Keeping Hydrated

Psalm 36: 8 "They drink their fill of the abundance of Thy house; and Thou dost give them to drink of the river of Thy delights."

Thursdays, a kind of hectic day around here. It's payday which also means "we're-out-of-groceries-day" thus "go-out-to-dinner-and-catch-up-on-the-week-day." That is, after I wait for my hubby to come home from the shop. He waits as well, for meetings to end,  gathering pay checks for his workers, job discussions and resupply, and I know, a little lollygagging.  

(Just knew I would use that word sooner or later...) 

We do just that, and it's usually after eight by this time. Ted showers and shaves. I clean up a space for me in his truck, throwing away the wrappers and plastic cups, juggling the blueprints to the backseat, cringing at what's been spilled and if I can trust the seat I'm about to sit in.  

At dinner, we fill up on conversation, iced tea and sometimes share a meal. We talk about our week, the week to come. The waitress repours for Ted and I get to the bottom of my first glass. She comes again and politely refills for a second, a third time. 

Our thirst is quenched and yet the refills come.

Early evening yesterday while waiting for my husband to return home, I went out in the yard to take pictures, and look for butterfly sightings. My backyard roses needed watering after the first truly hot days of summer finally came upon So. Cal. I heard him arrive and returned to the house. While upstairs freshening up, the sound of running water in the walls, reminded me of my earlier garden chore. 

(mental note: turn the hose off before leaving for dinner).  

We got home, watched a movie with my son and then headed up the stairs a little later than usual. Closing the house down for the night, what did I hear? 

The sound of running water.   

Uugh! I left the hose trickling for several hours. My roses enjoyed refill after refill, as well as my neighbor's weeds. ( A parched mind, my only explanation!)
                                
                               ~

We get dry sometimes, thirsty for the spiritual, for renewal, to feel the splash of refreshment plump up our veins. Allowing our roots to dig deeper, the loosened clay saturates. Hydration keeps our organs working properly, our skin clearer and our mind sharper. Spiritual hydration of the Lord's Living Water of Truth and Promise does the same for our soul. Our heart and mind work together; wisdom and discernment calms the emotional fears when we hear the Lord's "running pipe," the turn of the spicket in our preparation towards growth (sanctification). The blemishes of our sin begin to deminish and our roots grab and take hold, a firm foundation. The joy of knowing we our loved, cared for, and purposed, blooms. 

And God's business runs on refills, paid for once at the Cross. 

His abundance gushes an unending supply, a hydrant of holiness, washing over me to bring me to holiness, a flood to both, the rose and the weed. 

Lord, Your pitcher overflows for my delight. You water me with Your spray of forgiveness, and soak me in Your grace. I am baptized in Your death and rise up in the waters of Your ressurrection. Please allow Your redeeming river to drench me in Your glory. Thank You for Your abundance and my ability to share Your overflowing, never-ending cup with those who thirst. Amen. 

Are you thirsty my friend?  

Life and Love Make...Crumbs!

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said,  "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Have you ever purchased a pumpkin scone at Starbucks and tried to eat it in your car? Even of you're not driving, they kind of make a mess. A little on the drier side, definitely crumbly. 

There's an old fashioned cliche' that says: "That's the way the cookie crumbles!"

I take it to mean, it's bound to happen, it's in the DNA, 
                                                                                        
Maybe even...get over it, clean up, move on.

It seems one business owner this week had an issue, a different approach.

Proprietors with their children in tow, sat in her cafe, picked from the menu, and socialized, while their children sat happily, well-behaved, enjoying the pleasure of a scone and all its crumbly fun. 

Oops, a few crumbs fell on the floor. 

THOSE RUG-RATS ARE DISPICABLE!  HOW DARE THEY! 

The cafe owner complained to the mom that she didn't appreciate her messy children, just having cleaned her carpet.  She (of course) posts a video of the mess. 
http://www.today.com/moms/crumb-controversy-mom-angry-after-cafe-owner-kicks-out-messy-6C10867938

Really?  

And so it goes...the cookie, the scone...the children,...her business?

Jesus taught us a different approach.

Bring them to Me, the kids, the rug-rats, the criers, the whiners, the tantrum throwers in public places, the biters, the mouthy, the sneaky, the shy ones, the gigglers, the climbers, the huggers, the daddy's girls, the momma's boys, the milk spillers, the spaghetti throwers, with their bad report cards, their straight A's, the over-achievers, the under-developed, the dancers, the athletes, the Gate kids, the orphans, the abandoned, the hungry, the abused, the forgotten, the neglected, the spoiled rich kids, the dreamers, the doers, the cancer-stricken, the college bound, red, yellow, black and white, the one's knit together for My purpose, whose every hair I have numbered, whose name I know for all of Eternity. 

 All the little children, for I love them. 

I died for them. They are precious in my sight. 

And I gather their crumbs and I sweep them away and I will do it again, and again, and again. 

For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the children.

Look at a child, and see God. 

Father, thank you for the children in our lives, whether ours, someone else's or the one screaming in the restaurant. Thank you for loving us when we throw tantrums, demand our ways and act childish.Thank you for cleaning up after us and doing it because You love us! May our words and deeds concerning Your children honor You. Teach us to discipline wisely and to accept Your discipline in our lives. Help us to be gracious and forgiving, patient and compassionate, to see through Your eyes. Thank you for loving all the children. Amen. 


P.S. How many of you think this woman needs to bake cookies and scones and serve them to the children in the hospital and the nurses that take care of them? 

A Certain Credibility

Hosea 6:3 "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth." 




Today, the news tells us of a "credible threat."

Intelligence decipherers and purveyors of Homeland Security extended the warning to the media, remitting to the public. Reinforcements begin, closing certain embassys for awhile, travel restrictions to"unfriendly"areas, more security checks, and heightened alert for our military. "Chatter" increases; we hunker down and wait it out.

Can the murmurings of evil, of lies, of resentment and discouragement shut you down?  

In all honesty...it does at times.

I'm not Jesus.

My brain has too many thoughts and words and just like "chatter," I think fearful things, say words that confuse or point to ME instead of God, fail to forgive because I think it's justified, cry sometimes, stress. My heart gets clogged up with my own agenda. I'm a work in progress; thank you God for loving me anyways and seeing the end result.

I took that filter off quite a while ago; the one that used to just say the nice prayers at nice times for the nice people.

I'm in the trenches now, the Lord rules as the C.I.A. of my soul. Real life soldiering as one belonging to Christ, I press on. Praying continually, my communication pleads and praises and He assesses and blesses. He definitely hears my chatter, but I must receive His intelligence and act upon it. Christ teaches in His Word, we must pray for the people we'd rather forget, endure situations inconvenient and frustrating, live this life in all its difficulty and do it under His grace. I must bring my tears to Him. He's got them all counted anyway.

Without my Savior, I am toast!  Burnt toast at that!

What's so certain about it, is that the Word of God so easily comes into focus. Reading His Word, I feel the enemy back down. I get clarity, a heightend sense of spiritual alertness.

 Angel armies, HOMEland Security, Peace.

God does not give us a "credible threat," but an INCREDIBLE PROMISE!"

He, my Father God, goes before me, and He promises to refresh my soul, despite what threatens to disrupt my world.  My only instruction is to surrender...

and the blood rushes through, and the promise of rain, CERTAIN. The Rain/Blood washes stuff away and sustains life.

Heavenly Father, I press on. Hear my "chatter" Holy Spirit. Interpret, and fill me with your wisdom to counter the enemy of this world. Allow me to be a Peacekeeper, not a deal breaker. The enemy is sly and waits for the cracks in the armor. I stand in Your spring rain, sustained by Your Word. This world will one day know that You are Lord, Lord of All. Amen.

Do you have a certainty about God in your life?  He's ready to listen to your chatter.

Rock of the Aged

Malachi 4:6 "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers."


In recent months, the past experiences and defined roles of children and parents, reversed. My husband's mother and father awake to a time in their life when decisions become wreckless, memory escapes them,  anxiety and fear walk with them in every feeble step,  and restless lonliness seem their only companion. New responsibilities and awareness, along with the tangible hands-on activities of  provider/caretaker progress despite high resistance. Yes, a burden we are enduring with God's wisdom and patience.

Still possessing a driver's license, small trips turned into hours of driving lost and confused. The last time, in early summer, they went missing for over a day and a half. Found somewhat safe, no where near their original destination, it became apparent that driving privleges needed to be voided; not by them, but by us (and the police) after this very worrisome and dangerous outing.

Mom and Dad refuse to understand, to accept many facts. Their unpleasant words, and defiance at our attempt to help them and care for them becomes an emotional place where God must intervene, for our tender hearts and minds remember something...someone different.

Providentially, a wonderful man at our church has started workshops for support and answers to many questions dealing with the elderly and dementia.  My brother-in-law received wise counsel and legal advise from his circle of church friends. We talk frequently and move forward, all on the same page to accomplish their complete care despite all the "kicking and screaming."

After the incident when they went missing, God brought a wonderful verse to me in my morning devotions, Psalm 149:4 (NASV): "He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation." As scripture does so perfectly, it spoke to me, as He has in other situations. The Lord's got this.

 I cannot know how or begin to understand His plan and purpose, but know that Christ endured the Cross for us in love despite His painful scourgings, his beard ripped out, his side pierced. Then he went to the Cross where our own "afflictions" became beautified.  Believing in that great love, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit to endure, to gain wisdom, to have Hope, when others do not.  We need to exemplify that Hope in every touch, every word, every decision we make, to be the Christ to other's who do not know Him.

While digging up a flower bed this last week, my spade hit a little rock. I dug it up and put it aside with my other gardening debris. When I went to clean up, I picked up the rock and brushed off the dirt chunks around it. It was a perfectly shaped heart. Dark and buried, but still, a heart-shape, my mind immediatley thought about my in-laws.  God beautifies even dark and hard hearts and I shall plant the flowers of grace around it.

Father God, fill our hearts with right thinking, with words that soothe and with compassion. We pray for your protection from those who choose to take advantage, who elicit entitlement, and wish to deceive. Guide us to encouragement through Your Godly wisdom. May minds be clear enough to understand love of family, the love of God. Amen.

On Royal Baby Watch

Micah 5:2b "When she who is in labor has borne a child..."

We can't get away from it. Everyone's waiting, watching, wondering. "Royalty! A future heir to the throne," buzzes through the crowds. Commoners set their camps up, the Dignified travel from afar, following their GPS. Light shows begin to flash and glorious announcements prevail throughout the Kingdom. 

            ~~

For centuries, scribes and prophets recorded this event. Wars raged, nations divided, and then silence for 400 years. Our scrolls, our stories, we've passed on through generations. This One to be born--surely a celebration, a heralding of magnificent Hope, of promised Unity. 

A mother's joyful pain, a father's obedient responsibily, and God's love-filled breath labored through the Holiest of nights. The lamb of God, the Prince of Peace, born King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

It's a Boy!  Emmanuel, God With Us. Hail to the King!  

Heavenly Father, It is not Christmas Season, yet the arrival of Your Son, the Christ-child, fills my heart with exceeding joy. I am honored and humbled to  serve in His Kingdom. He chose me in His sacrifice on the Cross. I choose Him to be my Lord. I pray for others who are watching, waiting for their King, to be drawn into the fellowship of Believer's by the Spirit, for He shall reign forever and ever. Amen.  

Sanctuary

Psalm 134:2 "Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, and bless the Lord."

Planting my sunflower garden out my kitchen window,  I stand, sipping my coffee, speaking to the Lord in quiet summer morning reflection. This week, the sunflowers began to open up and I was daily inspired by their faces of glory coming from a little black and white seed. Each day, I've tried to capture a picture, and an inspirational thought to encourage myself and others.



Living in California, our seasons do not fluctuate with such profound definition as other parts of the country. We stay dry, breezy, and temperate; sometimes we'll get an occasional rumble of the earth under your feet. The summer season brings back many memories for all of us, vacation trips with family, sunset beach strolls, camp, and neighborhood gatherings and reunions-- family time. 



SUNFLOWERS.  
THE summer flower, stretching up so quickly and bursting at every branch with buds and promise. The bees gathering their nectar, the beetles taking refuge under the leaves, the praying mantis looking for sustenance, the large leaves like hands lifted up; such diversity and promise. It reminds me of  THE CHURCH, the one Christ left for us to serve in, the Body of Christ. That's what it is, a worship place, a sanctuary out my kitchen window.



Do you have such a place?

Are you dry, blowing here and there with the wind?

steady temperature...

neither hot nor cold?

Unmoving, dormant, infested...

Will you lose your balance if your world decides to tremor?

When was the last time you lifted your hands in complete surrender to Him, trusting in the seeds planted in your heart?

Today in my own struggles and prayer, God brought one verse to mind, one I treasure always as God's wise counsel:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowlege Him and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6.

I trust when I planted that seed that a sunflower will arise;
 mighty, tall, and glorious-- all it's parts, all working together to delight me.

...but I did have to bury it, water it, even plant a stake or two. Growing a Sanctuary is a team effort.

God and me. 

Now, I stand among them, hands lifted in worship to the Creator, in a Sanctuary of Praise.

God gives me a season, I praise Him for His Church in which I can serve and I lift my hands to His glory and promise. 

Your season?

Right now. 

Plant yourself in His Sanctuary. Lift your hands with others, learning, growing, --sometimes needing stakes and bug spray-- worshippers.  One day, He will gather up His bundle of Sunflowers, and take His Bride Home. 

Bless the Lord. 

Sandcastles

Psalm 139:17 How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Boy,  if we could just get a few more minutes to think things out!  So many demands, so much noice,  distractions, and technology.  Events to ponder both worldwide and home town; post a comment on, check. Numbers to calculate,  stuff to organize and boards to "pin," check.  Bible Study to write up, text messages to answer, blog to write, check...

I think I'm doing a good job of thinking about God through all this.  My thoughts wander though, after all, I am made up of the same stuff as everyone...FLESH! 

A few weeks back, I visited a special place, a Chapel made of glass, built in a beautiful garden, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. One of the signs gave the hours it opened for "meditation." The small chapel exuded absolute beautiful architecture as we took in the structure and ambience between wedding ceremonies.   Many people lingered around, some sitting in the wooden pews, but mostly people were snapping pictures...Guilty. 

Wayfarer's Chapel, Rancho Palos Verde, CA 

I am thankful that God looks at the meditation of our hearts, not the "Holy" places where we may think God is waiting, lingering, settled. 

And what about God's meditation towards us?

Can you "meditate" on that for a minute? God, in His Heavenly Throne Room, meditating on YOU!  In the next verse, it says that His thoughts towards us are more numerous than the sands. 

If you're at the beach this summer, grab a handful. Watch it as it falls from your grasp, blowing in the breeze back to the shore it surrounds. Each grain represents a love thought to humanity from the Creator.  Incredible!  My moments can never add up, yet He is pleased  in any humble moment I can give Him. I can only ask to give Him more, to build a sandcastle of meditation in my heart and mind towards His Goodness. 

Lord, thank you that You, the Awesome God, my Creator and Redeemer think of me!  You knew my name when Mary lay you in the manger. You knew my name when You hung Your head and said "It is finished." You knew my name when You ascended to the pit of Hell and when You returned to Your Father. You knew my name when You rose from the grave and encouraged Your followers, resurrected! Your meditations towards us manifest themselves in the gift of the Holy Spirit.  "If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with Thee." Amen.