Shattered Pieces

 Shattered Pieces

    Yesterday, I pulled out some boxes out of my storage unit. Specifically looking for kitchen boxes. Then I found Kitchen Box #15, which I've been scared to open since putting all my things in a storage unit. Unfortunately, as we were unloading the Penske moving truck, this box fell from the back of the truck and landed on the cement. If you've ever used a Penske truck, you know that's about a 4' drop. When my cousin picked up the box, he said it rattled. I looked in my little blue journal, where I had labeled and cataloged what every box had in it. My heart sank when I read "Coffee Mugs." Yes, very breakable. Coffee mugs are not all that valuable, but many are sentimental. You see, I have a collection of random mugs. Whenever I travel, I love to collect coffee mugs from where I've spent some time or some place of significance in my life. 

    As I opened the box yesterday and carefully unwrapped each mug, there were quite a few broken ones. Several survived the fall and were unscathed, and I was thankful. One broken mug brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It was a coffee mug given to Todd when we left the pastorate in Kenmare. The mug says, "A PASTOR is one who speaks to your spirit, listens to your heart, and understands what words can never say."  The whole time I pastored in Kenmare, I used that mug to remind myself of the incredible calling I had again in Kenmare to love on the people and speak life into their lives. So, seeing the mug shattered was just so heartbreaking. It represented ten years of my life, pastoring in Kenmare, and now it was shattered. So this morning, I slowly and meticulously super-glued it back together. It will never be able to hold a drink again, but I can still look at it and use it to hold useful things on my desk. It took me nearly an hour to figure out where each piece fit back together. It was one small piece at a time till the puzzle was slowly reassembled. A few chips are missing, and it will never look new or be what it was originally designed for, but now it will be repurposed and still cherished. Though the other 5 or 6 mugs that were broken ended up in the trash can, this one still will 'live' on, though totally different now.

This mug seems to parallel my life—shattered but put back together with God's SUPERnatural Glue and redesigned for another purpose. That's what God does best: bring us into newness of life and hope to a life shattered by the 'falls' of life. That's why His grace is so amazing, and it's always 'unfolding' in my life.

   "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace."

2 Corinthians 4:16 MSG

Encouraging Myself in the Lord

   

   This morning, I picked up my book, "Unfolding Grace Notes," and began reading some of it, randomly reading the different entries. I smiled on several, remembering writing it and what it meant to me, how God had unfolded that truth in my life. Why would I go back and read the things I wrote?  Because those are truths and encouragements God had brought to my life that I wanted to share with others to encourage them. Rereading them encouraged me again.

    I thought of King David in the Bible. (Story found in I Samuel 30:1-20)  He came back from a victorious battle to find his town had been raided and their families carried off as captives.  His warrior men with him were devastated, as was David, to find their wives and children gone and homes burned down.  And how most people react in a time of loss and pain, they find someone to blame. These loyal men turned on David and threatened to kill him.  They were bitter, and wanted someone to pay, and decided David was the one to pay.  Since they were following him and fighting his battles, it was his fault they all had a loss.  

  If you step back and consider it, their blame was misplaced. David had lost, too. But David's reaction was far different from his men's. David turned and encouraged himself in the Lord. He sought the Lord and asked God what he should do. And God answered. They pursued the raiders, conquered them, and recovered all that had been stolen. 

    I Sam 30:20 "Nothing of theirs was missing whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David recovered it all."  

  They all got their wives and families back, and they all got their belongings back, because one man sought the Lord, and followed what God had said to do.  David didn't play the blame game, he played the encourage himself in the Lord game, and He won!  He went back to what had always brought him encouragement and direction, and through God, there was victory.

    When life gets discouraging and you feel like blaming others for the mess you're in.  Stop!  Turn to God and find out the truth.  He can lead you into victory.  Go back to the Word and seek the Lord while He may be found.  Who knows, maybe your turning to God for encouragement, can bring victory and encouragement to others around you. 

   

 If you haven't received a copy of my book Unfolding Grace Notes, it's available on Amazon.  It might encourage you like it still encourages me. 

Walking with Heat

 

  I did something today, that I've never done before. I went for a walk. LOL. I've actually done that a lot, but today, I went for a walk, and packed my gun with me. Why? Because a neighbor had spotted a mountain lion the other day. Since I walk down dirt trails between fields, packing a gun is not a bad idea. I thankfully didn't see a mountain lion, but did get startled by a pheasant flying up out of the golden barley next to the road. After I jumped I had to laugh at myself for being startled by a bird. LOL! I took my walk quite early before the heat from the sun kicked in again. Yesterday it was 107, today is supposed to hit 100 again too, but early this morning at 6 am, it was in the cool 70's. The cool air felt so good after yesterday.

    Carrying a gun, packing heat, conceal carry, open carry, these are all fairly new terms and phrases for me. I'm still in the learning mode. I have actually surprised myself, that I'm a fairly good shot. I typically shoot around 60%, or out of every 10 shots, 6 of them are in the bulls eye zone, the others close by. Not too bad for a beginner. I'd love it if every shot made the bulls eye, but I'm not there yet, nor am I in life. I often am shooting at the target, but miss getting it straight on. I mess up, I miss. I'm human. In shooting, I'm a beginner, and just learning how to sight in my target. I've had a little more experience in this game of life, but still often miss my targeted bullseye. Thankfully my God is a forgiving God, and like the game of Horse Shoes, 'close' can often still score you points. My perfectionistic personality wants me to think I'm a failure, but thankfully God doesn't see me as that. He tells me that He began a good work in me and He will complete it. As long as I'm still aiming at the target, He can work with me. 

So don't give up. Keep on going. Keep aiming for the mark, and try again. God has great things in store! And carry heat when a mountain lion has been spotted in your area.🙂 And walk when it's cool before there's too much heat.🙂 

"I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]." Philippians 1:6 AMP

Rattle Me Shake Me

   The other day, a memory from Junior High floated back into my recall memory. I was sitting in some class and thinking of a song (my mind wandered even back then). The song was about being happy in Jesus and had a couple of funny verses to it. One verse was about sitting in a classroom, getting asked why you were smiling, and getting sent to the principal's office because the teacher thought the student was high on drugs. So, as I sat at my desk thinking about that song with a smile on my face, my teacher called on me and asked, "Miss Shaw, what are you smiling about?" That made me smile and probably giggle all the more. I don't remember my reply, nor did I get sent to the principal's office, but it is a funny memory for me. There's always a song playing in my head, usually relating to what's happening around me. Although I hold this memory, I had forgotten the song. Then, a couple of days ago, I played a mix of older music from the 70s on my Spotify app. Some good Second Chapter of Acts, Evie, Keith Green and a few more, when the song started playing. I realized I knew this song, and that's the song that had me smiling in that Junior High classroom. So listen to this wonderful fun song from Nancy Honeytree called "Rattle Me Shake Me." It made me smile way back in Junior High and still makes me smile today, because I've got Jesus inside!! 

Cheese Sandwich Delivery

   The Bible tells us a story in I Samuel about a young man who went to deliver some cheese sandwiches to his brothers who were serving in the King's army. But before he was the delivery boy, he watched his Dad's sheep in the hillside pastures.  And like most boys, to keep himself entertained, he'd take his slingshot and do target practice.  When he got bored with that, he'd pick up his lyre/harp and play.  You can get really good at an instrument when you have hour after hour of nothing to do but watch the sheep.  When he first started, I'm sure the sound alone kept the wild predators away. 

    One day, while he was out watching his Dad's sheep, the famous preacher came to their home to have a special service.  Everyone was there except this young shepherd boy.  They left him out in the pasture because he was too young to understand the importance of the preacher anyway, and someone had to be there to watch the sheep.  So he sang and played his lyre/lute while his brothers and parents listened intently to the preacher's words.  The sermon didn't go real long, when the preacher got to the point of his visit.  God had sent him to anoint one of the boys as the nation's next king.  Each son passed before the preacher, and God told the preacher each time, "No, not this one."  Finally, the preacher asked if there were any more sons.  They all looked at each other, and finally said, "Yeah, there's one more, the youngest, but it can't be him, he's nothing but a shepherd, and musician always playing that stupid harp of his."  The preacher said, "Go get him, for this service will not end, and we will not sit down and eat till he comes."  Everyone knows there's nothing worse than cold food, so they ran to get the young man.

  When the young man arrived from the pasture, still smelling like the sheep and the fresh country air, the Lord spoke to the preacher and said, "This is the one. Anoint him as the next king."  So, right there in front of his parents and his older brothers, the young lad was anointed king.  This didn't make his brothers very happy.  There might have been a conversation with him later that went like this, "Don't think for a minute, Squirt, that just cause some preacher came and poured oil on you that you're any kind of big shot.  You're still our punky little brother, and not good for much except watching sheep, so get back to the pasture and watch them."

  This young man returned to the pasture and continued doing what he had been doing before.  He was obedient and faithful to caring and watching over his father's flock, all the while singing and playing his harp/lyre.  Eventually, he got so skilled at it that it became the soothing sound of the hillside, and the sheep knew his sound and relaxed under the sweet music.  The music drifted through the hills, and people began to notice it.  Eventually, it was even brought to the king's attention about his skill, and he was invited to play for the king at the palace.  

    But war broke out in his country, and some of his brothers left to serve in the army.  One day, his father hungry for information and news from the war, sent this young lad with some cheese and some bread to his brothers at the front lines.  When he arrived he left the cheese and bread with the supply keeper and ran off to find his brothers to see how they were doing.  While catching up with his brothers he saw the giant.  This giant kept taunting the army, and accusing them of being cowards, as no one had stepped up to challenge and fight him.  That's when the lad could take it no longer, and asked what will done for the man that conquerors this giant.  He was told that the one who defeats this giant will be made rich, given the king's daughter as a wife, and his family shall be tax-exempt from then on. The lad thought about it and knew that with God's help he could do it.  This giant would be one of the biggest targets he had shot at, he was bound to hit him, he was too big to miss.  It would be no different from the lion or bear he had taken down who had threatened the sheep.

    So he took his slingshot, found five smooth stones in the stream, and went after the giant.  His brothers and the rest of the army looked on, sure that this young lad would be the next war casualty.  As the young man ran to the giant, he yelled, "You've got a sword and a spear, and keep cursing my God. I come at you with the name of the Lord my God, who I worship."  With those words, he slung his slingshot around and fired his rock at the giant. Sure enough, it hit the target with incredible accuracy, and the giant fell to the ground.  This young boy became a hero that day, and throughout all time, his story of bravery would be told.  

    He didn't set out to kill a giant, and win a great victory for his country.  He set out to deliver some cheese sandwiches to his brothers hungry and tired on the front lines of war.  He was just doing the little things, like watching his Dad's sheep, learning to play an instrument, and practicing his skill with his slingshot.  He kept faithfully doing the things he was supposed to do, and when the time came, God knew He could do great things through him. The moral of the story is that even the smallest tasks, when done with faith and diligence, can lead to unexpected opportunities for greatness.

  So keep watching your sheep, practicing your instrument, swinging that slingshot, and being a cheese sandwich delivery boy.  Someday, you may be needed to slay the giant. Don't belittle the little stuff.

(The story of David is found in I Samuel 16-17)

      

She Believed Ladies Retreat in Hardin

So excited about this Retreat. It's been four years since I've put on a Retreat, it feels so good to be back in the saddle so to speak and doing what I love to do. So ladies, hope you can join us!! If you're interested, I can email you a brochure, which has more information. Kelley

Tune Up

Playing my 12 string that I’ve owned and played since 1978.  

 

”Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle— I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭144‬:‭1‬, ‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬

    I’ve played guitar for over 50 years now, and no matter how long I play there is always something that’s required in order to play, and that is to tune the guitar. No matter what guitar you play, it requires tuning at some point. There are some guitars that stay in tune better than others. But even the most expensive guitar at some point needs to tune. No guitar plays by itself, and depending on whose hands it is in, will determine the sound coming out of it. Even though I’ve played for over 50 years, I personally know people that have played for way fewer years, but can make my guitar sound like I’ve never been able to make it sound. Level of skill and talent. But that doesn’t stop me from playing.

   Sometimes life is like my guitar. It needs a tune up. There are a couple of ways of doing that. You could just tune it to itself, and you’ll be fine as long as you don’t try to play along with someone else, then you may be out of tune depending on what you used for your starting tuning pitch. Next you could use an electric tuner. This is often my go to now, and they now make them that easily clip on your head of your guitar, and hear and feel the vibration of the guitar to get it in tune. The final way you can tune a guitar is to go an instrument like a piano, and tune to it. If you’re tuning to an electric keyboard, your pitch will be exact to A44, as an electric keyboard can’t go out of tune, like a stringed instrument. 

   The devil loves to come along when you’re not looking and twist your tuning pegs down a pitch, to get you out of tune and sounding awful. Your own human nature can do the same. But it’s when you realize you need a tune up, you can turn to the one with the true pitch. God never goes out to tune. His pitch is perfect, and when we tune UP to Him, we can begin to do battle with our fingers and fight a winning war with praise on our ‘stringed’ instrument. 

   So how do we tune UP to God. By digging into His Word, the Bible, and not just reading, but doing it. Don’t worry, you’ll need to tune up often. I often have to tune up in between songs, as I tend to play pretty hard, and can easily get my guitar out of tune. I don’t beat myself up for getting out of tune, I just make the adjustment and get back in tune, so I can continue to play and make music that’s pleasant to listen to.

Solve the Riddle

 There are people who love to tell riddles, and they're usually good at solving them. I'm not in that group of people. I usually sit there feeling stupid till someone else solves it, and then I have to ask to have the solution explained to me. I'm also in that group of people who often mess up the punch line of a joke. Riddles are just so hard. They're a mystery to me. 

   I was so pleased to find this scripture recently while reading through the book of Psalms.  "I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with the inspiration from a harp." Psalms 49:4 NLT Now this verse I get!

   I have often had a perplexing problem in my life and didn't know what to do, but then, while worshipping God, usually with my guitar in my hand, the answer came to me. I was being scriptural but didn't even realize it. Each time, I was so thankful to the Lord for bringing the answer to me. One time, in particular, a picture of something came to me while I was worshipping. In this case, it was a picture of a dress. I had never seen one like that, so later, I found a piece of paper and pen, and I sketched it out. Later that year, I needed to make a dress for my daughter for her brother's wedding. I came up with a design and made it. Later, I found that piece of paper from earlier, and here it was, exactly the dress I had just designed and made. I'd forgotten about the drawing, but it was in my heart, so it still came out. During that time of worship, when I saw that 'dress,' I was a little irritated at 'seeing' it because I just wanted to worship, and here I was, seeing a dress in my mind's eye. But God downloaded it to me because I was worshipping. My focus was on Him, and then He gave me what I was going to need.

You might not play a stringed instrument, but you can still worship God. You don't worship to solve riddles or problems in your life. You just worship the Lord from your heart. And sometimes,
He can bring you the answer to your riddle while you worship. 

Every moment is a good time to praise. Anywhere you are. At any time. Lift your voice and heart to him. 

Feeling at Home

The courtesy loaner car

 My Jeep has been at the repair shop for the last few days. It was running really rough. So far, the mechanic can't find anything wrong, so it will possibly be chalked up to the extreme cold weather, and maybe some bad gas. So, while my Jeep has been in the shop for the last three days (it was on a waiting list to be looked at), the shop loaded me this sporty little Hyundai car. It's a fairly new car, as it only has 10,000 miles on it (I can put that much on in a few months!) and has quite a few bells and whistles that I've never had before in a car. Of course, being a new car, there's no key for the ignition, just a button to push that relays off the fob you must have with you. It has a fancy backup camera and lots of other features I have yet to figure out.

    It always makes me a little nervous driving a vehicle I'm not used to. I don't automatically know where the buttons or levers are that control things. Of course, all cars are standard, thank God, in the turn signals, gas, and brake pedal, but other than that, you have to relearn with each vehicle where things are. The car, of course, gets me down the road just the same as my Jeep, although my visual sight range is quite a bit lower to the ground than my Jeep, and I'm pretty sure the gas mileage is way better in this little car. As I was driving it yesterday, running a few errands, I got to thinking about the correlations to life. Sometimes, we even temporarily have to switch our mode of travel through life. Even though our regular way is getting us down the road of life, sometimes, that needs to be brought in for repairs and maintenance. But that doesn't mean our journey has to stop or end. Another mode of transportation is offered. Sometimes, it feels a little uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but it still gets you down the road. It can look different in shape and color and even in horsepower under the hood. Whether it's just temporary or you make a more permanent change, there's always a period of adjustment. Sometimes, that can happen in just a few minutes of looking over the controls; that can be a much larger and lengthier learning curve in other vehicles. The more you drive the new vehicle the more you get comfortable with it. Eventually, it feels like it's yours and drive without consciously thinking about where everything is located. You feel at home. 

Feeling at home is a great feeling. I haven't had that feeling for some time. I've moved around 25 times and currently don't have a home to dwell in, except my one on wheels. Even at that, I currently am not in my motorhome, as the weather in Montana got a little too cold to stay in it. We all long for that 'feeling at home' state. Where we aren't constantly adjusting and changing how we live. But the reality is, nowhere on earth is my permanent home, but God does promise to His children that He has a home and place for us in heaven.  John 14:2: "My Father's house has many dwelling places. If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly because I go to prepare a place for you."  But God has also promised us a place here on earth. "My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places..." Isaiah 32:18  that sounds like a place called home.

The best place to feel at home is "in Christ." That's where we're hidden in the secret place of the most High.  Psalms 91:1: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 

    I know I always have a home in Christ, but my current physical abode is still an adjustment. It takes time to adjust, even if it's just temporary. The controls are in a different location. I find it necessary to just stay calm and keep driving. My repairs are being made on my vehicle and I will soon be back in it driving to the next destination, and maybe even someday I'll have that 'I'm at home' feeling again.

Be an Expert on Today

   

  Several times in my life, I suddenly was called upon to get up and say something, and I had no prior preparation or warning that this would happen. The next day, I often think of way better things I should have said because now I'm an expert on what yesterday should have been.  

   Why is it that tomorrow I’ll be the expert on today, but today, I fumble through and seem uncertain of my decisions, choices, and words?  We’re all experts tomorrow on what should have been said and done today.  But today, I’m an amateur, still learning what to do.  I’ve often thought, wouldn’t it be great if I could live my teenage years or early adult years over with the knowledge I have now?  But then, I got this knowledge, having lived through those years and learning life’s lessons.  So, by living today, I can gain from my past and not make the same mistakes I did back then.  Hopefully, I will always make my tomorrow a better place.  Today is when I make the decision to learn from yesterday so my tomorrow is better.  So be an expert on today by learning from the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). 

Hit by a Rolling What?!

Barrel looked a lot like this one

     The other day, I was out at the church all afternoon, doing various things getting ready for the Christmas Program on the 17th.  I finally started heading back into Hardin around 4 pm.  (The Church is about 10 miles north of town, a true country church!) I was just listening to Christmas music in my Jeep, and driving the short trip back into town.  Nothing prepared me for what happened next.  There was a pickup approaching heading north, when all of a sudden I saw a barrel roll off the flatbed and start rolling down the highway straight at me.  This was a metal barrel, but a half size one. I remember we had several of those around the ranch and used them for water or feed.  I think some kind of feed comes in them?  But I wasn't thinking any of that at that moment, all I knew was, it was coming straight at me, and how was I going to avoid it.  I don't remember that being mentioned in Drivers Ed class "How to avoid metal barrels coming at you," was not in the course.  Trying to anticipate it's rolling direction, I was trying to get out of its way as quickly and safely as possible, but even though I tried, the impact still happened.  There was no avoiding it.  It caught my front drivers bumper and fender, and deflected off my Jeep to roll across the road and landed in someone's driveway.  I stopped my Jeep, and put on my flashers and got out to access the damage.  Flashbacks of last year hitting a deer and totaling my first Jeep had flashed before my eyes.  I expected the worse.  

    To my surprise, there was little damage.  The bumper has a good scrap and a small crack, and the fender had come loose.  The clips that hold it in place seemed to all be there, so I lined it back up and pushed it back on.  Another pickup stopped to see if I was ok.  I told him I was fine, although my heart was still racing from all the excitement.  The driver and owner of the barrel never stopped, not sure if he even realized he had lost it.

    After assessing the damage, which I knew could have been a lot worse, I realized that there must have been an angel there protecting me.  "For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go." Psalms 91:11   I am so thankful for his protection and care.  

  Things in life often come unexpected.  Like a sudden storm.  If you knew it was going to happen, you could have been prepared, but that's not always possible.  Like when Jesus and the disciples went into a boat to go the other side of the lake.  In Mark 4:35-41 it tells the story.  This was a sudden unexpected storm of wind.  Something you can't see coming.  Some of these disciples were skilled fishermen, they knew the sea, but it says they were afraid.  The boat was taking on water, and it looked like they were going to perish.  But Jesus spoke a few words which caused the whole storm to cease.  The wind, which you can't see, but can feel the results of, stopped. The waves, those things we can see, became peaceful water again.    Make sure Jesus is in your boat!

Game of Cat and Mouse

This is not a picture of Grace, but it looks a lot like her.
Sorry didn't have my camera ready when this all happened.

   

 Last night I was sitting on my bed (my only place to sit in my room where I stay) and watching a Christmas movie. When my cat Grace came in the room, and jumped up on my bed. This is normal so I didn't think much of it, till I looked at her, and she had a big fat mouse in her mouth. I screamed. Which scared her, and she dropped the mouse, which was still alive, and it ran off the bed, and somewhere in my room. I've had my cat Grace for over two years now, and I've never seen her catch anything before, except play with her toys. Thankfully I've never had a mouse in my motorhome, nor in my home in Kenmare. 

    I was pretty sure this was gonna be a sleepless night for me. Now I had a live mouse somewhere in my room. Ugh! I asked the lady I'm staying with if she had any traps. She found me two, and I set them in places where a mouse can get, but not my cat. I laid down for a hopeful night of sleep. 

   Again at 3 a.m. Grace brought me her wonderful prize onto my bed. I got to hand it to her, she doesn't have any front claws, but she's catching it anyway. This time, I sat up, and turned on the light, just in time to see the mouse run across my bed and jump onto the floor, and disappear again. Grace was right on it, and sat staring at my purse which was on the floor in the corner. I went over and picked up my purse and sure enough, Fat Mouse was under neath. Now exposed, it ran towards the door, and then under the door and out into the hallway and into the laundry room. That was my last sighting for the night (or morning).

   I got to thinking, I wonder if Grace just thinks this is just an automatic toy, and what a fun game of Catch and Release. She hasn't seemed to figure out that the goal is to kill it. And she's not hungry, as she's well fed. She's never been outside a day in her life, always been an indoor cat, and never been in a place that had a live mouse before. But for me, this is not a game. This is all out, Kill the Mouse! Mice are dirty, carry disease, chew up and make a mess of things, and are not welcome inside the house. I know they're a source of food for a large number of animals, but all those animals are outdoors, where the mouse belongs. This mouse somehow found it's way indoors, and thought it was safe. But now has fallen victim to a confused cat's game of catch and release. I'm hoping one of my traps work!

    Sometimes we 'play' with things that really should be killed in our life. We catch them and then let them go, just to see if we can catch it again. We're really playing with something we should be killing on first sight of it. Like bitterness, resentment, wrath, etc. Just don't catch it and let it go again, only to want to catch it again, while in the mean time that thing is wrecking havoc destroying things that are good in your life. 

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior." Eph 4:31 NLT 

Down in the Valley

 "Yea, though I walk through the valley" (Psalms 23:4) are comforting words. But remember to have a valley, there must be more than one mountain, or hill. Maybe you came off one mountain, to reach this valley, or maybe you're passing through the valley to avoid having to climb over the mountain. But the good news is always, there's another hill to climb, another mountain to conquer past the valley. We all love those 'mountain top' experiences, where the view before you is awesome, and you get that 'I'm on top of the world feeling.' Those times are great, but life and growth happen in the valley. Though the valley is full of shadows and can be very dark. It's there you gain the strength to climb the next hill or mountain. It's in the valley, you can eat, and drink, and grow stronger. And even though the valley is dark, and full of shadows, in order for there to be shadows and darkness that means there has to be some light somewhere. Shadows only happen when there's a light source, no matter how weak it is. 

   In the King James and New King James versions the verse starts with a 'Yea.' What a switch in our thinking to think, Yippee, yeah! I'm going through a Valley! Okay, I know that's not how that word is used in that verse, but maybe it should be a yippee, yahoo kind of Yeah! Its I'm gonna go through! Where the road isn't so rocky, and no steep paths to climb. It maybe a little dark, and the road and view not very exciting, but I'm going though, and there's another high point when I'm done! I'm either gonna climb another mountain, and see the beauty, or go through that pass, and get to where I'm going. So it's time to "Yeah!" your valley and keep walking through! 

   You don't need to run either, just walk, you'll make it through. The only thing that's gonna run is your cup running over. But don't forget, that cup is probably on the table in the presence of your enemies. But you'll have an abundance as your cup runs over! 

    Remember Jesus is the good shepherd, leading you through to green pastures, and beside still peaceful waters. He's with you every step of the way. So if your valley feels dark, keep walking. There's a table set before you and another mountain top to see. Keep walking.

Cat Scan

Grace looking a little bit grumpy, but trying to blend in with all my black and white.

 I've had a few CatScans in my life, but to tell the truth, they all happened when I was unconscious while at the Mayo.  I do remember briefly waking up, and asking what was going on, and some nurse told me they were taking me to have a CatScan before they started surgery.  I remember asking what that was, and then everything went out again for me, and I didn't wake up for another three days.  Not because of the CatScan, though.  I know I had multiple scans while I was there because I was charged for them, but I don't remember any of them.

  But there are a few CatScans I do remember. They were administered by my cat Grace. Several times in the last year, while laying in bed, she has jumped up on my bed and then gone to a specific place on my body and started her little 'massage.' You know how cats do that. What's been interesting is that every time she has done this, within a few minutes or hours, that area of my body has had challenging issues. Twice this has happened, I discovered later that I had a severe UTI. She also did this the morning, I ended up in an ambulance ride and spent several hours in the ER when my heart rate dropped below 40, and my Oxygen levels tanked. 

She's done it to my shoulder when a prior injury reoccurred, and later that day, the pain was almost unbearable. 

Last night, she did it again. At 4 AM, she started at my feet, walked up my body till she hit my stomach, and started her little paw massage. Sure enough, as I began to wake up, I realized my stomach was upset, and the acid was coming up my throat. Once I got up to handle the situation, she left my room for another spot to sleep.

How does this animal know when something is wrong? She truly is my 'CatScan.' God put something in animals that knows. I don't know how they know, but I'm thankful for my little alarm kitty that tries to warn me that something is wrong.

Broken Crayons Still Color

 

   I know this makes me sound like a little kid, but I still get a thrill out of a new box of crayons.  And it’s even cooler if you get a box with a built-in sharpener on the back.  Sixty-four perfectly formed little sticks of potential color explosions.  There’s so much so much available creativity waiting in that perfect little box.  Whether you’re six years old and learning to color within the lines, or you’re sixteen and doing a detailed pointillism picture, or sixty and carefully coloring a picture to pass the lonely hours, crayons are just fun.

   But then one breaks, and spoils the perfect symmetry of the box. And then there’s that color that you use more than all the rest, and it’s suddenly shorter, and you can barely see it anymore sticking out of the box.  Before long, you usually end up with a pile of broken crayons, bits and pieces showing wear and tear and sometimes abuse from overuse.  They no longer fit in the box with the sharpener on the back, so you get a small pencil box and throw the broken pieces in it.  They’re not pretty anymore and have lost the thrill of that new crayon appeal, sometimes the wrapper is missing, and it’s nothing but a bear-naked crayon.  But if the truth be told, every one of those small broken pieces still color just as beautifully as when they were whole.  Being broken doesn’t mean they lost their ability to produce color.  Even the tiniest piece still produces the vibrant color it did when it was whole, but it just doesn’t last as long.  

    We’re no different than those broken crayons.  We start out in life perfectly formed little sticks of potential creativity and color.  As life goes on, some parts get broken and some are overused or abused, sometimes we lose the wrapper that tells our specific color name. Soon this once-perfect box of crayons is thrown in an old pencil box and seems discarded and useless.  People tend to want perfectly formed crayons and find digging through a box of broken pieces nothing more than unnecessary work.  Why go for the broken when you can have the new?  But those broken pieces know that story of beauty and pain.  The beauty of creating a beautiful picture of life, while suffering the pain of being broken.  

  It takes the artist to still see potential in the broken pieces.  The artist knows that those small remaining pieces can still make a masterpiece when placed in the right hands.  So give your brokenness to God and watch him turn those broken parts into a beautiful masterpiece.  He can use every part of your life, even the broken parts, to make this masterpiece shine to its full potential.

    “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  Eph 2:10 NLT

A crayon pointillism picture I did in High School.

But Then… (How to Encourage Yourself)

   This may sound a little strange, and maybe even self-absorbed, but one way I’ve found to encourage myself when I get discouraged is to read things I’ve written, or listen to recording of myself preaching.  Now don’t get me wrong, I listen and read books by lots of other preachers and have learned lots from them, but when I’m discouraged, I find encouragement in my own writing and preaching.  Why?  Because, I go back to those things that God has already dealt with me on, and things that were a revelation to me.  Those God influences in my life, that’s the grace of God.  

    King David did the same thing.    When his followers were upset with him, he did the same thing. “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” I Sam. 30: 6 KJV.  This verse doesn’t say how he encouraged himself in the LORD,  but I wonder if he didn’t go back to one of the songs he had written, and read or sing the words to himself, reminding himself that God was faithful.

    I’m a big promoter of journaling, and this is one of the benefits of journaling.  You can go back and see where God has been faithful in your life.   

Sometimes when you’re discouraged, you have to get all the way to the “But then…”. What do I mean by that? In Psalms 77, the psalmist was really discouraged, he felt God had rejected and forgotten him. He couldn’t even sleep at night because he was so distressed (verse 4). He felt God’s hand was totally against him (feelings can be so deceiving) then he gets to verse 11 and says, “But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember you wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works…”. He goes on declaring all the marvelous workings of God in the past, and that encouraged him and strengthened him in the present. 

       So when you’re discouraged, distressed, disappointed, or any other ‘dis’ in life, get all the way to the “But then…” and start going over all the good things God has done in the past for you, and the wonderful things in His Word He declares for you. Encourage yourself in the Lord. Get to the “But then…” and change your thinking to His goodness and love for you.                                                                          

They Heard His Footsteps

   

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

     Adam and Eve heard the Lord God walking.  What does God’s foot steps sound like?  I know in a family, you get to know each persons footsteps so well, that they can walk into a room, and you can know who it is even when you don’t see them, just by the sound of their footsteps.  We each have unique steps, almost as unique as our finger prints.  Our gait or the way we walk is unique to us.   So God walked in the garden.  Adam and Eve could hear His footsteps.  They knew it was Him.  But what does that mean?  When God walked in the garden that means His presence was there.  You can hear His presence before you even see Him or hear Him speak.  There is a hearing of His presence.

   But where was Adam and Eve?  They were hiding in the trees.  In Nature.  In the natural things of the world.  They were in fear.  They heard God’s presence and knew He was there, but they were afraid.  They hid in fear.  They hid in the natural things of this world.  

    After God’s presence came, then He spoke.  He confronted Adam and Eve in their fear.  I’m sure God knew right where they where, but He made them answer the question, ‘Where are you?”  God wants us to locate ourselves.  Where are you?  Why aren’t you walking with me.  Why are you hiding in the trees?  And who’s been talking to you telling you lies.  Who are you listening to?  Why aren’t you hearing me?  All this and more was tied into the question of “Where are you?”

    Locate yourself. Find why and where you’re hiding from God.  Even when you hear God’s presence, ask yourself, why aren’t you then walking  with Him in the cool evening breezes?   Don’t let fear rob you from walking with God daily.  Thank God Jesus redeemed us, and we can again walk about with God daily.  

   These verses imply that it was it was normal that Adam and Eve would walk with God in the cool of the day.  I thought it interesting that it was the cool evening breezes.  I would think God would walk about in the morning coolness (He does walk then too), but after the whole day has gone by and things have cooled down, there was God walking about in the garden.  He was doing a ‘walk about.’  Which means an informal stroll among a crowd conducted by an important visitor.  This crowd was only two people, but He was a VERY important vistor to the garden.  The very creator of it all!

   We don’t understand, and have no comprehension what it would be like to walk and live in perfection.  We live in the world that’s been ‘fallen’ for a long time.  But then, it was perfect, because God always creates perfect.  But listening (hearing) lies caused it no longer be perfect.  When Adam sinned, the world around him fell too.  Our actions, our sin, causes not only our life to have consequences but all around us.  Our children, our friends our little world, is effected by us.  So let it be a good ripple effect, not a bad one. 

    It all gets back to what are we hearing.  Are we hearing God’s footsteps in our life?  Do you know Him enough to recognize His footsteps, as he walks into your garden?  Hear Him.  Get out from behind that tree, and begin walking with Him!  The sound of His footsteps comes before Him speaking into you life.

   One further thought.  In a church setting, God’s presence often comes in before “He Speaks.”  Hear!

 

Life in HDR

 

One of the few photos I ever did in HDR

 In photography, there is a process to produce a photo with High Dynamic Range.  Thus HDR.  To accomplish this, a photographer takes a picture under-exposed, at exposure, and over-exposed, and then in post-production combines the multiple photos into one photo, giving the photo a much more dynamic appearance.  

Our eyes see more layers of shadows and details but a camera can not capture that all at once,  like our eyes.  Cameras just don't have the dynamic range that our eyes do.  

    Our perception of others is much like a camera.  We don't have the ability to see the depths of light and dark in a person's life at first view.  Sometimes we're seeing them in that underexposed time when everything is dark, and very little light is visible in their life.  Other times, they seem happy and joyful, and everything is going great just a ray of sunshine. You think that person never has had a trial or hard time in their life.  And then there is the perception, that they are just middle of the road, nothing bad or good ever enters their lives, but just steady.  None of these perceptions of someone are correct.  Our 'people' viewer is much like the camera.  It can't pick it all up in one shot.  So give people some slack, and don't judge them by their present condition, it's only one snapshot and exposure time in their lives.  Our lives are so much more than that.  We have depth and shadows and light that aren't always visible in one shot.

  "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace." 2 Cor. 4:16 MSG

Both of these shots below were taken within seconds of each other and then combined for the photo above.  Just the amount of light I let into my lens is what made the difference.  How much 'light' are you letting into the lens of your life?  Let the light of Jesus and His Word shine on your heart and life!  It will bring you into a High Dynamic Range of Life!

One of the overexposed shots I used to combine for the HDR final picture

One of the underexposed shots I used.

Water Stand Up!

  I love the story in the book of Joshua, where the Israelites are about to cross into their promised land.  They’ve been wandering around in the desert for 40 years, and their leader, who they’ve followed all those years, has just died.  Joshua has just started to lead them, and he has some pretty big shoes to fill, for indeed, Moses was a faith filled gutsy man.  He did what God told him to do, no matter how crazy.  Joshua had served under him, and now he’s to take the lead.  No wonder God repeatedly told Joshua not to fear, but to be strong and courageous.  He didn’t want to screw up and wander around for another 40 years in the desert.

  I’m sure there was a few who stepped up to Joshua and asked, “What are you going to do now? What’s the plan?” So following in Moses footsteps, he sends out spies into the land.  Joshua knew well the job of a spy, as he was one of the 12 spies that went and spied out the land forty years before.  He knew how good the land was, he had seen it with his own eyes, and now forty years later only him and Caleb were left who had seen the promised land, and it was time to go in and take it.

  These two spies, like Joshua forty years before, came back with a good report.  It’s a “Let’s go, the land is good, and the people there are terrified of us, so let’s roll.”  So they all head toward the Jordon river. 

    The Jordon River is not a big river, it’s only on average, 33 feet wide and at it’s widest point about 60 feet wide, but in the book of Joshua it states that it was harvest time, and the river was at flood stage, overflowing its banks.  The Jordon averages about 6.5 feet deep, but there are places where it’s 17 feet deep, some sources say even deeper.

  So they camped on the banks for a few days, seeking God, and then went forth with the strangest plan.  The priests are going to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the river.  Joshua told them that when the priest feet touch the water the flow will be cut off  upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.

  Wait a minute!  Are we reliving the Red Sea crossing?  Similar, but not quite, but the same God doing it.  This time, they have to step into it, and get their feet wet.  As they step in,  the water some twenty miles away near the town of Adam begins to dam up with no natural dam.  The water stands up!  Water usually flows down, but this time, it stood at attention and stood up, and backed up. The water below where they had stepped into the river then flowed into the Dead Sea, and the riverbed dried up.  The amazing thing was they couldn’t see the water pile up, because it was 20 miles away.  But God had gone ahead, and at the precise time that they step in, they start to see the water receeding, even though it was standing up some 20 miles away.

    God sees ahead, and is working even when you can’t see it.  When all you can see is the river at flood stage in front of you, and you think you’re gonna have to sink or swim, God is already at work, twenty miles away, making the water stand up!  When you obey and step in, watch how God makes what can drown you stand up so you can cross on dry land.  God will do His part, but first you must do your part.  Step in and get your feet wet!  Do what God has told YOU to do.  Even when it seems a little crazy.  You’ll never see the miracle, if you stand on the shore and only look at the river.  Step in!  Yes, your feet are gonna get wet, but 20 miles away where you can’t see, God is up to something.  He’s making water stand up in response to your obedience. 

“The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Honey from the Rock

I made happy waffles this morning!

 Psalms 81: CEB "But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with honey from the rock." 

    This scripture stopped me this morning. I understand being fed with the finest of wheat. I've lived most of my life in the bread basket of America. The Great Plains, where the wheat fields flow their golden color for miles and miles every year. We feed the rest of the nation and world. Fine wheat with a high protein content makes the best bread. I understand that. So the Psalmist was saying God would feed me the finest, the best wheat because He is the bread of life. 

But what does honey from the rock mean? I don't usually think of honey coming from rocks. That's not the usual place bees make their hives. Could it be that's the whole point of this phrase? In a place you least expect it to come from, a rock, God can bring sweetness. In those places that could crush you or make you stumble and fall, God can bring honey. 

    Today marks the second anniversary of my surgery for me. Two years ago today, I was being rolled into an operating room and didn't come out till almost 12 hours later. The surgery was not only long, but to quote the doctor in her report, it was "most difficult." As my body lay on a bed for the next few days, I was probably somewhere else. I don't know where, as I have no memories of those days up to and shortly following February 11, 2021. It's just a white cloudy fog. But finally, on February 14th, my eyes opened, and the fight to stay alive and regain all that was lost began. It was a HARD place to be, and I had already been through many hard places in my sixty years of circling the earth. But this was a new hard place. This rock almost crushed me. I remember asking my son Tyson to play me the song "Come On." by Brooke Poindexter. If you've never heard it, it's worth looking it up on YouTube. It became my last cord on the rope to hang on to. The beginning lyrics, "I can feel the eyes of heaven, the angels and the saints, all who've gone before us surround us here today...If you listen close, you'll hear heaven cheering for me... Come on, Come on, Come on, Come on..." 

     It was as if I could hear Jesus and Todd and others even here on earth cheering me on from the sidelines, "Come on! You can do this. You can win! Don't quit, don't give up!" I also remember my son's voice as he grabbed my hand and said, "Come on, Mom, you can fight this; you can live!" Those might not have been his exact words, but that's the feeling I remember. So many pulling for me to "Come on!"

    This morning, as I reflect on all I've been through these last two years, I have to smile and say that in the crushing and hardness of those rocks, there was honey to give me strength. A sweetness that's only understood once you've passed through the crushing and the fight to carry on. So I made some happy waffles this morning and played Brooke's song, "Come On." I'm finding some honey in the rock. 

Come On

https://youtu.be/nCMDH2rjnOI

Another great song:  Honey in the Rock

https://youtu.be/UiApoXKRYFc