Power and Strength

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Isaiah 40:29 (NLT)

I received one of my regular email devotions a couple of mornings ago, which had this verse at the top of the page and I knew immediately that it was from God to me. It has been a busy week culminating with my last speaking gig of the year yesterday afternoon. It was not as if I was unprepared because I have been working on my talk for several weeks. But life got in the way with Thanksgiving and Dad visiting us for a few days. After taking him to the airport, I dug into preparations for the event. Part of my talk included some of my Christmas decorations so I had to unpack them and that led to decorating the house. It was crazy! And in the middle of all this was our Believing God study. (We learned about Gilgal; I still have some thinking and processing over this one but it stirred me in amazing ways. Stay tuned.) I was up early and to bed late. When I woke with that headache on Wednesday, this verse described exactly how I was feeling—weak and powerless. But it also provided the antidote for those feelings—He was the one with the power and strength. And the best part was that He would give it to me. I am convinced that the enemy was sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear that I could not do it. But God is mightier and able to squash him like a bug and He sent me His message of encouragement and promise that He would handle it. I am happy to report that God was the speaker yesterday; I was just the earthen vessel as we shared encouragement and hope for this Christmas season. As you enter into this busy time, remember that all the festivities, decorations, parties, and presents are just stuff. Spend some time reflecting on that Baby born so long ago—just for you!

He is GOOD

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 118:1 (NLT)

One thing I have noticed while reading through the Bible this year is that if God says the same thing more than once, it must be important to Him and to me. When I looked up the word "thanks" in biblegateway.com, the verse I quote today was mentioned several times in various books throughout the Bible. Is it because He really wants to make the point or is it because I don't get it? Probably a little bit of both. A thankful heart is a learned behavior. Remember those days of telling your toddler to say "thank you" and wondering if she would ever get it? Because of the selfishness and pride of Adam and Eve, we all suffer from "me-ness". Yet, after just celebrating a national holiday of Thanksgiving, how did your family fare? Some of the ways that I like to share that God is good is to have a table full of friends and family join us for dinner. There is something about sitting down together, singing the Doxology, and sharing a meal that has been made by many hands. The love and conversation that flows smoothes the rough edges of life and we see clearly the hand of God. A year ago, my mother fell on Thanksgiving Day and hit her head. Three weeks later, she was gone. My dad has joined us for this week and we were talking about all the changes this year has brought. Yet, God is good. I am reminded of how we see God's fingerprints in the rear-view mirror of our life. I could never have planned all the changes and ultimate solutions for my dad but God had it all under control. There are times when I fret because I don't know what tomorrow will bring or more likely, would prefer to control my destiny. But God is good. He brings me just what I can handle and gives me grace to get through it. So, I will give thanks to HIm, for He is GOOD.

Amazing Freedom

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36 (NLT)

I am on sensory and spiritual overload having returned last night from an Amazing Freedom, Women of Faith Conference. We were all ages, stages, sizes, and shapes sharing together in laughter and tears. And to top it off, I had the privilege of listening and watching Beth Moore – live – at the pre-conference. Now that is one highly caffeinated woman! In explaining her use of toilet paper as a filter for her coffee pot in her hotel room, she said, "I drink coffee in the morning to calm down!" Amen!!! (Don't ask me why she couldn't use a regular filter.) This was a first for me so if you have never attended one of these conferences, be sure and check it out for next year. I laughed until my sides ached listening to Anita Renfrow while at other times, tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened to the stories of pain and triumph shared by several of the speakers. I ended up using a lot of Kleenex. God was in that place along with 11,000 women and we all left rejoicing that our Heavenly Father has given us amazing freedom to know Him, to walk in the way He leads, and to be one of the many daughters of His Kingdom. I wondered why we did not have paper to take notes but I quickly discovered why. It was all I could do to just take it in. A whole new run begins next February with the theme of Infinite Grace. Be sure and put it on your To-do list and take a girlfriend…or a whole bunch.

Words, words, words

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:9-10 (NIV)

This week's Believing God study has challenged me to think about the words I use. We read that the tongue is not easily tamed. Just listen to the torrent of words spilling from a two year old learning to talk...you just shake your head and wonder where they heard all of them. They listen to you! What are you saying when you talk to your husband, friend, neighbor, or on the phone? What kind of language is pouring out of the TV or videos? How do siblings speak to each other? Remember the last time you just had to spread some good gossip…tell an off-color joke…maybe even use words that are offensive? If you listen to the news, it was impossible to miss the recent story of Duane "Dog" Chapman and the firestorm that erupted over some words he used in a private phone call. He suffered immediate consequences for those off-hand remarks. I'm sure I would not want all my conversations broadcast on the TV for the entire world to hear. My comments may only hit an audience of one rather than the whole country but they can be no less harmful. Now that we have a heads up about the tongue's willful ways, it is time to inventory our speech patterns. Habits die hard but they are not impossible to break. It takes desire, perseverance, and the help of the Holy Spirit to change our conversation to words of praise. But it IS possible. The good news is that this is not a surprise to our Heavenly Father. He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts and is ready, willing, and very able to help us make the changes we know He wants for us. Take a few moments to pray and ask for gentle nudges before you open your mouth. Choose words that are of good report and will encourage rather than tear down. Speak in love to those around you and know that God hears and blesses you in your efforts to speak well.

By faith...

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)

Take a walk down the Hall of Faith as described in Hebrews 11 and notice the faces on the featured portraits. If I was the curator and given the task to name the award winning few, I am not sure I would have chosen this bunch. These characters all had portions of their lives that they would like to forget…or at least not broadcast for the whole world to know. For example, deception and manipulation defined him yet by refusing to bow to convention and rejecting similar manipulation at the end of his life, Jacob/Israel is described as a man of faith. Joseph spent many years in captivity in Egypt but with faith, he left a vision of hope, prosperity, and freedom back in the promised land for his family. Timid, afraid, weak and self-absorbed, Moses was transformed by God into the leader of a great and mighty nation. Rahab, though a prostitute, was given a scarlet cord guaranteeing her life and safety because of her act of faith and kindness to the spies and later even married into the royal line of Jesus. Their faith walk made the difference in their lives and redeemed each one. And why are these the stories God chose to share? Because, each story could be our story and there is nothing too hard for God. Believing that God can do what he says He can do (as Beth Moore prompts us to say) gives us hope for our future and those of our families. They were certainly a rag tag bunch but they managed to turn the world upside down because of their faith. Imagine what He has in mind for us! I'm believing God!!

Get the Book

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Joshua 1:8 (NLT)

I'm a MAC person and yesterday, Mark installed the new operating system, Leopard, on my computer. He is definitely the geek in the family but I am fairly competent with the computer and usually can manage fairly well. Yet, this was a big change and now I have several applications that don't work because they have not been upgraded for compatibility. Big pain! So I have to either work around them or wait for the updates. I am so thankful that God's gift of salvation comes with all the applications ready to go. And with the "install," I have the Holy Spirit to guide me, pray for me when I can't, explain to me verses that before seemed incomprehensible, and give me special gifts that will enable me to shine the light of Jesus to those around me. Even when I get in the way of what He is trying to do, God does not find a work-around. Instead, He works with me to gently prod me along His path, sets me straight if I need a course correction, and always picks me up when I stumble and fall. But the reminder for today is: just as I still need to read the manual to learn how these new programs now work, I must also study God's Word for my daily instructions. Our verse challenges us to meditate on it day and night so that we "get it." We've all struggled to figure out a problem and finally, when all else fails, pulled the manual out. Let's change our habits and do it first. He is right there with the answer and promises success. Go get the Book!

S T R E T C H !

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:3-5 (NLT)

I have a very talented husband and an energetic friend, Stan, who encourage me to do and be more than I ever thought possible. Their prodding echoes what I am learning this fall with the help of Beth Moore's Bible study, Believing God. I have felt for some months that God is calling me to do some speaking for Him and share God's story in my life. These guys continually push and prod me to get at it. Sometimes I just wish for a Cinderella existence—a fairy tale ending—without all the work. But if you think about it, Cinderella had her problems, too. In fact, she lived in a dysfunctional household with sisters who mistreated her; life was not fair. Yet as in all good fairy tales, it ended with the handsome Prince sweeping her off to the castle to be his bride. My life is hardly a fairy tale but I want the reality of Jesus to be seen in me and His glory reflected on my face. For you see, I will be His bride some day and carried off to His glorious home, heaven. So now we are working to update my website and blog with screencasts (as I said, Mark is very skilled in all of this!) Of course the prodders told me they were just doing a sound and screen check for future recording. Next time I will think a little more about the background details! Check it out in the left margin of the blog under Links. I am constantly amazed at the opportunities God gives us to serve Him. Be ready for a little stretching!

Rear-view Mirror

But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT)

Call it women's intuition—or more likely the leading of the Holy Spirit—but I knew that last week Mark and I were supposed to head out on different journeys. We do not normally travel separately but he needed to go to Tennessee to visit his family, so I decided to sneak in a quick trip to California to see the girlies. When the plans were made, we did not anticipate either set of family having any special needs. Yet, in the middle of it all, we both knew that this was definitely where God wanted each of us to be. We were able to be there for those that we love and spend time loving on them…even if it was only to go to a favorite lunch place or lend a listening ear. This trip reminded me of a comment made by our pastor at a recent church retreat. He encouraged us to look for God's purpose and plan for each of us in the rear-view mirror of life. How often do we fret in the midst of the daily grind about the details of our purpose and plans? It is only in hindsight that we see the twists and turns necessary to bring us to the path God wants us to travel. I am so thankful that He is there to guide me…and sometimes He allows a backward glance of where I have been as a praise and glory to His name.

Cheerleaders!

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 1 John 4:11 (NLT)

It was wonderful to speak to the Pantano MOPS group this week. The enthusiasm was contagious as you entered a room filled with young moms and watched them chattering with each other, filling plates with food, and helping each other to make a craft around the tables. I spoke to them about five different relationships we share as women using stories from the Bible: mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, sisters, cousins, and friends. These relationships help fill the emotional gaps in our lives, encourage us to be more than we think we can be, and allow us to be God with skin on for each other. It is never perfect but then we aren’t either. Yet, there is nothing like a girlfriend to unburden the cares or sorrow of our days or rejoice with us in the unexpected surprises or blessings that come our way. Let's be each other’s cheerleaders and companions in our walk to know God; it is so much easier with a friend!

Drip Systems

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:8 (NIV)

I spent time with the gardener this weekend, analyzing and fixing the problem areas of the flowerpots and landscape. This appears to be an ongoing process. Drip systems are a definite challenge for me, especially since I never used them in California. The heat of Arizona demands a regular watering schedule but adding to the mix is the different types of plants and ground cover that grow well in the desert. It makes the drip system the most sensible choice but I have not yet figured out how to repair or redirect the water when I have a problem. Critters wander in and bite the tubing, plants decide to just up and die for no apparent reason, drip emitters clog up, and then there are the mysteries of the timer. But my biggest frustration is getting water to the edges of my pots so that all the new plants get a drink. I have replaced more bits of color in my pots because they have withered up in the heat. Hopefully, we have solved the problems and all is well—for now! This helps me understand why our Lord explains that we need to be like trees planted near the water. All my efforts to care for my little plant root systems and get them established in my pots are useless until I figure out the watering problem. The same holds true in my life. I want the water of the Holy Spirit to refresh my heart in those dry areas of my life—frustration, fatigue, or fear. I don't want anxiety to squelch my fruitfulness or purpose. Remember to plant yourself near the water of the Word. Let your roots sink deep into the love and security of the Father who made you. I am looking forward to watching you bloom and flourish!