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Posts Tagged ‘Julie Cosgrove’

From a Distance

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

ID-100179760Coming over a hill the ribbon of road stretched to a highway far in the distance. Sunlight shone on the automobiles that zipped along it. They all glimmered like tiny drops of silver mercury rushing through an invisible tube. From that distance, it was hard to decipher which one was a brand new luxury car just off the lot and which ones were clunkers with dents and scrapes. I couldn’t tell if some were blue, black, white or red. I could barely determine if any were a truck or an SUV.They all looked the same.

So many people identify themselves with the cars they drive. The brand, the age, the style all seem to identify who they are and what life they lead. Ranchers and construction workers want that manly, hefty truck. What teenage boy, or middle-aged man, doesn’t desire a sporty one with a humming engine?  Moms with kids and too many errands want an SUV or a wagon. Business people want the luxury cars that symbolize they are important and successful. Yet from a distance, they all look alike.

“The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.” Psalm 33.13-15 (NLT)

Unlike my human eyes, God sees the difference from a distance, and up close. But He doesn’t just look at the outside. He peers into the heart, where our true self-image lies. He isn’t fooled by the material objects we gather around us the way kids herd fluffy soap bubbles in a bathtub.

How do you want people to see you? Are you being defined by the material things you have accumulated–or not yet done so but covet? Or, are you being defined by the way God is refining you into something more precious than gold? Does your validity depend on the precious metals, jewels and stocks  in your portfolio, or by the fact that your wallet always seems  empty? Or is your wealth an inner one, knowing that you are like a pearl of inestimable price worth dying for to your Lord and Savior?

How do people look at you? Will you just be another glimmering drop in the sea of humanity, like those cars on the highway I saw from a distance? Or will you be a beacon that shines from within because of Christ’s light burning inside of you?

Today, as I looked in the distance onto a highway, God reminded me the important things in life are not the material ones. In what way has God spoken to you today?

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Your Nose Knows

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on January 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

“This reminds me of something I like. I’m not sure what it is.” He crinkled his nose and took another whiff. With a shrug he handed me the jar. “Do you know?”

ID-10039150A friend of mine sells scented waxes, soaps and sprays. Last night, she, my son and I gathered around the dining room table and sniffed sample jar after sample jar. Some we loved, some made us shake our heads and hold our breath. “Not for me, thank you.”

Some smelled so good I’d be ravenous all day if I had a constant whiff of them – pralines, cinnamon buns, sugar cookies, apple pie.

Some smelled like different things to us. “Oh, this reminds me of…” The others would sniff, scrunch their eyebrows and give their head a quick shake. “Really? I don’t smell that. To me, it smells more like…”

A few sparked a vivid memory.A whiff of one reminded me of my mother’s perfume. Though her temporal life ceased on earth over a decade ago, tears sprang into my eyes. I hadn’t expected that sharp of an emotion. 

I have read that our sense of smell is one of the most powerful triggers to our memories. A sudden scent can bring back stabs of pain, tears of joy, or a heart-clenched fear. It may jolt an emotion filed so far back in our little grey cells that it catches us by surprise.

My son and I have shared memories, as do my friend and I. Some of the fragrances related to all of us. We could smile and click into the memory together. “Yeah, that’s it.” But, for some of the others our noses detected, our reactions to them differed. Only we knew what our noses sensed.

To me, Scripture is like that. There are some which make us all smile and nod. But, a few, when read, may fall flat on our ears. We can’t relate. Even so, every now and then, a verse triggers an emotion. Joy, conviction, humility, reaffirmation. It is as God tapped on our soul and said, “This one’s for you today.”  Amongst the black printed letters on a white page, or blinking cursor on the computer screen, lies a special message just for us. It triggers something in us–just us.

Have you found God’s whisper through a verse in the Bible? Did it touch your heart? Please share it. It may be the catalyst that triggers the scent of His love– the exact thing another person needs to experience today.

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Who Controls Whom?

Posted in Life Experiences, Nature, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Today, I read a daily devotional from Power to Change. It is written by Shelaine Strom. She talks about how quickly, often without warning, the weather can change on the lake shore where her cabin rests. Even though she knows that place so well, she is still in awe of that phenomenon:

“And so it is in my relationship with the Lord. He is the mighty rushing wind that takes my breath away with His strength and power to heal and change lives. He is the gentle breeze that nudges me to speak or act, giving counsel and direction. He is the quiet voice whispering love and forever-presence in the still moments of an unhurried life. And He is more.”

see the whole devotional at http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2014/01/15/more-than-i-know/ 
 (I get one in my email box each morning for free- you can as well.) 
 

Our riverTucked in the Texas Hill Country my family has a summer cabin on a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River. The river can be still and as smooth as glass, or it can dance with glistening ripples like a million microscopic Tinker Bells. Serene, peaceful, refreshing, heavenly… until a sudden roar can bring a wall of water, from a deluge upstream, crashing down on left-behind inner-tubes, kayaks, and lawn chairs.

Destructive? Yes. I have seen it bend mighty cypresses like sipping straws. But the land recovers, and often, the silt left behind replenishes the eroded soil and actually helps the grass to flourish and grow. Underbrush is pruned with one swish of the swirling undercurrent so saplings can stretch their limbs and roots.

In a few days, the flood is over. The milk-chocolate turmoil returns to its peaceful aqua-green, ripply state. The banks again contain the river’s flow. The quickly moving current slows once more to a lazy pace, waiting to be tickled by the breeze.

I cannot control that river. No one except God can, though some foolish folks who build along the banks think they are able to with makeshift dams and terracing. They try, in vain of course, to manipulate it’s path. But, the river has a power all its own. All you can do is respect it and let it do its thing.

I cannot control God. But one thing I have learned, I can cope with life better if I let Him control me instead of trying to manipulate Him to do things my way. Whatever happens in my life–in the quiet times and in the roaring, take-cover tempests–He is at work, eventually bringing it all into good purpose. Even when it seems my life is uncontrollably spilling over the banks, I know His mighty hands are cupping it and directing it’s flow.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.   Psalm 72:8

And my place? Sheltered where He wants me to be, on my knees, in patient awe. I am learning to be more of the spectator of His mighty power in my life, just I have learned to respect the river. Yes, our Lord wants us involved in the directions our lives are to go- we are not puppets on a string.  But to go against the flow of His holy current or the power of His mighty wind is futile, frustrating and foolhardy. Yet, how often do we try, just like the riverbank dwellers? We block His flow in our souls. We build walls to keep Him out. We terrace our payers with conditions and plea bargaining.

Each time I gaze out over that river, or soak my toes in its cool, spring-fed current, its majestic power and grand beauty reminds my soul of the One who created it.  

He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.   Ezekiel 47:6

 
Shelaine sees Him on the lake where she lives. 
Where do you find God today?  I’d love for you to comment and let me, and other readers, know. 

 

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Wonderfully Restored

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on January 6, 2014| 3 Comments »

IMG_20131230_081647_711My mother had a mahogany tier table in her living room. It had three lion-paw legs. Three round shelves, connected by spindles, were stacked in descending sized circles, like a wedding cake design. On it was all of her most precious figurines. Many, like the table, were from her mother and grandmother. I grew up knowing about the invisible barrier around that table. Look but don’t touch.

I tired to teach my rambunctious son that, but when he was playing pee-pie with his grandfather, the chasing and giggles led way to disaster. He tripped and grabbed for the first thing – yep, the tier table. Down it went on top of him.The figurines catapulted into the air and, in what seemed like slo-mo, crashed to the ground, rolling, breaking, shattering. My mother and I stopped breathing.

My son, being two, was in shock and then, as we lifted the table off of him, the trickled tears turned to wails.  I carried him off to examine the bumps and bruises, my mother in tow.  After all was well and boo-boos kissed, we returned to the living room to survey the damage. My mother kept whispering. “They’ re just baubles. Nothing compared to my grandson.”

There, at the dining room table sat my husband and my dad–newspapers spread between them, with tweezers, toothpicks, a magnifying glass and Elmer’s glue. They had separated the pieces into piles and were painstakingly gluing back on fingers, noses and other porcelain body parts. It took them hours that weekend, but all but one figurine was restored.

Mom began to cry as they placed them back on the up-righted tier table. I told her. “I am so sorry. I know they have all lost their value.”

Through watery eyes she whispered, “Oh, no. Now they are more precious than ever.”

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored,
the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of
him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus
Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.   (Collect for the 2nd Sunday in Christmas)

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Where I found Christmas

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

This year, my body didn’t want Christmas. In fact, it rejected everything, either up or down for three days except IVs and ice chips. No eggnog. No Tamales (a true Texas tradition.) No candy or plum ID-10087293pudding.No warm smiles during the children’s pageant as kids tugged on over-sized bathrobes and stumbled over their lines. No Christ’s Mass by candlelight singing Silent Night.  Family and friends avoided me – as well they should have. 

I faded in and out of restless sleep. The carpet between my bed and the bathroom is now well matted with footprints.

But, God still reigns. Strip away the glistening ornament-laden tree, the candy canes, the traditions and even the church services, and somehow Christmas was still there. I saw Christmas in the gentle hands of the nurse in the ER clinic as she patiently needled my arm to receive fluids, even though my veins had collapsed from dehydration. I saw Christmas in the smile of a kind doctor who treated me as his only patient when he had a packed waiting room, many with the same stomach flu as I.  I saw Christmas in my son who was at my beck and call while juggling work, and in his boss who told him to be with me on Christmas Eve in the ER instead of waiting on customers during the busiest time of the year in their store. I saw Christmas in the love oozing from the concerned  texts and emails, and the understanding that I was not up to even talking on the phone, thank you.

No, this is not how I planned to spend Christmas. But, in a way it was a very meaningful one for me. Despite the ravaging virus inside my body, Christ was there as well. Emmanuel. God with us.

I hope this Christmas you found God in your day, too…no matter how it turned out. May each day be an Emmanuel day.

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Bless Me then Let Me Be

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on December 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Bless Me, then Let Me Be

by Julie B Cosgrove

 

How often does God want to bless us 

Or maybe He wants to test us,

But we tell Him, thanks, but no.

Let’s just leave things status quo.

Don’t take me somewhere new,

I’d rather stay right here, thank you.

Don’t stretch me or bend or challenge me

Just please leave me alone, let me be.

I like it here in my little box.

All safe and cuddly with all the locks

I have placed on it to keep You out.

I’d rather complaint and whine and pout.

I don’t want to grow, I want to stay idle,

Nor spend or time on my knees reading the Bible.

I’m a mess, I know that, but hey, that’s me.

So give your grace and mercy for free.

Change the other people in my life,

The ones that hurt me and bring me strife.

Keep me warm and secure and healthy.

Oh, and yes, I’d like to be wealthy.

But don’t change a hair on my head,

mold my heart, or have me be led

down a path of service or sacrifice.

Nor have your Spirit give me advice.

Just give me what I want, Lord – that’s all.

Oh, and please be there when I fall.

And when I die, open the gates Above.

Until then, grant me unconditional love.

There’s plenty of time to be my Savior.

I have all of eternity to win your favor.

But for now, let me just believe you exist.

Be there for me, but don’t insist

I do anything different with my life.

Don’t trim me with your holy knife,

Or alter my lifestyle or way of thinking.

Just love me Lord and keep me from sinking.

“I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot….I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:16,19)

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The Purpose Revealed- a Christmas Story

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on December 16, 2013| 1 Comment »

Here is a Christmas story I wrote. You are free to share it with your family and friends.
 

ID-100124657The Purpose Revealed

by Julie B Cosgrove

It took all the effort Little Grass had, but he finally did it. The dirt that had surrounded him since birth no longer held him. He pushed through to the sunlight. Now he could grow tall. He could wave in the breeze with the other grasses and be drenched by the spring rains. He could feel the warmth of the sun’s rays cover him. So, he reached towards the sky. He grew and grew and grew. Life was great.

Then one day men came swinging large sharp things. Ouch! They whacked him off at the roots and bundled him up with the other grasses next to him.

“What is to happen to us?”

A wiser stalk of grass under him said, “I have heard stories. This is the end, my friend. No more water will seep up into our veins because we have no roots. They will dry us out. We will become yellow and brittle.”

“No,” Little Grass said. “There has to be more. We must have purpose.”

Another grass laying next to them laughed, but it was not a happy laugh. It sounded harsh and sad. “Our purpose is to be consumed. Either animals will eat us so they can grow, or we will be thrown over coals and caught on fire so others can be warm.”

Yet another groaned. “We don’t matter. We’re worthless now. This is the end.”

“I don’t believe you. Any of you.” Little Grass stretched himself as long as he could. “We have more purpose than that. We have to. Why else would we’ve struggled so hard to push out of the darkness? Something deep inside of us yearned to find the sunlight.”

“Yes, and all for nothing. Now, because we have no roots to draw in the water from the soil, the sun will bear down on us and parch us until not a drop of moisture is left in us. We will become yellow and brittle. Dead. Why did we ever push out of the ground?”

Sure enough, the grasses were spread out onto the dirt. The sun’s heat gleamed down onto them day after day. Little Grass could feel all the water in his veins leaving him. His stalk became stiff. He no longer could bend and dance in the wind as he’d loved to do. “But, at least this is making me stronger.” Little Grass smiled.  “Maybe there is a reason. I have to believe that.”

The other grasses sighed. “He’ll learn. The worst is yet to come.”

Ropes were tied around the grasses and they were lifted high onto the back of a donkey. Little Grass lay on the very top of the bundle.  “I had no idea the world was so big. All I could see before was the tops of other grasses. Now I can see trees, and birds, and mountains. Oh, this is wonderful.”

The other grasses sighed. “He just doesn’t get it, does he?”

They traveled all day. At night, the stars shone down on the grasses as their animal carrier and the men rested. One star gleamed so much brighter than all the others.

“Oh, look at that, Little Grass gasped. “I have never seen such a beautiful sight.”

The next day the caravan journeyed over hills and down into a valley. Then, at dusk, the donkey carrying the grasses stopped.  Little Grass craned to see why. People shuffled by. There were so many of them, and other animals, too. Their footsteps kicked dirt into the faces of the other grasses. They coughed and complained.

Little Grass wondered where all these people were going? He saw a building up ahead with lanterns shining in its windows. “Are we going in there? Into that golden light?”

“No.” One of the other grasses sighed. “We will be laid in the stable. Soon the animals will eat us and we will die.”

The little piece of grass said, “I don’t believe that. Something else will happen to us— something wonderful. We were made for another reason. I just know it.”

Then, a man gathered the grasses and spread them in a manager. “There. In the morning, the animals will have a feast.”

The grasses all groaned and told each other goodbye. All except the little piece of grass.

In the middle of the night, strange noises woke the grasses. A donkey came in with a man and a woman. She groaned and huffed deep breaths. His voice was soothing and calm. Then, after a while,  a third voice sounded—a soft babbling. It came from a very small human.

The woman took off her shawl, wrapped the wiggly baby in it and laid it on top of Little Grass and the others. Immediately a warm glow spread through them. They became soft again, not stiff and scratchy.

“Oh, “Little Grass said. “He has made us alive again.”

They wrapped their stalks around the child to keep him warm.

The grasses heard beautiful voices singing from above. Day and night, people came to look at the baby hugged by the grasses. They bowed and worshiped him as his parents stood by smiling.

“Praise be to God he found us this dry stable and these warm, soft grasses in which to lay his son, Jesus, “ the man said.

The people all said, “Praise be to God for the stable and the grasses.”

The smallest amount of moisture left deep inside Little Grass formed into a drop, like a tear of joy. “See,” he said. “I knew we had a special purpose.”

“Yes, you were right after all,” the other grasses admitted. They glowed with happiness and cuddled themselves around this child of God. Together, the grasses worshipped him the only way they could—by being there for his use.

For Scripture says… I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display  my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Romans 9:17 NIV

May The Lord bless you this Christmas and reveal His purpose for you in the upcoming year.                    

   Julie B Cosgrove

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Wait for the Morning

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on December 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Never had he seen it so dark.

The young sentry squinted his eyes into slits. It didn’t help.He couldn’t see his hand in front of his face, much less any enemy lurking. It was as if a dark blanket had covered the whole earth. No moon, no stars. Just thick swirls of black fog.

His ears picked up the muted call of his fellow guard at the tower to the north. “Three o’clock and all is well.”

The sentry repeated the call to the next tower, per protocol.  But it was more of a wish than a declaration. How could he be sure? A whole army could be hiding.  Instead of being here, he longed to be home, in his bed spooned next to his wife and feel her hand stroke his shoulder. He paced the twenty feet that was his guard post as he peered into the thickness that would not reveal what it cloaked.

He yearned for the evenings when the stars twinkled their welcome. At times they seemed so close to him high in his tower, he could almost reach out and grab one. Or the nights the full moon illuminated the hills with soft tree-shadows that reached across the meadows like the beckoning fingers of his grandmother. But tonight, there was no light at all. No way to keep his bearings.

Three more hours until dawn. Would it ever come?Oh, how he wished for this night to be over. He wanted to breathe in the smell of honey and hot porridge waiting for him when he traipsed in at dawn. Feel the steam envelope his nostrils and the warmth slide down into his belly.He crossed his arms and rubbed them to keep out the chill–not so much from the temperature as from the ominous feeling he  could not shake. Evil lay out there like a tiger waiting to pounce. He needed reassurance that he’d survive the next few hours unscathed.

All he could do is wait, and hope. Trust in the God of his fathers to protect him, protect his family inside the walls, protect the whole village. He lifted a simple, plain-spoken prayer to Heaven beyond the stars he could not physically see.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
 I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          more than watchmen wait for the morning.     Psalm 130:5-6

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I hope my story encourages you today. If you are in a dark, uncertain place right now, take hope. Your Lord will watch over you, protect you and guide you through it. All you have to do is ask, then wait in hope. He can see what you cannot.

Let His love envelope you like a cloak. There is nothing that He will not hold you through, so cling to that belief and feel His peace.

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Wrapped in Prayer

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on December 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

buster on blankieIt’s been bitter cold for Texas. Schools have been closed. Icy roads and parking lots that resemble skating rinks have kept holiday shoppers at bay. Large tree limbs and power lines have cracked and tumbled from the weight of the ice. Facebook is littered with ice and snow pictures.

Even churches shut down for Sunday services and told their congregations to stay home and stay safe. They posted their lessons and sermons online so their flocks could cyberspace worship.

Our thin,Texas blood, designed for 100 plus F temps in the summer, is not insulating us very well from the sub-freezing digits that have settled over the state.Fleece sweat pants, knobby sweaters and gallons of hot tea and cocoa are not sufficient to keep the chill off the back of our necks.

Same for our pets! But they are smart. My cat decided the left hand side of my desk was optimal for catching the blast of warmth from the central heating vent. But he was still cold. So, I took my prayer shawl, which always hangs on my desk chair ready for use, and folded it for him to lie upon. He slept peacefully and allowed me to get my praying, writing, and Bible study done. And yes, check my email and Facebook, and bank online, too.

And of course, God decided to use my cat nestled in my prayer shawl as a lesson. That is where I found Him today. He showed me (again) that —

Prayer is our insulator. When life bears down on us and the world seems harsh and cold, the warmth of God’s love can envelope us like a towel fresh from the dryer. All we need to do is to wrap ourselves in His peace, settle in and rest.

But instead, how often do I try other ways to “stay warm”? Do I dash for chocolate and carbs, or veg out on a favorite TV show that allows me to escape the things on my mind, or indulge in a computer game with superficial cyber-friends?

Prayer can cushion us from the icy stares of others, from the slippery paths that tempt us, and the cold harshness that those without faith call reality.

But instead, how often do I turn to other sources or people for advice, direction and protection?

Prayer can soften the hard, frigid surfaces of our lives and bring us comfort.

But instead, how often do I seek comfort in other ways?

Lord God, blanket me in Your love today. Let me feel the warmth of Your Holy Spirit wrapped around me. Cushion me for the world and comfort me with your inestimable love. Let me seek you first, and not the things of this world. And in all things, let me ever praise You and seek Your blessings in all that happens. I choose to nestle in You and not in the things that fade. I pray this through Your Son who hung on the cross for my sake.  Amen.

 

 

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Hope, Joy and Peace

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on December 7, 2013| 1 Comment »

ID-10057677In the bustle of what can be the holidays, the temptation to overspend and regret it later, and the crowded confusion of lights, music and noise that fills the stores, it is easy to lose the true reason for the season. But tucked into a message to the Roman Christians two thousand years ago is the key to keeping Christmas what it should be – a time to draw nearer to God as we recall Him drawing nearer to us in the form of a babe lying in a manger.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by
the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.( Romans 15:13)

We hear those words this time of year – hope, joy, peace. We hear them in Christmas carols, read them on greeting cards. The first Advent candle is for hope, the third for joy, and the fourth reminds us of the angels singing, “Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind.”

If we ever hope to truly have a merry Christmas, then we must let the merriness grow in our hearts and not let the outside world taint it. Because we have hope through our Savior for eternal life later and for guidance now, we can have a joy that is not dependent on good cheer, highly caloric foods and the latest gadget in the electronics department or jewelry design from the diamond stores.  And once we experience that ebbing joy that comes form the Holy Spirit, we can find peace in the midst of  all the cacophony that can be the holidays.

So when the season starts to crowd in, take two steps back. Find a quiet place, even if it is in your parked car, and ask the God of hope to refill you with His joy. Let the power of the Holy Spirit flow through you and bring you that peace that no one understands, but everyone wants to experience.  Then, maybe, just maybe, you can bring joy to others– especially the frazzled shoppers and store clerks, hope to those who are not having a merry Christmas due to grief or hurt, and peace to all you meet.

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