A Believer's Bouquet

Romans 12:4-5 "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." 

I had the unique privilege this week to celebrate a ministry milestone of five years. "Coffee Break" at my church is a gathering of woman who come to fellowship, eat decadent desserts, sip coffee, compete in silly games, worship, then settle in to hear a woman within our own church share their compelling testimony.

Coffee Break Five Year Celebration 

Everyone has a story. If you have been redeemed by the Lord, set free, been given hope through a hopeless situation, grieved, made irreversible decisions, suffered abuse, dealt with difficult relationships, been hurt by loved ones, suffer an illness, relied on God for the impossible, stepped out in faith when others questioned your sanity, felt panicky, anxiety, depression, even the unthinkable thoughts...

If you've been angry, been betrayed, broken, failed, scared, felt unloved, ashamed, questioned your faith, ran away...

and yet, God found you and filled you with hope, laughter and purpose... JOY.

If you have sinned, been forgiven and now choose to live for Christ despite it all...

God created in you a testimony of your faith in Him. FYI: For continued healing.

Be transparent and share. It's hard stuff, but full of blessings and further healing.

Trust Him.

~~~

Tonight, my neighbor came over and asked me to put together some bouquets of flowers for the important moms in his life. Glad to do it for he blesses us with his handyman and mechanical abilities. My son got the card table out while he brought in the three large wrapped bunches of flowers,  purchased downtown this morning at the flower mart.

 



As I was arranging the flowers, I thought of how this is like Coffee Break, or even the Body of Christ. Some of us are beautiful mums, roses, tall daisies, or zinnias, all different in color and shape and story, the sanctification journey.  Some of us are fillers, like the babies breath or the eucalyptus branches; those little encouragers that complement and define the story, God's Word of Truth.  Some of us are the vases, open to be filled and displayed, the very foundation of our faith, our teachers, pastors and mentors.  Then, finally, there is the water which sustains us all, The Holy Spirit.

And we give in Love, because He first loved us. 

Jesus eternally loves, defines love in us, teaches us to love, died and rose again because of LOVE.

We bloom and show His love best working together in unity with all our uniqueness and purposes. He designed it that way!  So let's be a little showy! --All for His Glory in our story!


God gathers us all together and makes a gorgeous bouquet to set out openly,  even on our own welcoming table for others to see and take in the sweet aroma of our Creator, our Maker.

 


Thank you Lord for flowers. I sure love them,  the colors and shapes and sizes. I love the process of planting and nurturing, weeding and caring, even clipping and displaying. Thank you Lord for Your people, the Body of Christ. I sure love them, the stories and the testimony, the sharing and the caring, the trusting and gathering to sing and worship together. I love the forgiving, the moving over to make room for one more, the new little buds forming, and the sweet aroma of prayer we create together for our own seedlings. May the display of believers, the bunches of branches and petals of praise, bring You Glory in our story, in our love for one another, in our testimony of hope. Thank you Lord for planting me where I'm at and nurturing me within the Bouquet of  Belief, for I am pressed deep into the Water of Life. Amen.

P.S.  Happy Mother's Day!  

Journal prompt: Do you see yourself as part of God's Bouquet?  Where in the church is your gifts displayed for His Glory?  Where is He leading you to serve?

Despair Detour

Psalm 27: 13-14 "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."

This is one of my life verses.  I am especially grateful to be writing this tonight, in preparation for continued ministry and opportunities brought my way by the Lord's goodness to me.

~~~

I would have despaired...and I had every right to do just that! We lost our home of 24 years in one wind whipped crackle of electrified air and who knows what else. Uprooted and unprepared, the house lost its status as "our home," and went the way of a house-flipper and real estate broker, eager to pocket the gold dust while we continued to clean -up the soot for months to come.

I would have despaired...BUT GOD!

The Lord met me in the smoke, the rubble, the ash. He poured His love on me through the gaping holes in the roof,  a Refiner's Fire in the purest sense of the Words. Yes, there were some despairing days...but not a lingering despairing soul, not a despairing heart and attitude. Teachable moments and new perspectives,  sifting and sorting of truth at its deepest level, worship gushing out like a fire hydrant, quenching and dousing me in spirit-filled promises and new hopes...I believed!  I felt and knew the Goodness of the Lord.  A beautiful re-built house would no longer be our home, yet God had plans in the land of the living for me.

Wait, He says. Be strong, He says.

I would have despaired...drowned my self in my tears of grief, hid myself from healthy relationships, aligned myself with anger and let it take me down...BUT GOD!

He formed me anew, sturdy in His Word and re-roofed with a righteous belief that the land of the living in Christ includes Eternity! My oldest son no longer despaired in his pain and illness. Amazing Grace heals and is an answered prayer in the bigger-God picture of His will. I would have despaired if He did not give me a glimpse of this very thing, more than a glimpse really, a continual reflection seen in the world around me. Heaven is filled with His glory and to know that His purpose for me would be one of courage...

I would have despaired...but I am in awe!  

In awe of a God who gives and takes away, and I wait. I look through eyes wide open seeing all His goodness.  Despair hides your eyes, but belief and trust opens them up wide to view and walk in the Land of the Living...all the way to Heaven. Blessed Be His Name!

Lord Jesus, Thank you for allowing me the need to see Your goodness. Thank you for eyes that search the heavens and Heaven that comes to me through Your gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for healing and insight into your plan. Help me Lord to stay strong, to have courage to continue to do Your will in the path which You have sent me. Help me find compassion and words for others who despair in this despairing world, one in need of Your Hope. Thank you Lord for a ministry in the Land of the Living and may I continue in Your strength, each day within Your grace, for Your glory. Amen.

For your own journal: Where has God given you courage?

"I AM Tunes"

Psalm  42:8 "The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life." 

How do you hear the Lord's wisdom in your life, His direction, His love, His truth? How has He put things together, led you to the right people and places, given you insight?

He has given us a gift, the Helper, Counselor. We received Him, the Holy Spirit, the third Divine person of the Trinity, when we first believed in our heart that Jesus's plan is good and full of grace.

In this age of electronics and easy access, our world is a bit noisier with bells and whistles, alarms and reminders, ring tones and ear buds.  Music is easily accessed after a brief search and click of our devices.

What if God sang to us--literally out loud--with musical prompts? 

I came to this thought while listening to a speaker today at a training workshop for teachers. He incorporates a lot of  "music" instead of words to prompt his students towards a specific task. It's fun and it works!

While we might be playing the "Mission Impossible" theme in our head, God sends us the theme song from "Man of La Mancha,"  "To Dream The Impossible Dream!"

When we're facing fear, God sends us a "Gonna Fly Now," (The theme from "Rocky").

If You're feeling sad: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams

Maybe I just want to know if God really loves little ol' me, even with all my mishaps, goof-ups, my ugliness...And suddenly I hear  (You're  Amazing) ..."Just The Way You Are," (Bruno Mars).


Are you listening?  I think He truly does send us a prompt of beautiful love songs to encourage, teach and inspire us. The melody awakes us in the morning in the sunrise of His sovereign plan, it hums along with us as we hustle through our daily routines. The beat sets a course for our lives and we walk in motion to His rhythm, feeling the pulse in our own veins. Yes, He is our Grand Conductor, our Symphony Synchronizer, our Trumpeter, our Concerto Creator and our Love Lullaby. Whatever our particular song mix or genre is, God lyrics in His Holy Orchestration, His Word, inspire us to dance and move in His grace.


I took this picture of "Mickey" last week. Maybe that's you. You're standing tall trying to orchestrate your own life but really, you're blocking out the sun...THE SON!  Your life seems stuck in the shadows.

Put your "baton" of your own agenda down. Listen to the music of His love and grace. Let it fill you with notes of worthiness and forgiveness. Let it move your feet to dance and let it soothe you to rest.  He longs to write a song just for you because you inspired Him--to die on a cross and rise again, a song of transformation!  Let Him do the same for you, follow His prompts. Listen and see His glory all around you, above this noisy world! See what plays out, what unique and beautiful harmony you and God can make. (Have I mentioned my back-up singers?)  


Lord, thank you for making a beautiful song for my heart. Whenever I need Your encouragement, need to feel Your grace, know Your forgiveness and direction, be assured of Your sovereign plan, I know I can tune-in to Your "Voice," listen and hear a Song of Love, for you have created a Play-list just for me: "I AM Tunes," free, bought-and-paid-for downloads for the asking!  Thank you Lord.

(...and then the butterfly shows up on this picture I googled...God is Good!) 

All It Takes Is Three Words

Luke 10:20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

Jesus, the Teacher, the Truth Teller, Holy Son of God,  the Messiah,  gave instructions to a group of his followers, about 70 of them. Given authority and power, they were told to mingle, to go out amongst the towns, the cities, to be grateful and to convert those to the Kingdom, to share the Hope. Jesus knew that they would face some negative attitudes, disrespect, out right unbelief and possibly persecution. He told them not to have fear.  He knew the ending. Jesus always sees the bigger picture, the Harvest, the many that need to know, need to hear, need to believe.

We sing the song, "Give me Your eyes, Lord..." But do we really want to see?

Today, I saw the movie, "Do You Believe?" --A powerful story of how lives become interconnected in a few days and how God can use a few faithful to spark a difference.

It was a movie... ( a well-done, inspiring and encouraging movie, I may add, with some well known actors).

Our world is smaller now because of technology, yet really, we take on more, see more because of technology. It can be overwhelming...it is overwhelming to me just in the first 10 minutes of the nightly news!  What did this movie contain that we see in every day lives around us?

Grief, criminal behavior, lack of a father figure, stage 4 cancer, cynical and arrogant attitudes, ungratefulness, desperation, loneliness, stress, fear, uncertainty in a future, unwed mothers, childless couples, lawsuits, "political correctness", selfish attitudes, guilt,  homelessness, hunger, greed, power, war and its after affects, suicidal thoughts...death.

What part of this is not real in today's world?  If we really had the "eyes of Jesus..." wouldn't we be in tears and torment all the time for this world, for our neighbors, for our own families?  Can you love and forgive in a moment?

I can't. Not in my own strength...

Jesus instructed these 70 "do not rejoice" that I overcome the world.  He wanted the "rejoicing" to come in the Harvest. He wanted these disciples to focus on the fact that they were not a part of the world, but  a part of His plan. He wanted the rejoicing to take place when new names are written in His Book of Life. He reminded them that the Harvest was plentiful, the harvesters...few.

We can spend a lot of time, rejoicing, praying, thanking Him for His provisions, His protections, His mercy and grace...and that's all good, but don't miss someone who needs to know this same Hope.

...Give me your eyes, Lord.

The message of the movie came from the scripture: James 2:17 "Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."

I write this as a challenge to myself, to you, to Believers. This world needs the Hope of the Risen Savior.  In sharing the Gospel, you will encounter serpents and scorpions.  Leave the scary stuff to One who overcomes and step into your faith with action.  Play out the script He wrote long ago, you as His "extra."

Let's be a Harvester. Let's rejoice together when another name is written in the Book of Life and we were able to be a part of that through the workings of the Holy Spirit. There just might be an asterisk after that name,  or maybe a hashtag...who knows?

 * my faithful servant...____your name ___________shared with this precious one.

#savedbythefaithfultestimonyof____your name ________.

My friend Christina upon exiting the theater,  asked the young man employee waiting to clean-up,

"Do you believe?"

He smiled and said, "Yes, I do."

Way to go, Christina!  Only God knows His heart.  After he gets off work tonight, he just may make a decision to not attend a certain "party" or he may apologize to his mother for being rude, or he may just show up at a church service the Sunday after Easter...continuing the search for what stirred him up last week...

It took three words..."Do you believe?"

Roll the credits:  forgiveness, unconditional love, grace, mercy, plans for a hope, not depair, Heaven!

Lord, you've saved me and in that I am most grateful, yet with that saving comes a great responsibility. You've called us to plant the seeds for the Harvest to come. You've shown us how and given us the authority and power to do just that. You've given us strength and courage. Why are so many of us still on the continuum of receiving, when we should be giving? Lord, you've granted us gifts. Show us as we pray how to use those gifts in Your Harvest.  Lord, give us the focus and the eyes to see as You do Lord, as You do Lord. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours, and let it not be me in disobedience to Your calling. Amen.

Distant or Redeemed?

Luke 22:54  "And having arrested Him, they led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the High Priest; but Peter was following at a distance.  


Today is Good Friday. And why is it "Good?"  

One may answer in many ways. 

..."because it's payday,    
         ..."because, --Whoo-hoo, it's Spring Break!"  
                        ..."because I just found some cute shoes on sale!"


In Christendom, "Good Friday" names the day Christ placed Himself on the Cross and our sins onto His shoulders. He hung his thorned-pressed brow and bled out. He pushed Himself up long enough to communicate His love to a thief next to Him and to give instructions to His Apostle John, and others. He released His last breath and lowered Himself when He knew God's Will was done. It's the day, two days out from THE DAY! 


 It is "Good" because we are not. It is "Good" because of His Great Love for us, ...it is "Good" because this Holy moment brings us back into a relationship with God and restores us into His purpose. 

Yet some of us, like Peter did for a brief, weak moment, still follow Him at a distance. Now these moments have turned to years. 

The lyrics of "The Old Rugged Cross" are revived one more time, although its a little harder to remember them; a dusty Bible is located, and a seat is found near the exit. Maybe you'll attend a sunrise service. You squint and a shiver in the morning breeze, thinking about the ham and what time it needs to go in the oven.  

We get close again for an hour or so, just long enough to read and sing, but not infuse the red letters on the crispy pages, to wear the new shoes that are already forming a blister, to hear the story of the Resurrection but fail to see the empty tomb in our own heart chambers. 

Knees are un-calloused; hands are smooth, kept in pockets and on devices. God calls from the splintered Tree of His own creation, seeing you near, but you keep your distance, your comfortable place, your routine, your fears, your burdens, your complaints...your excuses.  

You haven't denied Him. You've always been a Believer, well sort of... but...is there evidence of that?  Forgiveness frees us to draw close.

And that IS your fear...the judgment. And that is Your comfort zone...staying at a distance, away from those that can hurt. And that is your complaint...time and money and sacrifice...and that is your burden...a lack of purpose, of true JOY, of Your Destiny as His Child! 

God is near. Christ is here, resurrected, the Redeemer! Grab His nail-pierced hand and take Him home with you. Don't keep your distance any longer. Ask Him to show you how to stay close, how to not wander, how to begin to leave evidence that you belong to Him, to see His Amazing Grace! 

In a momentary admission of your need for Him, He will pour His love out again. There is no condemnation. He begins to remove the obstacles, dusting off your name written so many years ago in His Book of Life. The scriptures will once again become alive, filled with all the wonderful blessings He planned for you. You've come close before, you've met, you've felt His love for you.  Can you feel Him again? His loves bridges all the ways you distanced yourself from Him. If we could see it, it is shaped like a Cross; kneel again. 

Jesus forgave Peter and He became the Rock of the Church. He forgave you in the same way. Calvary is paved with stepping stones poured from His own blood. In each step of faith, His Light begins to diminish your fears, your burdens. "Belief" becomes a powerful promise. HOPE--embraceable! It's no longer distant, no longer unattainable. 

James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.


Don't place Him back in the cold, distant tomb! 

                                  He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!  

Lord, Help us to cherish the Old Rugged Cross, to not grow distant from you, but to serve You and give You worship in every part of our lives. Help us Lord to draw close to You and then cling to You for all our needs, for all Your plans. You took that Crown of Thorns, the piercing spikes, the wretched beatings and humiliation. You carry the burden of our sin so that we may live eternally and receive a crown, a Crown of Everlasting Life!  Hallelujah! Help us Lord to be strong in a world which wants to deny Your Deity, Your sovereign Truth. Help us to live each day as if it is Good Friday/Easter; with the knowledge that we are not worthy, but because of Your blood on the Cross, --Christ Crucified, You reign right here, in our hearts. Thank You for living in my heart, undeniably close in every breath, and I give You praise for this great Love. You are my hope,  Amen. 

Expending My Soul in Prayer.

II Corinthians 12:15  "And I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less?"


Today, as I paid my son's (Obamacare) health premium over the phone to a representative online, she went a little overboard I believe in praising me for being a great mom. I reminded her that this was his money, not mine.  I simply was taking care of the transfer for him.

She reminded me to sign him into an account as well, so he could access info online.

"Yep, I already did that, I replied."

Again, she reiterated..."Wow, what a great mom you are!  Wow, I am so impressed...

She went on and on...

"I'm sure you'd do the same for your kids,"  I said.

"I don't have any yet." she replied. "I hope I can be a great mom too one day."

"I'm sure you will.  It's not easy, as you can see...here I am doing what he should be doing!"

"She laughed and said, He's probably out with his friends on a Friday and you're just being a great mom."

Once again, she said those words, "great mom."

Actually, Corey was next door with the neighbor, picking oranges off our tree that hangs in both yards.

Earlier this week, I wrote my son a note and put it in a special lunch I made for him. Funny thing was, he never got the lunch. The note?  ... it finally came to him after going with his dad to another job and then back home again. Reading it, he smiled, and said he very much appreciated the thought.  What I had planned didn't happen, but God still provided a good outcome.

Later this same week, a friend I had asked to pray for Corey quite a few months back, sent me a personal message, asking about him. She was his Sunday School teacher way back when. It felt good to report to her that things between us were so much better. Reflecting on this last year, I can see growth and a "calming down" of the things that usually come between us.

I know this is a result of prayer. My attitude and trust is greater in God's timing and God...I believe is softening his heart.

If I am a "great mom," it is because I serve a "Great God," one who gives me a promise that in His timing, my prodigal child will return to his roots and begin to really grow in the knowledge and sovereignty of His purpose for him.

And so I pray and expend my soul for your soul, dear child of mine.

Lord, We love our children and we are thankful for them. We want them to be happy and so do You, God. I pray for our sons and our daughters. I pray for our prodigals and our precocious, our stubborn and our stumbling, our wise ones and our wise guys, our princesses and princes, our college preps and "still high school drama queens," our lonely hearts and our social media magnets. I pray for the misunderstandings, the "chips on the shoulder," the hurt, the guilt, the unforgiven, the addictions and the anger. Give me (us) wisdom and strength. I give You praise for the beauty that awaits, when You, Lord make all things right, all things great. Help me to be worthy to be called a "great mom," a mom who prayed. Yes, Lord, a mom who prays. Amen.

I Am Reminded...

II Peter 1:12 Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present within you. 


Aah, one of the joys in life-- picking fresh fruit growing just steps from your back door! Huge oranges hang like ornaments of Spring in bright contrast to the green glossy leaves. The basket fills up and we  bring them inside, splitting and pressing them into the juicer. 

In that, I am reminded of the beginning paragraph, an analogy I spoke of, a written testimony of my life shared a few years back. 

"I have an orange tree in my back yard. When I am gathering and picking oranges, sometimes I see one that has fallen. I take a quick look and throw it into the basket anyways. Sometimes life shakes us and like an orange, we fall to the ground, but not too far from the tree. Peeling this same orange back, I see where a crack in the skin has compromised the inside and it has started to rot. I missed it because it still looked like a good orange. Peeling back the rind of grace from another orange, the sections bring it around full circle and at the center are the seeds that further the legacy,  hold the story. I am both of these oranges and my tree is full of blossoms of promise." 

I said it back then, and I can say it now with even more conviction. The promises of God ripen and spring forth in every new season. I only want to press more and more into my Savior and enjoy His sweet victory in my life. 

Blending the fruit of tangerines and grapefruit from my neighbors, the juice proved delicious. Isn't that how God works? He takes our gifts and allows us to find in each other the opportunity to create and bless others within the Body of Christ, each bringing to the table our own unique flavor. 

While gathering the fruit, I saw it there, on a low hanging branch, almost eye level, a hummingbird nest neatly settled in the branches. There are no eggs yet. My yard is always a buzz with these delightful creatures. I am reminded to get some feeders up.  

Like the butterfly, many  find peace in seeing the delightful hummingbird! 

Listen. Can you hear the tree? The air around it vibrates and a hum resounds through the morning quiet. The busy bees relish in the orange blossoms and, yes, this IS the promise of continued nourishment, continued harvest. I am reminded that soon I will plant the sunflower seed. 

And I am reminded of His goodness in my own growth. I am celebrating how I've learned to share, to press in, to mix with others to form something new, to be bold in my faith and inspire to quench the thirst of others, to allow one to settle in and further my hope in what God began a while ago, that a renewal awaits. The truth of THE TREE, the one that dragged and divoted, then planted deep into a hill in a city called Jerusalem, promises to spread it roots back into the hearts of saplings.  I am reminded that I serve a sovereign God and Hope flies before me, for this is a favorite spot of the swallowtail. 

I've become a prayer enthusiast, morning, noon, and night, for I love the sweet nectar of communion with the Lord; His Word, my honeycomb of sweet treasure; my own sanctuary of special words only for my God, my Lord. I am reminded that THIS is the work of the Lord!  

We prepare to share, to bring Harvest by our blooms. Our stories are powerful fragrances and the Holy Spirit is a buzz with bountiful promises. 

And yet, I am reminded that I am one that fell, that rolled around in the dirt, whose skin was cracked and compromised; not a pretty specimen. I am one that God should have discarded for sourness. 

He reminds me that I am worthy because of the Cross of Christ, that Tree on the Hill where His blood shed for me, for you. I am reminded that His love is greater than any doubt, than any feeling, than any disappointment, than any loss, than any fear, than even the deepest of pains. 

Lastly, I am reminded to worship, to bow in gratefulness and thanksgiving, to live with an eternal perspective seeing grace in everything, everywhere, all the time. He teaches me daily how to live like this. At times I fail, yet He reminds me that I am forgiven. Praise His Name. 

Lord, thank you for this reminder of all your bounty, all your continued blessings and opportunity to taste and see that You are good. Your love is rich and juicy in promise and Hope for all who believe in Your name. Thank you Lord for the gifts You have bestowed to me to be a part of Your Harvest. Thank You Lord for dying and in Your ressurection, making me worthy as a believer to receive Your grace. Thank you for peace and joy and all I've learned in returning to the hive of Your heart. To You be the glory, always and forever, Amen.