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Archive for the ‘Devotional’ Category

In a Bisquick Pie

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on May 11, 2013| 1 Comment »

I spoke at women’s breakfast today. One of the dishes they served was taken from a recipe on the Bisquick box  – the Impossible Pie.  I had made it years ago for my family, back when I cooked meals on a budget and was always looking for a new way to dress up hamburger meat, leftovers or sausage.

What is incredible is that you pour all the ingredients into a pie pan, shove it in the oven, and as if by magic, the layers separate as it cooks  into a tasty quiche-like meal. It comes out perfectly  – crust on bottom, cheese on top and the eggs and other ingredients fluffed up in the center. Seems impossible.

You know this is going to turn into a devo- so here goes.

Our lives can be like the impossible pie. All the things that are happening to us can be mixed up and shuffled together. We just can’t see it all coming together in a right way. But with God in control, all things will come together and turn out in perfect order.

When you follow the instructions on the recipe, it seems as if the ingredients are a bit off kilter. How can so little dough make a crust, and will it come out okay when you don’t take the time to mix it, knead it, pat it down, roll it out and press it to the sides? If I was doing a pie, that’s what I’d do.

When we follow God’s instructions, everything is perfectly measured, even though we think., “Now,  how in the world can that turn into something good? That’s not how I’d do it.”   God’s fiery furnace will  bring it all together in a wonderful way. We just need to trust in that fact.

If you feel the heat turning up a bit in your life, take to heart what Peter wrote in his first letter –  “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”  1Peter 4:12

Let God work in your life and slowly, things will get in order. The end result will be incredible,  even though you thought it impossible at first.

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In the Saints

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on May 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Last Sunday our youth minister honored all the high schoolers in a special way.  He took time to research each of the saints and match them with a teen’s personality, talent or interests.  It soon became a congregational guessing game as he described each saint- who was like that? There were giggles and finger-pointing in loving jest. Each student, one by one as they were identified, received a simple cross he had painted with our church’s name and the year. Yet, they received so much more.

normal_agkkyproyThese teenagers received recognition for being themselves – unique and precious in the eye’s of this minister, the congregation, and yes, in God’s eyes. They were applauded for their talents, their contribution to the youth group, and their individual worth.

This young minister made the effort to get to know each teen personally and to research which saint they resembled. That conveyed how much he valued them. He had spent time thinking of them. Each of them was important to him and the church. What a message!

Remember the old song? “I sing a song of the saints of God…. for the saints of God are folk just like me, Lord, help me to be one, too.”

Which saint to you resemble? My friend, you are uniquely and wonderfully made. You are a saint of God if you believe in Christ, have opened your heart to have Him come dwell in you, and are being changed by His presence. He qualifies you for sainthood.

Just like those teenagers, receive His cross and be thankful. You have worth in the kingdom of God.

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1:11-12, ESV)

 

 

 

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In a Tradition

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on May 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Rogation Sunday is, in the old English or Anglian tradition,  always the Sunday before Ascension Day. Ascension Day is always on a Thursday because it is 40 days after Resurrection Sunday. Actually, Rogation lasts three days.

The tradition is for the service to be a blessing of the agriculture. People would walk around the boundaries of their farms or villages and thank God for His provisions. Back in the day when a majority lived an agrarian lifestyle, it made perfect sense to praise God from whom all blessings flow and ask Him to continue to bless their livelihood.

 

Compton parish 2011

Compton parish 2011

In many churches throughout the world, this old tradition is practiced. 

The service  literally serves to connect the earthly to the Heavenly, the way Eden once was. Traditionally the service for that Sunday is held outdoors.

 

Why is it celebrated the Sunday before Our Lord ascended into Heaven?

“We frequently think of seedtime, planting, and prayers for an abundant harvest as the main emphasis for rogation, but the word “rogation” actually takes its meaning from the Latin word “rogare” which means “to beseech.

This comes from 5th century France: after horrible natural disasters, the Bishop required the people to make a solemn three-day observance in order to atone for their sin; the observance consisted of three main parts: 1. The people were to petition God for forgiveness of their sins. 2. The people were to petition God for protection from further calamities. 3. The people were to petition God for bountiful crops.

Over the years, rogation lost its penitential air and became festive. Present traditions include “blessing of the fields” with processions through local fields, a singing of the litany, and offering prayers for God’s protection and favor. The rogation service is to include a celebration of Holy Communion.

The spiritual lessons of rogation have also developed. God and humanity cooperate in the creative processes of agriculture. Tilling and care of the soil are tasks and privileges given by God. The life-giving power of the sown seed depends on God’s goodness. These relationships result in a bountiful harvest.” http://www.ruralministry.com/Resources/Rogation.htm

 

I believe God can bring new meaning and purpose to what He calls us to do. So, I affirm that the spirituality of Rogation Days can be argued.  It is connected to Jesus preparing His disciples to go into the fields as harvesters of souls.

 In the beginning, God gave Adam the responsibility of caring for Eden.

 

The Lord God took the man kand put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

 

 The crucified and resurrected Jesus, as the New Adam, has restored the relationship God once had with mankind.  Before He ascended, Jesus gave the earth to His followers and put them in charge of it’s care… and that included the people as well.

 

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Luke 10:2 (Matthew 9:37)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority iin heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:18-19, ESV)

 Jesus told Peter to feed and care for his sheep. We can take that to mean spiritually of course, but I believe that we are also called to care for the physical needs of others, and we need the fruit and grains of the earth in order to do that. 

 Rogation reminds us that our Lord was human. He ate the yields of the earth. He wandered the fields, mountains, villages, wilderness and seashores.  Though we are not of this world and this is not our home, it is leased to our care. To take care of the earth and it’s people is a commandment from our Lord. 

Maybe that is why we “plant new churches” and cultivate the “fruit of the Spirit”.

 

Rogation prayers:

For favorable weather, temperate rains and fruitful seasons, and that there may be food and drink for all your creatures,
let us pray to our God. 
God hear our prayer.

For your blessing upon the lands and waters,
and all who work upon them to bring forth food
and all things needful for your people,
let us pray to our God. 
God hear our prayer.

For all who care for the earth, the water and the air,
that the riches of your creation may abound from age to age,
let us pray to our God. 
God hear our prayer.

We ask your blessing as we walk into the future
that we may be united in your love with all creation
and that we ourselves be fertile soil,  producing abundant growth rich in the fruits of the Spirit.
In the Name of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

                                               

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In a Moment on a Hill

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on March 29, 2013| 2 Comments »

thumbnail[2]Remember – what He did today for You

…and being found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself; and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8-9

He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”  I Peter 2:24

fall to your knees and be thankful.

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Were You There?

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

When I was growing up there were a series of children’s books called You Are There – years later a few became TV movies. They took kids back to historic events and embedded them in the moment.

The next four days of Holy Week are often overshadowed by the preparations for Easter.  But without them, there would be no reason to celebrate Easter, would there?  There is an old hymn –Were You There? that brings tears to my eyes each time I hear it.

This week – will you go there?

Thursday – Will you sit in the Upper Room and be shocked when Jesus bathes your feet, and then claims the bread and wine are Him? Will you shake your head in disbelief when Judas leaves the table.

Will you stay awake one hour and pray Thursday night into Friday morning as your Lord requested in the Garden?

Friday– will you picture yourself in the crowd as they shout for Barabbas to be spared. Will you weep silent tears when you see the crown of thorns trickle blood down His brow and watch as He skins his knees on the rocks carrying the cross? Will you see His muscles ripple under sting of the Roman whip?

Will you hold Mary as she watches her son die the most excruciating death possible and sink to your knees when Jesus asks God to forgive us all. Will you smell the sweat and blood mingled with the bitter vinegar on the sponge, and then hear the clank of the ivory lots as the soldiers gamble for his robe and sneer at him?

Saturday – as you rush around getting the last ingredients you need for the Easter meal, iron the Easter dress, mow the grass for the Easter Egg Hunt, or clean and decorate the church and plant the flowers…

will you take a moment to remember the disciples as they huddled in sorrow, fear  and disbelief in the Upper Room too bewildered and ashamed to pray, waiting for the soldiers to come, drag them away and crucify them as well?

Then come Easter morning, you may be even more ready to rejoice and proclaim the greatest miracle of all –

HALELLUJAH- THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED!

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In a Saint

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , on March 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

st patBlessed St. Patrick’s Day. The patron saint of Ireland, he is best known as being the pied piper of snakes- driving them all from the Emerald Isles.

But, he was so very much more.  He was first and foremost an amazing missionary born in the late 4th century.

He was born into a Roman high society family who lived in England. His grandfather was a priest and his mother was a relative of another later to be saint, Martin of Tours.  But Patrick, though surrounded by Christianity, was not really taught the Bible, nor did he become educated. 

He was captured by pirates when he was 16 and enslaved for six years in Ireland.  But during that time, God touched his heart and he accepted Christ. He stated that prayer was the only thing that helped him survive. In his prayers he kept having visions of the pagans of Ireland as slaves needing to be freed by the blood of Christ.

But when he was freed, he didn’t rush off to save the Irish. He went to a French monastery and studied and prayed and prepared for his God-given mission before spending the next forty years walking Ireland and telling people about his Savior.

Patrick developed the Celtic cross by taking Irish pagan druid symbols and transforming them into the symbol of faith – a symbol now universally associated with the Irish folk themselves.

Today, millions of children and teens are still enslaved throughout the world. Some are forced to be soldiers, others sex toys.  Many just endure horrible labor conditions with no regard to their well being. But they are loved by the same God who reached out to Patrick.  Pray for them.

Is something enslaving you right now? Let Christ reach in and touch your heart. Then, like the wise Patrick, let Him prepare you in His time with what you need to tell others your story – the story of freedom.  Let His love transform your old ways into the ways of the Cross. That is where you can find God today.

St Patrick’s prayer –

 

I bind unto myself today The strong Name of the Trinity, By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three.

 

I bind this day to me for ever. By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation; His baptism in the Jordan river; His death on Cross for my salvation; His bursting from the spicèd tomb; His riding up the heavenly way; His coming at the day of doom;* I bind unto myself today.

 

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

 

I bind unto myself the Name, The strong Name of the Trinity; By invocation of the same. The Three in One, and One in Three, Of Whom all nature hath creation, Eternal Father, Spirit, Word: Praise to the Lord of my salvation, Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

 

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In a Sermon about wallowing with pigs

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on March 11, 2013| 2 Comments »

Have you ever been “wowed” by a sermon? Yesterday in church, I was.

The Scripture for the day was such a familiar one- the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Somewhere in Heaven, volumes must be stored up on this parable. One of my favorite oldie but goldie Contemporary Christian songs is “When God Ran” by Benny Hester and sung by Phillips, Craig & Dean.

 

 

 

But, my priest, Chris Culpepper at Christ the Redeemer Anglican,  decided to concentrate on the least talked about person in the parable. Not the son, not the father, not the elder brother- but the man the prodigal son turned to after he’d squandered all his money.  “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in the country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country , who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.” ( vs. 15-16)

 

That citizen , our wise pastor said, is the father of lies.  The citizen of a country not our own as the children of God, i.e. the world. The world is in famine for love, acceptance and truth, yet it seeks it elsewhere than in its Creator. Instead of humbling ourselves to our Heavenly Father, we think we have done too much to ever return to Him.  So we turn to another- a substitute father.  He gets us to do things we thought we’d never do and convinces us that is the way things are because of what we’ve done.

Pigs were taboo to the Hebrews. This son had sunk as low as he could. And here is the key- no one gave him anything.  Not food, not shelter, and certainly not forgiveness.

My priest challenged us, and I pass it on to you. What is it that you have yet to come to God about? Is the father of lies whispering that you are too sinful? Is your pride keeping you from feasting on God’s mercy? Are you  instead starving for His grace, but afraid to receive it?

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.     (I John 2:1-2)

Stop wallowing in the mud of your past with the pigs. Don’t listen to the whisperings of the father of lies. Listen to Jesus and come home.

 

 

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In the shadows

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on February 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Our church uses a power point display on the walls. We also have a processional, which means we sing as the ministers and helpers in the service come up the aisle. Kids from the congregation carry a wooden cross and liquid wax torches, symbolizing Jesus as the Light of the World.

When the torch bearers pass by the projectors, the light-beam catches the torches. They cast a shadow across the lower corner of the illuminated screen on the wall. But, what is so cool is that the warmth emitting from the torches can suddenly be seen as wispy shadows, almost translucent,  billowing up over the words to the hymn.

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer, told his infant boy this:

 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
  in the forgiveness of their sins,
 because of the tender mercy of our God,
  whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
  to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1:76-79 ESV)

dreamstimefree_91584We are supposed to reflect Jesus as we walk this earth. We carry His torch. If Christ shines His light in our path, will other people, who sit in darkness, see the wispy shadow of the Holy Spirit emitting from our souls like a Godly warmth? Or will they only see the shadow of death because of  our unconfessed sins and worldly week-day ways?

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In a phrase…or two, wait – three

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on February 22, 2013| 4 Comments »

Two sleepless nights. The worry monster sat on the edge of my pillow. It crops up every now and then since I’ve become widowed and lost the safety net of my husband’s income. Each time when it looks like I am running out of money, something, a definite God-thing happens.

Yet, I still go through the ritual toss and turn as each worry floats to the surface of my thoughts like a Magic Eight Ball phrase on the floating triangle.  I haven’t been able to find a job, the freelance work is drying up, the books need to sell more, I should be speaking more, I got denied a lower rate of insurance because I have occasional muscle pains? Really??    . . .  yah-di-yah, yah.

Last night, even my cats snuggled close and purred comfort–or maybe it was because it got below freezing and the cold air was seeping through their pet door in the window near my bed.

Anyway, this morning my daily devo hit my mailbox. Often when I write for this site, people tell me my words were exactly what they needed to hear. Today, I was on the receiving end of Becky’s words. She wrote that God’s grace is what gives us the courage to stay the course and we should embrace the challenges we have and ask God to give us endurance while His plan is being revealed.

(Here is a link to the whole thing – it’s a good read: http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2013/02/22/receive-his-grace/)

Then, a new blogger buddy, Steve  with iChristian,  who sends a thought for each day to my email popped up with this:  “Sadness, disappointment, and despair have to flee in the presence of hope.”

Next, the daily psalm verse that pops up on my cell phone read- Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,  for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.   Psalm 42:5

I had to laugh. You see, God always seems to speak to me in threes.  I get it.

Hope = Having Optimistic, Positive Endurance.

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On A Bird Feeder

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on February 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Fort Worth gets winds- gusty winds that whine through my windowsills like a stubborn child in a tantrum. Incessant.  It seems to last forever.  Actually this time, it has been going on for three days.

Before the latest winds hit, I put up a little bird feeder on the tree outside my patio. It was on sale and so was the seed. Within 24 hours I heard the cheeps and saw two finches perched on it, announcing to their feathered kin and friends that they had found free chow. Then a few sparrows, and my favorite, the timid turtle doves appeared.

dreamstimefree_97858While writing at my computer, I noticed the little feeder tilting in the wind. On it clung a determined purple finch, timing its pecks to the gusts. It’s little feet curled tightly around the pole. Wings flapped to maintain balance. But, no matter what, that tiny bird was staying on that feeder so it could have the seeds. As the feeder tilted, some of the seeds fell to the ground, greeted by opportunistic doves below.

I smiled – that’s me on that feeder.

If you picture at the feeder as God’s blessings and the winds as life, can you see the analogy?

Life can get a bit gusty and wobbly at times. We cannot control the winds of change. But we can redirect our sails. That is what a magnet on my fridge that my late mother gave me states.

God gives us abundant blessings. We, though, have to choose to ingest them into our life. When our world turns gusty and we feel tossed about a bit, we can still cling to those blessings.  That takes determination and tenacity. But God continues to provide – that feeder of blessings will never empty all the way.

And here is the best part. When others see us clinging on, a bit of those blessings may spill their way as well. People gather around a person who perseveres. They watch and ask, “How do they do that?”  Our tenacity and can-do attitude attracts others. Just remember to tell them whose feeder you are on and why. You never know where those seeds of blessing will fall.

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.   (Matthew 13:3-8 ESV)

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