Blooms of Summer

About 3 months ago, I was walking around the church where I work helping a member find something she had lost when I came upon two peace lilies in the corner that had been forgotten. One of them was turning brown and wilted and the other one was in slightly worse shape. The dear lady I was with asked me to toss them or if I wanted to try to bring them back to their green status, I was more than happy to try and put them in my office. I have never had a particularly green thumb but I decided to try because I always thought peace lilies were so pretty when they bloom. I kept them in the room next to my office and began to water them and have them where they could get some sun. Believe it or not they begin to perk up. I was so very excited the day I moved them into my office.  The deep green of the lilies added some nice contrast to the tan walls and I have thoroughly enjoyed them.

Even though I have taken good care of them, I had yet to see any blooms on either plant and it had me concerned. Aren’t plants supposed to bloom in the spring? I wondered if they would ever bloom. As I started my work day this morning, I notice a small white flower opening up. In its own time, it brought forth a beautiful white lily.

I am reminded that God’s hands are on the plants as well as on people. How we grow and develop are in His hands. I get so impatient sometimes wanting things to move and grow on my time table.  In our churches we want those who are visiting to join. We want those that are asking questions to make decisions for Christ. In my hurry, I need to remember that if we do our part God’s way the timing of it all will be perfect. In the New testament, there are verses that describe this process so well when it tells us how some planted the seed, some watered the seed, but God gave the increase. God takes all of us where we are and cultivates us into the Christians He would have us to be.

For a while it seemed like things were on hold in our church. We could sense God moving, yet I could not see any visible changes. Then over the last month an explosion of things were happening. People were being saved. God moved dramatically in our Vacation Bible School. Folks were joining the church and getting involved. Though there were struggles, God was bringing the increase. It was in His Perfect time.

I don’t know what you are going through in your life today. Maybe you are struggling and wondering if God is even hearing your prayers.  You want things to happen right now and you feel like the blooms of spring are a long time in coming. Don’t give up hope. Keep planting the seed, keep watering, let God move in on His time table, and be amazed at the blooms of Summer.

 

Before You Ask…

Have you ever found yourself in a situation when you wanted something badly? It is not a big thing, or something that will make the world a better place.  It’s just a ”it would so nice if this would happen” moment. Let me share such an experience with you.

I had been saving some money toward a new dining room table and chairs. One by one my chair were breaking beyond the point of repair and my table top contained a permanent maker doodle by a young man who will remain nameless (because it was done accidentally, of course). So whenever I had a little extra, I put it in the dining room fund envelope. I was looking at furniture stores in my spare time trying to decide which one would look the best and be the most affordable. I scoured every sale paper waiting for just the right fit for my room and to match the cabinet that my husband and dad had built for me several years ago. The week after Christmas several stores were having end of the year sales and I had invited my sweet in-laws for an after Christmas celebration. I found the perfect set and Gordon and I had saved enough to purchase it. (Great deal, by the way!) I did think and pray on it for a day or two just to make sure I had peace about this one because it was an important purchase for me.  I felt I could go forward with this so I stopped by the store to buy it and have it delivered to my home. After the transaction was complete,  the saleslady said that my table and two chairs would be delivered. I had purchased 6 chairs, but she said that they only had two in the warehouse and the other 4 chairs would not be delivered for two weeks. She asked me if I wanted to go through with the purchase. I was disappointed, but told her to go ahead and then wait and deliver everything  together when all the chairs were in and ready to go. 

I will admit I went home with a heavy heart. I really wanted to use the new set for the special dinner I had planned with Gordon’s parents. I had been experiencing all kinds of emotions since Christmas Eve when Gordon got so sick and I had been trying to keep upbeat and encouraging. I prayed and asked the Lord to strengthen me and to help me not to be disappointed, but to be happy to share this special time with my family. He really helped me when I needed Him that day. I got out a special tablecloth and began to plan my dinner. It would be OK.

Imagine my surprise when on the morning of the day my in-laws were coming, I received a knock on the door at 8:30 a.m. A furniture truck was in my driveway and the workmen were pulling out a table and not two chairs, but all six chairs. I was so excited. God gave me a wonderful blessing that day. God showed me that even the small thing that I did not ask Him for, He gave to me anyway.  God heard my heart’s cry and showed me that the desires of my heart mattered to Him. I felt the love of my Heavenly Father in a very real way. In all that was going on in my life, He gave me an extra ounce of his goodness and love. He took the time to say, “I love you, my child.” In this moment, He whispered, “I just care so much about you.”

The verses that came to my mind are in Ephesians 3:17-20, “That Christ may dwell in you hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”  He loves us so much and wants us to experience the fullness of who He is. God wants us to know His love in such a real way that it overcomes us, and we just have to stop and bask in his goodness. I feel He also wants us to share this love with other believers. I know He is a God who can do “exceeding abundantly above”.  He responded to my heart before I could ask or think. He is ready to do that for his children. God loves us just that much.  I have trouble comprehending that kind of  love, but He still wants me to try to comprehend it. Christ wants us to know that He offers this kind of love to us all.

What are you thinking of, but are afraid or reluctant to ask God for? Go ahead and ask Him!

 He knows what you are thinking anyway.

 

To My Dear Friends:

Greetings to all of you! I wanted to let you know that I have missed you and to let you know that things have been going  better. I was at  a point in time when I was overwhelmed to say the least. I needed the time away to regroup and refocus on the family and my long list of responsibilities. I have had to let some things go for the time being. I do however appreciate all the contacts and prayers lifted up on our behalf. Thank you my dear friends. You don’t know what it has meant to me to have the support of  Christian brothers and sisters.

This blog has been on my heart for the last few days and I realize how negligent I have been not to let you know what  has been going on. I had hoped that during the upheaval in my life I could continue to share my thoughts, yet I found myself needing to work through my feelings with my heavenly Father and my family. In certain crisis, we may find different ways to deal with emotions and feelings,  and that is where I found myself. 

 Some say hind sight is the best way to look on things and as I look back on the last few months, I see a consistent theme. The love of God and his comfort have been my constant. I have felt compassion and love from friends, family, and even acquaintances. I have been showered with blessings in the midst of this storm.

Psalm 23:1 reads, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” In the midst of the storms of life God is there. He still is leading us through the path of life He has laid before us. He has provided for our needs. He answers our prayers. He loves us when we don’t understand and question His leading. God has shown us that He is there. He has lead us through.

Blessings to you all!

 

Bacon and Bits

I live in a small town. I realize that there are those who love the city and all the perks that city life entails. I am glad to say however that I like living in the country and serving the wonderful people the Lord has given me to minister too.  Today, as I was standing in line at a local restaurant waiting to order, I realized that this was the day for the annual hog show in our town.  I don’t know how I missed this fact. I had been wondering why the restaurant was overly crowded for a Monday.

This restaurant has two dining areas: one is toward the back and enclosed so it can be partitioned off for birthday parties and special events and a large open one up front. Five days a week at lunch the back one is open for overflow because this is a very popular place to visit for lunch. This place always serves good food and more often than not you will see one or more of your friends any given day of the week. It was in all of my contemplating that I saw a sign over the counter. “If you are with the hog show, please sit in the front dining room.”  How funny is that.  I think they were afraid to coop these individuals up in the enclosed dining area. I admit this cracked me up. This could only happen in a small town.

How often I wonder do we tend to do this in our churches? Do we approach with open arms those that may look different than what we are used to? I often wonder how many snap judgments we make when someone sits down in our church. Do we try to change the outside of this person without taking time to find out what is in their heart?  Jesus himself chose to spend his time with publicans and sinners showing them how much he loved them. In my case, I am glad Jesus chose to be with me rather than turn up his nose at my sinful condition.  I think it’s time to start looking deeper into our hearts and check our motives. Our churches show be a place where people are loved and made to feel at home in the presence of God. Sometimes I think we even get territorial about the section we sit at in our church. We should get to the place when every place in our sanctuaries and our hearts are completely open to everyone.

I wonder what reaction we would have in our churches if we put up a sign, “Welcome Everyone! Please sit any where you would like!”

*Hey, Friends. Just wanted to give you all a shout out and a quick update on the Clouds. Gordon is doing some better. We are still working on regulating his blood pressure. He has had some good days and some bad days.  His leg is better and We are working on our diets. He goes back to the doctor on Wednesday for a check up. For all those who have kept us in your prayers, I wanted to say, “thanks.” I have felt them. Also Thank you for all your concern. It means so much to have friends and family who support you in times of difficulty. May God bless all of you as you have truly blessed us!

**Gordon has updated everyone on his health issues on his blog. Blessings.

 

Blessings in the Storm

I trust that all my friends and visitors to this blog have had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year to come.  God has truly blessed my family this Christmas with a great family, church family, and a wealth of friends. I say all of this to say that this time in my life has not been without its struggles and things to lay at the feet of our Lord. Many times throughout our walk with the Lord we will face the unforeseen. It will come out when we least expect it and for a moment even hold us so tightly we cannot see which way we should turn. Storms can come upon us suddenly and dark clouds can bring fear to our hearts, yet in all of this we know we have someone who is there beside us in the midst of the darkness and fierce wind. Then it begins, the rain pours down. I have not thought of the rain as blessings, but it truly is so.

We need the rain. The rain nourishes the dry areas. It gives us something that watering from the hose in the yard will not. It cools the atmosphere around us. The leaves of the trees turn upward to receive the rain from the clouds. Sometimes the leaves will actually turn upside down to receive the rain at the place that will give  the most benefit for its delicate root system. The hard ground  softens under the impact of the rain upon it.  When you think about it, the rain has the healing properties in it to make things better for the earth, yet to receive the rain it must be accompanied by the storms.

I have found recently that in the midst of my storm, the Lord has sent his blessings of rain to overwhelm me.  The blessings have covered me at times with small drops and other times with large torrents. Over and over I have felt the love of my heavenly Father cover me with his strength, encouragement, love, and the cascading rain of His blessings. In my time alone with Him, I lifted my hands and heart to accept what He has for me as His spirit pours down like the rain. It has been what I have needed to help me when fear has taken hold of me. I wish that I could say that I am strong enough on my own to weather the storm. We try to hide our weakness so often for fear of what people will think of us, or put on a brave front because we feel it is expected of us. If you could see inside of me, you would know I am so weak and fearful. It is God who has been my strength. If I did not have Him with me I could never face the storms of life.

Not only have I received the blessings from the Lord, but also from the gracious friends and family who have interceded with prayers for me and my family. I do appreciate all of the prayers that have been sent on behalf of us. Thank you. You have been apart of the sweet rain that has covered us.

Blessings to you!

 

Snow and Cotton

As I was driving to work this morning, puffs of white drifted across my windshield. I was taken aback a moment because it looked like snow. For those of you who are not aware where I live it is quite an unusual occurrence for South Georgia doesn’t normally have snow. When I realized what it was, I laughed at myself for being silly. Someone close by was cutting the cotton from their cotton field.

It’s funny how we sometimes think something is one thing when it turns out totally different than what we thought. God is just like that. When I think I have a certain part of his nature figured out, he up and surprises me with a new part of who He is.  It is then that I realize that I can’t put God in a box like a Christmas present and say this is the only way He does what He does. I am constantly amazed at how wonderful God is. I have had the opportunity to get to know Him in so many ways. I know at times I will have to go through difficult things to find out more about who He is and to receive new glimpses of His nature. I also know that God has proved that in all things He is working out “all things for my good”. (Romans 8:28)

I was watching a movie the other day and the two main characters were discussing why God allows some things to happen. One replied, “Without suffering there would be no compassion.” This is so true. God shows compassion and love when I am hurting, and He gives me the opportunity to show love to others when they are hurting. If I never went through a hard time, I would not know how God could be my Comforter. If I never was betrayed by someone, I would not know how Christ could be “a friend that sticketh closer than a brother”. If I never knew sickness or pain, I would not know how God could be my Healer. If I never lost a parent, I would never know that God could be a true “Heavenly Parent” and bring peace to my heart. The list could go on and on. As I go through this life there will be circumstances that test me beyond what I thought I could endure. Yet in all I know that God is faithful.

I don’t know what you might be going through at this time in your life. I do know that we have a great God who will be the strength you need to face life’s trials, and when you least expect it, He will surprise you in wonderful ways and with blessings you did not think were possible.

 

This Hope

While attending the Georgia Baptist Convention this week, I was inspired and encouraged by the wonderful music and outstanding preaching. God was truly among us in a mighty way. One of the music groups, This Hope, spoke to my heart. I wanted to share them with you today. This video is entitled “Break My Plans”. It tells of a song writer in Romania who was put into prison for writing Christian hymns. I pray it will touch your heart as it did mine and give us all a renewed passion to serve God even when the cost is great. May you have a blessed weekend and may God uplift and strengthen you in your service to Him.

 

This Is The Day

I got up this morning and wiped the sleep from my eyes. I began to reflect on the day and what it had in store for me today. I do this every day, yet today holds new significance. Today things have changed. I like change for the most part. It brings variety to life. There is some change I find harder to deal with than others. As I prayed, the Lord brought this verse to my mind. “This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”   The words are true for yesterday, today and tomorrow. He wrote this verse many years ago, and it is still holds a special place for me today. I can choose to rejoice.  

We can choose to rejoice in our Creator, the one who made the day brand new (Genesis 1:31).  We can rejoice in our Savior, the one who brought us out of the pit of sin and established us on the clear and right path (John 17:13). We can rejoice in our Healer, the one who can heal the heart, body, and land we live in (John 16:24). We can rejoice in our God, the one who is ever faithful and will surround us with his love and protection (1 Peter 1:8). God knows every intimate detail of my daily life. He knows and cares what is going on with me this very minute. I need to trust Him and follow Him.

We do not have to let the circumstances of the day steal our joy. Our happiness can be swayed by circumstances and so often does. Our joy should not be affected by the winds of change. It is deep within us placed there by our Heavenly Father. We need to bask in the joy of our salvation, delight in His Word, immerse ourselves in prayer, and glory in day that He has made.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness…”  ~ Isaiah 61:10

 

Watch Out, Spider!

In my effort to get to work on time the other day, I, as usual, went flying out the front door and raced with my purse, foam “guzzler” of iced tea and bagel. Clay chose to fly out the door after me and  reminded me that he had seen a spider in the door of the car that we needed to take care of. I didn’t want to disappoint him the pleasure of killing a spider, but if I identified it quickly enough I could proceed down the road and reach my destination on time. My plan was to put Clay at ease and take care of it Iater that day. I opened the back door and asked him where he had seen the offender. This spider had built a web between the doors that you could only see if you opened the back or front door on the driver’s side. All I could see was two egg sacks and a complex web. Clay pointed it out as it was hiding up under the hinge that holds the door in place. The way the spider was hiding I could not identify it so with a stick I removed part of the web and the egg sacks and “squashed” them. I didn’t want them hatching and taking over my car. It is a small four door and there wouldn’t be room for all of us. Anyway, because I couldn’t see very well I closed the back door and opened the front door to see if I could get a better view. I did. It was a black spider so I was immediately concerned I asked Clay to run inside and get the bug spray. When he returned, I armed myself with bug spray in one hand and a stick in the other.  I sprayed it good and as it slowly descended on a silky strand of web with legs curling I saw the red hour-glass shape on it. It was a black widow. I got chills as I “squashed” it when I realized that it had been there for quite some time. At any moment, it could have chosen to hop out on me or one the boys and hurt us.  I praise the Lord for his hand of protection on our family.

As I went throughout my day, I could not stop thinking about the near miss we had and God’s protecting hand. Then my thoughts lead me to realize that temptation and sin is there lurking, waiting for just the right moment to strike. It waits patiently for the opportunity to catch me with my guard down and in the place where I am the weakest. At every turn in this life, sin is all around us. We are faced with it in the media, in the places we go, and sometimes in strangers we come in contact with. We need to be ever mindful that there is one that would love to see us fail and bring down the name of Christ. It is so important for us to watch out for these opportunities, and “squash” them as we would a poisonous spider.

It is not easy to turn from temptation and sin, but we have the Holy Spirit inside of us and a Savior who overcame the very essence of sin and death on the cross.  It is God who provides a way of escape for us so we do not have to give in to the temptation.  In 1 Corinthians 10:13, we read, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will no suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”  We are going to be tempted to do the wrong thing. Satan does not want us to succeed in the Christian life, and if he can keep us defeated, he most certainly will. My favorite line in this verse is “God is faithful.” He is here with us and we can rely on his strength when we are weak. When we became a Christian, we trusted Him with our very soul. In the same way, we can trust God for our daily keeping also. He can help us to resist temptation and guard against the attacks of those who would harm us.

It is time for you and me to keep our eyes open and watch for potential danger, temptation and sin. We know we have a friend who has endured such temptation and become a victor over it. We must turn in Jesus in our need. Jesus is our hope and He is ever faithful.

 

Taking the Lead

In the world in which we live today, we often have to look high and low to find people or things that inspire us. Last Sunday, I didn’t have to look far.  I found inspiration and encouragement in a 12 year old boy, my son.

It was Sunday afternoon and “World Hunger Sunday” at our church. It is one of the days we set aside to remember those who are in need, those who do not have the food they need on a daily basis. At our church, we go out as a group in the community and collect can goods and donations. These goods are donated to the Grady Co. Baptist Association to help them when they receive calls for families in crisis or food needs. With all the things that have been happening in the world lately, I was wondering how much response we would have yet, I was overwhelmed at the generosity of those in my community. We met at our church and gathered our bags and fliers to distribute, and decide which section each team would cover. We did not have as many come out this year as usual. We had an equal number of adults and children. So we decided that each adult would take one child and go together. I asked my two boys who they would like to go with and my oldest, Clay, said he would go with Mrs. Judy and Glen decided he would go with me. We prayed and went to our cars.  We had very fruitful results. 149 cans were collected. Everyone was so excited.

Clay and Mrs. Judy were the last group to show up and when I found out why I was overjoyed. Mrs. Judy told me that she and Clay took a street and He went down one side while she went down the other always keeping the other in sight. After several houses, She turned around and saw Clay standing under a tree in the shade with 3 boys talking with them. She told me that she thought they were talking about things that boys talk about as she walked over to them. In a moment, everything was suddenly quiet and she heard Clay talking and she saw the three boys hanging on his every word. Tears came to her eyes when she realized that Clay was telling them about Jesus and going through the plan of salvation with them. She came upon them as Clay looked up and asked them if they would like to receive Jesus as their Savior. He asked Mrs. Judy to lead them in the sinner’s prayer and all three accepted Christ.

The first thought that entered my mind was “a little child shall lead them”.  My dear son inspired me not only in leading these three to the throne of Jesus but also in his boldness to share what Jesus had done for him. He didn’t let fear get in the way of what God was leading him to do. I pray he will keep this boldness for Christ.  Now, I do not write this so you will say what a great mom I am because It is not about me. I fail God and my family so often. What I would like you to see is God can use anyone who will open their heart and let Him lead them. There are those in our churches that will  tell the children that they will make an impact for Christ when they become a teenager or even an adult, but as a child there is not much that they can do. I strongly disagree. God can take any of us whether 5 or 95 and use us if we will open our hearts and lives and offer it to God for his filling and use.

Clay came up to me with eyes shining and gave me a big hug. “You’ll never guess what happened,” he said, “Three boys accepted Jesus today.” His heart was full and mine was too. In Heaven there was rejoicing among the angels all because a child took the lead. 

“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”  ~Psalm 25:5