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Archive for the ‘Life Experiences’ Category

Ah, it’s over?

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on December 29, 2014| 1 Comment »

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????For the past two years I have treated myself and a few others to an online, animated Advent calendar. Daily, I’d click on the icon and a new puzzle, decoration or story would emerge. Each morning was different. Some days  I made my own ornaments, snowflakes, or wreaths. Some were puzzles to conquer. Others, I learned a lot about traditions all over Europe by  just watching the daily animated video. It was a special way to start each day….until December 26th.

Then, there were no more “windows” to open. I’d done all 25 of them. What a let down.

I realized as I stared at my computer screen with a protruding lower lip that my attitude needed adjusting. Each morning I have the privilege, as a professed child of the King, of opening a new and exciting day that has been orchestrated by my Heavenly Father for His glory. I have no idea what will unfold. I may have to do something, or sit back and simply watch. Some will be more thrilling and “hands on” than others. A few will be “let down” days. But like the animator of this Advent calendar, My Heavenly Lord has created each day meticulously for me to inspire me, instruct me or draw me closer.

No matter what happens throughout the day, I am confident that God is there. Just as the little Advent calendar icon sat on the bottom of my computer screen reminding me I had a surprise awaiting me, so are my Lord’s comfort, mercies and blessings hovering there in the corners of my day. I just need to click on them and bring them up them through prayer instead of computer mouse.

Tragedy can sideswipe us at any given time.I had one of those days this holiday season. I woke up and all was well, until…WHAM. But through it all, I knew whose day it was and that He would always be right there to walk through it with me. Each day when I arise, I can open my heart to God, and He will respond. That is no surprise, and until I am taken into Heaven to sit at the foot of His throne, it will never be over, be it December 26th or any other day of the year.

Each day I can find God in it, if I choose to look. So can you.

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Surely…I was unaware

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on December 10, 2014| 4 Comments »

As part of my Advent devotionals, I read the account in Genesis of Jacob’s ladder. One verse jumped out at me:

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”  (28:16)

How often are we not aware that God is in this place – be it church, the shopping mall, our work place, our homes or standing in a long, long line when we are rushed for time? We get so caught up in the pressing issues of now, we fail to see the eternal.  Yet Our Lord Is always present.  We just need the faith-eyes to find Him.

580569_667084729976622_1695637681_n. It may not be this obvious – as some of these photos floating around Facebook indicate.

god in the clouds

But HE is present in our lives —

through us, near us, in us.

It reminds me of a hymn we used to sing often in another church I attended- Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place by Lanny Wolfe …http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Music/Hymns/Presence-of-the-lord.html

270 blog entries ago I started to point out where I found God in my life. I hope it has encouraged you to seek Him in yours.

This holiday season is in full gear with shopping, parties and cooking. It can become stressful.Trite as it may sound, I pray that each day you find the “reason for the season.”  But even more, I pray you will point others to that as well through your attitudes, words and smiles. May others think after their encounter with you, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I was unaware…until now.”

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Why Gather?

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on November 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

MAY YOU FIND GOD AT YOUR TABLE THIS THANKSGIVING…and every day. He is waiting to be Invited.thanksgiving

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Sin Aroma

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , on November 18, 2014| 1 Comment »

While lecturing and book signing in San Antonio, I spent the night with my sister. When I blurry-eyed stepped into her shower, this is what greeted me.

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SIN AROMA. I had to laugh. It was 6:30 in the morning and I’d already found God today. San Antonio is a bilingual city, so labels are in English and Spanish. “Sin Aroma” means “unscented”, But it got me to thinking. What is the aroma of sin? Isn’t it often undetectable?  Unlike natural gas, which is also undetectable, nothing is added to temptations to let us know danger lurks. No nasty, scrunch up your nose odor to warn us to back away.

The father of lies’s temptations are often what we think we want, need or even believe is God’s will for us. So we dash ahead without taking it to God in prayer first for verification and blessing.

James wrote in his letter, “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, give birth to death.” (1:15)

Then fact that sin can wash over our body and we still “feel clean” is evidence that we live in a fallen world. But when we become the Body of Christ and He lives in us, sin’s enticement is more detectable. The more we allow ourselves to be washed in His Blood, the more protected we will become.  As believers, we all need a “body wash” (jabon corporal) at least once a week (worshiping corporately) to slough off the sins that have begun to stick to us like sweat.  As individuals, just as we cleanse our skin each day, let us also remember to wash our souls.

Now everyone sing…”What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus…”

 

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Tea Time

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on November 7, 2014| 4 Comments »

Would you think me crazy to say I found God today in my tea cup?

IMAG0126As many of you know already, I ‘m an avid Anglophile. I was weaned on Earl Grey and milk…well, almost. It has always been my comfort drink. When I am hurting, physically or emotionally, just wrapping my fingers around the warm mug and inhaling the soft scent of the tea relaxes me. Then that first creamy sip…hmmm. The world is a better place.

Now, I can drink tea without the cream, but somehow it is not as the same. The swirling white liquid changes the color, the texture and enhances the taste in my opinion. It makes it oh, so much better.

This here is where the God part enters the picture.

My faith acts in much the same way. When I am hurting or frustrated I can wrap my soul around His Spirit. It envelops me and  swirls through me. Immediately, I feel as sense of calm flow over my shoulders and down my back.  When, through prayer, I drink in this holy peace, I begin to feels its effects from the inside out.

I suppose I could exist without my faith. Many people do. They drudge through life with a fatalistic, self-orientated attitude.  But like the cream in my tea, faith enhances my life. It recolors it, IMAG0127enriches its flavor, and makes my day more appealing, no matter what happens.  I really prefer having that dash of soul-cream in my day.  When I pray to my Lord and read His word, it as if I am swirling goodness into my life.

As the tea warms my belly, faith warms my soul.

Of course, there are times I just want to bask in a good cup of tea–just because.  Nothing is making me anxious. My aches and pains are minimal. Life is chuggin’ along just fine. Get the connection? I knew you would.

Enjoy some tea time with your Lord today.

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Hazed

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on October 22, 2014| 2 Comments »

It seemed clean. I could see through it just fine…until I turned my car into the rising sunlight. IMAG0118

Oooh, the hazy smudges, minuscule dead bug guts, road dirt. It glared at me — literally.  The brilliance of the rays accented the dirtiness of my car glass, making it hard for me to see beyond the filminess. It clouded my view.

So, as I waited for the light to change to green, I pushed the button on the wand to the right of my steering wheel, and squirted window cleanser on the outside of the shield. Then I flipped my wipers on full speed. Back-forth, back-forth, back-forth.

Well, that worked a bit. But, I realized there was haze on the inside as well. It was a residual of my breathing, mixed with fumes from the plastic dashboard, dust that slipped through the AC filter, and lint off my clothes. (Yeah. I Googled it to find out.)  Okay, maybe a few fumes from the cheeseburger and fries I got  at the drive-thru last week as well. I confess.

I grabbed a sleeve of my sweater (I didn’t have a rag) and wiped over the inside of the windshield in a tight, circular motion. Aha. Clarity. No more glare. Both sides cleaned…not perfect, but definitely a vast improvement.

Is that not indicative of our lives? Some dirt gets slammed into us- the offensive language or scenes on our TV shows that slip into the script. That touch of gossip we overheard in the restroom at work. The local news that has to relay all the ugly details. The younger coworker who is dressing in too tight clothes that accent the fact they work out–a lot.

Other things dirty us from our inside. Anger, jealousy a revengeful thought, a slight pilfering of office supplies, forgetting to pray before we dash out the door to face the world. negative self-talk.

Both work to form a haze over our witness. People cannot see Christ as clearly in us. And as each little thing accumulates over time, it may be hard for us to notice the view has become obscure.

It works both ways. Our view of the world may not be as clear. We begin to think –  Is it really all that bad nowadays? Perhaps times have changed,and so should my opinion. People seem more tolerant, maybe I should as well. It’s okay if I sleep in on Sunday, again. Everyone else does.

Our judgement has become clouded. That is until the Light of His Truth blares into our lives.

It may be a sermon, a passage in Scripture, or wisdom from a well meaning friend. Perhaps that small inner voice you know is not from your brain waves. Something throws a glare onto the filthiness you have collected in your life.

Time to wipe it clean…

  • On the outside by being more diligent to keep away from temptations.
  • On the inside to make sure we wipe the slate clean before we retire and seek God’s forgiveness, and perhaps other people’s as well, for any wrong we have done.

Next time the Son shines, it will be clearer to others, and to ourselves, that we are truly His followers. No more haziness.

 

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Snagged

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on October 10, 2014| 1 Comment »

IMAG0105Ever get a scraggly place on your fingernail. It’s not a break, or even a  chip. Just an almost microscopic rugged spot enough to catch materials, like clothes, hosiery, etc.  And yes, it seems to catch on everything!! A slight aggravation  seems to grow. You rub it against a rough surface, but that doesn’t do it. You need a file, the correct tool.  And, until you can get to that nail file or emery board that rugged place bothers you.

(Guys, tell me you have this problem at times, too. Surely it is not just a girl thing. If not, bear with me. There is a point to this – no pun intended..)

But, once you get the file, it takes work to right the situation. You have to buff it away, feel the place, nope- not smooth enough yet. Buff…feel, nope…file a bit  more.  The thing is, the more you file, the more evident it becomes that the nail is damaged and needs to be re-shaped. At last your nail is smooth, well -shaped and presentable again.

Are you beginning to see the God-connection?

Sin can snag us. Until we bring it to God, it will nag at us, and as we go through the day, or week, or months, it keeps catching on our thoughts and actions. We know it’s there, even if no one else does.

So, we finally carve out time to fall to our knees and give it to our Lord. He scrapes it away, and at first, it makes the sin seem more obvious, so much larger. But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that sin can be buffed away and we fully restored. Now we can grow again–in the correct direction.

But we know in this fallen world, we will  brush against the harshness of sin again. We women usually carry an emery board in our purses  so we are prepared when an unexpected snag occurs. May we all carry the Holy Spirit that close, and stop to correct the situation the first chance we get. It will make the day go, well, a lot smoother.

 

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Old book- old friend

Posted in Biblical, Books, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on September 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

There is was – the key in my mail slot. I had a package waiting in one of the six large lockers. It took every effort not to whoop with joy in the middle of the maIMAG0085il station at my apartments.

Recently I discovered the favorite author of my childhood, who passed from this life over 20 years ago, had written two more books while I was busy raising a family, working, and living my life. So, I ordered them from a used thrifty book store, excited, yet a little saddened,  that they had been reduced to $3.99, the price of a modern eBook novel. To me, her writing was much more valuable than that.

When I opened the package, there was no smell of fresh ink. The cover was dog-eared and a bit tattered on the edges from sliding in and out of bookshelves. The binding had been cracked numerous times, and a slight yellowing border of age eked around the pages..

None of that mattered, because the words were there. The personality of her writing, the way she described scenes, her unique dialog techniques had not faded with time. As my eyes scanned the pages, memorizes swirled between the words. It was as if I’d begun a conversation with an old friend I had not seen in decades. I cuddled down into the story.

Do I react the same with with God’s living Word? They say a person who has a tattered Bible does not have a tattered life.  And while my favorite Bible is getting on in years, I have more and more relied on my phone app instead. Not tot say I don’t enjoy having easy access to the Bible in my purse, but I have begun to miss my old friend with the dogeared pages, highlighted verses, and scribbles in the margins. So, I went to the shelf and cracked open the binding. As I cocked my head to read, a warmth cascaded over my shoulders into my heart. Prayers answered, revelations revealed, sorrows comforted. My life reflected there. My faith restored.

A plaque in my room reads – The Bible is the only book whose author is present each time it is read.

My favorite author left this earth two decades ago. She will never write again, But my Lord, who left earth two millennia ago, is still present in my everyday world, and writes on my heart.  I see evidence of Him each day in creation, in words of a song, a smile of a friend, even on Facebook.  Yet nothing beats cuddling into His Word. His Word still breathes life into me.

It took an old paperback in my mail locker to remind me of that fact.

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Are You Like Cookie?

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on September 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

As I watch this little penguin on this video, I ask myself – am I like that?

When I hear my Savior calling do I seek Him earnestly, despite scary obstacles in the way, such as walls and vacuum cleaners are to this little guy? Notice the penguin can only see part of the trainer – the hand first.,out stretched. That is enough for it to recognize it’s protector, and care giver. Then it dashes to it to receive love and attention in a display of pure joy.

Lord, teach me to be more like this precious little penguin.

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Cat Walk

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on September 17, 2014| 5 Comments »

Many of you who read my blog are aware I have cats. One is getting up in years – he is edging into his 14th birthday in December. So, he isn’t as spry as he once was.IMG_20131202_092238_869

Some evenings, I like to veg out on a good Netflix mystery.  I sit on my couch, legs stretched to the ottoman. My old kitty can hop up onto the ottoman with effort, but the leap to the couch is more and more beyond his capability. So, smart cat that he is, he has discovered he can use my outstretched legs as a bridge to walk across to my lap.

Jesus died on the cross to bridge the gap between us and God. We now have access to our Father’s lap through our Lord and Savior’s sacrifice. But we must make the walk, right? We must first take the hop of faith by confessing our sins. Then over Jesus’ stretched out arms on the cross, we can come into the Holy presence of our Almighty God. At times it may seem quite an effort, but that’s okay. Christ is more than willing to be the conduit that lead us to the throne of grace if we will only make the effort to come to Him first.

For my cat, that first leap onto the ottoman is the hardest part of the journey, but he knows he wants to feel secure and loved in my lap, so it is worth it to him. And when the time comes he is no longer able to hop to the ottoman, my hands will be there to lift him up when he comes to me and meows..

I am no different. I want to feel secured and loved in my Father’s presence. Each time I sin, I choose to make that leap of faith in order to ask Christ to be my bridge. Not saying I am as smart as my cat, but I know I am incapable of doing it on my own. I also know I can call on Jesus. He will always be there to lift me up and encourage me to cross over into my Father’s lap. He will do the same for you.

 

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