Family Heritage

The expression "keeping up with the Jones'" has always made me laugh.  My maiden name is Jones and I have to tell you, quite frankly, that there has not been much to keep up with, at least from a material and fiscal point of view.

There is a great peace to be found in this fact.  I know that, at the death of a family member, there should be no fussing and warring over any property or possession.  In spite of this peace, though, there has always been a bit of envy that my family leaves no real heritage or legacy.  There is no china platter, chipped and worn through the years, to be passed down that can be used by future generations with smiles and warm memories.  Nothing from a father that will be handed to a son that will evoke a secret smile as the son relives times past. 

That's actually sad to me.  I've spent a large portion of my life feeling like we have no legacy and that I have nothing to leave to anyone. 

Enter Jesus.  Swing wide the door and make way for God and His abundant grace.  He leaves me a legacy and a heritage because I am His child.  And He leaves me so much more than an antique Singer sewing machine or a fleet of ships crafted from pecan hulls by my grandfather. 

Psalm 37 to me is a living will, a reminder on the front end of what God has in store for me.  Psalm 37 (NLT) In this chapter God tells me what I am to do and what He has promised me.  He tells me the fate of those who don't act according to His word. 

This is good stuff!!!  I love the way that God's word reminds us, often times pointedly and personally, of what we need to hear, today, from Him. 

Don't buy Satan's lie that you have no heritage; you are a child of the King.  Your father owns a the cattle on a thousand hills.  He created all things; He is the beginning and the end. 

Celebrate your heritage today. 

Freely Give (Um, I Beg Your Pardon?)

Recently I heard someone quote or I read somewhere the words of Jesus from Matthew 10:8 "freely you have received, freely give"  These words are not new to me but I believe that this recent reminder  is right on time because the words have been ringing in my ears and bouncing through my brain since I heard them. 

There is no great theological mystery to this command of Jesus;  but I've been wondering why this is haunting me.  Since I love the dictionary, I decided to once again enlist the help of my friends at Merriam Webster.  They define freely as without restraint or reservation, without hindrance, or not strictly following a model, convention, or rule. 

Oh, my great love, the dictionary, has once again stopped me in my tracks.  I want to say, "Uh, Jesus, I beg Your pardon?  By freely, do you mean really freely or freely so that I'm not uncomfortable or don't have to give anything up that I might really like?" 

Sometimes I have to hear Jesus speak and sometimes I simply know the answer because of the sense that He has gifted me with.  In this case, the latter applies.  Freely means freely.  No questions.  No discussions. 

I am to love without restraint or reservation because I have been loved this way.  I need to love without hindrance because I have been loved this way.  Sometimes I may even have to do something a little crazy to show love; I may have to not strictly follow a model, convention, or rule. I am to love regardless of how I feel, if I want to, or if I think someone deserves my love. 

I love because He first loved me as He reminds me in 1 John 4:9:   God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  So the next time He reminds to love and I give Him feedback, I won't be surprised is He says to me, "Uh, I beg your pardon?"

The Scars of My Past

If you know me or have met me you have probably noticed that I have a tattoo on my chest.  Actually, I have a rather large tattoo bat emblazoned across my chest.  The "battoo" (as I am fond of calling it) comes from another lifetime, a part of my life that is so distant that I seem to recall reading about it in a book and that the life belonged to someone else, not me. 

Me & My Silly Husband & the Bat

Alas, when I look in the mirror in the mornings, the bat looks back.  He has not moved over the last 11 years.  His eye is still fixed unseeing on the same object that he has been looking at for quite some time.  And there are days when I see him and I hate him.  I resent the time that brought such a scar to my life.  I loathe the reminder of who I was.

On these days, Satan is whispering fiercely and steadily into my ear, "Look who you are, Michelle.  Look at your life.  No one can change who you are.  Did you think you could really change?"

If I'm not careful, I'll buy these lies of the enemy, these subtle words so carefully crafted and made personal for me.  If left to stand on my own I will fall prey to these horrible things that Satan says. 

Thank God, though, that He sent the cavalry in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ.  I am not left to my own.  And God loves me enough to have written His truths down for me so that I can combat the enemies lies.  The scripture below is one that I cling to regularly: 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified Bible) Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

God has transformed me into a new creature and He calls me His daughter.  I am His own.  I am different than that girl that sat in a tattoo chair a long time ago. And God, in all of His goodness and wisdom, has taken the battoo and made it something beautiful.  Romans 8:28 (NLT) tells us, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

The battoo has made me easy to relate to for teenagers.  It has made other adults feel at ease because they see it and see that no one around me judges me because of it; they are possibly more comfortable with the scars of their own past.  Little children are curious and want to ask questions.  My bat opens conversations with strangers when they comment on it. 

I'll take the scars of my past and offer them up to Jesus every day.  He can use them to do great things! 

Being a Good Wait-er

Our Wednesday night group is working through a series about prayer called The Sacred Echo.  Every one really seems to be enjoying the series.  The first couple of weeks were about hearing God's voice and about how much He loves us.  Pretty good stuff and, for the most part, delightful to the ears. 

The title for our session last night was this:  How long?  Yuck.  Not delightful to the ears; not a cornucopia of  pleasantries.  Waiting is never really much fun. 

Or is it? 

We had some great discussion last night and I think it's too good for us to keep to ourselves.  Here are some things that we talked about; I hope you can put them to use in your life. 

• Everyone waits all of the time; sometimes we wait on small things, sometimes big things, but we are usually waiting for something
• We may not like the wait itself but we like the outcome that God brings when we do wait
• We are never alone in our wait; God is right there waiting with us
• God's Word promises us great things when we wait for Him (Isaiah 64:4, Psalm 40:1, Isaiah 30:18, Isaiah 40:31)

A general consensus among us is that we should learn to be good wait-ers.  In our times of waiting we need agreed that we feel the need to do something and one of the things that we can do is take our time of what seems like passiveness (although if you've been told by God to wait then you are being obedient) and seek Him diligently through prayer, Bible reading, and worship. 

Here's my closing thought for today:  Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. (Psalm 62:5)

I wish you a happy wait. 

My Father Loves Me

One of the things that I like to do when I have my quiet time is read the Psalms and pray them back to God as praise.  I do this because I am not a natural "praise-r" and the Psalms easily direct me to the good, no great, things about God that I tend to forget or take for granted. 

This morning I read Psalm 103, New Living Translation, and it simply overwhelmed me.  Let me share some of the highlights and my thoughts (in parentheses):   

• I will praise Him with my whole heart (not just part of me - first note to self)
• He forgives all my sin (enough said with this one)
• He heals all my disease
• He redeems me from death (this is a biggie!)
• He fills my life with good things (do I thank Him for these things every day or am I so busy looking at "the bad stuff" that I take these for granted???)
• My youth is renewed like the eagle's (maybe my constant battle with fatigue is because I don't let Him renew me?)
• He is slow to get angry and me and His love doesn't fail (thank God - I would be angry with me a lot if I were God)
• He doesn't punish me for my sin (big sigh of relief here)
• He is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate.  He knows that I am frail and come from dust (wow - He knows me and loves me even in my weakness)
• His love remains forever and  I should praise Him

These words may not have the same impact on you that they have had on me this morning.  This Psalm made me want to dance around the living room, coffee in hand, in the joy of the Lord.  Wow - with all of this goodness in my life why do I ever complain?

I challenge you:  take a look through the Bible and see what praises you can find that are already written and laid out for you to read back to God.  Let me know what they are and how you reacted.  I'm guessing that, like me, you will find that there is so much goodness in your life that you don't have time to be sad or downtrodden. 

The Magic Movie Moment

Come with me, if you will, to the movies.  You sit in a darkened theater with friends, family, and a crowd you'll likely never see again.  United by the movie on the screen, everyone in the movie house shares the common mission of finding out how the story before you will end.  You sit in the blackness of the theater and watch the main character as he or she struggles with the conflict at hand.  Faced with difficulties on every side, he or she is desperate for help.  You don't dare eat your popcorn or drink your soda, because you might miss it, the moment, that magical movie moment when the character you're following realizes that help is available.  You hold your breath, anxiously waiting. 

In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin have this experience.   I held my breath as I watched this motley band of companions as they arrived at the Inn of the Prancing Pony where they are unknowingly being pursued by the Nazgul.  Naive in their assumed safety, Merry and Pippin tell stories and entertain the crowd.  Sam sits while Frodo is nagged by the uneasy and persistent feeling that something is not right.  As the scene continues, the jocularity of two innocent hobbits grows as does the gnawing fear inside of Frodo.  The Nazgul approach as the air chills and the night seems to grow impossibly dark. 

Suddenly the ominous stranger sitting in the corner throws back his over sized hood and reprimands the hobbits for their careless behavior as he whisks them off with a swiftly immediate safety. 

The movie moment has come.  You can relax and let your breath out.  The hero has revealed himself and you know that your protagonists are safe, at least for the moment.  

The funny thing is that as a Christian I sometimes find myself waiting for the magic movie moment in my life.  I am looking for the One who will save me from everything, even myself.  

Shame on me.  

My hero was no brooding stranger in a hood.  My hero was hung on a cross for all the world to see as He took the penalty for my sins into His body.  My Hero traversed hell so I don't have to.  

Look no further today; the magic moment in your life came the day that you met Jesus.  Don't forget - let Him be the One in every moment of every day. 

I Wonder . . .

One of the things that I love about the fall is the revival of nature.  During the summer it seems to me as though everything outdoor is stagnant; nothing seems to move.  But in the autumn season everything comes to life.  Leaves sway and dance in the breezes that the season brings; flowers seem to perk up their colorful faces as they look for something.  Creeks sing a little louder and songs of the birds seems to be fresher. 

Why does nature seem more animated in the fall?  I'll give you my theory. 

Paul tells the Romans in 8:19 that the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Maybe what we're seeing in the fall breezes, crisp mornings, and autumn moons is God's creation singing His praises loudly and tell Him that they cannot wait for His return.  Maybe they are shouting out gratitude to the God of the universe.  And maybe, just maybe, that's why I always seem to get a little restless in the fall.  Maybe that stirring inside of me is the natural desire of my soul to join all creation in song as we sing, shout, dance, and lift praises on high to God Almighty. 

I just wonder. 

I Got Nothin'

Maybe it's the head cold or the steroid shot but I'm a little dry these last few days.  I'm sure you know this feeling:  the brain doesn't work too well, the body feels a little less than inclined to react to what you ask it to do, the emotions are just blah.  This being said, the idea of writing a blog is a little intimidating.

Thankfully for me, God loves the good, the bad, and the blah.  Even when I got nothin' I don't have to rely on me. He is strong for me when I cannot be,  He is my power even when I think I am strong.  Zechariah.   4:6 tells  us that God says Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty (NIV).  The Contemporary English Version says I am the LORD All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit.

Once again God's word is there to come to my rescue and pick me up and remind me of the reality of my today regardless of what my feelings may be trying to tell me:  I may feel like I got nothin' but with God this is never true.  In His power, His might, and His strength, I always got somethin', even on my driest of days.

Wishing It All Away

I had to take Lil' Dweezil to the vet last week and, as we sat waiting for a room, I encountered a truly radiant lady in the lobby.  She was obviously a woman of faith and as we chatted she said, "I'm just praying every day and wishing - wishing my life away".  We talked a bit more, she left with her dog and I sat there thinking about her words, "I'm praying and wishing my life away."  

Maybe she was an angel; regardless she had God's message for me.  She may has well have said to me, "Michelle, God says to tell you that you're praying and wishing your life away and He says that you need to change that behavior." 

It's true.  I spend so many of my days 't have to "work as hard" or when our financial situation is "different" or we're not so "busy" or I'm not "so tired all of the time".  I spend most of my days wishing that they were tomorrow (or the day after that or the day after that).  Satan's plan is to keep me focusing on what may be rather than what  is at hand and I'm letting him get away with it.  He's not stealing my joy; I'm handing it to him on a silver platter. Ecclesiastes 11:4 tells us that  those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds;  those who look at every cloud will never harvest crops.  I have to quit wishing it all away. 

Since my conversation last Thursday, I am determined that I will not spend my today chasing the tomorrow that has the stealth and obscurity of the wind.  Beginning now I will appreciate what God has given me and I'll walk with Him in the tangibility of today .  If it's sunny, I'll wear my good shoes and if it's muddy, I'll wear waders.   

I'm not a big fan of cliches but I'll close with this one which I think is appropriate: "Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is a Mystery, but Today Is a Gift. That Is Why It Is Called the Present."

Have a great today.   It's the only one you've got!  

This is Good Stuff!

I hope you're reading along with us through the New Testament. If you're not, today is just the right time for you to start, so pick up your Bible and join us in Galatians.

I have to ask: are you reading? This is good stuff!!!

The New testament tells us about Jesus' life, His miracles, transformation of average people into people who met Jesus and became greatly used of Him. Feeding crowds with barely enough food for one person, raising the dead, healing the lame and the blind. The death, burial, and ultimately the resurrection of our Lord. Exciting times!

The passion of the early church is contagious! These folks were in love with Jesus and with each other. It's mind-boggling!

Then, my favorite, the Pauline Epistles. Paul shared genuine words of comfort, rebuke, truth, and encouragement that are timeless and ring true across the ages.

The New Testament provides specific information about our enemy - His tactics and approaches. Read it; we need to be prepared to stand and fight.

The closing of the New Testament will blow your mind. Christ Jesus comes back and claims His own! Hallelujah! This is no, little, secret battle. This is the end of the ages, the battle royale.

You have got to check this out for yourself; don't take my word for it. Spend a few minutes today with your Bible and I bet you'll find that you, too, excited to keep this to yourself. You'll have to tell somebody, "This is good stuff!"

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