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Archive for the ‘Life Experiences’ Category

Barriers

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on July 12, 2016| 2 Comments »

This week, after the horrendous massacre in Dallas involving twelve policemen and two citizens, close on the heels of the  massive bloodshed in the nightclub Pulse in Orlando, and with all the riots in major cities across our nation, one has to wonder where is God in all of this?

On His throne, probably with tears on His cheeks. He is also in the many good people who have rallied to pray, hug and help the victims’ families and friends.  As believer, we are called to be the light in the darkness, and His light shines the brightest when things are extremely dark.  Fred Rogers, of Mr. Roger’s fame, said his mother always told him to look for he helpers in times of tragedies–evidence of God at work.

In an effort to squelch any prejudice between the Jews and the Gentiles, Paul tells the Ephesians –

 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… (2:13-14)

God is calling us to destroy the barrier of hatred and prejudice that is dividing our nation. His command to us is to love Him and then to, by His Holy Spirit’s power, love our neighbors. This is the time for Christians to stand firm, stand strong, and stand united in love. Even if we do not approve of someone’s lifestyle, it is no reason not to minister to them in love. Jesus did to the woman at the well, to tax collectors and to the outcast. He even loved His enemies.

pray for our nationLet us pray away the barriers. Join many other Christians who are stopping each day at 8:00 p.m. CDT to pray for one minute for our people, our nation and for peace. I have set the alarm on my cell phone daily to remind me to stop, drop and pray.

Will you do the same?

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Waking and Walking

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on July 6, 2016| 2 Comments »

In the first Bunco Biddies mystery I wrote, Dumpster Dicing, two of the retired citizens at Sunset Acres discover a body in the community dumpster on their daily morning power-walk!  Walking in the early morning was one of the ways they stayed fit and healthy up into their sixties and seventies.

No matter your age, the more you can keep moving the better.  Studies show just a brisk thirty-minute walk first thing in the morning can do wonders for your health, psyche and metabolism.  So, recently, I decided to emulate my characters and get up, get out and get going.

people-863728_640Here in Texas, summer heat can be brutal by 11:00 a.m., so the earlier you can throw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and lace up your walking shoes the better.  I have chosen to rise with the sun. I have my half hour of devotional and reflection time, down 16 ounces of water, then open my apartment door and greet the day.  Here are a few of the benefits I have discovered during my early A.M. trek so far:

  1. I am meeting more neighbors. I can offer a friendly wave or say, “Good morning” and help get their day started off on a positive note. That helps me do the same.
  2. I hear birdsong, watch squirrels dashing across the branches, and even notice small insects going about their work.
  3. I notice my stature is more erect. My shoulders slump less. My lungs fill with air. It always seems fresher in the morning.
  4. I am sleeping better at night. Unless of course, one of the rafter-rumbling Texas summer storms roll through.
  5. I have some nice conversations with my Maker as I stroll and enjoy His creation around me.

In my youth, I associated summers with sleeping in, being lazy and basking. Then life, work, raising a family and volunteering filled my days.  Now, as I get older, I see I have missed out on a lot of the beautiful quiet times. True, we have to schedule them. But I am glad I decided to be more like my Bunco Biddies, Janie, Ethel and Betsy Ann, by getting out there daily and moving….hopefully I won’t find a body in my complex’s dumpster!

 

If you’d like to preview Dumpster Dicing, click here: http://www.juliebcosgrove.com/dumpster_dicing.html

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Count on It

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on June 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

In a devotional get in my email box, was this from Rick Warren:

Remember this:

•    God’s goodness will provide and protect.
•    God’s mercy (unfailing love) will pardon and forgive.
•    God’s goodness will supply.
•    God’s mercy will soothe.
•    God’s goodness will help.
•    God’s mercy and love will heal.

You can count on it!

When I read it, an image of a small child learning to count on their fingers and toes came to mind.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

When asked how old you  are, the tike holds up the number of fingers. The child starts with it’s dominant hand and counts up to five.

If asked how many eggs are in the carton, then calculating the answer becomes a bit more complex. The wee one starts with the dominate hand, discovers that is not enough, and proceeds to start counting the fingers other hand and continues to ten. If more is required, the small toes begin to wiggle. 

As children of God, perhaps we should do the same in our prayer time.  Let’s start off on our dominant hand and recite the first five on Rick’s list,  then add a thumb on the other hand. Whoa- plenty of digits left!

Psalm 23 tells us that His goodness and merciful love will follow us all our lives. Use the rest of your digits for your specific “remembrances” of God’s attributes that He has lovingly showed to you. Fill in the blanks. God’s goodness will________________. God’s mercy will______________________.

Bet pretty soon you will start wiggling those toes! I imagine your mood will lift and your mouth will curve into a soft smile.  Count on it. Mine did.

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Arrgh – Cats

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on June 22, 2016| 5 Comments »

Okay- I admit it. My cats are driving me NUTS! But God taught me a vital lesson through them.

12359888_1173304076020731_5338883072486770344_nOne is a gorger. He starved as a stray and the Vet thinks his “no longer hungry” switch permanently turned off.  He will eat and eat until he pops…or hack it up.

The other is a grazer. The runt, he always has been passive and easily bullied out of his portion.  He would prefer I guard his bowl for two hours each meal so he can slurp two or three bites, walk away and return later. In the meantime, gorger hovers close by, licking his chops. If I turn my head, he starts to chomp the grazer’s portion down.

The Vet says to pick up the grazer’s bowl after twenty minutes. The cat is just not getting the message, so he meows and meows for me to give him back his food. It breaks my heart.  The gorger cowers when I raise my voice and tell him no, but is not deterred. We are talking about cats after all… Tough love is,well, tough.

I have prayed for over a year for God to change them. I’d love to put food down and they eat when it is presented so we can all go about our day. I would love to be able to go out of town without burdening a close friend or relative with this cat bowl guard duty. Today, God interrupted my prayer. He told me, “Pray for your attitude to change, and leave the rest to me.”

How often do our prayers concentrate on changing someone else?

Perhaps a spouse who seems distant or a child who is headed down the wrong path. A coworker that grates on our nerves or a friend who has wounded us with their selfishness.  We tearfully wear out our knees in pleas. Our tummies knot. We pray again, and again. It is always on the forefront of our minds and we mull over it like a cow chewing on cud. It is the last thought that whirls in our brains before we sleep. God, aren’t you listening? Do something. The anxiousness builds.

Here is truth: It is our attitude we are in charge of changing, not anyone else’s. Be not anxious about your life…Matthew 6:25.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6

We cannot will anyone to change. Yes, we can pray for them and leave our concerns at the foot of the cross, and we should.  But perhaps our Lord is calling us to change our attitude about the situation and to give it to Him in exchange for His peace. I read that stress is not trusting God to be in control. I have been stressing over my furry beasts and I am sure they are picking up on my angst.  My kitties are my joy- when did I forget that? When did they become my pain instead? When was the last time I thanked God for them?

Tonight, I will change my prayer.  Is there one you should change as well?

 

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Stop, Then Go

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on May 17, 2016| 5 Comments »

Somehow eight minutes elapsed between the time I last glanced at the clock to when I got in my car. Now, I ran behind. Arrgh. I hate to be late.

traffic_light_05Of course the first traffic light I came to turned red just as I drove up. Really? One of the longest lights in my city and I am stuck at it. My fingers tapped the steering wheel as my gaze kept darting from the stop symbol to the clock on my dashboard.

Finally, green. Then, from there on in, I sailed through the next four lights, all on green! Even the left turn one onto the highway. Hurrah! Lo and behold I made up those few minutes I’d spent in frustration waiting for the first traffic light to change.

Oh – another God-lesson seeped into my brain and I slid down in my seat feeling a bit sheepish. Sometimes waiting is good. Okay, I get that.

God may have us halt for a while, but that is because it is in our best interest. It is not yet time for us to move. But when we do, in His timing, then we zip along and everything is a “go”.
Have you had that happen to you? I have. It is if every possible obstacle suddenly parts like the Red Sea. When we are in His will, paths are made straight. Waiting on God to say “Go” is well worth the wait…every time.

The next time I am getting impatient, Lord may I recall the traffic light lesson. Thank you for letting me find You today as I stared at the red, waiting for the green.

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Out of the Mouth of Babes…

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on April 21, 2016| 1 Comment »

courtesy Alexiscorvus | Dreamstime.com -
courtesy Alexiscorvus | Dreamstime.com –

An author friend of mine, Anita Klumpers*, posted this on Facebook about her grandson:

Lesson learned from a 37-month-old, trying to control his sad tears: “Liam, how did you stop crying so fast?”
“I made my mouth go different.”

Scientists state it takes less muscle effort to smile than to frown, but often times it takes  a lot more spiritual muscle effort, doesn’t it?  It is hard to stay up-beat, positive and hopeful when the world dumps troubles and strife on our shoulders like buckets of coal.  Yet, as Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians, we are supposed to rejoice, being thankful in all things and steadfast in prayer.  Is that possible?

Yes- if we make our mouth go different.

  • Take a deep breath and move your lips into a smile. It is hard to be angry, hurt or anxious if you can smile, or even drum up a chuckle.
  • Open our lips to only speak good things. Our grandmothers were right. If you don’t have something nice to say….
  • Audibly Praise God no matter what and pray for Him to alter your attitude.

The next time you feel your lips quivering into a frown, ask our Lord to help you make your mouth go different. That is not to say emotions are not valid. There are times we should be sad or angry. Jesus cried.  He also overturned tables in the Temple.

I’m also not insinuating we shove our negativeness down our gullets where it can fester. But, we can change our attitude by purposely altering our body language and our thoughts.  We can choose to brood and be rude, or  make the choice to rejoice. We can give our angst to God instead of spreading it to others and pray for Him to give us the attitude of gratitude instead of stinkin’ thinkin’.

In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27

Each moment we have an option – be hopeful or despair, trust or distrust, stand firm or melt into a pool of self pity. How will you make your mouth go today? However it goes, your thoughts and attitude will follow.

 

*read Anita’s suspense romance
novella, “Hounded”, along with mine, “Greener Grasses”  in the Love Is Anthology Book One.

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Hit the Ceiling

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, Nature, tagged , , , , , on April 6, 2016| 6 Comments »

Have you watched a loved one or friend go round and round in circles? You want to help, but they won’t respond. In their anxiousness they keep circling over and over, making the same mistakes and trapped with no way out in sight.

courtesy of Church of the Holy Apostles

courtesy of Church of the Holy Apostles

In the church where I work, there is a meditation garden, called a Garth,  surrounded by a covered breezeway.  My office window looks out onto it. Yesterday, a chimney sweep flew into the breezeway. It circled around and around, flying up to the ceiling and back down over and over. After about three passes, I tried to swing my arms to get it to divert to the left and out into the garden’s open sky. But it just continued on it’s frantic course.  I realized, even  though my efforts were noble and kind, I made things worse.

I worried the thing might die from exhaustion or break a wing as it kept banging against the ceiling looking for freedom from it’s plight. But my presence made it panic even more. My good attempts futile.

Discouraged,  I went back to my desk. And yes, I prayed for the little guy.  Within a few minutes, a juicy bug or perhaps the spring-flower filled breeze coaxed the swift into the garden. It lifted its wings and soared to freedom.

Lesson learned. Sometimes the best we can do is pray and let God coax them out of their circumstances. He knows what will get their attention even when we do not.

And the coolest thing? God made those fragrant flowers or tasty bug long before the swift became trapped.  He knew when they would come in handy to entice the little bird at just the right time. Will he not do even more for those for whom we pray?

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.     Psalm 48:14

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Plan B

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences on March 29, 2016| 2 Comments »

My niece, Melissa, texted me about the way God spoke to her on the way to worship one rainy Sunday when her church had big outdoor plans for worship. She inwardly sighed and told God she wasn’t going to stress, and she knew it would be okay because He was in control. They’d just go with Plan B. “It was then I realized my Plan B was God’s Plan A all along.”

PLAN A???

PLAN A???

That struck me as profound. How often do we conjure up our Plan A and then expect God to bless it?  We are doing His will, right? So surely He will nod and approve of the way we’ve fashioned it. The hours we’ve spent on things going just so. Oh please, don’t let anything go wrong…

“We’ve got this, God. We can do it. You’ve equipped us. Reach down, bless it and make it all go according to plan…our plan.”

Uh, huh. Human nature strikes again.

Judas had “A Plan”. Yet Jesus didn’t fit into it the way he wanted. No militant Messiah to defeat Rome.

Abram had “A Plan”. Take a servant as a concubine and produce the son God promised him.

Jonah had “A Plan”. Run as far in the other direction of where God wanted him to go.

Even the Apostle Paul had “A Plan” but admitted the Holy Spirit intervened and prevented him and his companions from traveling to that city after all.

Every once in a while God shakes up the plan I have carefully plotted in my head  n order to remind me that I vowed in my prayer time to let Him be in control. Oh, yeah. I did, didn’t I? Right, Lord. Got it.

courtesy of Michael Shake Dreamstime Stock Photo

He flips my apple cart with all the fruit neatly stacked in rows. I gasp as I watch them tumble. With a whimper I clench my teeth. Why did You let this happen, Lord?  I see chaos with apples rolling willy-nilly, and He sees the path He wants me to follow.

As I pick up each one, it slowly becomes clear. I turn to look back at the cart and see the distance I traveled was purposeful. He shows me Plan B. What seems impossible happens. The apples line up in His pattern, not mine. Each apple  gathered in my skirt is a blessing. The ones on the ground were best left alone.

My frustration, over all the ways my feeble Plan A  went wrong, evaporates and I smile. Like my niece, my Plan B was His Plan A…the right one all along.

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Tears – No Words

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on March 25, 2016| Leave a Comment »

thumbnail[2]It happens every year.  I can’t get through Holy Week without crying. My mourning clutches my chest.

As a church secretary, typing out the Passion Narrative chokes me up.

Maundy Thursday when the congregation goes quiet, the nave darkens, and the priests strip the altar of all adornment, then wash the bare wood, symbolizing the  preparing  for Christ’s death and burial, the teardrops cascade down my cheeks and my throat closes.  When the tabernacle is left wide open and the body and blood of the reserved sacrament is not present…yet, my lips quiver.

I hear my Lord whisper, “Will you not stay awake one hour?”I see His agony in the garden as He accepts the Father’s will. I feel His heart break when Judas kisses him,when Peter denies Him,  and the crowds yell to crucify Him. I hear his lasts gasps of breath on the cross asking God to forgive me. The idea unnerves me and humbles me. He did it all for me. He did it all for you, too.

You can read about the gruesomeness of his torturous death. You can see the films about it. But at one moment during Holy Week, I hope you go beyond viewing to feeling it in your soul. I hope you remember the old spiritual, “Were You There?” and answer as I do.

Through shimmering eyes I gulp my response – “Yes, every year.”

I’ve read the book, and I know how the story ends. But the point is, it never does. Jesus died for those that day watching at Calvary. He also died for me, for you and for the generations to come. His sacrifice is eternal.

Were you there? Are you there? Your Savior loves you enough to be there, hanging in torture. He will continue to love you enough to go into Hell, defeat death and rise again in glory before ascending into Heaven and preparing a place for you.. One day, He will love you enough to return and bring you home.

Have a blessed Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Resurrection Sunday…every year until Our Lord comes again. Maranatha.

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Umbrella

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 10, 2016| 7 Comments »

courtesy of faithshare.com

courtesy of faithshare.com

For the past several days we have had waves of rain in North Texas. Thus, I have been carrying a pop-out umbrella in my purse…just in case.  It caused me to ponder… how’s my spiritual umbrella?

Umbrellas do not stop the rain or even slow it down, they divert it.  They act as a circular barrier. They move with you so, as you go, the rain drenches the umbrella instead of on you.

Now, some  people find it a hassle to carry an umbrella. They dash through the rain trying to stay as dry as possible. Others stroll along as they get soaking wet as if accepting that as their fate.  Not me. I want protection.

Scripture is our umbrella. It will not stop the stormy days in our lives, but it will shield and protect us when they rumble through. God’s Word covers us in a peace that isn’t affected by circumstances. But we have to be prepared. It is up to us to carry it with us. We can choose to dodge the rainstorms of this life on our own, or resolved that we are inevitably doomed to get soaked. Or, we can open up God’s Word and seek shelter underneath it’s Truth.

Look at an umbrella. It is cloth covering spikes that start in the center and branch out. Christ is our center and branching out of Him are peace, trust, assurance, mercy, grace, everlasting life – all the reminders we need when we are faced with a sudden downpour of negativity, hurt, tragedy or despair. His love is our refuge, our shield, our strong cover against trouble (to paraphrase Psalm 46:1).

The next time your life darkens and thunder rumbles, what will you do? Dash to find shelter on your own, trudge through it with a frown, or  pop open the Word of God and be sheltered?

 

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