November 2, 2024

                 What’s In Your Heart?

“You have heard it said to our ancestors, ‘Do not murder,’ and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.”

– Matthew 5:21-22

Surely I’d misunderstood. I watched the clip again. No. I hadn’t misunderstood. Donald Trump really said it.

He said that Liz Cheney, former congresswoman from Wyoming, should be shot. Her great sin? She opposes Trump and has vowed to use her influence to keep him from being elected again.

Why am I surprised? This is a man who incited the January 6th assault on the United States Capitol. He says he admires Hitler. And he vows revenge on anyone who disagrees with him.

I will likely never understand how Christians can support such a candidate. I hear all the excuses. They claim they aren’t voting for the man but rather for the values and policies he represents.

How can anyone support a candidate who thinks that those who disagree with him belong in jail or in a coffin? That’s not from Jesus. That’s not about love or mercy or kindness.

I am appalled by Trump. I have been for quite some time. But what saddens me most are those people who attend church every Sunday and still believe Trump’s words and actions are acceptable.

One day we will all be judged by what’s in our hearts. What’s in yours? Do you think that those who disagree with you deserve death? Do you spew out ugly names toward those who believe differently than you do?

Donald Trump continues to divide our country and our churches. He does this because we allow it. Jesus said to love people. The Bible even tells us to love our enemies. We are to pray for those who persecute us.

I pray for Donald Trump’s soul. I also pray for you and me and for our great nation. Will we stand up for what Jesus truly said? Or will we fall to Satan’s lies?

Following Jesus isn’t about attending church on Sunday mornings. It’s about what’s in your heart. Your reaction to Trump’s words reveal what’s truly in your heart.

August 30, 2024

                          Pray for Others

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. – Ephesians 6:18

Hard looks different on each person wearing it. Some people wear it with grace and humility. Others use hard as an excuse to lash out. Still others wear hard like a mantle of defeat.

A couple with a severely disabled son sometimes comes to high school football games. They sit next to us, flanking the power chair that holds the son who can’t communicate or do for himself.

We first met them when we arrived to discover them in our seats. The woman informed us that we could sit in their seats. My husband, who has trouble walking and getting up and down, said no. We have seats on the end of the aisle for a reason. They have hated us ever since.

I have come to dislike the times they come. She refuses to speak or even acknowledge us. They live hard every day. I get that. But it isn’t an excuse to lash out and expect others to accommodate your hard.

The Holy Spirit has really put on my heart to pray for them. Really pray for them. Not just words but from my heart. To acknowledge their hard and lift them up.

A sweet lady I know had a stroke recently. She almost died. Her daughters and husband were weighed down with hard. They still are. They praise God for her life and that she still knows them. She is healing but life is still hard. I pray for them as they navigate hard.

A woman struggles to find a job with insurance. A husband works long hours to provide for his family. A child struggles to fit in. Another family deals with abuse and secret alcoholism. A woman drives herself to the hospital for surgery because her children and grandchildren are too busy to help. I could go on and on. They are all dealing with hard. They all desperately need to be lifted up in prayer.

Hard looks different for everyone. Sometimes it’s obvious. Often it isn’t. We shouldn’t assume that our hard is worse than someone else’s hard. We don’t know their circumstances. We don’t know what they face day in and day out.

Paul tells us to pray for people. God knows their hard. God hears our prayers. As I pray again for this couple and their son, I ask the Spirit to fill me with compassion and them with strength as they navigate their hard.

July 11,2023

 

Offer Sincere Prayer

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2

 

Notice anything special about Paul’s instructions to Timothy? He didn’t mention a political party. He didn’t say anything about only praying for those you agree with. He didn’t even write about using prayer to try and influence political leaders to share your point of view.

 

Wow! Can you imagine a world where Christians actually prayed for God’s will rather than their own? Can you imagine a political climate where respect for those in authority actually showed in our words and actions?

 

I live in a hotbed of conservatism where Christians talk out of both sides of their mouths. Have you heard that cliché before? It fits so perfectly. We condemn the poor and exalt the rich. We judge based on status and bank account rather than the heart. What must God think of us all?

 

The derogatory way some people talk about President Biden is awful. It’s not about agreeing with him or not. It’s about respect for the office that he holds and it’s about genuinely doing what the Bible tells us to do. Pray for him! Really. Pray for God to lead him and that he would have wisdom to follow God’s calling.

 

Someone just muttered something about “earning respect.” That’s not what the Bible says. It doesn’t say only pray for those we respect. It says to pray for our leaders. Period.

 

There’s something that happens when we are truly praying for someone. It’s something that happens in our own hearts. It changes us to not only see the good in others but to actually want good things to happen to them and through them. It might not be politically correct but it is biblically correct.

 

The next time you want to criticize and condemn President Biden or any other elected official, pause and offer a sincere prayer. God will hear and bless them and you.

February 5, 2022

 

Really Pray

 

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

– Acts 12:5

 

Most of us are familiar with this story. Herod had Peter arrested and he was to bring him to trial the next day. Peter was bound with chains and sleeping between two soldiers. God sent angels to rescue Peter and lead him out of the prison.

 

This story reminds us of God’s power and that anything truly is possible when our hope is in Him. But let’s not rush past this sentence in Acts 12:5. The church was earnestly praying to God for Peter. They weren’t talking about praying. They were praying.

 

A dear friend shared a post about her sister, who is currently on a ventilator fighting Covid. The request was simple and powerful. The writer asked for prayer. He specified that he wanted real prayer. Not the kind of prayer where we post images of hands in prayer or even that simple word that tells others we are praying. He wanted people to please take a moment and really pray for my friend’s sister. The power of prayer when God is our only hope.

 

We talk a great deal about our lives being in God’s hands. We know that while we cling to an illusion of control that we really aren’t in control. Our lives could end in a moment. Our lives could be upended with one phone call, one diagnosis, one ugly rant. We are so often at the mercy of circumstances and situations that we can’t choose or control.

 

God is our only hope. Always. We don’t even need words because we have the Holy Spirit to intercede for us when we don’t know what to say. (Romans 8:26-27) God hears our anguished hearts. He provides comfort and strength no matter the outcome.

 

When someone asks you to pray, do it. Don’t just throw out some words and call yourself done. Actually pray. Take a moment to close your eyes, quiet your mind and ask God for healing, strength, direction. Your words and your heart do make a difference.

February 4, 2022

 

Quiet Time

 

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

– Luke 5:16

 

How often do you pray? I’m not asking how often you talk about praying. I’m not counting those one sentence prayers you throw out in desperation or to make a point. I’m asking how often you actually sit or kneel down in a quiet place and spend time with God, talking and listening.

 

We take prayer for granted, don’t we? God is always there so when we really need Him, we pray. Desperation turns a soul toward the One who can make it all right again. We cry out in anguish, in anger, in grief.

 

But what about all those other times. Do we thank God when life is good? Do we spend time with Him when we are filled with blessings? Or do we take it all for granted?

 

Are you tired from the demands of your life? Are you so busy juggling responsibilities that you just can’t seem to find time for God? He understands, you tell yourself. If you bother to think of Him at all, that is.

 

What would happen if you began each day with God? How would your day look if you asked Him to direct your path? How would it feel if God took care of you and everything on your list of responsibilities?

 

God provides us with the power to handle our day. It might not end up looking like the day we imagined. Maybe that’s our issue with kneeling before God. We want to be in control but He demands that we relinquish that control to Him. Funny thing about all that. We aren’t ever really in control. It’s an illusion that makes us feel safe for a time.

 

God is in control. He knows what’s coming. He knows what we need and how best to protect and nurture us. God loves us beyond anything we could imagine. No matter what. There is security in that.

 

So give it a try. Start your day with God. Talk to Him and take time to listen to what He has to say. You may just find yourself craving Him in a way you never imagined. You may even begin looking forward to that quiet time you spend alone with Him.

January 20, 2022

 

Pharisee or Sinner?

 

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

How many times have we seen this verse on social media? People begging for Christians to bow down and pray for God to heal our land from this awful disease called Covid. People asking God to restore Himself to leadership in this land. People demanding that God restore Donald Trump to the presidency. People living in comfort crying out for God to increase their prosperity.

 

The one thing we haven’t seen a lot of are those same people admitting their own sins. They’re too busy pointing their fingers at the sins of others to acknowledge that maybe they should change their own hardened hearts before they demand the same of others.

 

If Christians truly lived as Jesus lived, our country wouldn’t need social media posts demanding our will from God. We’d be too busy praying and serving, extending kindness and grace and a helping hand. But that might cause us to get our own hands dirty. It might make us admit we’re wrong in our judgements of people we do not know.

 

In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector both going to the temple to pray. The Pharisee was thanking God that he wasn’t like other sinners. He was praising himself for fasting and tithing. The tax collector would not even lift his eyes to heaven as he begged God for mercy on himself, a sinner.

 

Which are you? Are you the Pharisee who is so busy praising himself that he has forgotten how to humble himself before God? Or are you the sinner who names himself as such as he bows before God Almighty? Reread 2 Chronicles 7:14. Are you the haughty Pharisee or the humble sinner? Your words and actions reveal your answer.

February 15, 2020

Seek God

When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. – Isaiah 1:15

They demand the prayers of many as they circle the wagons of righteousness. They are defending against evil or so they loudly proclaim. For it is in their next breath that they clutch tightly to what they “own” and the lifestyle that brings them comfort and security.

They wonder why God hasn’t changed their circumstances. They plead with God to protect them from the evil of Washington politicos who disagree with their version of faith. They cling to lies that will protect themselves rather than seek God’s true will.

God’s will is never comfortable. He doesn’t call us to the easy or to the view of many. God calls us to the light. His light. We are to be beacons in the darkness. Instead, we seek darkness and call it light.

Learn to do good.

Seek justice.

Help the oppressed.

Defend the cause of orphans.

Fight for the rights of widows. – Isaiah 1:17

We make excuses. They need to work. They should make better choices. We aren’t responsible for children who belong to others. If someone is in jail, they deserve to be there. We don’t have time to volunteer. We couldn’t possibly mentor a fatherless teen. It’s not our fault they’re having a hard time.

Really? It is our responsibility to do good where we can. God hasn’t called us to qualify who deserves our help. God doesn’t need us to judge and determine who is worthy. Asssll the financial gifts God has given to us are to be used to help others.

It’s not that God doesn’t want good things for us. He gives us blessings again and again. But God expects us to hold those things loosely. God expects us to show mercy and compassion to everyone.

What are you praying for today? Are you asking God to do your will or are you asking Him to open your heart to His will? God hears the prayers of those who truly seek Him. Are you?

December 15, 2018

Listen for Him

“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

– Genesis 3:5

“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

‘“In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.”

But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.”’ – Ezekiel 28:2

From the very beginning, we’ve been trying to pretend we’re like God. We think we can be smart and know all things. Arrogance and the devil tells us we can.

We can’t, of course. Just as the serpent led Eve to destruction, so will he lead us to destruction as well. It’s that arrogance that tells us to disregard God’s rules and focus on our own wants and desires.

I was in a church meeting recently where a controversial topic was being discussed. We weren’t making decisions or even voicing personal opinions. We were there to learn about the various options and what they might mean for us two months from now.

That said, body language clearly revealed the sides that are forming. It is not going to be pleasant. Some people have set their beliefs in stone. They’ll gladly pull out Scripture to back those beliefs up. Both sides, I might add.

That’s how it is with controversy. Everyone thinks they know God’s true will better than anyone else. We tell ourselves that over and over again. It helps us stand firm in what we believe, whether it is truly God’s will or not

The hard truth is that some things make us uncomfortable. We don’t want to read what God says about welcoming foreigners into our land. We’d rather pull out the passage about obeying the law. Which is right and which is wrong? Maybe both views are right and both views are wrong.

Our churches are facing some hard issues. There are no easy answers. But there are a few basic things we should remember. God is love, would be the first thing. Jesus told us the greatest commandment was to love God above all else and the second was to love our neighbors as ourselves. When we get those two things in the correct order, everything else falls into place.

Before we left that day, one committee member said something really basic and totally true. He told everyone not to spend the next two months fretting over what might or might not happen. He suggested that instead we spend that time in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to provide discernment and for the delegates to be led to vote however God would have them vote.

We don’t know what’s the best direction in this situation, no matter how much we might think we do. We aren’t God. What we don’t know far outweighs what we think we do know.

My friend offered all of us wise advice. The question now is whether we can get over ourselves long enough to actually pray and listen for God’s voice or whether we’re going to be so focused on what we “know” that we miss Him in the midst of it all.

November 14, 2018

God Listens

You who answer prayer, to you all people will come. – Psalm 65:2

When I was a child, the Mormons aired a television commercial that really hit close to home for me. It was about a little girl who had just returned home from a birthday party. Her mother didn’t want to hear about the party because she was busy folding clothes and watching a soap opera. Her Dad was too busy to listen. So was her brother. She finally sat down on the back step and asked the dog if he wanted to hear about the party.

I’m sure there are details I’ve forgotten over the years. The message remains. There are times in our lives when we need someone to listen and they simply can’t or won’t. And there are times in our lives when someone else needs us to listen and we either can’t or won’t.

Are you a good listener? Do you listen to hear or to respond? Do you listen only so you can tell something about yourself? Or do you ask questions and make comments about what the other person is saying?

So often, we try to make it about us. Many times we think we’re too busy to stop and hear what someone else has to say. We think we’ll have plenty of time for conversation one day. Except one day never comes.

I saw something on Facebook recently that said there are seven days in the week. One day isn’t one of them. But we act as though it is. We’ve got lots of plans for one day.

We get caught up in life, don’t we? We plan to spend quality time with our children except we are so busy. We’ve got work and then we’re racing kids to soccer practice and dance and a host of other activities. We’re there but, well, someone is always texting or calling. And we need to relax. There’s surely nothing wrong with playing video games or scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. We can listen another time.

Except when will one day come? When do we share a conversation with the people that we care about? When do we look someone in the eye, share a smile, chuckle over a joke?

I’ve always been blessed. God never, ever left me alone. I learned early in life that He is quick to listen. It is a comfort that I have carried with me. He surrounds me. He is with me.

People are amazed that I’m not lonely. Why would I be? I am so blessed with the people in my life, those who are there no matter what. But I am mostly blessed with a God who listens, who sees me, who holds me close. Always. Forever.

I don’t understand those who find it hard to pray. It doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t have to always be more of a ritual or a list of thanks and requests. Yes, God is Creator and to be respected and held in awe. But He is also Abba, Father, Daddy. I am many things in this world but the first thing I am is His child.

I talk to God constantly. Yes, I have formal prayer times. But why would any of us limit time with God to just that? I thank Him constantly for blessings as I enjoy them. I ask for His help and guidance as situations pop up through the day. I ask Him to watch over others, whether I know them or their story or not. It’s how I keep myself connected to the source of life while I travel through a sometimes dark world.

I hope that whatever you face today, you take a moment and invite God in. I hope that you talk to Him, let Him calm you and guide you. I hope you share your laughter with God, as well as your tears. He loves you. And He’s always there to listen.

September 24, 2018

Who Do You Pray For?

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. – Ephesians 6:18

Who did you pray for today? You did pray, didn’t you? I certainly hope so! Prayer is not only how we talk to God, it’s also how we listen to Him.

Maybe you’re one of those who treat God like a vending machine. You know what I’m talking about. You want, want, want. No matter how much you get, you want more.

Oh, you’re grateful. Always. But it’s never enough. You’re never satisfied because you’re trying to fill yourself up with stuff rather than with God Himself.

But I digress. Let’s get back to prayer. How often do you pray for yourself? And how often do you pray for others? Because if your prayers are all about you, then you’ve got a problem. That’s something our pastor pointed out yesterday.

We are to pray for others. We are to pray for healing and for God’s Spirit to fill them up. We are to pray for guidance and comfort and so many things. People desperately need us to intercede for them, just as we need others to intercede for us.

What they don’t need are prayers for our will to be done in their lives. We’re really good at telling God what He needs to do, aren’t we? So, we try to “fix” others with prayer. We offer God plenty of advice He doesn’t need on how to get people in line with how we think they should be living their lives.

Oops!

Motives have a way of revealing themselves when we go before God in prayer if we’ll listen to what He is saying to us. God is good to point out our flaws, our self-interests, our agendas. Sometimes it hurts. It’s a necessary hurt.

God knows best. He always does. We don’t have to tell Him what we think in order to lift someone up in prayer. We can ask for healing – knowing that the healing might happen here on earth or it might come with Him taking the one we love home to heaven. We have to trust Him to know what’s best. That’s hard.

A sweet friend once said that the hardest prayer she ever prayed was asking God to do whatever was necessary to save a family member. She understood that some people must go through great heartache to reach a point of surrender to Christ. She understood that her prayer might be for brokenness for someone she loved. She prayed anyway, trusting God to know best.

How about you? Do you trust God to handle issues without your input? Do you trust Him to wrap Himself around those who are hurting? Do you trust Him enough to lift up someone in prayer without telling God what to do?

We are called to pray for others, not to know all the answers. When in doubt, pray. When someone is hurting, pray. When the Holy Spirit brings someone to mind, pray. Just pray – and trust God to know what’s best.

September 3, 2018

Clean Yourself Up First

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17

“How many people are more worried about a kid wearing a hat in the sanctuary than his heart?” It was an honest, if brutal, question posed by our Youth Minister.

We like to get caught up in appearances, don’t we? We are all about appropriate dress and appropriate behavior in church. Take those crying babies to the nursery! Tell that man to take a bath! Make those kids stop squirming! How dare someone sit on “my” pew! The music minister needs to pick different songs! The pastor talks too long! Should I keep going?

Why do we attend Sunday morning worship services? Is it to see who was there and to be seen by others? Or is it to truly worship God Almighty?

Why do we act as though others should clean themselves up to our standards before they enter our doors? If only “clean” people could walk into the sanctuary, there would be no one there. When did we stop realizing that?

We had a new person attend our Sunday school class this week. Apparently, she’s been attending church for a while but would never venture into a small group. Another class member has encouraged her and she joined us. I don’t know her story. I don’t need to know. She is broken and hurting inside. That’s obvious. She is going through the motions but barely hanging on. I’m really glad she came.

Church isn’t about having it all together before you walk in the building. It isn’t about knowing all the answers. It isn’t about making light conversation. It isn’t really even about reading Bible verses. We come together to worship God and love one another.

We spend a lot of time on prayer requests in my class. Some people don’t like it and end up leaving. Others come to hear the names of people they love lifted up. How do I know? They tell me. An awful situation somehow gets filled with hope when people gather around and pray about it.

Church isn’t a social club, where you put on your best behavior and pretend life is fine. At least, it shouldn’t be. Church should be the one place above all others where everyone is welcome and accepted, loved and cared about.

At one point in my life I attended church for a totally selfish reason. Do you want to know what it was? The hugs that came during fellowship time. It was the only time I was ever touched by another human being and I craved that connection. No one knew. They were just good people being Jesus. But I felt it and it led me into a deeper connection with the One who makes me whole.

We forget sometimes that Jesus came for sinners, for the outcasts, for the hurting, for the thief and the blind man. He came for all those society had cast aside as unworthy. Why do we think it’s okay to cast them aside too? Why do we judge and condemn rather than love and welcome?

We are all sinners. We all need Jesus. We are all welcome at His throne.

August 16, 2018

Who Do You Talk About?

Therefore confess your sins to each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. – James 5:16

Who have you talked about today? Oh, come on. Be honest. It’s only between you and God and He knows the truth anyway.

We love to talk about people, don’t we? We love to pass on the “news” and hear all the details that are really none of our business. Does it make us feel better about ourselves? Does it help us avoid focusing on our own problems?

We’re all guilty. We are. We’d rather talk about someone than spend time in prayer about them and for them. In fact, oftentimes gossip masquerades as a “prayer request.” It’s a common way of talking about others in a small-group church gathering. Stop it! God knows the details so you don’t have to repeat them. Simply ask your group to pray for someone and leave it at that.

We often consider ourselves justified. We get angry at someone and we go around telling “our side” to anyone and everyone who will listen. We stir up trouble. We tear apart relationships. We wallow in sin.

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. – James 4:11

We like to justify ourselves, don’t we? We claim a faith we don’t live but we don’t have a clue we aren’t living it. We stay so focused on fixing others, judging them, telling others about their “sins” that we miss our own sins.

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

– James 1:26

What would happen if Christians started praying for people instead of talking about them? How would your life change, how would your heart change, if every time you thought badly of someone you prayed for them instead? How would your words change if you stopped sharing anything except what would build someone else up? How would our world change if we stopped fighting about our differences and prayed for unity?

Some of the most hateful people I know are “prayerful” Christians. They are so busy pointing fingers and commenting on the flaws of others that they miss the point. They miss Jesus’ words about loving others. Or, if they “heard” them, they mistakenly think He meant to love only people exactly like themselves.

Our pastor reminded us Sunday that John Wesley had three rules of faith. The first was to do no harm. That means never sharing a falsehood about someone else. It means not airing your personal grievances about someone to everyone who will listen. It means learning to control your loose tongue.

The second rule was to do good. If someone harms you, treat them with kindness. If you can help someone who can never repay you, do so with a smile and with gracious words. Go the extra step. Be kind. Be merciful.

And abide in fellowship with God. In all things and at all times, seek Him. Words can never be recovered once they are spoken. They carry a lasting impact long after the fuss has disappeared. They destroy far more than we realize.

Pray for people. Don’t talk about it. Just go into a quiet room and pray. Focus on fixing yourself and trust God with the outcome of all the rest.

May 4, 2018

Why Won’t God Answer?

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

– Isaiah 59:1-2

“Why won’t God answer my prayers?” Her voice was quiet, the weight of sadness heavy on her shoulders. Unshed tears watered her eyes.

It does seem like God is ignoring us sometimes, doesn’t it? We pray and pray and pray and still it seems that God won’t respond. Nothing. No word. No sign. No indication that He’s even heard us.

We wait and wait and wait. The time of decision is at hand and still we wait. Where is God? You desperately want to do His will but how can you know what His will is if God won’t tell you?

There are many reasons why He doesn’t respond to our prayers. Maybe it’s because we have unconfessed sin in our hearts. God may be waiting for us to acknowledge our own inequities and change our behavior, our words, our hearts, before He acknowledges our prayers.

David asked God in Psalm 139 to search his heart and point out anything that might be wrong. We can do the same. Sometimes we harbor sin without really being aware of it. God will show us if we ask. The rest of it – confession and repentance – rests with us.

Other times God simply wants us to wait. His timing and ours rarely seem to be following the same clock. We get anxious, ready to move ahead. God wants us to feel His peace where we are. There is a lesson in the waiting. Look for it.

And sometimes God wants us to take a step forward in faith before He’ll clearly show us the way to go. This is a hard one. We want to know the path before we cut ties with the past. Where’s the trust in that? Is God nudging your heart in a certain direction? Pay attention to His still, quiet voice.

In the study Breathe, Priscilla Shirer talks about a season with small children and an overwhelming travel schedule for ministry. She and her husband prayed and prayed and they felt God calling them to step back and take a Sabbath. It took a while. They had commitments booked out for about two years. But they set a goal.

Here’s the thing: They didn’t know what that Sabbath would look like. They didn’t have a plan. But they trusted that God would take care of them and lead them where He wanted them to go.

They followed God first. Then the call came from Lifeway asking Priscilla to join their team as a speaker at large events. God wanted her to stay in ministry, just in a different way that was better suited to her young children and that particular season of her life.

When God seems distant ask yourself if you have really listened for His voice? Or have you been waiting for Him to answer the way you think He should? Sometimes we keep praying about something because we don’t like what God has told us. That’s not a comfortable thought, is it?

God always hears our prayers. God always answers our prayers. But we hear from Him in His timing, not ours. And we hear from Him what He thinks is best and not what we have asked Him to bless.

When you feel God’s silence, hit your knees and look inside. What are you missing that God wants you to see? Clean your heart and open it wide. Wait. God is right there.

April 24, 2018

A Little Girl and a Town

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” – Psalm 91:14-15

Yesterday our small town turned out in light blue. Students and teachers, store clerks and office workers. It was all about a seven-year-old girl and her fight to stay alive.

This sweet girl had a tumor removed, a “lesion”, from her brain. How can a child, a second-grade beauty queen, be okay one minute and then rushed to Children’s Hospital in another? What are parents to do when faced with the very real possibility of burying their child? How do they conquer their fear and remain strong for their little girl?

There are moments when you realize how fragile life is. There are times when you realize that you really aren’t in control. There are tears when you realize all those heartbreaking verses in the Bible were intended to bring you comfort. Hope, that fragile thing that rests on faith, comes on the bended knees of desperation.

A community rallied to lift up one of its own. The light blue symbolized those who prayed that God would heal, that God would gift comfort and strength, for this uncertain journey. Because tomorrow really isn’t promised no matter how determined we might be.

Many people hugged their babies a little closer these last few days. Grandparents counted their blessings and savored moments with their grandchildren. This little girl was a stark reminder that we never know what the day will bring. Devastation is just a moment away.

We see the faith in God, the trust that He will turn it all to good even as He heals. One photo stuck out in my mind: that of two little girls deep in prayer. Best friends since they met at six-weeks-old. One determined child praying for another, teaching us that in our most desperate moments we cry out to the God who provides miracles and healing and comfort and strength.

The surgery was a success. The doctors think they’ve removed it all. It could take six days to get the test results back. But for now all is well. She is alive and fighting back. A community breathed a sigh of relief. God is good.

God is always good. Even if the surgery outcome had been bad, God is still good. Even if God one day chooses to heal this little girl by taking her home, He is still good. We miss that sometimes as we shout out our halleluiahs. We forget about the times God said no.

My thoughts go to a young man who only lived to be 20. He was diagnosed with cancer shortly after high school graduation. The fight was long and hard. He almost made it. Almost. His absence created a hole in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. Faith is a promise of seeing him again but it doesn’t take away the heartbreak of burying a child who never really had a chance to be a man.

We wrap our hearts around this little girl and her family. We pray without ceasing. We are grateful for every small step toward recovery. We rest in His grace and mercy. We are held by His strength, on the prayers of all those who have united as one.

Prayer is a powerful thing. It’s really too bad that it takes something so awful to bring us to our knees before the throne of God, a place we should have been all along.

April 22, 2018

Trust God

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

– Proverbs 3:5-6

A few days ago I wrote down a very specific prayer request. I’d prayed in general for this thing to come to pass but this time I got specific. Two days later, God answered my prayer.

I don’t know what surprised me more: That He answered my prayer so quickly or that He answered it at all. I was shocked at my reaction. I know God answers prayer. He does it all the time for me and for others. It’s something I talk about again and again. But this prayer was just so specific and He did it – for me.

What I prayed for doesn’t matter. I will tell you that it wasn’t something major. It was something much smaller. I know that God cares about the details of our lives. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. God has numbered the hairs on our heads. He cares about the little things. But He cared about my little thing and I was just so amazed.

Isn’t that just like God to show up when we really aren’t expecting Him? This is one of those things that had gone on for months. I’d really given up hope. My prayers had been general and maybe a little half-hearted. Did I really expect success in this? But when I got specific, when I really turned it over to Him totally, God showed up in the most glorious way.

Sometimes I think I hold back on my prayer requests because I am so aware of all that God has done for me. I have no right to ask for anything else. He has carried me through the worst of storms. He soothed my battered flesh and lifted my spirits with hope. I am just so very grateful. I didn’t deserve all He has done for me and I certainly don’t deserve anything more.

Yet, God shows up again and again. I implore Him to guard my steps so that I follow His light and not my own desires. I am so thankful for all the times He has told me “no” or “not yet”. Have you ever looked back and thanked God for His protection from something you thought you wanted? He is just so wise!

I am not a trusting person. Life has taught me that the people closest to you can and will betray you in the worst possible ways. Trust is something earned over time. Betrayal can come in an instant, slamming the foundation of what you thought you knew and battering it into tiny pieces.

But God. How trustworthy is He? I am just so grateful, so thankful, that He is always by my side! God loves us with a love we can never fully comprehend. He always wants what is best for us. He always tells the truth. And He never leaves us alone to deal with whatever heartbreak or mess we are facing.

God also celebrates with us. He draws us close as we tell Him our joys, as we smile at the beauty of today. He is never consumed with jealousy or envy. God loves that we are happy. God laughs with us and rejoices on all the good that comes our way.

I don’t know what the days ahead will bring. I have no map that shows the future. But I know that God is with me. I know that whatever comes – the good and the bad – God will guide me through it. My goal, my part, is to stay focused on Him and to trust in His light to show me the way.

April 10, 2018

God Is Waiting

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. – Acts 1:14

How important is prayer on your daily “to do” list? Is it an afterthought or is it something you dedicate specific time to? Is prayer something you do out of obligation or is something you look forward to doing? And is prayer a once-and-done kind of thing or is it something that carries you through the day?

Several years ago I lead a study titled The Battle Plan for Prayer. I always knew God would call me to do it again and He has. It’s been a wonderful refresher course in being specific in my prayer life.

This study, by Stephen and Alex Kendrick and based on the movie War Room, leads us into a more strategic prayer life. How many times do we pray in generalities so that we never really know if our prayers are answered? How many times do we hold back because we’re afraid God will let us down, that He’ll say no, or, worse, that He’ll ignore us and our request?

What shallow faith we have. We’re so intent on doing it ourselves, on counting on ourselves, that we leave God out of the equation until all of our options are done. We have no where else to turn. We have nothing left to lose. Then we turn to God, who was waiting there all along, eager to help us and longing for a relationship with us.

That’s what God wants. He wants our hearts. He wants our devotion. He wants us to turn to Him, to run to Him, with all our joys and sorrows, our needs and our celebrations. He wants that relationship. We’re a bit leery. He is God, after all. He is Almighty. Powerful. Our Judge. The Creator of our world and the One in charge of it all.

What if He says no? What if He doesn’t heal or provide for us? What if He sends us on a journey we’d rather not take to a place we’d rather not go?

God has good plans for us. God provides for us. God loves and sustains us. These are His promises. He wrote them down for everyone to see. He is a God of truth. We can count on Him when we can’t count on anything or anyone else.

What would happen if you were as devoted to prayer as you are to your cell phone or to your kids’ ball schedule or your job? What would happen in your if you made prayer a priority rather than an obligation or something that was an option?

Schedule your prayer time and keep it. Then learn to pray spontaneously throughout the day. Is it a beautiful day? Thank God for it. Did your meeting god well? Thank God for that too. Are you stressed over finances? Turn it over to God and thank Him for handling it – before He does. Whatever it is, learn to include God in the moments of your day. He cares and He wants to be included.

March 29, 2018

What Will People Remember?

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.

– Psalm 116:15

I didn’t know her well but I had known her forever. She was my Mother’s first cousin, a voice on the phone and a participant in endless family stories more than someone I spent time with.

In the time leading up to my parents’ deaths, she was a warrior. She opened her heart to my Mother’s cries. She checked on all of us faithfully, then shared the status with her brothers and sisters. They were a close sibling group and had always included my mother in their circle.

She’d turned 93 just a short time ago. She was done, ready to go home and leave this life of suffering. She’d buried her husband and her son. She’d dealt with the loss of her eyesight. Now her back and legs were taking her to a place she just didn’t want to go. She told her daughter to call her siblings.

Days later she was gone, a great hole created where she once stood. Her prayers echo through my mind as I recall her voice. She was just so faithful to show Him to those around her. It’s what I will always remember.

What will others remember about you? Will they even care that you’ve gone on? Are you certain of your destiny? Does your life reflect that?

So many people stand on their lofty pedestal certain of themselves even as they look down on others. They know exactly what to say and when but their lives only reflect their lies and greed, their double standards and their selfishness.

A dear friend mourns the death of her father-in-law even as she deals with the ugliness of the wife he left behind. His wife plays one son against the other, using manipulation to get her way. She considers herself a fine Christian woman. I doubt anyone else views her that way. There is no honor in her actions, no reflection of Jesus in the angry words that blast from her mouth.

We are always quick to judge, aren’t we? Outsiders make pronouncements on what they don’t know, believing lies that have no foundation because it sounds good. Like the man who quotes the Bible but fails to live what he claims to believe.

I never knew my Mother’s cousin to preach the gospel. Her words were peppered with her faith but it wasn’t an outright Biblical lesson. Rather she lived what she believed. She was kind and caring, she was quick to pray and to show mercy and grace. She showed up even when her body wasn’t physically able to do much of anything anymore. She didn’t offer up excuses but rather reached out where she could to minister to those she loved.

That’s what all of us will remember about her. I’ve grown weary of those who claim a faith they don’t live. I’m tired of those who believe themselves blameless – only Jesus can honestly make that claim – and condemn everyone else by standards they don’t live themselves.

I know that Jesus was waiting for this dear woman when she finally made it home. Oh, what a family reunion there was! She was faithful to the end, living her love of Jesus out loud for all of us to see. That’s something we should all strive to achieve.

February 26, 2018

Get Up and Work

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. – Colossians 3:8

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you almost must forgive. – Colossians 3:12-13

She gets so angry at the “sins” of others. She sits on her sofa, watching Fox News, and gets more and more upset about all that others have done to persecute Jesus. She goes on social media, blasting the liberals, those in favor of gun control, immigrants, those on welfare. And on and on.

She looks in the mirror and calls herself justified because she reads her Bible and prays daily. That is where her faith ends.

What is she doing to bring about change she claims to want? Nothing. Unless, of course, you count ranting and pointing her polished nail at all those she sees as wrong. All those she sees as less than acceptable.

She is a modern-day Pharisee and she doesn’t have a clue.

She is not alone. There are a great many who share her views and her lack of action. One main point of contention: “They” have banned Jesus from our schools. I agree that Jesus needs to be invited back into our schools. But are we going to use hate or love in our efforts to bring Jesus to the students?

What is she doing to make a change? What are you doing? Our town has a wonderful program called FPKids. It was started as a way for kids to meet at the flag pole at their school, share a Bible lesson and a prayer, before school begins. It is run by volunteers. Some are parents. Some aren’t. All simply love Jesus and are reaching out to kids in any way they can.

The elementary-age kids meet – with parental permission – once each week. The volunteers are amazed at the response. One school had to divide the students by grade levels because there were too many children for one group. There is a hunger there that I don’t think anyone really expected.

Is it a sacrifice for the volunteers? Of course, it is. Some must get up earlier than usual because the group meets for 30 minutes before school. Others must arrange to go to work late that day. But all believe the sacrifice of time is worth reaching children and teaching them about Jesus.

These people aren’t focused on anger or revenge. They aren’t pointing fingers at what others have done “wrong”. They’re simply loving those God has placed before them, offering up kindness and compassion with a large dose of Jesus’ love. They are being the hands and feet of Jesus.

It is so easy to forget that we aren’t called to a life of sitting on the sidelines and pointing fingers at other sinners. We are called to action. We are called to love those who aren’t easy to love. We are called to do good where we are. Sometimes that means getting off the sofa and actually working to change what we don’t like.

So what are you doing today? Are you sitting around pointing fingers and spreading hate? Or are you actively loving those God has put in your path?