you have, the more opportunities will come. (You will know more people, you will have more resources, etc.) But most opportunities are distractions in disguise. Therefore find the one thing you “must do” for God. You focus on the depth of your relationship [with God]; let Him determine the scope of your ministry A good leader has a compass in their head and a magnet in their heart. Spend the rest of your life doing what God prepared you to do. The secret to concentration is elimination.

Nothing is more common that unfulfilled potential.

Biblically speaking, to hear and not to do is not to hear at all.

The size of your God determines the size of everything.

People tell me they want to make the bible relevant.  Nonsense. The Bible is already relevant.  You're the one that's irrelevant.

Never traffic in unpracticed truth.

All people are born originals, but most die a copy.

Heaven is a Person:  Jesus Christ.

There's no such thing as faith apart from risk-taking.  Creativity takes risks. The people who are most secure in Jesus Christ shouldn't be scared to try new things.

Our problem is that we are in the Word but not under the Word.

Most people don’t think, they just rearrange their prejudices.

Your career is what you're paid to do; your calling is what you're made to do.

My fear is not that you would fail, but that you will succeed in doing the wrong thing.

You are able to do many things. Be sure you find the one thing you must do.

Your strengths develop your confidence; your weaknesses develop your faith.

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U of A

About nine years ago, our son-in-law was stationed in Tucson, Arizona [home of our Alma Mater, the U of A, "Go Wildcats!"  But I digress...].  When the school year for my ESOL class had ended in June, I flew to Tucson for an extended visit. Beth and Nate were both working during the daytime, so I had some lovely, restful, sun-filled (and "Son-filled") time alone by the pool.  At that time, I was reading some of Brennan Manning's books.

signature of Jesus

One day I was reading The Signature of Jesus as I soaked up the Arizona sun by the pool.  I was somewhat annoyed to see that a man lying on a lounge nearby was straining to see what I was reading.   He struck up a conversation, and I found out that he was a chemist from Oregon.  Then the question came,  "What are you reading?  What's it about?"

When I told him about the book, he replied,  "You must be a devout Christian."

I replied, somewhat ashamed at my original annoyance, "Jesus is my Life!  I can't imagine living life without Him.  There's a Settled Presence no matter what I go through."

My Lord Jesus Christ IS my Life.  It wasn't always so.  Religious ritual, ministry, being a good wife and mother, health and physical fitness, and such have more often than not, taken top billing.  But as I get closer to the end of life on this earth, I realize more and more that all of that is not important compared to the excellency of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and being found in HIM who is my Life Philippians 3:7-11

As the Apostle Paul declared,

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.   Galatians 2:20 ESV

Gal 2:20

What about you, dear friend?  Is He your Life?  Or are lesser things competing and winning out?  Surrender to Him by faith today...choose HIM!

Lately, I can't stop listening to this song...and singing it at the top of my lungs!  Would you like to join me and give Him praise?

Crucified with ChristAs I look back on what I thought was livingI'm amazed at the price I choose to payAnd to think I ignored what really matteredCause I thought the sacrifice would be too greatBut when I finally reached the point of giving inI found the cross was calling even thenAnd even though it took dying to surviveI've never felt so much alive. CHORUS: For I am crucified with Christ and yet I liveNot I but Christ that lives within meHis Cross will never ask for more than I can giveFor it's not my strength but HisThere's no greater sacrificeFor I am crucified with Christ and yet I live

As I hear the Savior call for daily dyingI will bow beneath the weight of CalvaryLet my hands surrender to His piercing purposeThat holds be to the cross but sets me freeI will glory in the power of the crossThe things I thought were gain I count as lossAnd with His suffering I identifyAnd by His resurrection power I am alive

BRIDGE:And I will offer all I haveSo that His cross is not in vainFor I found to live is ChristAnd to die is truly gain

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Beth-Jeremy-e1305634179814-150x150-1

Where had the years gone? Our son Jeremy was already married for 3 years and moving on with life.

Our daughter Beth --the "baby" of the family-- had just graduated from UD, gotten married, and moved to Arizona all in one month.  To top it off, our surrogate daughter Michelle, who had lived with us for about 3 years, moved to California a couple days after Beth's wedding.

Scan 9

Here I was with the "Empty Nest."  I guess I had lived as if there would always be young people in my home to spice up life.  Regrets started flooding in:  "I should have relished every moment more consciously."  " I should have enjoyed it more, rather than taking everything so seriously." And on and on with those thoughts that "eat you alive".

To add to all that, my mom was turning 80 and my mother-in-law, 81.  A friend of ours told us that statistically very few of those who enter their 80's live to be 90.  That hit me like a ton of bricks.  Chances are, we would be burying our moms in the next 10 years.  I guess I had taken it for granted that my hero of a mom would only be a phone call away or a day's drive away.

It wasn't that I didn't have other things in my life.  I had a "big" life...teaching ESL class, Bible studies, retreats...

G'ma & Babci 2008

But I was grieving!  Emotionally, I went into a months-long melancholy.

I started to ask myself, "What really endures in this life?"  In my head, I knew the answer, but I needed an answer for my heart.  Everything really important to me was drastically changing, and I guess I hadn't seen it coming!  Or maybe, being as independent and self-starting as I am, I didn't realize that it would be so hard!

Well, God, in His usual amazing way, started answering my questions and meeting me in my struggles.  In my devotions one day, I read:

In ages past You laidthe foundation of the earth,and the heavens are the work of Your hands.Even they will perish, but You remain forever; they will wear out like an old clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away. But You are always the same; Your years never end. The children of Your people will live in security.Their children's children will thrive in Your presence. Psalm 102:25-28 NLT

So what really endures no matter the changes in life?  The Everlasting GOD and those who belong to Him from generation to generation.

Let me ask you, dear moms,

When the "dust" of your mothering has settled, and you find yourself with "the Empty Nest"... When you start to lose the heroes of the previous generation, and you find yourself nearing the top of the generational ladder... What will stabilize you for the days ahead? To Whom will you turn...Who will never change and will be there for you no matter the changes?

May you find your comfort and stability in our Faithful, Unchanging God. And may you find your purpose in an ever deepening walk with Him.

FAITHFUL ONE Brian Doerksen

Faithful One, so unchanging Ageless One, You’re my Rock of Peace Lord of all, I depend on You I call out to You, again and again I call out to You, again and again

You are my Rock, in times of trouble You lift me up when I fall down All through the storm Your love is the anchor My hope is in You alone