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Posts Tagged ‘Julie Cosgrove’

Another Flip

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured. Jeremiah 46:11

It’s word time again! This time, I made a typo in a work in progress. I meant to type salve and it came out slave. Yep, the brain went into gear again as the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear.  God can teach us from our boo-boos.

When the L and A flip, the meaning become almost the opposite. One is frightening, the other calming. One is horrid, the other welcomed. So what are the L and A?

I see it as the “L” as Lord/love and the “A” as Anxiety/Anger/Anguish. Follow along, now.

We can be slaves to our negative emotions so quickly. It is as if a little elevator in us suddenly rises when the button is pressed. Either anger surfaces or anxiety levels raise when we are transported out of our comfort zones by circumstances we didn’t foresee. Maybe both ride up our esophagus together, pressing against our heart on the way! It “lords” over us. The A pushes past the L. When we choose our anxiety, anger, or anguish to rule, it enslaves us.  It never goes away. It keeps resurfacing, or it festers deep within us and ferments into bitterness.

But turn to the Lord and give Him our “a”s in life, and the experience can become a salve, not only for ourselves but for others as well. We see it through His eyes and love, rubbing deep into our souls and our tenseness, blood pressure, and worry plummets. He is the cure, our Great Physician. Prayer brings the Lord’s answer. His peace can be the salve that soothes. The Balm of Gilead mentioned in Jeremiah.  In the ancient world, this balm from Gilead was known as a rare perfume oil that was used on all sorts of ailments from headaches to sprains to stomach aches to mental disturbances.  It literally was thought to soothe the soul. The A is followed by the L, changing our reaction.

It is an established fact in the medical and psychological community that the healing capability is often linked with the mental state of the patient. Patients with a positive outlook and a deep faith handle their diseases much better. In fact, quite a few miracles have been documented.

Not that faith heals us physically every time, or when an illness isn’t healed it is due to a lack of faith.  We are, after all, temporal beings. But how we face the adversities of life can make a huge difference in our mental, spiritual and physical health.

So, you choose what will follow after the circumstance presents itself. SLAVE or SALVE.  Does the Lord follow the anxiety or anger and calm it down, or do the anxiety and anger chase after the faith and love we know about and pushes them out of the way?

 

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Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , , on December 13, 2018| 1 Comment »

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Romans 6:18

While recovering from major surgery, my anesthesia brain felt a little too foggy to dive into a book. So I flipped through the TV channels. One station played an old Robert Redford and Jane Fonda movie, The Electric Horseman. If you have never seen it, Robert Redford plays a washed-up rodeo star named Sonny who now makes a living appearing at shows in a cowboy outfit that flashes and blinks with tiny lights. The sponsors want him to ride a well-known retired racehorse. The two celebrities are being used to advertise cereal instead of doing what they were “born to do” and once did.  Sonny decides to set the multi-million-dollar animal free to roam with wild horses in a remote canyon. Jane Fonda, the reporter, records the whole thing and begins to grasp the notion that our basic need to be free is a wonderful thing. Okay – very 1970’s!

Running free to do what you want sounds like a great life for any creature, right?

Wrong. This horse was always pampered, brushed daily, fed, and sheltered. It was treated very well. It didn’t have to worry as long as it did what it was told.

Before you grimace and say, “how stifling”, think about it. Now in the wilderness, this animal was ill-equipped and vulnerable to germs, weather, predators, and other stronger horses. Survival chances? Not that great. I am not sure Sonny did him a huge favor after all.

The God message? “Freedom” is overrated. True freedom is not what the world would have us believe. If everyone “did their own thing” there would be chaos and no laws.  Survival chances? Not that great.

We need boundaries to protect our freedoms. You’ve probably heard the old proverb, which stated that the obedient animal is free to roam inside the fence, but the defiant one is chained.

True freedom is granted when we choose to rely on God to care for us. He is a gentle, loving master who only has our best interests at heart. We are not required to do anything but respond in obedience. We can be free to move inside the fence of His ways. He guards the gate to make sure no danger enters the corral (John 10:9).

He feeds us, and we never hunger or thirst. We can head out to the pasture under his watchful eye and gallop, but it is also fenced for our protection.

People know to whom we belong. We wear his brand, called the cross, on our hearts. They can tell we have been disciplined and are not mustangs on the run.

If we don’t obey, and instead get a whiff of freedom in our nostrils, He might tug on our reins to steer us away from the open range for our own good. If we persist, He might allow us to jump the fence and race off on our own. But it doesn’t mean He stops keeping an eye on us.

And here is the marvelous thing. He is always waiting by the corral, beckoning us back to the barn. No whip on his belt. Only outstretched, nail-scarred hands standing by the open gate. He will tend to our wounds, comfort us, feed us, and shelter us in His warm mercy.

When it comes to the choice between God’s ranch and the open wilderness, wild horses couldn’t drag me away from the corral. How about you?

 

 

 

 

 

Go called me is to become a digital missionary with The Life Project. However, to continue to grow in this ministry, I need to become fully funded by partners who will pray and financially support me. Will you join my 20/20 Vision? I am seeking 20people who will pledge to provide  $20 a month.  You can learn more here.  Comment and I can send you more material to peruse so you know this cause is legitimate, why I am so passionate about it, and be assured your money will go to reach people around the world with the message of Hope in Jesus, one click at a time. Thank you for seriously praying about it.

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Relfections

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on November 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »

I love it when other people let me know they found God in their day.

This is from Debbie Haney, who is an excellent amateur photographer, so God used this to catch her eye.

She sat down to breakfast and saw the ceiling fan reflected in her spoon.

It reminded her that God is with her and she should thank Him for His blessings. The “cross” gives her hope.

 

Where will you find God in your day?

He knows your interests, faves, talents, and desires. He will use them to get your attention. Just adjust your faith-eyes to see them.

Six years ago, I told Him if I was going to start this blog, as I felt He instructed, He had to be faithful to show me blatant evidence I could share with others. I can be a bit dense and unfocused at times.

He has been faithful to do so.  I believe He will for you as well, just as He did for Debbie.

 

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Psalm 119:18

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Give Thanks

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , on November 22, 2018| Leave a Comment »

                                             Today, take time out to thank God for His provisions, guidance, grace, and mercy. 

 

 

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Big Toe

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.” Ezra 10:4

courtesy of twitter@bigtoe.

After surgery, I learned I could only put “big toe” weight on my right leg for a month. That meant my left leg, supported by a walker, had to bear the load. In order to keep me from ending up with one weak, puny leg and one buffed one, I have non-load bearing PT exercises for the right one.

Did I mention this is a huge “adjustment”?

Why only big toe weight? Our big toes are big for a reason. Our bodies use them to balance. Ever watch a ballerina “on toe”? It provides the rest of the foot leverage. Without thinking about it, you put your weight mostly on your big toe when you lift off a chair. Go ahead, try it using any other toe or your heel instead. I’ll wait…

Back now? To continue…

For now, my right side is weak. The surgery on my right pelvis needs to heal. The pins need to knit into the plates and bone. So, I must rely on my left side.  But, without the walker or crutches, I’d be catawampus and fall down a lot.

That has made me think about how much I lean on God for support, especially when I am weak. But even if I feel strong, I should still use Him as support. I need to consistently practice this unique way of walking through this journey we call life. We all do.  It feels unnatural. Most of us don’t want to lean on a crutch. We were taught to stand on our own two feet.

I’m not saying Christians should be wimpy. Actually, it takes strength of character to admit you need assistance.  The winds of change in our culture are blowing hard. We can only stand if we press into God’s Word and prayer for support, and lean on His understanding, as it says in Proverbs 3:5, fulling trusting in His strength to bolster us. In the meantime, we can strengthen our stance by practicing our faith through the life exercises we are given. But as long as we exist in this cultural environment that wants to pull us out of balance, we need our Lord for support.

Christ gives us strength when we yoke to Him. (Philippians 4:13, Matthew 11:28-30).

He is my spiritual walker, and I don’t want to let go, lest I fall.

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I’ve Been Doing It Wrong

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on November 8, 2018| 1 Comment »

Oh, did God ever whack me over the head with His velvet-covered two-by-four today! Through two circumstances, God blared His truth in my ear. “It’s not what you are doing that is wrong, it is how.”

He has been tapping on my brain for several weeks, but I had failed to acknowledge it.

Another missionary gave me a card that says, “real missionary work is done on your knees.”  Nice, I thought. It didn’t really sink in.

Then, in a Bible study I am doing with ladies of my church, we read this in 2 Corinthians: Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. (verse 17a.)

BAM!  For over 18 months I have been trying everything I know how to do to raise financial partners as a missionary. And I have failed. The missionary society continues to fund me, even though I am not pulling my financial weight. That stresses me out. I so want to continue this work.

I could blame it on my being housebound for the most part. I cannot travel to meet and greet, which is the tried and true pattern for missionaries raising funds for their salary. I have only been able to contact folks digitally. But since my missionary work is solely in the realm of the internet though writing and editing for The Life Project, I figured raising support could be accomplished in the same way.

I have been fretting over not making my monthly ends meet instead of meeting with God’s will. If He wants me to continue touching lives over cyberspace then He will provide. I do not need to peddle my missionary work. I just need to be obedient and do the work He has called me to do.

Matthew 6:33 states to seek God’s righteousness first, above all else, and then everything else we need in life will follow. How easy it is to believe that in our brains but not follow through with our hearts.

God knows who my supporters will be. He also knows my physical limitations. My job is to keep the conduit open by delving more into His word and increasing my prayer time. He will open opportunities for me to speak to people and open their hearts to support my work.  By keeping in tune with His will, and trusting in His timing instead of my own, I can better serve Him and others.

I have placed that missionary’s card on my fridge where I can see it every day as a reminder of what my primary job is. If I keep filling my heart, mind, and soul with God, He will fill my fridge, my support list, and my bank account. That is the true profit.

If you feel as if a giant wall has loomed between you and what you think you are doing for God, perhaps He is telling you to sit down and ponder your motives. Really ponder. Are you doing it for your profit, or for His glory? It is so easy to confuse the two because it is in our human nature to do it. Spending more time on your knees can alter your perspective.

 

One way God has stretched me is to become a digital missionary with The Life Project. However, to continue to grow in this ministry, I need to become fully funded by partners who will pray and financially support me. Will you join my 20/20 Vision? I am seeking 20people who will pledge to provide  $20 a month.  You can learn more here.  Comment and I can send you more material to peruse so you know this cause is legitimate, why I am so passionate about it, and be assured your money will go to reach people around the world with the message of Hope in Jesus, one click at a time. Thank you for seriously praying about it.

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Rock Solid

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on October 25, 2018| Leave a Comment »

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” I Samuel 2:2

Back in the day, everyone had Pet Rocks. Whoever thought of keeping a piece of stone in a cardboard cage became a very wealthy person. It spoke to some basic human needs. These hard pieces of earth provided companionship and represented something solid and lasting. Rocks don’t have heartbeats, so they don’t die. They don’t have legs, so they can’t get up and leave.

Now I have a different rock— a prayer rock. A smooth stone with a cross carved into it that fits in the palm of my hand. I can grasp it in my fist and feel comfort in its solidarity. When nothing seems within my power to grasp, I can hold on to this rock and feel a calmness oozing into my veins.

However, when I let the rock sit on my side table, it grows cold. It gathers dust. It is useless. I must pick it up, draw it to me, and wrap my fingers around it before it takes on warmth. Once it does, the warmth, though fleeting, remains for a while. Much better to carry it in my pocket or hand as a constant reminder Christ is with me.

Faith is like that. If we do not use it, it grows icy and useless. We need to constantly draw God’s Word to us and grasp it tightly to feel His warmth, solidity and everlasting love. Observing faith from a distance, assuming it is always there if we need it doesn’t work as well as constantly holding on to it, even when we don’t feel a need for it.

How often do we shelf God, as if He is something to reach for only when we feel out of control? No wonder He feels cold to so many people.  To experience His warmth, we must mesh our heartbeat to His strength. Our flesh, mind, and spirit to His grace. Our lives to His mercy.

Hang onto the Rock. He offers comfort, solid promises that will last into eternity, and oh, so much more.

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Stirred, Not Shaken

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on October 9, 2018| 4 Comments »

“I have set the Lord continually before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8

I watched, a smile etching over my lips. A little girl in front of me stood with her daddy as she waited her turn on the merry-go-round at a local fair. The other kids’ squeals fascinated her as they straddled the up and down steeds. The loud calliope music added to the excitement along with their squeals of laughter. The mirrors and colors swirled by. Her eyes kept widening, stirred by the sounds and motions.

At last the ride slowed to a halt. Kids climbed off and it was her turn to get on. He lifted her onto the pink one. Then, oh so carefully, a shaky little hand groped for her father’s strong one—just to make sure, before he stepped back. The whole time, her daddy stood by her, resting his hand on the plastic horse’s rump, his eyes focused on his daughter as her face changed from worry to wonder.

Then next time, she scrambled to get on, all smiles. Even so, her father resumed his stance. Even though she now enjoyed the ride, he never was more than an arm’s reach from her.

Her dad obviously knew about merry-go-rounds. He understood the joy and the risks, and was prepared for his daughter’s reactions.  He stood by ready to steady her or comfort her. Or to share her laughter. And above all else, to ensure her safety.

For me, that’s God. He is always right there, watching, guiding, protecting me. Whether I am anxious or anticipating something with joy, He never steps away. He lets me experience things, but always under His watchful eye. As life moves up and down, slows and then goes faster, He stays the same. Always within reach. Always ready for me to grab hold and squeeze tight.

Because that is what a loving father does for his daughter.

My heart is stirred…but never shaken.

 

One way God has stretched me is to become a digital missionary with The Life Project. However, to continue to grow in this ministry, I need to become fully funded by partners who will pray and financially support me. Will you join my 20/20 Vision? I am seeking 20people who will pledge to provide  $20 a month.  You can learn more here.  Comment and I can send you more material to peruse so you know this cause is legitimate, why I am so passionate about it, and be assured your money will go to reach people around the world with the message of Hope in Jesus, one click at a time. Thank you for seriously praying about it.

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Power-ful

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , , on September 26, 2018| 2 Comments »

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20

 

It happened…like it always does, I suppose. Murphy’s Law in motion. With a deep smile, I tuned in to TV program I’d been wanting to watch for weeks and in a split second–nothing.

No lights, no electricity, no sound.

I became enveloped in darkness. No street lamp shown through my living room window. I pulled back the curtains to see the whole neighborhood shrouded in black. For almost four hours…on a crystal clear moonless night.

I rarely think about how much I am dependent upon electricity. Most of the time I don’t give it a second thought. I enter the room and flick on the wall switch. I ask my Google mini to play the radio station and boot up my computer to check my emails. I adjust the room thermostat and nuke my food while getting cold water from the fridge. I recharge my phone and my tablet as I sleep. Electrical power is an essential part of my life.

But that night, nothing worked. No power came through the wires. I felt blind and helpless. I sat on the couch for several minutes trying to get my brain to kick in and solve the situation.  After a half hour, I realized the lights were not coming back on anytime soon. There must be a major outage. All I could do was wait. My phone only had 20% power, even on battery saver.  I had no entertainment options. No computer, music or lights. I reminded me of the time I rode out a hurricane. What did I do then? Ah.

I used the flashlight on my phone to dig out the battery-operated lantern, and then located a shoebox of candles in my closet. I lit a few (ignoring the prohibition of their use in my apartment complex, but I doubted the manager would swoop in at eight at night and evict me.) Recalling that if they are placed high up they let off a larger glow, I set them on top of bookcases and countertops. Much better. A soft yellow glow penetrated my apartment.

I prayed a while and mentally went through my prayer list of folks. Still no lights returned, though a few times the power tried to gin back up only to go back down again within a few seconds.  My phone was almost dead so I couldn’t pull up my Bible app. I went to the bookcase, found my old study Bible, blew off the dust, and began to read as my cat curled in my lap. Memories of an elementary school teacher explaining how Abe Lincoln studied to be a lawyer by firelight etched my mind.  I think it was in reference to there being no excuse for us not doing our homework. Funny how things like that surface.

Then Romans 1:20 jumped off the page.  It’s words whacked me in the heart.

How often do I take God’s power for granted? I deeply rely on it. Whenever I need Him, I flick on my prayers and He comes. I plug into His strength when I feel mine diminishing. I seek His warmth when the world feels too cold and harsh. I lean on His love as a widow who, being housebound, often goes for days without any human touch. Without my Lord, I am powerless. I need daily recharging, just like my phone. I rely on His light.

 

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to not have God’s power in your life? Do you expect it to be there whenever you need it, like turning on a  lamp?

Rest assured, unlike the electric company, the power of our loving Lord never goes out. We can always tap into it, and we should…throughout our day and our night.

 

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Of All the Nerve

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on September 13, 2018| 1 Comment »

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.  I Peter 4:12

piron-guillaume4 – unsplash.com

In a few days I will undergo a surgical procedure that entails burning seven nerve endings in order to relieve the chronic pain I have suffered with the past two years. The nerves will grow back in a few months but if this brings me any relief, it will be indicative to the insurance carrier that I am a candidate for the major surgery three specialists agree I need to permanently resolve the situation.

The idea of them burning things inside my body doesn’t sound very pleasant. Talk about a fiery ordeal! But I know that, even though I will be uncomfortable for a few days, it is for my welfare.

It makes me ponder about the fiery tests God sometimes puts us through for our own good.

Sometimes parents must show their love by allowing their children to suffer. I recall my mom saying, “This will hurt me worse than it hurts you” while tugging on a band-aid or digging out a splinter, or the few times she had to paddle my behind. When I became a mother, I finally understood what she meant.

It’s not that parents like to see their children suffer, and I don’t think God, our Father, does either. However, anyone who has been a parent realizes pain has to happen, at times, for their child’s betterment. Such as slapping their hand to keep them from touching a hot stove, or allowing them to wobble, fall and skin their knee as they learn to balance on a two-wheeler. Or living with the consequences of a bad decision.

Sometimes we have to experience hurt for our own good. God allows that pain in order to squelch a worse one, or to correct something that has gone awry, potentially causing us harm. Despite what our “pain-free” society tries to persuade us, pain can be a good indicator that something is not right. And often, we must endure a bit of suffering in order to experience the blessings of healing.

If we truly believe God can purpose all things for good (Romans 8:28) then we must suffer embarrassment and heartache to come before the throne on our knees to be cleansed of our sins, the way the sting of hydrogen peroxide must bubble up on a cut to disinfect it. Or the twinges of pain as a stitched incision heals. Enduring the uncomfortable feeling for a while is worth it in the end.

I will try to remember to be thankful as they wheel me into the operating room. After all, this procedure is to help me. Praise God it exists.

And the next time God decides what I am going through is worth the pain, let me be thankful that I am in His loving and competent hands. All will be good.

What is a digital ministry? My passion. My mission field is my keyboard, which reaches hundreds of thousands over the internet every month through Power to Change. We truly are fulfilling the Great Commission to go into all nations. Want to journey with us? You can volunteer as an online mentor to those searching (don’t panic we will train you and you set your own hours) , or you can pray, or you can support the effort with a donation. 

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