A Father's Love

A Father’s Love

My dad and I have had a tumultuous relationship, but when I was a little girl I thought he hung the moon!  He was my very favorite person to hang out with. I can remember sitting in the bathroom while he shaved in the morning amazed as he lathered his face with an old timey brush and mug and then carefully scraped the hair from his face. He would then shake a dollop of old spice in his hands to smooth over his clean shaven face. He always finished with a quick brush on my cheeks of his left over after shave! I loved that smell. To this day when I catch a whiff of it, it brings back such happy memories!

Another of my favorite activities was riding in the car with daddy. He would let me jump in beside him—way before the days of child safety seats and seat belts—and he would carefully hold me with his arm as we drove around the countryside.  We always ended up at my uncle’s store for a chocolate soldier drink for me!  There was nothing better than being held by daddy’s arms. It was the safest place in the world.

That’s the same way I feel when I’m being held by Jesus.  When I’m reading my Bible, having a talk with Him, or just being still in His presence, I have such a sense of safety and love and utter peace about me. There is NO love like the love of the Father.

1 John says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1 NIV)  There is no greater love. We can think that we understand it, but there is no possible way to understand the height, depth, or breadth or God’s love for us. Some of my favorite times are the times I spend at His feet in awe of His presence.  Do you allow yourself time for that? I promise you if you are feeling distant from God it’s because you moved, not Him.  Move closer to God today. Spend time talking to Him like the friend He is. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Sunflowers

Sunflowers

    “Take me to America with you,” she said as tears filled her eyes and we hugged each other tightly. 

If only I could, I thought. This beautiful, widow woman from a tiny village in Romania had touched my heart in so many ways in the short time we were there on a mission trip. Even though she had very little to call her own, she gave to us out of an abundance of her love for Christ.  We had spent ten days in Traian Vuia, Romania visiting families, praying with the sick and old, and hosting backyard Bible clubs for the village children and their parents.  Sweet Maria was there every time the church doors were open. She always had a wide smile and ready laugh as she spoke to me through the interpreter. As we visited her home one day, we found her in her courtyard harvesting sunflower seeds with a long wooden dowel. She used the dowel to beat the back of the sunflower heads in order to shake loose the seeds onto a large blue tarp.  She eagerly showed me how to harvest the seeds and laughed with me as I successfully shook loose the first of the flower’s bounty. 

On our final day in the village, she asked the question. I pondered for a moment how to answer this question because the answer was important. I gently explained that I couldn’t take her with me, but that I would always carry her in my heart. Then she asked me when she would see me again. That answer came easily to me, but wasn’t an easy answer to give. I pointed upward and replied, “maybe not until Heaven, but we would have eternity to spend together then!” 

This beautiful little old lady taught me much about life.  She taught me how to work hard and find joy in the work.  She taught me how to feel rich when you have little. She taught me that you don’t have to speak the same language to communicate.  She taught me that saying goodbye isn’t forever when we belong to the family of God.  

I often wonder what happened to my friend, Maria.  I wonder if she thinks of the American lady as much as I think of the Romanian one. Her photo holds a place of honor in my office, and I enjoy telling others about wise Maria  who I will see again one day in Heaven.

Romans 10:14-15 says:

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,

Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Goodbye doesn’t mean forever when we share faith in Christ. We can’t tarry in telling others who don’t believe.  Maria knew that while she toiled and suffered on this earth one day she would be in the presence of Jesus for eternity. Do you have that same assurance? Does your family? Your friends? We cannot wait to share the gospel in the hopes that someone else will share the good news. Eternity could begin tomorrow.

Tuning In

Tuning In

When my oldest sons turned three we began training them to sit still in big church.  We would file into our pew, pull out paper and pencil, and whisper reminders to be quiet and listen when church started.  We practiced holding the hymnals (even though they couldn’t yet read the songs) and looking up scripture together.

After a while we began to expect those little darlings to begin absorbing some of what they heard, so we would quiz them after church was over. We would discuss the pastor’s sermon and sometimes they would have really good answers to our questions, proving that they were indeed listening.

Of my twin sons, Garrett has the most trouble being still and one Sunday in particular he really got my goat! The preacher had a great sermon that even a child could understand and there was Garrett--doodling away while Kyle listened intently. As soon as we got to the car, I blasted Garrett! “Do you have any idea at all what the preacher was talking about today?” I asked him. Garrett quickly pulled out his detailed drawing of Jesus and the two thieves on their crosses at Calvary. He pointed to each of the thieves in turn and said, “See, Mama. This one was only out to save his neck, but this one was out to save his soul!”

I should have been ashamed, but instead I was humbled and filled with joy at the way God had spoken to this small child.  It makes me wonder--how intent are we to hear what God has for each of us? Do we listen with a childlike faith and trust that God will speak?

Proverbs 8:32-34 reads: “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, for blessed are they who keep my ways. Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the man who listens to me.”   

Even at a young age, Garrett was learning to listen to God. There’s a lesson in there for us. Sometimes we get so busy that we don’t stop to really listen. I challenge you to tune in to the Father as much as you tune in to the many distractions of life.  I promise He has incredible things to share with you!

God is so Funny!

God is so funny!

God has an amazing sense of humor! What’s that? You don’t think it’s biblical? Well just look around you. Have you ever really looked at a duck-billed platypus? Or a blue footed booby? Ever smelled a corpse flower in full bloom? Creation has many examples of His humor. I can also testify as to how God has shown His sense of humor in my own life.

           

My dad was in the military and growing up my family didn’t do sports. They were never on the television, we didn’t do little league, and there was little throwing of a football around the front yard.  My three brothers showed no interest in organized sports. Wait, I take that back. Their favorite sport was terrorizing their little sister! My parents raised me to value education and to believe that I could be anything I wanted to be if I was willing to work for it. Early on I decided that I was going to be a surgeon. I wanted to devote my life to medicine and maybe I would marry one day, but would never bring children into this crazy world.  It was all about money and helping people for me.

Then God happened.

He showed up and showed me through a friend that I was NOT to become a doctor. Instead, I became a teacher. I still help people, but that whole money thing sure has changed. I also met the man of my dreams. He showed up in my life one summer and my life has never been the same. God game me a Godly man to be my lifemate. And guess what he does for a living? He’s a teacher and a COACH! That little girl who grew up hating sports married a coach!  But wait, there’s more. We have three beautiful boys--twins and a single. See that? God has a HUGE sense of humor. He looked at Liz’s plans and had a good chuckle!

You see the problem wasn’t with my plans. The problem was that I had completely left God out of them. I never asked Him what He wanted for me. Praise God for showing up and not leaving it up to me!

Have you ever done that? Instead of being angry that life didn't’ turn out the way you wanted it to, find the joy in just being who God wants you to be. Romans 15:13 speaks of this: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” When we take our eyes off of our pity party and fix our eyes on Him, we begin to see how He is at work in our lives and peace and joy abound. I challenge to fix your eyes on Jesus today. Try to see things from His perspective. Find the joy in your circumstances and let God’s peace overflow in you.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, Lord Jesus

Lately I’ve taken a good look at the world around me and I haven’t liked what I’ve seen. Maybe you’ve noticed it too.  People just seem unhappy and don’t hesitate to take it out on everyone around them. You can almost feel the groaning of the world.  Our country is in disarray, Christians around the world are facing immense persecution, and it won’t be long before the same thing begins happening here in the US.  God’s anger is fierce. We see evidence of what happens when we disobey him over and over in the Bible. In Numbers 32:13-15 we learn the consequence that Israel faced when they angered God. It tells us that his anger was so strong that he made them wander the wilderness for forty years. Verse 14 says: “You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel.”  I don’t think things have changed much. We are still a brood of sinful men!

This old world we live in is full of iniquity. We have even legalized sin and made it an abomination to stand up for what is right.  Now more than ever do I yearn to be in the arms of my Savior!  Some days I crave it. I find myself weeping for the place and people I am with and cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus!” 

Then I stop and think of the loved ones on my salvation list, and suddenly I want God to wait just a little longer to come.  You see, my love for them has outweighed my personal yearning for peace. My Abba Father is still holding me, and I cling to that.

So I say: Come, Lord Jesus...but not yet.

Yes, Lord

Yes, Lord

My youngest son is an amazing young man. He has always been quiet and shy out in public. All of that changed when he entered middle school in sixth grade.

Several weeks into the school year, David came to me and asked why we didn’t have a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Chapter at our school. I explained to him that it had to be entirely student led and when his brothers had moved on to high school we had lost our student leadership. He thought about this for a little while, and a few days later he came back to me. This time he said, “Mama, I want to start FCA back up again. I will be the leader.”

This quiet , unassuming child floored me and left me speechless.  We worked with David for a while on how to create a lesson and found a sponsor for the group because an adult still had to be present.

This child led FCA all three of his middle school years, as a sixth, seventh,and eighth grader.  He has since gone on to preach twice at our church and become very active in the FCA chapter at his high school. He allows God to speak through him which is obvious from the confidence he exhibits in front of a group. In his own strength, David could never do what he has done. God equips the unexpected to do great things for the kingdom. And this is very purposeful. Because God uses those of us we would never expect, God receives ALL of the glory, honor, and praise.

Just like the little shepherd boy he is named after, my David stepped up when he felt God calling. If a child can do that, why can’t we? We offer up a million excuses of why we can’t serve. I’m too tired...I’ll do it next time...They don’t need me…

Folks, God doesn’t need us to accomplish anything. He allows us to work for Him as a blessing to us. Won’t you be a blessing today? Listen for God’s voice and respond, “Yes, Lord! Send me!”

Social Experiment

About a year ago I began conducting a social experiment. I walk around stores, the mall, or really anywhere the public is out and about and smile at everyone I see—even those pushy people at the kiosks.  If you’ve seen me, you’ve probably asked yourself who the crazy, smiley woman is as you quickly shooed your kids away from the disturbed lady.  Unfortunately, I think that’s what a lot of people think when we smile for seemingly no reason.  I have a purpose in my smile, however. I smile in order to see if you will smile back.  What I’ve found is that people from Gen X, Gen Y, and Baby Boomers all tend to give a quick smile back, if not the full blown smile they receive from me. Millennials and younger, however, usually ignore me, avoid eye contact all together, and walk quickly away.  Why is this? I believe it’s because this generation of young people has been raised in relative isolation in front of screens—computer screens, phone screens, and TV screens—and they aren’t quite sure to do with this smile they are suddenly confronted with from a real, live human being.

What they don’t know is that joy is contagious! Just saying the word fills you with an indescribable feeling. It bubbles up from some wellspring deep inside you and fills you with, well, Joy!   Habbakuk 3 begins with a retelling by the prophet of the terrible anger of God against his people.  God’s anger was aroused, and rightly so, because once again the Israelites had drifted away.  This is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible, not because God gets angry, but because of what comes afterward.  Verses 17-19 read: “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”  Did you catch that? I will JOY in the God of my salvation! You see, it doesn’t matter how bad things get, because the one thing that matters is eternal and can’t be snatched away from me—my salvation. In the grand scheme of eternity, it doesn’t matter that I may not be able to pay all of the bills this month; it doesn’t matter that my job may not be the one I wanted; it doesn’t matter that I may still be single when all of my friends are married with children.  

The ONLY thing that really and truly matters is the JOY I have in Jesus Christ.  So that’s why I smile. I can’t help it!