A 9-11 Thought

Each September, our nation observes yet another anniversary of the 9-11-2011 tragedy. Intense memories & feelings are stirred up in the hearts of many as we reflected upon that day & the impact of that horrendous event.

Photo was taken by T. Getz
on the anniversary of 9-11

The Bible has offered me comfort in times when I am at a loss as to what to say or what to do...

1 Corinthians 15:19 says, "... if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world."   We're not to think that we will only see God's glory in heaven. We are to look for it in this world. 

Psalm 46 says, "The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God's voice thunders, and the earth melts! The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come, see the glorious works of the LORD... The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress!" 

Sometimes, and for some of us, often... life feels overwhelming. Especially in those times, we should heed the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored throughout the world."    

God reclaims what man destroys.  He is with us in the good times, as well as in the bad. 

(written 9/11/11)

Start Small... JUST START!

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

I'm trying to have healthy habits :)

I remember as a child believing the statement above was a medical fact. There IS a bit of truth in the message of that statement though. 

 Sometimes it takes just a "little something" to get us on the correct trail toward the end result we desire. 

In our relationship with Christ & with our growth in our Christian walk, we don't have to start BIG. First we just need to turn our face in the right direction. 

One of the best things for me is to go to the Word of God each day. I set my reading goals pretty low. But, when I get into the Word, somehow I end up spending real quality time with God - whether it be for a few minutes or for a few hours.

Joshua 1:8 tells me to, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."

I'm trying to have healthy habits :D

Mean Parent Award?

As I've said TONS of times, parenting is NOT for the faint of heart!  Sometimes we have to make choices, set boundaries, say "NO", and other things that are not at all well-received by our children. 

How many times have you heard this... 

• the King James Version of Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." 
• the New Living Translation of Proverbs 22:6, "Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it." 

I must honestly admit that my prayer has often been, “Dear God, Please let my children GET old.” Today I claim that verse & vow to continue to make the right choices for them - even when those choices are difficult to make & not well-received!

(written 10/08/11)

As A Child... I Come!

Throw cares away & come to Him as a child

A scripture caught my eye today... "You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive salvation that comes by trusting Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:15

The first words "you have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood" really grabbed my attention. I was born into the home of parents serving in full-time Christian ministry. I was a "PK" - a preacher's kid. I was taught the Word from childhood through my entire lifetime at home. 

As I entered young adulthood, did I remain faithful to what I'd been taught? Unfortunately… NO. I too frequently exercised my "free will" to question all the wonderful things that I had learned & seen lived out in my home as I was growing up. God allows that for all of us. We are given the choice to CHOOSE what we want to do. Often lessons are learned in the process. Many of our choices come with consequences - regardless of the lesson learned. 

I've returned to walking daily with God & am so blessed to be in His loving care. However, some of the consequences of past choices can be seen & felt in my life from time to time even now. "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." is told in Mark 10:15. I'm so glad that God suggests for us to have "child-like faith". Sometimes I just need that. Sometimes I just need to let go of past hurts & foolish decisions... and run to Him as a child would! I can come to Him freely, as a little child with no history of rebellion. 

And TODAY, I come to Him as a child. 

"The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and He saved me." Psalm 116:6 NLT

Wars, Rumors of Wars... ALL the Bad Things in This World

Photo taken by T. Getz

Has it seemed to you that we're having a HUGE amount of crazy times these days... political uprisings; horrible weather catastrophes; senseless tragedies; illness, pain, suffering; and so much more?!?! Where's that scripture that talks about the earth groaning as we near the end of time? Anyone know? 

To me, it almost seems like the earth is crying out for Jesus to return. We're often so focused on all the "bad things and/or craziness" happening around us that we are paralyzed to see & do the "good deeds" that have been set before us by God. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:19, "... if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." We are to set our minds & hearts on things above -- as told in Colossians 3:2. We are not to think that we will only have victory in heaven. 

Sometimes I have to remind myself to take my eyes off this world & keeping my eyes focused on Jesus. He has overcome this world. The battle has been won by Him. He will be my Savior in heaven. He is my Savior here on earth too!

When Will I Be Loved?

Do you remember crawling up on the lap of a loving grandparent or parent as a small child & knowing that you were completely safe?  In the trials of life, do you ever feel like you'd like to be that little kid again?  I know that I have those moments.  

Photo by T. Getz

There's a song I could NOT get out of my head one of my sleepless nights earlier this week.  It was written by George Mathesen in 1882 and entitled, "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go."  Some of my favorite lyrics from that are below:

O love that will not me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee. I give Thee back the life I owe. That in Thine ocean's depths it's flow may richer, fuller be.  

Oh joy that seeketh me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee. I trace the rainbow through the rain. And feel the promise is not vain - that morn shall tearless be.

I'm so blessed to be one of God's children and to be a recipient of His love that will not let me go & His joy that seeketh me in pain. The Bible says that God loves us like his own children. God's love is complete & unconditional & perfect.  What a privilege!

• How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a
• The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.  Romans 8:16-17
• If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

How wonderful to know that no matter how young we are OR how old we get, we can still crawl into the arms of the Father & rest in safety and peace.  His love - that is without condition - will never let us go.

I am loved!

Dying of Thirst Lately?

It was a particularly bad summer that year. The weather had been a SCORCHER in central Indiana (and in a HUGE portion of the nation)! Even long after the sun had set, the heat index was 10-15 degrees over the air temperature -- and HOT! Plants suffered; animals suffered; people suffer! And, all the advise the media seemed to give was...

DRINK LOTS OF WATER & STAY COOL!

Photo by T. Getz

Have you ever felt like you could just not quench your thirst? I remember a time a few years back when I was driving through the Central Valley in California in a car without air conditioning & thought I was going to die. Having lived in south Florida for many years on the beach, I've always been a fan of hot days. But, let me tell you... thirst can be a real killer. 

Does your soul thirst for something and long to have that thirst quenched? Have you gone through times in your life where you felt you couldn't move on without something refreshing to provide energy. 

Well, 'the One sitting on the throne' said,

"I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life." Revelation 21:6 NLT

My times of spiritual famine & thirst have attested to God's word, 

"With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!" Isaiah 12:3 NLT

I'm thankful that my God promises to meet my every need. As Jesus said in John 4:14, "... those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." 

Here's a link to an older song, There is a River, recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band. It always brings peace to my soul in all the struggles of life. 

There is a River... that never shall run dry!

When I Can't See... I Claim Promises...

Some days I just don't SEE... so, I trust in promises. I seem to be having a LOT of days lately when I don't see how this mess can turn out okay. I am living on promises!! We're promised in Isaiah 40:30, 

"... those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." 

What great promises - new strength, not getting weary, etc. Why do I make such a big deal of my troubles?

Isaiah 40 - always worth reading :)

Did someone expect ME to come along and relate so well to these words :)

"How can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? ... how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40

I needed to be reminded of those promises today. Some days it's ESPECIALLY necessary for me to live by faith & not by sight. How about you?

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today... 

I Wish They'd Get What They Deserve!

I am a Christian.  Yet, there's this sense within me that people should get what they deserve. How often we, as Christians, take for granted the grace & mercy which God bestowed upon us as His children, while secretly wanting others to NOT receive that same grace & mercy. We seem to think we know the perfect punishment for other people's sins. But, God's promises are for everyone...

His mercies are NEW every morning.
Great is His faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:23

When Jonah complained about God's sentence upon Nineveh, God told him, "... Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" Jonah 4:11. This didn't really sit well with Jonah.

It often doesn't sit right with us when others don't get the punishment we think they deserve. A verse that has taken on a very special meaning for me in the past year or so is... 

"The Lord isn't really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." 

2 Peter 3:9

God's grace is greater than all our sin... all of everyone's sin! His grace & mercy is great enough for the little sins... and the big sins -- as we often see them! God gives every single one of us "second chances".

Perhaps we (I) should be less concerned about what others deserve and more concerned about expressing thankfulness to God for the mercy & grace which He has extended to... each of us.

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today... 

Where Can They Go?

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139
photo by Tom Getz

My children can't accurately be called children.  They're young adults.  I've loved them to the moon & back.  And, I've taught them about my love for the Lord & his children.  But, will they choose to embrace the things I hold so dear?  I've been looking at my "love" in comparison to the love of God. 

We're promised in Romans 8:38, "... NOTHING can separate us from the love of God." Nothing is a pretty big deal. It really leaves out NOTHING :) 

We are assured in Psalm 103:8, "The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." Unfailing love - unable, no matter the circumstances or the choices made by someone, to fail??

But, what if we don't want God's love or someone dear doesn't want God's love OR our love? True love doesn't come with strings. It's freely given. Love isn't contained by boundaries or diminished by someone's refusal to accept it!

David asked God in Psalm 139:7-10, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me." 

God's love GOES with us - even when we don't want it... when we are hiding from it. Even there God's hand is upon us & leading us. That's the kind of love I want to have. God is love & He is unfailing, ever-present & never discouraged.

Psalm 139 is a great reminder that God will never leave us. But, it's also a great reminder that God promises to not let ANYTHING separate any of His children from His love - not even their choices.

(shared 9/4/12 with the Ann Voskamp One Thousand Gifts community)