Record my lament; put my tears in your wineskin – are they not in your record?

Revelation 7:17

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Tears…we start shedding tears with our first breath.  When I think of that I think how magnificent of our God.  The first thing we do when we enter this world is cry…the last thing we will do when we see Him is have them wiped away forever.  What an awesome God we serve.

It seems that for the past several years I have shed more tears than in the 50 + years before.  Sometimes I think  that surely there can be no more…but then they come again.  Tears must be something given to us by God for a reason.  We must need them.  I know in counseling they say that tears bring healing.  And I have come to understand in my own grief  I do feel better after crying.  But, that good feeling is always followed sooner or later with more tears.

We cry for lots of reasons.  If we are very emotional we cry over something as simple as a Hallmark commercial.  One of the things that endeared me to Rick was his willingness to cry….a lot…(-:   He would watch a movie and rewind it (before DVD’s)  and watch the sad part over and over so he could cry.  There were times when I would just have to leave the room and give him a moment!  My personality is different.  I cry, but usually in private.  But since Rick has gone, crying in private has become more of a challenge.  The tears come whether I want them to or not.  Almost always in the car…and I find myself wiping tears and fixing makeup before going in to work or the grocery…because of tears.

This weekend our family will shed tears.  I’m sure there will be lots of laughter, but I am sure tears will be mixed in.  Since Rick and I met, married and had children we have vacationed at the Smoky Mountains.  When the kids were very small (starting as  babies) we always made a trip to Johnson Bible College, where Rick and I went to school.  We went so that Rick could tell each child..”this is where you will go to school when you grow up.”  It must have sunk in because they all did go to Johnson.  They also developed a love for the mountains.  We would “rock hop” in the streams, go to Gatlinburg and watch for bears each year.  Rick, Joshua and Jacob started their own tradition when the boys were in 9th grade.  They went tent camping and hiking each year, instilling an even greater love of the mountains that God has made.  We also, since the kids married have gone together as a family, rented a large cabin and stayed together for several days.  Enjoying time together, laughing, joking, eating, playing cards, rock hopping, exploring and just enjoying the family that God blessed us with.  This year will be no different…with one major exception.  Rick won’t be here to share it with us.  We are leaving tomorrow morning to spend the weekend together again in the mountains.  And we will be doing something that Rick requested before his death.  We will be releasing his ashes at the top of the Chimney’s.

I am so thankful for the emotions that God enables us to feel as human beings.   Without experiencing love, loss would have no meaning.  Tears serve a purpose here…if for no other reason than to show us the extent of God’s love.  As each tear falls from our eyes…he somehow catches them, holding and recording them in heaven.  Until that final day when Jesus, the Lamb of God and the great Shepherd takes us to Himself…the spring of living water…and the Father removes every trace of sadness and tears from our eyes.  NEVER to shed another tear…NEVER to experience sorrow…NEVER to feel any emotion that would cause us sadness and tears.  I am so thankful for a God who loves us so much that He would desire that for His children.  And from the foundation of the world, make provision for us in that way.

There is a song out now by Jeremy Camp, “There Will Be a Day”.  I encourage you to listen to it if you haven’t heard it.  It is a powerful song.  There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain and no more fears.  There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more…we’ll see Jesus face to face.

Until that day…through tears but sending,

Much love,

Debbie

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.  But you said, ‘ We will not walk in it.’

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find  it.

Something most of us do daily…walk.  As soon as our feet hit the floor we are off for the day…to work, school, grocery, church, restaurants, gyms and parks.  Walking on concrete, dirt, carpet and wood.  Our feet and legs taking us every place that our brain says to go.  We walk so many places during the course of our lives…but where is that course taking us?  Where are we heading?  Do we have a “final destination” in mind as we walk?

During our lives there will be many times we will walk to a crossroads.  We will come to a place in our life where a decision has to be made.  This won’t happen just once during our lives…but many, many times.  Sometimes we make good choices…sometimes we make bad…but always we are required to make a choice.  The decision at that crossroads helps to determine our future.  Each choice we make has a direct consequence for us and those in our lives.  That is why God spoke to Jeremiah and gave him specific instructions on how to make the best choice at that crossroads.  Stand…look…ask…and walk.  As we stand at a crossroads in our lives, we are to look and ask for the ancient paths and the good way.  The ancient paths here imply something that has been tested and been known to work…something everlasting….God’s Word.  We always have a choice, to do things our way or His way.  The LORD says here that even after being shown the ancient path that worked and was the good way…they still did not walk in it.  They instead went down the wrong road…they traveled the broad path.

At our crossroads we have two roads to choose from.  One is very wide, broad, appealing and seems the right way.  The other is extremely narrow, hard, and requires sacrifice.  Doesn’t seem like a very fair choice, does it?  The word “road” in this passage which is used for the broad and narrow road, in it’s most basic form means worn path.  This implies that when we make a choice to go one way or the other, that is the path that we stay on…it becomes a very well worn path.  At that point it becomes very difficult to change…when we get to the crossroads and look, we tend to turn and stay on a path that is well worn, comfortable and broad.  In a sense we are saying to the LORD, “I will not walk Your way.”

Why?  Why in this world would we walk AWAY from the Lord instead of TOWARD Him?  There are many reasons, but this one may be the biggest reason of all…it is the easiest way.  We are use to the broad way.  It’s comfortable, doesn’t require much effort or thought on our part and it seems to be working for us.  The scary thing is, we can keep walking this worn path our whole lives and never make the turn onto the narrow path.  Never being willing to do things His way instead of mine.  Never willing to give up what I want for what He says is best for me.

The life we live on this earth was not meant to be lived for us.  It was meant to be lived for Jesus.  Our lives here, when looked at through the eyes of eternity, are not even a blink.  But, even in that blink, how we live matters for eternity.  The road we travel and the decisions we make…whether we walk the broad or narrow path, determines our forever.  And we get to choose.  We choose every day…every decision…every word…choice…thought…motive and action.   My choice has to be Jesus…Him…not me.  Choosing the ancient , narrow path.  The only path that He says leads to “real life”.

Oh, please help us Lord to make the right choices and stay firmly planted, walking on Your well-worn path.

Sending much love,

Debbie

Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law.

Hebrews 12:5, 6, 10 & 11

“My son( and daughter), do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Who likes to be disciplined?  If we are honest…none of us.  But, if we were really honest, we would say that the discipline we received as children helped to mold us into better people.  If we did not receive discipline as a child, we are most likely reaping the “not so good” benefits of it in our adult lives….whether we want to admit it or not.  Not being disciplined as a child can lead us into some pretty bad strongholds in adulthood.  We can be filled with a sense that we answer to no one other than our own desires and whims.  We can have a hard time obeying and submitting to authority.  We can have issues with addictions and weaknesses because we were never told no.  And we very likely did not have a healthy relationship with our parents…sometimes thinking of them as friends, our equal, or feeling that they were distant and not involved.

The other day I had an experience with the LORD that I am grateful for, although at the time it caused me great pain.  It was a moment of discipline.  If there is one thing that I miss since Rick went to be with Jesus (there are many things, but I will just mention one), it is not having anyone to talk to in the evenings.  Not having HIM to talk to.   I miss adult conversation, the bantering back and forth that we did so often.  I miss his discipline, which came often if I needed it.  When you have lived with someone for 33 years, I guess we feel as if we can say pretty much anything and still be loved.  Rick made sure I knew that he thought I was “relentless”…one of his discipline words for me when I got out of line…smile.

I have a ritual now that I follow pretty much every night.  After I have turned off all the lights, brushed my teeth, written in my “thankful journal” and climbed in to bed, I have a very long dialogue with the LORD.  Most of the time there are many tears and lots of words…going over our day together, asking for forgiveness, and talking about things that might have been.  But, on this night it was different.  I lay there in silence for several minutes and strongly sensed hearing these words…”I love you Debbie.”  I asked Him in tears if the words were His to me, or Rick’s to me.  Either way, I was so happy to hear them.   But, right on the tail of those words came these…”tomorrow is going to be hard.”   I did not want to hear that…I asked Him what that meant and immediately started praying for my family.   I had no idea what the “hard” would be.

The next day was a work day and when I got there one of my co-workers was sick, which made the day “hard.”  I wondered if this is what the LORD had meant.  But, later in the day I realized He had something else in mind.  I have been struggling with something for quite some time…an area in my life that needs to come more fully under His control.  You may have one of those as well.  An area that the enemy just keeps beating you up with…knows which button to push…sets you up to fail over and over again.  I hate that!  I have been taking it to the LORD a lot lately, but on this day I not only got the discipline from Him, but He sent it to me by way of someone else.  And it got my attention.  I knew this was the “hard” He had been talking about.  I had to humble myself…ask for several people’s forgiveness and come to Him for healing and help.

These verses on discipline are beautiful and so telling of God’s love for us.  He loves us enough to allow us to go through pain…knowing that that very pain will bring righteousness and peace.  We MUST go through painful discipline to be what He has called us to be.  We can’t see where that discipline is taking us or how it is changing us…but He can.  Just like us with our own children…leading them with discipline…it always is done with a purpose in mind.  Disciplining them to do their chores teaches them responsibility, doing homework teaches perseverance, making them reap some consequences teaches them that they do “reap what they sow”.  We have disciplined our children and been disciplined ourselves for hurting someone, whether physically or verbally, disobeying, stealing, lying, cursing, talking back, selfishness, getting angry and on and on.  Why would we think that our heavenly Father would treat us any differently?  But, for some reason, we hate the thought of His discipline…or hope that somehow we can escape it.

We cannot escape His discipline…it is placed in our lives to perfect us, train us and to prove just how much He loves us.  His discipline makes a very strong point in our lives…we belong to the LORD…we are His…no matter what the discipline may be.  Whether the discipline is telling us our day will be hard and bringing with it humility or putting us in a situation that is even more painful than that…He is shouting to us by this very act…I LOVE YOU!  You are mine!  Submit, learn and wait…the discipline is bringing something wonderful in it’s wake…righteousness and peace.

He disciplines us because He loves us…training us by it…may we each be willing to experience His discipline so that we can be all that He wants us to be.  The Father disciplining His children…a natural part of parenting…right?

Sending much love,

Debbie

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I Peter 2:4-5

As you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

As we maneuver through this life, if you are like me, I sometimes wonder if anything I am doing is making a difference.  Going to work each day…watching grand kids…going to the grocery…doing laundry…mowing the yard…cleaning the house…reading my Bible…watching TV…reading books…cooking meals…working in the garden…working on the computer…going to Church…sleeping…and starting the whole thing over again the next day.  Day after day it goes.  I can get so wrapped up in the “doing” that I forget the “why” of my life.

We each have one day, 24 hours, given to us.  But, in reality…we only have the very moment we are in.  The moment behind us is gone forever, the moment before us is yet to be lived.  It is so easy for us to want to see the whole picture…to see the entire movie of our lives before it is even lived out.  It’s like we want to have a picture album full of pictures before we have even lived each individual snapshot.   That’s impossible.  We long to know the will of God for our lives and see some results that what we are doing is accomplishing something.  We want to know the end of the story…see the whole picture…know that we are living our lives with some sense of purpose.

Since Rick died I have felt an intense desire to know what my “purpose” is.  For so many years my purpose was to serve along side my husband in ministry.  To encourage him, help him, and serve the church with him.  I always saw myself as an extension of Rick…almost as if when he did something it was me doing it as well.  I believe that is very scriptural…the two shall become one flesh. We lived that out for 33 years.  Now that I am no longer in that role,  I find myself searching daily for some sense of where I “fit” now.  I am still serving the Lord in many of the same ways as before, but it feels different.

I think that many of us feel that same way.  We go through our days…one after another…building our lives.  But, what are we building?  This verse in I Peter says we are being built into a spiritual house…offering spiritual sacrifices daily.  Rick and I built one house during our marriage in Madisonville, Ky.  People tried to tell us that houses were NEVER completed when the builder said it would be, but we thought ours would be different.  We made our plans to move in according to the original plan and ended up moving into the house with tar paper on the first floor because the hardwood wasn’t down and flooding the downstairs because the plumbing hadn’t been inspected and checked off.

Building that house was a process.  Starting with clearing the land, digging the footers, pouring the foundation and on and on.  There were days when a lot of work was done and much was accomplished.  Other days no one showed up to do anything.  Sometimes the plumber would work at 2:00 am when no one else was around.  The dry wall people showed up when they said they wouldn’t and didn’t come when they said they would.  Building that house was a lesson in patience, compromise and endurance.  But, when it was finally completed and we moved in…it was a beautiful thing.

Our lives are so much like this!  There will be days when it seems like we are accomplishing absolutely nothing for the Lord.  Days when we don’t get any work done.  There will be days when we will work and no one else is watching…or helping.  Days when we will be right in the thick of things, having fun and accomplishing so much we can hardly believe it.  And days when we had plans to do one thing and ended up doing something totally different.

All this building is taking place in one way and one way only…one moment at a time…one job at a time…one life at a time…this moment…this one thing.  And when all those one things are added up at the end of our lives…we see the finished product.  A beautiful life…lived out fully for Him.  All those moments come together and somehow God weaves them all together to make them “fit”.  And our life is the only one that fits in just that way…no one else has the life that we have.  No one else has the day that we have…the moment we have been given…the thing that we are doing.

Today I wondered how my day made any difference.  I got up, got ready for church, went and worshiped and helped in the Kindergarten class.  Came home and ate lunch, worked around the house, made some phone calls, watched my grand kids for an hour, and went to Starbucks with my daughters.  Doesn’t seem like a lot…and doesn’t look like much was accomplished.  But I asked God to speak to me about how He viewed my day.  This is what I sensed from Him.  I thought of Him all throughout my day…at church I met several new people and tried to make them feel welcome…I loved on some very sweet and wiggly kindergartners…offered assistance in the nursery…gave out a lot of hugs…prayed for several people throughout the day…checked on a friend having a difficult time…talked to my grandchildren about Jesus…spent some quality time with my precious daughters and thanked God over and over again for my blessings.  I don’t know how…but I am CONFIDENT that somehow God took this day…those moments and did something special with them.  Something eternal…something that is building my spiritual house.  I have no idea what…and I wish that somehow He could give me a glimpse into what He is doing.  But, for now I just know this…He is taking the ordinary and the not so ordinary moments of my life and using them to build something that when it is finished…will be beautiful.

And…He is doing the same for you…

Sending much love,

Debbie

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

II Corinthians 12:9

But, he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Power.  God’s power in us.  It is a thought that is hard for us to wrap our minds around.  It is difficult to imagine just how powerful God is…much less that He imparts that power to us.  The Greek word for power in these verses is “dunamis”.  We get our word dynamite from this Greek word.  Dunamis carries these meanings…To be able…Capable…Power residing in a thing by virtue of its very nature.

In our flesh we are none of those things.  We do not have the ability to accomplish anything of lasting importance in our flesh.  We, in our flesh, are incapable of doing anything worthy of Him.  And for sure, we in our flesh, do not have any power residing in us by its very nature. All those wonderful attributes belong to One that is above all others…God.

But…we think we have power.  We act like we have power.  And we go through life pretending like we have power to do all sorts of things.  We pretend like we have the power to hold our marriage together…like we can decide our futures…we think we are in control of our lives.  We have so much power over ourselves and our world that we take drugs…drink ourselves into oblivion…curse our God…get addicted to pornography…speak evil against those we should be loving…stay so busy that we don’t have time for our families or our God.  It seems we do have power…but our own power that really is no power at all, seems to be driving us further from the God who possesses REAL power.

He says in these verses that He wants to make a divine exchange.  He wants to take our timidity or weakness and give us His strength.  He wants to take our lack of power and lack of love and give us His power and love for others.  And finally He wants to take our lack of discipline and exchange it with self-discipline.  This phrase self-discipline can be deceiving if we are not careful though.  We must look at the beginning of this verse to see where the discipline comes from that enables our “selves” to be disciplined.  It comes from His Spirit!

What He says in II Corinthians is a most wonderful thing!  He wants to exchange our weakness for His power.  But, not just that…when the divine exchange happens…it brings with it perfection.  His perfection.  He says that when we are at our weakest…when we have no power to do what lies before us…when we think, “there’s no way.”  That is when we and all those around us will witness His perfection…His strength…His power to accomplish what we could never do on our own.

Have you been in that place?  Are you there now?  Since Rick’s death my life seems to just go in circles.  I seem to have been unable to keep any kind of routine or schedule.  I want to…but haven’t had the power to do it.  Something as simple as going to bed at a decent time (1:00 am is not considered a decent time…smile)…getting up at the same time each day…doing laundry and chores with some kind of order, and last but not least…eating meals regularly and especially supper before 10:00 pm.  These may sound silly…but for me, piled on top of one another they make my life seem out of control.

God is showing me that even in these things He has made His power available to me in my weakness.  I cannot straighten these things out on my own…I need His power to come into my “self” so there is control over these areas of my life.  I prayed and decided several weeks ago to make some changes.  One thing at a time.  I decided with His help to get up at the same time each day and exercise first, then have devotions.  I’ve done that now for 2 weeks…His power in me is making that possible.  I decided that for my health I have to eat supper before 10 pm.  Tonight I ate at 7:00…I am asking the Lord to help me keep that commitment.  I am working on getting to bed earlier…one thing at a time!

All I know is…I cannot do this life on my own!  I try…but when I try in my own strength…I always fail.  But, He is so wonderful…because when I don’t accomplish my goal,  He is there to help me up.  And once again His Word rings true.  When I realize my weakness…my failure…I arrive at a place where He can actually do something in me.  When that happens…it shows His perfection and His strength…being worked out in my weakness.  May He be forever praised!  Well, I’ve walked, had devotions and ate earlier…maybe I’ll start working on number 3 now…going to bed before 1:00 am…or…maybe not.

Sending love and praising Him for His perfect power,

Debbie

When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.  Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

Philippians 1:19

…for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

1 Thessalonians 2:2

We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.

Have you ever been in a place where you needed help?  Desperately needed help…and didn’t know where or how to get it?  I’m sure if you are like me, you can think of hundreds of times you have needed help of some kind.  There are degrees to the help we need.  We may need help studying for a test, help with laundry, help planning a vacation, help cooking a meal or help with our hair on a bad hair day.  These are the simple things that if we receive help it would be welcomed, but not really necessary.

Then there are times when, if we don’t receive help, it could have dire consequences.  This is the place that Moses found himself…and the place where we will find ourselves at some point in our lives on this earth.  Moses had sent Joshua, the future leader of the Israelite people, and his army, to fight a battle.  While Moses lifted his hands toward heaven in a posture of worship, Joshua won.  When Moses arms, weak from being raised, fell limp at his side, Joshua started losing the battle.  Two men, Aaron and Hur saw what was happening and took action.  Standing Moses up, they placed a rock underneath him and had him sit down.  Then one stood on his left and the other on his right and grabbed an arm.  Lifting it high toward the heavens, they stood holding an arm until sunset…guaranteeing Joshua’s victory.  And in doing so, showed us what real help looks like and can accomplish.

Since Rick’s death I have needed help.  Help in so many ways.  Sometimes I need help that an actual person can give me…other times the only help that gets me through comes from Jesus.  My sister and I are going to Lexington tomorrow night to see Beth Moore at Rupp Arena.  I had to find a suitcase for the trip…the first time I’ve used one since Rick left.  When I opened it there were two tags from a pair of jeans I had bought him for our last trip together. Our trip to the mountains celebrating our anniversary.  At that moment looking at those tags, all I could do was cry out to God for help…help once again to get through…through the horrible grief that comes from loss.

But, there have been so many other times when God has sent someONE to help.  Someone to hold up my arms when I didn’t have the strength to hold them up any longer.  Someone who has been brave enough to actually talk about Rick to me…something that I long for people to do.  Someone who is not afraid of my grief and allows me to express it.  Someone who has come and worked on my mower without me even asking…bringing tools and parts with him. (Thanks Jay)  Others who have given me books and CD’s to help bring comfort. (Thanks Missy) The thing is…those that brought help were those that actually DID something…not just said that they would.  Just like Aaron and Hur, they saw the need and then took action…bringing help with them.

In this world there are so many who need help.  How can we help them all?  We can’t!  But, we can help someone.  And if you were that someone…it would mean everything to you for someone to come alongside and help you.  There will be many times when we may not even know that we actually did something that helped another.  I’m sure that many people don’t know how some of the words they have spoken have ministered to me.  Example: Tina and Ron, a couple at church told me one day they missed seeing Rick sitting in his seat up front in Church and were glad that no-one up to that time had sat in his seat.  To them, that was probably just conversation, but for me in that moment, it told me that someone besides me missed Rick and was thinking about him.  A gift…and a great help to me in that moment.

Ultimately God is the One who gives us the help that we need…every time in all circumstances.  When others let us down…when no one comes…when the phone doesn’t ring…when the bill didn’t get paid…when the doctor gives bad news…when we are at our lowest point in life…that is when the help of God makes all the difference.  I cannot explain it or put it into words…I just know that it is real.  His help…showing me through things that only I will notice…that He loves me and is here.

As I go through this life needing and receiving help…I am seeing something much more important than my need.  I see the needs of so many others.  I know that I can’t possibly help them all…and I know that God does not want me to think that I can.  But, I know who CAN help them…my God.  He will use me as I am willing, to help those that I can…and those that I can’t…He will do what needs to be done to help.

I am thankful for those that have held and continue to hold up my arms…they still get tired so often.  But, I so want to be one that holds others arms up…lifting burdens, praying for, caring for and staying the course…until sunset and the battle is won.  Will you find someone and lift their arms…people are waiting for our help.

Sending much love,

Debbie

How, then, can they call on  the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.  For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”  Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But, I ask; Did they not hear?  Of course they did….

I love the first part of that verse because it brings my precious husband to mind.  Beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!  Rick was excellent at bringing the Good News to everyone who knew him.  Through word and example…his feet were beautiful with the Good News of Jesus.

The golden text for us in these verses is always Romans 10:17.  Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.  When I think of the word “faith”, I almost always think of just believing in who Jesus is.  The Son of God.  And putting my “faith” in that fact.  But, this word actually holds much more weight than that.  In the Greek the first meaning of this word is “conviction of the truth of anything/ belief.”  Faith in this context means that we are placing all of our belief, all of our convictions on the whole message we are hearing.  What is the message?  In the Greek the word “message” is  the word Rhema.   This words means “uttered by the living voice.”  So what this verse is saying is simply this…the  whole message given to us by the living voice of Jesus is what we place our beliefs and convictions in.  This is where our faith lies…only in what Jesus says…His words.

The next verse is a question and a statement…”Did they not hear?  Of course they did!”  I know this verse is speaking of the Israelites hearing of Jesus but choosing to not believe.  For our sake, I want to turn this verse toward us.  As ones who have heard the Words of Jesus…in church…reading the Bible…in devotionals…on the radio…on TV…in magazines…and a million other ways…I want to ask us this same question…”did we not hear?  Of course we did!” But, are we different for having heard? After hearing are our convictions and beliefs firmly planted on this word or does God find us to be like verse 21..”All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

I am convinced that the longer Jesus takes to return to earth, the more dramatic the difference will be of those who belong to Him compared to those who belong to the world.  God is convicting me more and more each day to take a long hard look at where my convictions and beliefs lie.  If I am really listening to His Word and placing my convictions there…it will be quite evident by the life I live.  I am so concerned for the “church” generation on the earth right now.  When I look at what we as Christians watch, listen to, admire, say, what we wear, where we go and who we want to befriend, it is frightening.  When mothers put more emphasis with their young children in Lady Gaga than in Jesus…we are in trouble.   It seems we are placing our convictions and beliefs in something other than the Words of Jesus…and that is a very dangerous place to be.

This life that we walk with Jesus is most definitely a process…with much to learn and many mistakes made a long the way.  We need His forgiveness daily because we do each sin and fall short of His glory.  But, after hearing His Word, we cannot make the horrible mistake of thinking it is for someone else…or worse yet…not even thinking about it at all. When we are presented with the Word…faith in what we are hearing is made evident by this…Are we becoming like what we have heard…or are we being disobedient, obstinate people?  Oh God, may You find us hearing, believing, obedient children.

Walking with you on the journey and…

Sending much love,

Debbie

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Proverbs 13:3

He who guards his lips, guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

James 1:26

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

I love that God chose to call Jesus the WORD.  That simple statement reveals so much about the nature and love of God.  It shows me that God is a God who speaks…and that He wants to be heard.  It tells me that He places much emphasis on words…His words.  WORD in the Greek is “logos” which comes from the root word “Logo”.  That word means; to say, to speak, point out with words, to call by name.  Logos means (among other things), uttered by a living voice.  Jesus came to say something to us…to call us by name.  He, as the Word of God, says living things from a living Savior…saying, speaking, pointing and calling.  Are we listening?

The Proverbs have A LOT to say about our words and how they impact our lives.  There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs…enough to read a chapter each day for a month.  We would benefit by reading it over and over again each month all year.  There is much wisdom in this book…and much spoken on the tongue.

We are told that we must guard our lips…which in the Hebrew means our language or speech.  To “guard”  here is to watch over, to be kept closed and guard from danger.  I must watch very carefully what I say and when I say it.   There is much danger in words that have come out “unguarded.”  The word “life” in this verse means our emotions, passions, mind, will and character.  When we don’t guard our words with the Word of God as our standard, we leave ourselves open to all kinds of hurt and danger.  It says here that when we speak “rashly” we come to ruin.  The word “rashly” in Hebrew means; talkative, to open wide.  “Ruin” means; destruction, terror, ruin, to take away.  By opening our mouths wide and speaking unguarded words we are opening ourselves up to destruction and ruin. Allowing good things to be “taken away” from us.  Wow!  I’m tempted to take a recorder with me everywhere so I can listen to what I’ve said during the day.  My words…your words…are we guarding them?

In James we are told to keep a “tight rein” on our tongue.  In reality we are the only one who can do that.  God places His precious Spirit inside us to guide us and remind us of all that we’ve been taught. But, when we open our mouths…we have a choice as to what comes out of them.  It is sad to say that according to this verse in James, I can live in a place of complete deceit regarding my words.  Thinking I am “religious”, deceiving myself into thinking that my words are all okay…when in reality I am no where near the mark God has set…no where near keeping a “tight rein”.  Deceiving ourselves is a dangerous place to be.  That is why I must be brave enough and honest enough to allow God to look at and convict me of my unguarded words.

Knowing THE WORD…Jesus…knowing Him intimately…brings me into a place where I desire to speak what He speaks.  It is a slow process and can be a very painful one.  Words are something we use everyday…in all our relationships…including the most important one…with our God.  Oh LORD, teach us to guard our words as we listen to the LIVING WORD and learn from Him.  May we be willing to listen when He speaks, points out, and especially when He calls our name.

Writing with much conviction…

Still missing Rick greatly and sending much love,

Debbie

By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

Isaiah 30:21

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

John 14:26 & 16:13

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

But, when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

For many years the New Testament Christian Church danced all around teaching about the Holy Spirit.  For some reason, we didn’t want to think that Someone so wonderful could actually live inside us.  Maybe it was too scary a topic…too deep…too hard to understand.  So instead of trying to understand it, we shoved the topic under the rug.  Thankfully, that has changed in the Church.  But, even though it has changed and we speak of the Spirit…there is so much more to know and understand.

I have thought in the past how wonderful it would have been to be with Moses in the desert, being witness to the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire.  Can you imagine being led by something so magnificent?  And to know that it was literally God’s very presence that was going before you.  Whenever God wanted to pack up and move…the Israelites had no choice but to do the same.  They were being led by an outside force…God in the cloud and fire.

But, then I look into the work of the Spirit today.  And how Jesus changed everything by His death…burial…resurrection and assension.   Now instead of an outside force of a cloud and fire…He has placed the same inside us. It wasn’t enough for God to just go before us guiding us…or to stand behind us whispering to us which way to go.  It wasn’t enough for Him to do what we would expect…what any other human could do.  He had in His heart since the creation of the world to do something that no one else could ever accomplish…no one except Jesus.  To come and actually live inside us. I don’t know if we truly understand the magnitude of that statement…or of what God has done for us.

We are no longer led by someone walking in front of us…or standing behind us.  Not led by someone holding our hand or pushing us from behind.  We are now guided by, led by, taught by, reminded by, the very Spirit of Jesus Who lives inside us when we confess Him as our Lord and Savior.  How can that be?  Why would someone Who is perfect, Holy and so Magnificent want to live inside someone like me and you?  There are many reasons Jesus gives in the Gospels, but two reasons are;  He will guide us into all truth and the Spirit will bring glory to Jesus from taking from Him and making it known to us. (John 16:14)

I cannot imagine my life without the guidance of His Spirit.   And now that Rick is gone as my teacher…I desperately need the Spirit to take from Jesus and make it known to me…bringing Jesus glory in the process.  We each need His guidance daily in so many ways…conviction of sin, help in decisions, speaking truth to people, direction in our service, loving others.

Since Rick died I have experienced “grief brain”, which is a very real thing after going through the loss of someone you love.  Forgetfulness, fogginess, misplacing things, etc. seem to have become a part of my daily life.  It is getting some better, but I have learned that when I have forgotten or misplaced something, the Holy Spirit has not.  There have been many times in the past few months that after misplacing or losing something…I pray and ask for help and am guided by the Spirit and find what I thought was lost.  I also have been helped so many times physically, emotionally, and in my spirit by His precious Spirit.

Isn’t that so like God to give us much more than what we deserve?  To become such a part of us that He is able to impact EVERY part of our lives.  We don’t have to wait for Him to show up in a cloud or pillar of fire to show us which way to go.  We don’t have to wait any longer for Him to run behind us and speak into our ear telling us which way to go.  At any moment of any day or night…in a car or airplane…walking or running…swimming, camping or resting…whether sad or happy…uncertain or sure…in sin or forgiveness…in grief or joy…stressed or calm…He is WITHIN US…always there to guide and help us…so that He may bring Jesus glory through us.  Oh may we become more and more aware and thankful for His presence…of His Spirit Who lives within us.  What a precious gift…

As a side bar…Jacob and Jenni’s wedding was beautiful…I know Rick would have loved every minute of it.  Our family was so blessed to be there and experience it together.  I got through our anniversary with just a few tears…and many wonderful memories.  The church voted in a new minister…Doug Martin….who begins his ministry on August 15th.  My prayer since Rick died has been that if God would allow it, to please bring someone into the church that had known Rick and our family.  God is so merciful…Doug knows Rick and I know he has great respect for Rick’s love of Spencer and his work there.  I am so thankful for that.  Another hurdle jumped over…with the help of His precious Spirit…I could not do any of this without Him.

Sending much love,

Debbie

Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But, the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.

Mirrors.  They must have been around for a long time, since in this passage of Scripture James references them.  I guess that as humans, we have always liked looking at ourselves!  It’s nice to look into a mirror and see something that pleases us…our clothes fitting well, a good hair day, a few pounds gone, no wrinkles.  But, there are many times when we may see things that aren’t quite to our liking.  More on that later.

I remember a night in November last year when Spencer Christian Church brought the church to our house.  They came one evening…car after car into our neighborhood.  They stood outside our bedroom window and sang worship songs for Rick and our family…because he was unable to go to them.  Rick had been confined to his bed for several days at that point.  We sat him up in the bed and propped him up with pillows so he could see everyone and talk to them.  At the end of our bed on the other side of the room is a closet with mirror doors.  After we sat Rick up and got him adjusted, he sat for a moment just looking at himself in the mirror at the other end of his room.  Not saying anything for a few minutes he finally said, “so that’s what I look like now.”  My heart broke for him.  I hadn’t even thought to give him a mirror during those days so he could look at himself…stay connected to what he looked like.  Something so simple as a mirror…yet something so necessary to our well-being.

In the above passage, James compares the Word of God to a mirror.  A mirror serves two purposes.  A mirror REFLECTS and REVEALS.   As we look into the mirror, our image will be reflected back to us.  We see a true image of what we are.  James says that the Word of God can be a “perfect” mirror for us.  He encourages us to look “intently” into it.  Look into it and linger there…take a deep look…look with a purpose in mind.

After looking intently…we are faced with the next challenge of the mirror.  When we look at our reflection in the mirror…that mirror will begin to reveal things to us.  I may be faced with some things that are not pleasant to see…I may need a haircut, a shave, my clothes may be stained, I may look once again at a nose I think is too big for my face, wide hips, skinny legs, a sick body.  These are all physical things that are easy to see in a real mirror.  Most of these things can be fixed…sometimes not so much.  The mirror of the Word reveals things entirely different.  It reveals things to us that cannot be seen with the physical eye.  When we look intently into the mirror of the Word it may reveal things such as…a stubborn heart, bitterness that has taken away my smile, an unforgiving spirit, a hidden sin that I pray stays hidden, a tongue that is out of control, eyes that gaze at sin daily, hands that are selfish, and feet that are quick to walk into sin.  When I allow the Word to do it’s revealing work, I am faced with a choice.  That revealing Word will give me the responsibility and freedom to do the right thing…replace unforgiveness with forgiveness, control my tongue, choose wisely what I will look at, learn to give and not just take, and be quick to walk with the Lord and not away from Him.  When the reflecting and revealing work of the Word has accomplished it’s purpose in my life the result is this…James 1:25b  He will be blessed in what he does. I will begin to experience real blessing.

My concept of blessing is changing…changing into what God defines blessing to be.  Not money, wealth, things,  vacations, cars, health, travel, friends.  But, rather spiritual blessings.  Becoming more like Jesus…allowing the mirror of His Word to do a work on the inside of me.  I am realizing more and more just how much work there is to be done. It  can be painful to look into His mirror…but out of suffering comes joy. He invites us to take a look.  We will see things there that are good…and some that are bad.   Keep reflecting and revealing Lord…may we each be willing to see our true image as you reveal it to us…in your grace and mercy.  And may we be willing to do the work necessary to change.

I have a special request.  Could you please pray for our family this weekend – especially Saturday, July 24th at 7:00 pm.  Jacob and Jenni will be getting married then and as wonderful as it is, it will also be difficult for us.  Not having Rick here to witness this special day will be very emotional for us. Before his death, he did not get off the phone with Jacob without praying for God to send him his mate for life.  His prayers are being answered and we are so excited about the day!  Pray for joy unspeakable and hearts that are full…good weather (the wedding is outside)…and no tears.  We want to sense Rick’s presence but we want to stay in the moment and enjoy what God has done.

Sending much love,

Debbie