His eye is on the sparrow...

We just got home from a great trip over the weekend to the Inn at Honey Run, which is in Amish country. We went with a couple of very good friends, and loved having their companionship, and common interests. One of the things that my friend Corky and I share is a love of and fascination for birds. At the Inn, there are huge feeders outside of every window, so who needs any other form of entertainment? Their antics, along with one red squirrel the size of a domestic cat, were hilarious!

I began to think of the scripture that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Remember that the context of this verse is in relation to being anxious: "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" -Matt. 6:26

Those birds I was watching had no concept of where their food in those feeders originated from...neither did they care. Their focus was on retrieiving the food and eating it, knowing that day after day it magically appears without effort on their part. So, no worries!

Take that idea a step further...you know where I'm headed with this. Why, oh why, do we worry about tomorrow and the provisions that we will need? If I care enough, and if God Himself cares enough to take care of these little ones, who have no anxiety about their source, why in the world would He drop the ball when it comes to me, who apparently is "worth much more than they are" in His eyes?

That is all the food for thought that I should need to keep my heart quiet and at rest.

Are you a Holly or a Lucy??

I hate to say it, but I think I know who got the other half of the tail...

Lucy gazing out the window

Holly and Lucy

The following letter is a testimony that I was asked to do for our church newsletter a few months ago. I was thinking today of how important it is for young moms, old moms, grandmoms, whomever, to really get down and get committed to a personal time just between the Lord and you each day. It isn't easy, it's hard. It doesn't come naturally, but the rewards are endless. You learned to brush your teeth regularly, so it's a question of making time with the Lord a habit, just like brushing your teeth. And with little ones running around doing everything in their earthly power to distract you, it will take everything you've got to make a little extra time for that one-on-one. But 5 minutes is better than no minutes, and once the little ones are not so little, you will have developed a discipline that will keep you balanced throughout your life. I can't emphasize enough this one thing: God first, family next, everything else last...although there will be times this just isn't possible, if you can follow through MOST of the time, it will benefit you more than you can imagine!

"Our pastor talked to us recently about setting aside special times for quiet with the Lord. I had already established years ago a morning devotional time, but was finding that there are times when I need more than that. I took several days and went to our cabin all by myself in August (even though I think it’s a little spooky to stay there overnite alone, but God reassured me of His presence whenever I needed it) in order to spend time listening to Him. I was having some difficult issues to work through, decided I needed to get away with Him, and amazingly as I was driving north it became quite clear to me that it wasn’t happening because I had made the plans, but rather that He was doing the calling to come away, and I was just responding to His voice. That made all the difference in the way I viewed my time with Him, and the attitude that I had about really listening to Him and then following through on what I believed He was leading me to do in the coming year. One of those challenges was to spend an extended period of time weekly alone with Him in the prayer room (still working on that), as well as to continue my time with Him each morning in my kitchen reading my Indeed devotional, my bible, and then listening to worship music while I praise and pray. This has so renewed and restored my relationship with Him, which I truly needed as I had allowed anxieties and fears to crowd out His quieter voice.

God has done the most wonderful teaching for me about this very thing through my 2 dogs, of all things. I have 2 Cavaliers, which are the most devoted of companions in the doggy world. They rarely leave my side, and anticipate my every move from room to room, just so that they don’t miss out on anything, I think. But interestingly, in the mornings when I’m having my quiet time in the kitchen, Lucy will spend that time in the next room standing up on the arm of a chair looking out the window at the squirrels and birds which are very appealing to the hunter in her. Holly, on the other hand, lays at my feet on the floor, rarely taking her eyes off of me. During this time, I might make a piece of toast or something similar, and since she’s right there, she always gets a tidbit. Lucy misses out on that completely because she is totally distracted by what’s going on outside, and doesn’t even know that she has missed an extra treat. I thought one morning of how much that is like me. I am the one who loves to gaze out the window, metaphorically, thinking about all the things that I love and enjoy, and often being pulled in several directions as to what I want to do next. There’s nothing technically wrong with that, but it allows me to lose my focus on the One who has all the answers and the words of friendship just waiting for me if I take the time to gaze at Him and listen to His voice. Very much like Mary and Martha, but in this case it’s Holly and Lucy. Also, in the evenings I have begun to make it a habit to read the Psalm that corresponds to the date (Psalm 1, (or 31, 61, 91, 121) on the 1st day of the month, etc.) It is wonderful to close the day with God’s word echoing in your mind and heart. It only takes a minute, but the net effect lasts all night!

Sometimes I think people just get overwhelmed with what to do and where to start when establishing those times of devotion, whether daily, or in full retreat mode. There are so many tools that I have discovered that work so well and keep me focused. For instance, just having a devotional magazine like “Indeed” to get started is such a help, and then I follow up by reading the scriptures that go with the reading, often reading much more than has been allotted for the day. I keep worship mixes that I have created on CDs that last about 20 minutes right there in the kitchen, and choose a different one each day. While listening to them and praising Him, I then flow naturally into prayer for others. I keep a laminated card in my bible with the pictures of each of my family members. There is a scripture beside each one of their pictures that I have chosen to pray for them for the year. I let the Holy Spirit lead me in who might need more prayer than others on a particular day, so I don’t feel that it becomes rote. Another point that has helped me tremendously is to make sure that I am sitting right there at the kitchen table rather than in a comfy armchair that has a nice view out the window. (Lucy) I need to make the place where I meet with the Lord to have the least possible distractions.

The last thing I want to emphasize is that while I have been able to establish this spiritual discipline in my life with God’s guidance and great help, I also have slipped and fallen many times. Too often, especially when I was younger, I thought I just didn’t have those extra few minutes. Little did I realize the cost of neglecting to take that relatively small amount of time by putting Christ first in my day and in my heart. Thankfully, He was always there (and still is) to draw me back into His loving embrace whenever I would guiltily come back, often dragging my feet. He is so quick to forgive, to forget, and to get us moving forward yet again. I am so grateful for that. I pray that every member of our church family would find the treasure that is hidden in God’s word and in spending time in worship and prayer on a daily, or at least a frequent basis. I honestly can’t imagine what kind of a person I would be or what my life would be like if He hadn’t put this desire to spend dedicated time with Him in my heart. He has changed me from the inside out, yet I have such a long, long way to go. I love knowing that He will be with me to continue teaching me and being my closest friend as I continue my journey with Him. "

Diamond in the rough...

I was sitting in church a couple of Sundays ago with my Bible open on my lap to the passage that was the sermon topic. I would glance down at the verse on the page, but my gaze kept wandering to my left ring finger, which was sparkling like the stars in a dark night sky.

A bit of history will help you picture this: When I got engaged, I was part of that hippie generation that looked down our noses at engagement rings, crystal, china, silver or anything that appeared traditional in any way. Gosh, I would have gotten married in my bare feet with even a tiny bit of encouragement, but settled instead for a cotton gown and daisies in my hair. My wedding band was plain white gold. Loved it, loved it, loved it! Then I lost it, lost it, lost it!!! I know exactly where it is on Granview Rd. in someone's back yard where it slipped off my finger in a game of softball shortly after we were married. But even with metal detectors we were never able to find it. So, my sweet husband decided he would make me a new ring, since we were a little short on funds with both of us in college/law school and working part-time jobs. You won't believe this (I still don't believe it), but he took a nickel out into the shed behind our little rented apartment, used an awl and a hammer and a hard surface, and created a ring that actually looked like my other one!

Well, I think that one lasted a few years until I gained a couple (or more) pounds after having had 2 babies. So, we bought another white gold band, since hubby now was gainfully employed. I still had no use whatsoever for jewels, even though diamonds were my birthstone. I thought Elizabeth Taylor was ridiculous, collecting all those diamonds, for Pete's sake. And even after seeing the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian, I was a lot more interested in the Dinosaur bones.

Enter my late 30's, the death of my dearly beloved grandmother, and the bequeathing of her 3 diamond rings upon her grandkids. I got the 4-stone anniversary band, which I treasured immediately, mostly because it was hers. It didn't look all that great with the band that I was wearing at the time, but I really wasn't that concerned.

This past Christmas season, Bob and I were headed out to do some Christmas shopping one morning. Maybe it was the fact that my youngest daughter was newly engaged and had received a stunning vintage ring designed by her fiancee, or that my older daughter had a lovely solitaire on her 31-year old finger, but I had a sudden urge to look at rings for myself. My hubby warmed up to the idea immediately, since he had been thinking of Windows 7 for my main Christmas present and somewhere in the back of his male mind there was a teeny tiny question of whether that consituted a romantic Christmas gift. He knows I LOVE romantic Christmas gifts! So, we both headed to the local jeweler, where in half an hour I had found a solitaire that perfectly complemented my anniversary band. So, on Christmas Eve, during our tradition of opening our gifts to each other in front of the fire after everyone else is in bed, there was a nice little box that was no surprise but brought tears of joy, nonetheless. I loved it, loved it, loved it!!

Back to church on that Sunday a few weeks ago. As the ring on my hand sparkled and shone, next to the rather dull black and white verses on the page of my Bible, I was suddenly confronted with the symbolism of the choice that has faced God's children throughout the ages. Will my treasures be stored up here on earth, or will they be stored up in heaven? Which do I love more, God's Word, or the things that I have acquired? Wow, that sparkle was so distracting, pulling me away time and again from the words on the page, but I was gently reminded that Jesus is the living Word, and in His Word there is life that is the light of men and women through all the ages. (John 1:1-5)

I loved that visual sermon that I received that morning. I remembered the old praise chorus:

"Lord, you are more precious than silver
Lord, you are more costly than gold
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares with You."

May our love for the things that we treasure on earth always bow its knee before the Treasure of Heaven, Our Lord Jesus. May we love Him, love Him, love Him!!!

Selah singing "Wonderful Merciful Savior"

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A house isn't always a home....

One of my most enduring memories is of a choice that I was forced to make in the early years of our marriage. We had been renting a small, but very sweet apartment right in the center of our town. We loved the location, but in considering a family that would be growing when we began to have children, we knew that we needed a larger space.

I am the proactive member of this union, always ready to jump on any and every opportunity, while my mate is a cautious, take your time and think it over (and over, and over, and~well, you catch my drift) kind of guy. The minute he agreed to a house-hunting venture, boy-I was all over that one! I found a local realtor named Kevin, a very nice guy who as a bonus turned out to be a Christian, and was set to go. He showed us a few houses in our price range, but it turned out that what we could afford and what we (read "I") liked were miles apart. After being shown one house in particular that I just fell in love with, I dragged hubby right over to see it. Never mind that it was in the next town, where I wasn't even sure I was all that eager to live. I just loved the house, and was willing to throw over any other considerations in order to get it. After living in a one bedroom, upstairs apartment for a few years, this looked like a palace to me. Not to mention that I wouldn't have to climb in through the window on the downstairs landing anymore when I was locked out of the house because of the dumb, ancient lock on the door.

My guy wasn't nearly as thrilled with the house find as I thought he would be. He walked around silently, except for a few "hmmms..." and grunts in response to the realtor's and my observations about what a great house it was. I, however, not easily deterred, chalked it up to first-time buyer nervousness, and just knew that my enthusiasm would be enough to whisk us both over the threshold.

Carried along by the excitement of finding the house, priced somewhat (OK, a lot) more than we had agreed that we could afford, I took the driver's seat along with my reluctant passenger and set in motion all that goes along with buying a house. The paperwork to make an offer was readied, and I was chomping at the bit. My husband voiced concerns that we were biting off way more than we could chew, but with him not being all that vocal about it (gosh, he wasn't yelling or anything) I somehow was able to keep things moving along by listening to only what I wanted to hear, and shutting out the negative talk, as I labeled it.

The day that we met with Kevin for lunch to sign the paperwork for the offer, I was very disappointed with the atmosphere in the booth. Both men were very quiet, and nobody but me was the least bit excited. What was wrong with these guys? My food wasn't digesting all that well either. When we were done, our realtor offered to give me a ride home as my spouse had to go the other direction to get back to work. In the car, again a lot of silence and awkward moments. Right before we got back into town, he turned to me and said, "You know, I just don't think your husband's heart is in this. And if it's not, then this could cause a lot of problems for you. Just remember that a house isn't always a home. What you really want is a home, not a house."

After the shock of hearing those words come out of his mouth, I mumbled something like "Thanks, I'll be thinking about that" and scrambled out of the car as fast as I could with what little dignity I felt I had left. I had the rest of the afternoon to ponder that statement, and ponder, I did. Now here is the amazing part. How God did it I will never know, but He took that determined little heart of mine, completely set on having my own way, and broke it in the space of a few hours. I was convicted, I was humbled, I was horrified at how close I had come to losing the most important element in my relationship with the man I loved with all my heart~trust. He had entrusted his heart to me from the beginning of our marriage, believing that I would from that moment on see myself as part of a whole, rather than as an independent entity. And I had completely lost sight of that truth in my rush to fulfill my own personal needs and wants. Ouch!!!

I was waiting for him at the top of the stairs when he let himself through the door at the foot of the landing that night. As he started up the steps, I started to talk. "Honey, I am so sorry to have pushed you into something that you aren't feeling right about. Please forgive me." I will never, ever forget the look on his face as tears welled up and overflowed. (I'm crying as I write this, and it was over 30 years ago). His exact words were: "All afternoon I tried and tried to think how I was going to tell you when I came home that we just can't afford this house. I knew you wanted it so much, and I wanted to make it work, but today I just knew it wouldn't. And I didn't know how to tell you."

Is God amazing, or what? And how about that realtor, who put his commission on the line for the sake of a principle that meant more to him than money? The events of that day were seared upon my newlywed heart, and helped set the tone for my future behavior in similar situations. Have I always done the right thing since then, and never gotten out ahead of my husband when it comes to making decisions that affect our family? Is the Pope a Methodist? (For those of you not up on your denominations, the answer is a resounding "No" :)

I have struggled off and on, and mostly on, ever since with the fact that I am quick, impulsive, and can move to make a decision faster than you can blink an eye, and am hitched to someone who can be slower than molasses in January when he needs to make up his mind. But God has clear instructions in His Word as to just who leads whom in a marriage relationship, and I am determined to follow that plan by the help of His Holy Spirit even if it kills me! And guess what, it nearly has. Praise the Lord! "For I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." Galatians 2:20

P.S. Just as I finished typing the last sentence above, my sweetie came home from work through the side door and then to the foot of stairs, calling up to me. I went to the head of the stairs, and we met halfway with a hug and welcome home kiss. Can I tell you how much that deja vu moment just meant to me? Fast forward 30 years from that moment on the stairs in our old apartment to the house where we now live, to the love and trust that has been built into our relationship through good times, bad times, and all the times in between. Thank you Kevin, and thank you Lord!!!

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Challenges to help become a Wise Woman who Builds...
~Think of 3 things that you admire and respect about your husband. At an appropriate time, tell him those three things. Don't be shocked at the look of surprise and pleasure on his face!

~When something makes you angry this week, take a deep breath, picture taking your thoughts captive to Christ and releasing them to Him, THEN respond.

~Look through your wardrobe and find 3 things (or more) that you haven't worn in the past two years. Put them in a receptacle for future disposal. And no "receptacle diving" to get them back out!


Challenge Bible Verse for the week of 1/22-1/29
"And let not your adornment be merely external-braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."

1 Peter 3:3-4