Rejoicing While Weary

I admit that I listen to Christmas music throughout the year when I need a pick-me-up. These songs that point to Jesus with joy and adoration just do my heart good on hard days. 

And this season seems hard. Not just a day. I’m weary. I would say that we all have times of weariness from the challenges and routines of life. But we are almost to 2022, and 2020’s mess is still here. Weariness abounds even in the midst of the most wonderful time of the year.  

A weary world rejoices. A weary Mindy rejoices. Proclaim this with your name in it. No matter what is dragging our energy down, we can rejoice. 

Fall on your knees. Hear the angel voices. Worship and awe. Jesus restores our joy and refreshes our soul when we focus on the love that came to rescue us. 

 As the weary psalmist wrote,

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭42:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Hope and praise. Jesus came to rescue us from sin and death. We have the hope of living forever in heaven with the light of the world! No more tears. No more pain. Just joy in his presence. My weariness just has to flee when exposed to the sonshine!

Let’s wrap up whatever is making us weary tonight. Set it beside the manger as we kneel in worship. We leave it there as we close our time with the Lord, living with the thrill of hope saturating our hearts. 

Distractions

My daughter left for school this morning while the sky was starting to show off. A hint of pink was popping out in the easing darkness. I had my coffee and was talking to God,  but I kept getting distracted by the beauty in the sky that he created.

And then the cat puked next to my coffee. Distraction. I then scrolled through my Facebook feed, and my heart was troubled. One state is protecting the rights of unborn babies while another state has zero. Parents are murdering their young children for a myriad of grotesque, selfish reasons. My heart is raw as post after post highlighted a painful, broken people.

I cried out for forgiveness because although I am sad and angry, I move on. How can I move on and not grieve for these children? How can I attack my get-to list when the world is so savagely depraved?

Forgive me, Jesus. I am thankful that God sees Jesus’ righteousness instead of my sinfulness. The magnitude of this gift often escapes me as I take his holiness for granted.

Psalm 51 is today’s scripture. Bring this prayer of repentance to life with a strong voice and contrite heart. Let the Lord cleanse us from all righteousness so that we may teach his ways and bring others into his saving

Have mercy on me,[a] O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right[b] spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Isn’t it just beautiful that God has his ultimate purpose in everything? We are already saved, and repentance aligns our hearts with his. At this point we can do the work of sharing the gospel as joyous, spirit-filled people even in the darkness swirling around us. Amen.

Preparing for the day

It’s one of those early spring mornings that is made for coffee and and a cozy chair. And a warm, fuzzy blanket. And sunglasses! That spring sunshine has a new warmth, and the birds are a cacophony of song. It’s a favorite place to be.

It is so easy to step outside on these mornings and praise Jesus for who he is and all he has done. My soul is at peace in these moments, no matter what is swirling around me. I see the Lord’s majesty and generosity in this sanctuary. It’s an automatic trigger for prayer and time with our father.

Today’s verse is Deuteronomy 6:5

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It is so easy to love the Lord my God just as directed while I am alone in a safe and beautiful place. It’s a picture of a spring renewal of my closeness with God. Oh, but how my words and actions when I walk back across the threshold don’t reflect his rightful position in my heart.

These moments of peace and prayer need to be a suiting up time so that I can fight the distractions and schemes of the evil one who wants to separate me from living fully for God. I know what he’s up to, and God gives me his strength for the battle.

Let’s find time this weekend for peace in the Lord, basking in his glory and goodness so we can fully live out loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength.

Be Happy

The wind was crazy blustery as I walked into the cute storefront downtown. Mary Poppins would have been a disheveled mess at a house other than the Banks’ home. I opened the door to a room full of women gathered to create a customized work of art, all wearing cute black aprons.

My eyes darted around, but my friends were no where to be found. I was directed to a private room for church’s girls night out. I was really glad that I was in the right place at that right time! Walking my wind-blown self back through a room of unknown faces and out into the wind because I messed up was not what I wanted to do.

Our paint night was so much fun! We asked one another for guidance as we selected the colors for our creations. We rejoiced in adhering our stencils to the boards and gushed over the finished treasures. It was fun to hear how each woman was planning to use her art, and I can’t eait to see them in their spaces.

This new piece of one-of-kind, hand-crafted artwork will be prominently displayed in one of my sons’ bathrooms. He’s grown and pretty much flown, but I still call it his bathroom.

I chose this stencil for several reasons. I love that each day is full of new new mercies, and that we have a choice to be happy, to find joy in the Lord and carry that attitude throughout our day. My morning today started with prayer and opening the YouVerse app to the verse of the day, and I tell you I was so happy. What a glorious verse, don’t you think?

“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭94:19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This is our verse of the day. This verse speaks of being so close to the Lord that he is a trusted confidant who not only hears our cares but is a source of comfort. Not just a comforter, but one who takes any care we have and turns our attitude to cheer.

I read this verse and immediately thought of each woman who was at painting last night. They are my cares. Their cares are my cares. God not only hears and cheers through his spirit, but through his people. This means I need to be invested and intentional in building relationships with my church family. So I may care and encourage. And I can be cared for and encouraged.

 It’s amazing how God packs so much into so few words. So many ways God is good. What resonates with you today as you read this truth? Is it your many cares? Does your soul need God’s cheer? Is the Lord giving you nudges of new cares? Are you prompted to be cheer and serve a sister? Are you resting in the splendor that God hears you and wants to bring you joy in your cares?

 Let’s pray this verse today, with our cares and his cheer. Let us wake up and be happy.

Memes everywhere this morning featuring oversized cups of coffee. Daylight Savings Time definitely drags me down, and I am enjoying my coffee with this morning’s slow start. I’m just not sleepy at my new bed time! And I’m certainly not ready to start my day at the earlier hour.

But over the next week my body will adjust to the change around me with the spring forwarding of the clock. It’s a gradual acclimation that results in a new normal so that I do not even recognize the shift.

Our lives can also become so conformed to the world that we are unaware of our shift into a new way of living. There are many verses that speak to this, but today’s scripture is 1 Corinthians 10:31.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Paul has just addressed issues in his world of Christians and pagans. We are not to be stumbling blocks in the pathway of others’ journey to salvation. We are to hold up everything in our lives to the standard of God’s glory. This verse does not mean that we praise God while doing whatever we live how we want. It means that we seek to bring him glory and let our activities flow from that steam of obedience and love.

Today’s planner is open, and I’m filling up my “get-to” list. Taxes. Paperwork. Laundry. Cleaning. Dinner. Time with God. After Prom work. How do I do these for God’s glory? No grumbling. With gratitude. With excellence. With gratitude. With kindness. With honesty. With an eye open for helping others, sharing the gospel with words, and living it through my deeds.

It is definitely an intentional shift away from the world’s standards to God’s expectations of bringing  him glory throughout my day. It would be easy to let my day drift into an unholy mess of drudgery and joylessness which certainly do not bring glory to God. My day is not to be filled with selfish ambition or sinful desires. It is to be filled with a holy ambition to be salt and light in the world.

Whatever we do.  The Lord gives us so much freedom within the confines of his loving standards. He is so good! May our hearts rejoice in a God-glorifying day, even if it takes a second cup of coffee this morning.

Glory upon glory!

At church tonight we were challenged to examine our lives. Are we living differently than the world? Are we focused on Jesus, or does the distraction of me garner my attention?

Throughout the Bibe we see a call to being different. Usually that means outing others above ourselves. Don’t you think we are told to love others like ourselves because we are too experienced in looking out for our needs and wants?

Today’s verse selection is 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What a selfless prayer. In this season of growth, imagine how much closer to God we would be if we prayed like Paul. Love. It’s overflowing in this prayer. Love of Jesus. Love of the family in Christ. How much richer would our church relationships be if we earnestly lifted up each other like this?

It’s not a lightweight prayer made in passing. This is a bold prayer for sanctification of the saved. How could we grumble about or be irritated by one who we are lifting up in prayer to be glorified in Jesus? If we are constantly asking the Lord to make each other worthy, wouldn’t we all be living in the fruition of God’s power? 

And Jesus would be glorified. It’s all about Jesus. The love and glory. His goodness and our sanctification. I think people would know we are different because our words and affections would not be of this world. There would be peace beyond measure as the Lord works in our deire for goodness. There would be joyful service as our good deeds by faith are brought forth in our busy days. 

If we really want to see God working in our world, we need to be praying for worthy kingdom workers fueled by God’s power. As we think of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, let’s follow Paul’s example of love and flood the Lord with our prayers for his people. This will just exponentially increase his glory. He is glorified, then we are glorified in him, and we give him more glory, and he glorifies us even more in him. 

It’s a big ole glory bonfire that grows and shines light and warmth to draw others close, fueled by the grace of Jesus. Talk about being close to God when our prayers are for the church reflecting his glory! 

It's a new day. A dreary morning with no spectacular sunrise. But it's glorious morning when I view it as an opportunity to rise and glorify the Son with my day.

How do I glorify God? In this springtime of devotion, we are looking at growing closer to God and living for him. Today's verses are Mark 12:32-34.

Mark 12:32-34 NIV

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Jesus has just had his kingly entry into Jerusalem. The next few days were filled with the Jewish leaders seething with jealousy and anger. Jesus was making divine statements, and people were listening. Mark 11:18 tells us that people were amazed by Jesus' teaching.

The leaders were trying to catch Jesus with his words, but Jesus obviously knew what they were up to with their line of questioning. They would regroup and come up with a new one. Mark then tells about the mic drop.

An unnamed Jewish teacher had been observing and absorbing Jesus' responses. He boldly asks Jesus about the commandments. Jesus replies. And this man responds with an affirmation of Jesus' words. Can you imagine telling Jesus that he's right? Matthew Henry's commentary enlightens us with the insight that the teacher affirmed Jesus to help bring credibility to Jesus' words and his authority. This man ties Jesus's simple truth in with the Old Testament reminders that obedience is better than sacrifice.

Okay, he does not use the word obedience. He reiterates that we are to love the only God with everything we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves. When we love like this, we are obedient. This is how we are called to glorify the Lord in each gift of today.

Look at verse 34. Jesus knows this teacher's heart and saw his thoughtful response and gave him encouragement that he wasn't far from the kingdom. And then no one dared to ask another question. Fear, shame, awe. What is our response to the authority of Jesus? What to we need to lay at his lordship today?

Pray today about our obedience. How are we loving Jesus with our everything? How are we doing at loving our neighbors? Let's walk with open eyes for opportunities to love like Jesus.

Hey, friend. Can we talk?

Posted on March 7, 2019

I was sitting outside one beautiful Sunday afternoon about two years ago. It was that type of day that kept tugging at me to linger instead of returning inside to start dinner. My Bible was my companion, along with the sunshine and birds, as I relished the early spring weather.

Upon completing my homework for the week, I turned to the Psalms. I was reading Psalm 25:14 and just had to stop and ponder. Read it with me, and see if you’re as awestruck by it as I was.

Psalm 25:14 New International Version (NIV)

14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.

The Lord confides. Wow. How had I overlooked this all these years? The verse below it is all marked up in my Bible, but this particular verse had not impressed me. I just love how God reveals to us new truth every time we read his word!

Other Bible translations have different words for “confides.” The ESV speaks of friendship. The NKJV offers us his secret. But I like to read that God confides in those who fear him. It’s a reverent fear that fully understands his complete holiness yet rests in that same power. As we fear him, we are privileged to hear him.

Our scripture reading for today is Psalm 25:8-15. This selection is a lovely passage for Lent. We lean into the attributes of God, and we see our response. In this spring, this season of renewal, ask the Lord to open your eyes to his gift of his presence as you read below.

Psalm 25:8-15 New International Version (NIV)

8 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.[a]
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

What touched your heart as you read this with fresh eyes? Did you see anything new today, or did the Lord reveal a concealed area of sin you need to ask him to forgive? Verse 15 was the portion that struck me this morning. We tend to look at our problems and the snares. God directs our attention to him, not our traps. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus who conquered the grave and covered our sin with his blood. He is our victory. Only he can free us from the snare of sin.

It may take some practice to listen to God instead of just saying what we think he needs to hear. But I don’t want to miss out on his secret confidences. Do you?

I was seeking a devotional for Lent last week, and nothing caught my eye. This year I will write my own, and you can join me as we relentlessly pursue the Lord during Lent.

Lent may bring to mind a fantastic fish fry or giving up a favorite snack. I obviously did not get the point of Lent when I gave up candy bars as a kid and enjoyed a Reese’s Cup. They are round, not bars, so they not off limits, right?

A few years ago I was struck by Samuel’s words to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22. Instead of giving up something, maybe I needed to add more praise and obedience in my day. Which brings me to today’s thoughts. “Lent” comes from the Old English word “lencten,” meaning spring.

Spring. Ahhhh. Flowers. Buds. Rebirth. Re-energized. No heavy burdens of coats. Sneezes. Watery, itchy eyes. Spring! I love this word for a season of the church where we intentionally revitalize our relationship with the Lord. We know that he is never far from us. Our hearts are prone to wander, not his!

Early Spring. Our life in Jesus withstands the unsuspected, making our story more beautiful than what we would write.

Looking up “Lent” in various internet searches, we often find the words reflection and self examination. For the next 40 days we are going to read scripture that brings us closer to the Lord, relentless pursuing reflection, repentance, and a renewed call to live in his love.

We start our Lenten reflection with a psalm of praise. Speak these words aloud with a sacrifice of praise to almighty God, and let his power renew your day. Amen.

Psalm 95:1-7 ESV

LET US SING SONGS OF PRAISE

95 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

Awaiting the Already - 3 and 4

Rejoice, it's Christmas! Our King has been born!

I love Christmas music. It just makes me happy. The new songs that praise the king and focus on Jesus, each with a different focus or melodious creation, force me to keep my eyes on Emmanuel.

Week 3 had us look at the songs of the nativity story. Luke records many. We discussed the fear of the shepherds, the faith of Mary and Zechariah even though they both questioned and received different responses. We pondered the shepherds and why they were chosen to receive the splendid serenade. They were humble and lowly. They were also out in the fields. They didn't have other distractions. Maybe we need to be available, humble and attentive to receive the splendor?

Which song resonates with you?

Week 4 brought us to John's illuminating words that mirror Genesis. Jesus is light. Period. He is here for a broken world, filled with hurting people. He is enough. In the festive season many of us feel left out because there isn't much to celebrate - family issues, illness, financial struggles, job loss.  As Christians we are called share the light of Christ with others. We are to tell the world about the redeemer who understands, comforts, loves and forgives. The one who spoke the cosmos into being is  here, for each of us because he loves us and wants to take us home.

Does the call to be light have the proper place in our lives? How do we share this with a hurting world that looks to worldly solutions?  Choose one or two Christmas songs that will be played throughout the year because of their message that speaks to you and keeps you focused on living for him.

May Christmas be a blessed day, celebrating the awesome glory and goodness of the triune God. May we sing his praises and listen for his song that calls us to be light with our families and neighbors.

Communion - more depth

Hi, ladies.  I ran across this article this morning and had to share! It's not really related to the overall study, but certainly adds an element to the communion discourse in lesson one.

http://gentlereformation.com/2016/12/03/he-didnt-choose-the-lamb/

In summary for this week, let's go forward each day with two goals -

• Look at people, really look at them, and love them in tangible ways
• Respond to God in faith like Joseph instead of Herod

Ok, I'm adding a third.  Enjoy the Christmas season preparing to be a vessel, and with that as your goal, enjoy the season as it works for you.

So glad we are doing this study together!

Here's a song that relates to this week's lesson.  I first heard it one night when it was God's perfect timing.  May it bless your heart, or be the perfect song to share with someone who needs the message of his love and hope, not the twinkling lights and shopping lists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTHE9c9qXV0

Steven Curtis Chapman - Christmas Card

Awaiting the Already - week 1

I've got my coffee and my cough.  Yuck. I may just sip Dayquil and Delsym all day.  I'll be on Governor's Parkway a few times, so you may want to avoid it.  Do you have a beverage and your book?

Awaiting the Already, although a light read, is definitely filled with great information that encourages us to explore how we view Advent. Four of us gathered on Monday to discuss it. So let's start!

P. 16 starts with bullet points about our hurried and impatient lives. The gospel of Mark doesn't mention the baby; Mark starts with John the Baptist. Don't you love learning about the different words used for our English words? Prepare.

We see two words for prepare - prepare something to be used. (p.18)  We are to make ourselves "ready to be the vessel through which God's love can enter into humanity."  And we are to prepare in anticipation for a big event.  P. 19 summarizes these  - change our lives and hearts to be ready for Jesus, and have a willingness to suffer fir hum and have a hope for the future. 

We hadn't thought about Advent in that way.  It has been a time to consider the power and majesty of God's love and crazy redemption plan, but certainly not this type of preparation. Mark then moves in to Communion. The words he uses are powerful. It's not an act of just remembering, but an act of almost feeling like we are there with Jesus at that last supper. It's a reminder to vividly recall that moment, but to also live in the blessed hope of his return.  He links advent, communion and baptism on p. 23.

Mark then gets to walking straight.  We all enjoyed this part and agreed that we cannot walk straight, and we hope we're never pulled over for DUI suspicion because we will fail.  Epic fails.  No backwards ABCs or walking straight lines.  But it's ok - we are self-controlled and don't have to worry about that! (see Corinthians lesson 5, day 5)  We are to keep our eyes on Jesus because we are prone to wander and cannot walk straight without our eyes on him.

We are to be double prepared.  Wow. We often associate repentance and introspection with Lent, not Advent. "It means setting our hearts straight and asking God to reveal to us everything that is wayward in our lives."

Whoa. Stop the decorations and gift-buying lists.  It's time to pray and get our paths straight. 



What else did you see in this lesson on Mark's perspective of the coming of the Christ child?

• P. 28, question 2 on top - How do you need to slow down? What are items on your to-do list that might get in the way of spiritual preparations?
• question 2, bottom - What other things that communion and baptism do you remember with such clarity that you feel like you're there again?
• question 3 - what paths need to be made straight in your heart today?
• Here's a group question, in addition to those above.  Read p. 26 3rd full paragraph. 

"It means living a sacrificial and sacramental life, in which we become the very bread that Jesus takes, blesses, breaks and gives out for the world, so that we can become the very incarnation of the Incarnate One among us."

Read this a few times and really think about what it's saying.  What do is this saying to you? I think this is the whole of advent, and really, how we are to live every day. Being like Jesus, but not just for our own salvation, but for the world. How do we make this a reality this Advent season? Let's talk about this and use it as a prayer focus for the upcoming week.

Awaiting the Already, an Advent study

It's that time of year. Well, almost. Christmas movies. Christmas parties. Christmas cookies. Christmas music. Christmas lights.

And Christmas studies. It's a delightfully busy time of year, so they say. I've found that taking deliberate time away from the activities of Christmas and spending time focusing on the activity of Christmas makes the season even more special.

The activity. God coming to Earth as a baby to rescue us. God sending angels to deliver messages to us. God setting the star in the sky to proclaim his big move. That's activity! I want to savor the unimaginable gift of the season.

This year, in addition to my daily devotions, some friends and I will be walking through this new study, Awaiting the Already  by Magrey deVega. Here's the publisher's summary:

The Christmas story we know so well is really a compilation of accounts found in each of the Gospels. Although the four books present the event somewhat differently, each of them leads us on the Advent journey of preparation for Christ’s coming. Awaiting the Already takes us on a tour through the Gospel narratives, showing us what parts of the Christmas story come from which Gospel, and helps us to recognize that each Gospel writer invites us to encounter a fresh experience of the birth of Christ. This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during Advent. Each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week.

We are going to try something new this year - we will take this journey in person and online.  You are welcome at my house on Mondays  - Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 and 19 - at 9:30 for hot drinks and something delicious to eat.  If you can't make that, follow this blog for the weekly update and we'll discuss the lessons through the comments section. We can trade insights, answer the questions and share how God is speaking to us this season. Here are two links for you to order your book.

https://www.amazon.com/Awaiting-Already-Journey-Through-Gospels/dp/1501800892

https://www.christianbook.com/awaiting-already-advent-journey-through-gospels/magrey-devega/9781501800894/pd/800894

Thank you for your pioneer spirit in trying this online discussion group. Now go order your book and get back to Thanksgiving prep. Remember, cleaning, cooking, playing games and enjoying Thanksgiving are all part of living for the Lord. (day four of lesson 5 in the 1 Corinthians study)

Have a cheerful heart, friends, and keep your eye on the timers!

A season for everything

I had just walked in the door after a lovely coffee visit with a friend.  Kids and Bible talk, along with fabulous pastries on a lovely spring morning.  Just what I needed after a rough couple of days.  I dropped my bag in the kitchen and glanced outside and noticed our trees.

Trees.  The amazing color of what I call spring green.  You know, that fresh, bright green of leaves that are starting to burst forth with the sunshine and warmer days. I scanned the yard and was struck by the various stages of the trees.

My eyes were drawn to the river birch tree.  We had just picked up under it the other day, and it was still fairly naked.  But today it is suddenly alive with leaves! It's the tree to the left, behind the grasses that need to be cut. Look how full it is!


But just up the hill is a maple. The maple has yet to gather its spring glory. My glance then darted to the dogwood that is spectacular with its white flowers.  I was thinking how pretty it would have been to have the white dogwood, the flowering cherry tree and the red bud all in their peak at the same time.  What a vision that would have been!

The reality is different. I get to enjoy the dogwood today. The red buds were regal in their purple splendor for a few weeks. And my flowering cherry was a fleeting blast of pink before that.

So why did this capture my heart today? After all, they are common visions. Trees. Where we live. Where we drive. Where we play.

God used today's trees to remind me of his timing.  We bloom in his timing, not our own or the timing that someone else thinks we should have.

By God's wonderful grace we keep watering and nurturing those around us.  God has a wonderful plan for their lives, even though we wish we could see it in bloom now.  His timing. We keep feeding our mind and soul with the word of the Lord, for we don't know how much he is planning for us to grow and spread our love and teaching to others. His timing.

The flowerless cherry behind the redbud

The world is filled with plants that bloom at different times of the year and in different conditions, just as each of us has our time of blooming for the Lord.

Let us not forget that the buds and flowers aren't the end game - they are the beginning of a new season that will end with a time of quiet growth so that the trees can bloom again.

It's an incredible cycle that God has created. Let us pray for the humility to trust his timing, the obedience to create conditions that will help people bloom even when we feel hopeless, and the joy of his peace in all circumstances.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 New International Version (NIV)

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

   a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
   a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
   a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
   a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
   a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
  a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
  a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 English Standard Version (ESV)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Should I or shouldn't I have?

It was a letter.  Words on paper.  Signed by families who love the Lord.

But it had sweeping, strong repercussions.  See, this letter asked the church to consider standing for God's truth.  The purpose was to bring to the forefront an issue that was divisive and hard, with generations of families who saw this as a challenge to their status quo.


Months later, the letter is still stirring up hearts and making people examine their hearts and their beliefs about Jesus, the authority of scripture and how to best be a church that proclaims to be rooted in the gospel.  Many feeling have been hurt by unkind words. Others are hurt by truth that can heal, but they see only the pain. Actions that were brought in love, for Christ Jesus and for each other, are perceived to be power plays.  Instead of talking to the "instigators," those with questions talk behind them.

It is with all of this on my mind that I flipped my Bible to Esther and started a Bible study on virtues, with prudence being the first one of the four we will examine.  The Time Warp Wife was starting an online study, and I was drawn to it. (Love her beautiful study pages, by the way!)


When she bravely approached her husband the king with her presence, Queen Esther was offered up to half of his kingdom twice, and she declined both times.  Esther did not get distracted from her purpose, which was to save her people.  She didn't run scared at the potential loss of her life by going to the king as an uninvited audience.  She didn't balk at the task and take fabulous wealth instead of posing the humble, yet audacious request to save God's people.  Esther stayed focused and did the job at hand.



Mordecai, Esther's cousin who raised her, alerted her to the scheme to kill God's people. He said to her, " For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NIV


How many of us are in our current positions for such a time as this? We are to be a light, a city on a hill. We must speak truth in love, for that is our purpose. To save people from certain death and bring them into the loving arms of Jesus Christ, the savior and redeemer. We bear our cross and risk everything - comfort, status quo, friendships - when God calls us to a time as this.


With fasting and prayer, we move prudently yet boldly as we trust that nothing we hold on to is more valuable that the one who holds us.