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As I write this, I can hear the wind chimes on the tree out back, the many birds who frequent my feeder and the faint sound of a dog barking off in the distance.
These types of things we hear everyday and so many more sounds that fill our minds as we go about our busy days. But deep int the recesses of that mind of mine that was once shut off to the truth about God, I think on things much deeper than the sounds I hear.
The spreading of the Gospel....Enough people to cover this planet sent by God to "go and tell" the many tribes and nations that still haven't heard the Good News....World Hunger.....The Abandoned.....The Lonely......Those suffering physically......Those suffering mentally......Children without parents who love, nurture and care enough about them to raise them in godly homes.....Those who feel they have no hope.....Those who have given up........Those who feel they have fallen so deeply into sin that there's no turning back.....
I can see their wrinkled worn faces of pain. Faces full of pain that reaches so deep within them that it is now etched on the outside for all to see. I can see their hunched backs as they walk day to day feeling hopeless and alone. I can see the filth on the hands of the starving as they spend another day searching for a morsel of food to lessen the pains of hunger that constantly eat away at their bellies.
My mind thinks of these....many of which I shall never meet or know face to face and yet, I am so burdened for them. I ache for them and desperately wish I could make more of a difference in this life. The only gift that I will ever be able to lavish on them is prayer. On my knees with reckless abandon as I lift my voice to the God of Heaven, I beg Him for mercy on these.
Deep in the recesses of my mind, faces I shall never see, call out to me to pray for them. I reach out for them but cannot touch them to embrace them and comfort them in their strife....BUT, I can pray.
Oh God, as I go about my day and hear all the wonderful sounds you have created, help me remember the sounds of those who are crying out to a world who doesn't hear their cries, BUT a GOD WHO DOES. Help me be your hands and feet and let me glorify your name with every opportunity You lay before me.
Send me God....your humble, inadequate, imperfect servant to help someone today....
SEND ME!
Tonight in our ladies bible study, our senior pastors wife repeated this phrase again and again and again and these words pierced my heart. I immediately thought of the thousands of times throughout my life that I "CHOSE" to do the opposite. Anything opposite of OBEYING GOD, means you are commiting sin. YIKES! I can honestly tell you that many times when I chose to NOT OBEY GOD, I didn't think of it as SIN....I just thought of it as MY CHOICE.
As she repeated these words and the depth of their importance pierced my heart, I trembled in fear for all those in my life and around the world who are choosing sin over OBEYING GOD. Admitting that this is THE most important concept of our life AND DOING IT can and will change our lives. As we discussed tonight, it may not have seemed like much of an offense to us that Moses simply hit the rock to bring forth water INSTEAD of speaking to it, as God had instructed, but it was HUGE! It was huge because, simply put, he disobeyed God!!! Because of his disobedience, he never got to enter the Promised Land with his people! How unbelievably sad is this. All because he sinned against God by disobedience. I shudder as I write this and my stomach hurts as I remember all the times I did something so seemingly small in my eyes that was actually direct disobedience against God.
There are consequences for our sin and as we learned in our study tonight....I don't want to have to wonder what blessings I missed out on because I disobeyed God.
Oh Lord...forgive me of my disobedience against You! Forgive me for all those times, great and small, that I chose to do what I wanted to do, instead of what your Word directs me to do. I just want to honor you God with all my heart, soul and mind and live for You all the days of my life.
How about you???
The title above may not sound as though it would mean much to you, but these words, spoken by my 7 year old granddaughter, Natalie, made my heart full.
A couple weeks ago, she told her Momma...."If Daddy is going to Yaya's house today, he's gonna hear about Jesus cause that's all she talks about!"
WOW....THAT was probably one of the greatest compliments I have ever received. I sure hope that it's not only my Natalie that sees and hears that in her Yaya, but everyone I come in contact with.
I love my Jesus and He spills over into everything I say and do. He gives me SO much to talk about!!! He is constantly at work in my life. Every single day He weaves His way in and out of everything I do and it's only natural to talk about His goodness, His mercy and His great love for us all. He never ceases to amaze me SO I am compelled to yackity-yak about Him constantly!
"So we your people and the sheep of your pasture will give praise to you forever; to all generations we will tell of your praise!" Psalm 79:13
Oh God...my grandchildren are listening....my family....my friends.....strangers....God, when I walk away from people, let them say....
JESUS.....that's all she talks about.
For the one or two of you who actually read my ramblings, you might have noticed a pattern forming here with my "Simple Pleasures" blogs. It seems that the older I have gotten the more I seem to "get it."
Get WHAT, you might say! Well........it's like this. I feel like I'm finally "getting" what life and living is all about. We strive so hard in our early years of marriage to accumulate stuff and status. We work our way up in our communities trying to gain more and more respect and we work our way up the ladder within our jobs. We spent countless years rushing, running, stressing, hurrying, scheduling, etc.etc.etc. All the while, we are missing all of life's "Simple Pleasures" along the way.
As we age and begin to have grandchildren and our lives begin to slow somewhat, we look around and realize our children are all grown and gone and all those things that we spent so much time and effort working for, hardly matter as much now that your children are gone.
But then, along come grandchildren and they fill our lives with joy and pride. Deep within our hearts they seem to fill places that we never even knew existed and we begin to realize a wonderful truth. It isn't things that we buy our grandchildren that they cherish. They cherish TIME spent with US!!! All around us are "Simple Pleasures" to enjoy with our delightful grandchildren and they light up when silly games are played, silly songs are made up, cardboard boxes become boats or trains and in the caboose you climb cause that's where they want YOU to sit!! A front porch becomes a sailing ship and bikes become motorcycles for us to escape from Indians who are after us!! Closets become our hidden hide-away where no one can see or hear us and the dining room table is transformed into a tent by simply getting a sheet and draping it over the top to hang down.
"Simple Pleasures" that often, but not always, often passed us by in our busyness when our children were little.
Poppa, Ty and Daisy were having a ball in this picture, sitting on the front porch laughing their heads off at invisible flies that Poppa was swatting in the air! Simple huh....but oh so much fun. Over the years, Poppa has made more than one grandchild laugh at this antic!
We need to remind ourselves often that "Simple Pleasures" moments are all around us if we'll slow down and look for them. Life is short. Life is NOW. Life is to be LIVED!!!
Look around....there are "Simple Pleasures" everywhere. I challenge you (like I always challege my youth SS class every week!!!!) stop what you're doing and look for a "Simple Pleasure" moment before another passes you by that you'll never get back.
Often, I feel like a salmon. I KNOW where I need to be going and in which direction I'm supposed to go but getting there is SO difficult! Whether swimming or walking through life, the struggles of the world we live in can overwhelm us, even to the point of exhaustion. Some days it's as though I'm moving in slow motion and other days I seem to flow through the struggles without so much as a whimper.
I have made some observations about myself and others around me. It appears that when we allow ourselves to get over tired, over angry, over looked, or over stressed we become immensely weak and disgruntled with life and living. Oh, we still love the Lord and say all the right things, but underneath, we're loosing ground physically and spiritually.
Lord, I want to be like the salmon...passionate in my pursuit of the goal....undaunted by the effort it takes to get where I'm going....and determined that I WILL arrive at my destination. I'll let NOTHING stop me from the pursuit of my Lord and Savior. HE is worth it all and I know He calls out to me...PRESS ON!
"I press on toward the goal for the PRIZE of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ."
Phillipians 3:14
This weekend, the pure sweet goodness of God displayed itself here in my home/family. Just as honey would cover its' surface thickly and completely, so did the Lord God Almighty here cover me with His goodness.
I am in awe...I am humbled....I am brought to my knees as the sweetness of God poured over me.......all because of someone's "willingness" to be a blessing to me.
When we are simply "willing" to do what what the Lord lays on our heart, God can move in like a flood and show out!! Sometimes, God lays things on our hearts that we fear we cannot do, handle, say or accomplish. Sometimes He simply lays something on our heart that is fairly easy to do but we choose not to because of busy schedules etc. When the "willingness" to do as God has spoken when the situation may call for "sacrificial" loving or giving, God fairly explodes on the scene!!!
This weekend, I needed two answers to prayer and the need for answers was urgent. I had to have answers within just a few days. At first, fear struck my heart not knowing what I was going to do. I cried out to the Lord and almost immediately, God showed up because of someone else's "willingness" to do what God had layed on their heart. Hallelujah to the Lamb of GOD!!
As the story unfolded throughout the weekend, many lives became part of the story and were all touched and used by God because of my humble cry for help from God.
Oh God...how can you love me so much that you would care this much about my life? How do you go about using others to be part of the way YOU would answer my prayer? How do you know all these small details that have to come together at a certain time etc, that become the weavings of the story itself? When I repeat the whole story out loud, I am dumbfounded at what you have done on my behalf because of the "willingness" of someone else to step out and be a blessing.
I love you Lord and once again, you brought me out of a miry muck, cleaned me off, dried my tears, clothed me in clean new clothes of righteousness and did a wonderful thing for me!
If only we all would be "willing" to be used of God anytime, anyplace, in any situation, whether it's difficult for us to do or not.....God Stories would abound and the people of God would see His glory constantly.
If ONLY.
Today as I was vaccuming, I lifted the rug up to vacuum what was under there. I was AMAZED at the dirt that had piled up hidden where you can't see. I'm guessing if I had swept it up and measured it, it would have been at least 1/4 cup of dirt. Lurking beneath my beautiful rug lay ugly dirt. HHmmmmmmmmmmm....as Cathy and I would say, "Sounds like there's a lesson in there somewhere!"
Aren't our lives a great example of the above scenario? We all can present ourselves in such wonderful and beautiful ways. On the outside, we WOW people with our looks, our talents, our intelligence. But underneath all that impressive "stuff" lies the dirt that no one can see. Beneath the fluff on the outside lies our pride, our selfishness and our prejudices. We think we're fooling people because they can't outwardly see our sinfulness. How fooled we are.
God Himself sits on high and watches over every act, every deed and hears every word we speak forth. He sees all the ugliness on the inside and He must be appaled at it. I suppose we are all just ignorant enough that we seem to think that if no one can see our sin, no one knows. But truly, what difference does that make anyway???
GOD SEES IT ALL! Nothing is hidden from the piercing eyes of the Father in heaven.
NOW is the time for us all to begin to admit to our pathetic selves that we are not what we portray ourselves to be. It's time for us to begin to peal the layers of dirt back, face each issue we are hiding, heal that issue and commit to not sin in that area again.
James 4:14 tells us: "Whereas you do not know what wil happen tomorrow. For waht is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Life is short people! Jesus is coming back!!! It's time, it's time, it's time.....NOW is THE time to remove the hidden dirt in our lives. Why not start now? There's never a better time than the present to examine our own lives.
These are difficult days. We've all already begun to feel the effects of an economy that has failed us. Thousands upon thousands of people stand in great need. Our banking system has failed us and many of our government departments have let us down. How can we trust people in these times when we've been lied to and are now paying the effects of years of improper spending etc. within our government?
Although I do not have any answers for any of the above questions...this I do know.
The Word comforts me and tells me...
"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 a deer's feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills."
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though our economy is failing us and our pantries not as full as they used to be...
Though man may let us down and fail us....
Though our paychecks are not going as far as they used to....
Though things look grim through the eyes of the world....
God still tells me that my joy, my trust, my strength,
SHOULD come from my MY GOD OF SALVATION.
Fear tries to strike our hearts in these tough times but our rejoicing is in Him.
Thank you God that you will make me walk on "high hills" even though we trudge through the valleys. You are GOOD.
Tonight, at the end of our Beth Moore bible study, Wanda Sue asked me to close in prayer. Before I knew it, it was just me and the Lord....face to face...a humble servant gazing into the eyes of The King, pouring her heart out to Him....the others in the room forgotten about....it was just me and Jesus as I pleaded with Him.
"I'm tired of Digging Out of my hole again Lord. I'm tired of almost getting out of my pit, only to fall back in and go ever deeper than before. I'm tired of Digging Lord...I want to be transformed......I'm tired of letting Devastations in my life Dig me deeper into my pit. Change me Lord....help me let YOU change me. I want more of you....... I love you Lord."
This was part of my prayer tonight as I closed the evening. My humble pleadings to the God of the Universe. As I prayed He spoke to my Spirit and reminded me again that it is MY DECISION to dig out of my pit. That's where HE WANTS me to be.....but it is me who keeps digging deeper, NOT HIM!
DUH....
I'm ready to fill in the hole Lord...
I'm ready to be transformed.....
Help me not look back, look down or look around.
Help me to keep my eyes upwards as I await your glorious return and fill in the last bit of dirt back into the pit I've dug ONCE AND FOR ALL!
Transform me Lord.....I'm ready.
I never cease to be amazed at how our God does things. Have you ever been in a situation that seemed hopeless? One you just didn't think or expect anything was going to change for the good? Not that you didn't think it could change.....but just that you wondered if it ever would?
It's funny how so often when you get to the place that you simply throw your hands up and throw in the towel......a little tiny glimmer of hope will come barging in and surprise you.
Today, one tiny shiny ray of hope came barging in. Jesus whispered in my ear...."there's always hope, there's always hope, there's always hope." I needed to be reminded of that today, and as always, He did His part. Now I must do mine......have hope.
"And now Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You." Psalm 39:7
When will I ever realize that I must not hope in things or circumstances or possibilities? My HOPE must lie totally in Him. To give up or give in or throw in the towel is to accept defeat.
I refuse to accept defeat! I will wait patiently for the next glimmer of hope God lavishes on me.
Help me wait Lord....help me wait.
I'm sure many non-animal lovers will argue with me on this, but I often think dogs are MUCH smarter than people. People take advantage of each other, aim to please only themselves and hardly ever listen attentively. Human beings are so selfish and self-seeking. Whether we want to admit it or not, it's true.
My new Golden Retriever, Wrigley, knows exactly how people SHOULD treat one another as it's her daily way of behavior. She WANTS to please me and desires nothing more than to make me happy. She will sit at my feet and stare at me just waiting for the next command to show me she can obey and make me happy.
Wrigley is a People Pleaser....too bad PEOPLE often forget that being good, kind, compassionate, interested and attentive is how PEOPLE should act!
Ah well....at least Wrigley's got it right. WAY TO GO GIRL!!! :)
Can it be true?
Can it???
Can it be that I, worthless, sinful, prideful, could have been CHOSEN by God?
My small brain is not big enough to wrap itself around that thought. But the thought lays itself out before me for me to contemplate, to soak up, to engulf myself in. I am in awe of this truth.
I'm speechless and am simply left to ponder this truth.
God CHOSE me!! Inside of my prideful self, lay something that God saw that He thought enough to seek after me....NO...to RUN after me!!!
CHOSEN
CHOSEN
CHOSEN
That's ME....CHOSEN BY GOD HIMSELF!!
If I have been CHOSEN or Established by God then that means He has placed things securely in order and has prepared me for a specific purpose!!! WOW! This is a mind-boggling fact that we learned in our ladies bible study class that still has me on my knees and in awe!
Barb....youngest of three sisters, friend, wife, mother, grandmother....nothing particularly special about me at all....
But the Creator of the petals on a rose, the many galaxies, the colors of the rainbow, the ocean tides, the tiny fingers and toes on my new grandson....
The One who created it all....
CHOSE ME!
Oh God
Search Me
Try Me
Teach Me Obedience
Teach Me YOU are the MY Sustainer
YOU are my SOURCE!
My heart yearns for you....it cries out for you but sometimes I refuse to hear You.
Help me God...
You CHOSE Me
Help me CHOOSE YOU every moment of my life...I want to honor you God.
"Search me, Oh God and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts."
Psalm 139:23
Some of the sweetest years of my life were spent growing up in what was Chicago's very first subdivision of its' time. House after house was built exactly the same. It was supposed to be one of those model communities where everyone would want to live. And it seemed to me as a child that everyone DID live there! There were at least 70 children on our block alone.
One of my MOST favorite past-times was roller skating! This was the day of all metal skates, which were clunky but they were all we knew and so, we loved them! Who would have thought that roller skates would come as far as they have?
Now if you had roller skates, then you HAD to have your roller skate key. I vividly remember my key. I cherished it and wore it proudly around my neck. I always knew where my roller skate key was and I realized the important part it played in my daily happiness. Without it, I couldn't skate so you better believe it was with me all the time.
Today I had the joy of having 4 of my grandchildren here with me. I guess playing with them brought back memories of my childhood and my treasured roller skate key. As I normally do, I seem to find the spiritual application in the simplest of things. (Maybe it's because I'm so simple-minded:)
I wondered today if I treat my Lord and Savior like I used to treat my roller skate key. Do I keep Him near me ALL the time.....Do I treasure Him.....Do I constantly remember that I should display Him at all times like I did my roller skate key????
Years have past and my roller skate key is long gone with all my other treasures. BUT....My Abba Father will remain with me always...He will never leave me....He is my everything. Nothing could ever top my roller skate key until Jesus came along!!!He's even better than my roller skate key!!
Welcome to the world Will! I'm sure just about everyone has heard by now but for those one or two of you who haven't, baby Will came into the world at 5:01 on January 31, his Aunt Kay's and Aunt Susans birthdays!!! He weighed 7.4 lbs and was 19 in. long. Naturally I would say he's adorable...BUT HE IS!!! Our families rejoice at his birth AND that Summer made it to the hospital with an hour and 16 minutes to spare before he made his arrival!!!!:)
Big brother Easton adores him but big brother Ty could care less! We haven't as yet been able to convince him to give him a kiss and when asked if he wants to, he politely says, Uh uh. That means NO! He's not interested in him at all! Whereas all the rest of us have clamored to be near him, kiss him, hold him and just introduce ourselves to him, Ty is content to steer clear and just play with Poppa!
Thank you to those who prayed for Summer. God was good and he is a beautiful little boy. Naturally should anyone want to see more pictures....just ask as I think I've taken a couple hundred at least!!!!
Thank you God for this perfect little gift from above...you have been good to us.
