I love/I don't love/I like/That's all!

I love…
Unexpected surprises, like soft pure snow blanketing the earth !
Unsolicited laughter from children when life tickles their fancy!
Unabridged recitations from a creative mind!
Uncharacteristic comments that soothe a sin-sick soul!
Unconditional love flowing from the perfect heart of our Lord!
Uncanny wit that makes me belly laugh!
Undeserved “just because” gifts!
Unceasing forgiveness from an unchained heart!
Unbeatable songs from the 70’s…like “Endless Bird”; “Stairway to Heaven"; "Layla"; "Smoke on the Water"; "Piano Man"

I don’t love…
Unaffordable “stuff” that I really desire!
Unfashionable low-rider-pants-on-the-ground!
Unpleasant, unceasing sarcasm!
Unreasonable expectations!
Unnatural makeup!
Untidy homes!
Uncomfortable situations!

I like…
Lobster!
Bread!
Books!
Serving!
Shoes!
Art!
Piano!
Singing!
Pinterest!
Board games!
Gospel music!
Praise and worship music!
Instrumentals!
Theatre!
Blue!

That’s all!!!

In the beginning…GOD

GOD.  The GOD of the Universe.  The CREATOR of the Universe.  The AUTHOR of the Universe.  The ARTIST of the Universe.  GOD…who CREATED man and woman… who SPOKE the world into existence…who GAVE the blueprint for life to Moses…IT WAS ALL GOD!  HIS IDEA!  HIS IMPLEMENTATION OF HIS PLAN!  The World!  You and me!

 

GOD…NOT the author of “religions” or “denominations”.  NOT the  creator of doctrine or religious sects.  MAN fabricated those, and continues to do so!  MAN is not GOD!  GOD, in one of the three parts of the Trinity, became MAN, yet remained God and the Holy Spirit.  So GOD was man; man has never been GOD, nor will he/she EVER BE!  Really?  Yeah, really!  NEWSFLASH:  Try hard as you may, YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN NOR WILL YOU EVER BE GOD!!! 

Look at the current state of our world, of our country, of our government, and it seems that we have many people~ perhaps it is safe to say a majority of people, of “us”, who try so hard to be God…to be in control of their little universe…who try to control the direction and outcome of their lives, either never relying on God or perhaps placing HIM on the back burner and reaching for HIM in a real crisis!  “Oh, God, my family member is dying, please do something!”  “Oh, God, my spouse is threatening divorce…or “I just lost my job and have a family to feed”…or “Oh, God, I really want to marry and have children”, etc., etc., etc.  Then we pull GOD to the front burner, turn up the heat and hope he gets hot really quickly.  When HE does show up and answer, we push HIM back to his little back burner position again in our lives, and take the reins of control back from HIM.  Oh, but we know HE will always be there when we reach for HIM…because we know HE is true to HIS Word, and it will NOT return to HIM void.

So my question is this:  IF GOD was in the beginning; if this whole Universe was HIS idea and HE made it just like HE wanted it; IF GOD is not the author of evil or confusion; IF GOD saw all that HE had made and “behold it was very good” (Gen. 1: 10, 12, 18, 21, 25)…then what happened to get us into the mess we are in right now?  Wars!  Economic downfalls!  Divorce rate increase!  Hatred!  Violence! 

I believe it is because we have forgotten WHOSE we are, WHO we are, WHO we were created to be, and WHO is on the throne (hint:  it is not you or I!) 

Just some of America’s roots: 

1.  Mayflower Compact, 1620:  “In the name of God, Amen, We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland….having undertaken for the Glory of God and Advancement of the Christian Faith…”  You won’t find these words history in public school textbooks today!  Might be offensive to someone!  Might step on someone’s toes!  Might violate someone’s rights!  REALLY?!  Maybe it needs to offend and violate what are some “perceived” rights!
2. Our pledge of allegiance:  “I pledge allegiance….one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. “One nation”?  REALLY?!  Ideally, maybe, but not reality! “With liberty and justice for all” (bold mine).  Justice?  What is that?  (definition)  For who?  ALL?  Who is that and what is that about? 
3. “In God we trust” was adopted as the official motto of the US in 1956.  It has appeared on coins since 1864 and on paper money since 1957.  In 2006 the senate reaffirmed “In God We Trust” as the official national motto of the USA.  And the House of Representatives passed a resolution affirming it in 2011 with a vote of 396-9.  There was a joint poll but USA Today, CNN and Gallup in 2003 that found 90% of Americans support the inscription “In God We Trust” on coins of the USA.  In whom do we trust?  GOD!  Who is GOD?  Is it us?  NO, NO, and again I say, “NO!”  Is it Buddha, or Mohammed, or Joseph Smith, or your preacher, or you?  NO! NO!,  And again I say NO! 

C’mon people!  Wake up!  While the USA is still the best place on the earth to live, and while we have freedoms and privileges that others don’t have, we are in a mess!  A BIG MESS!  And it is not getting better; in fact, we are declining!  When will we ever learn?  Will God continue to be patient with us, or will HE—is HE—losing His patience with us and may we be seeing some of the signs of the “wrath of God” we read about in His Word?  Will it get worse? 

Psalm 2 says this:  ^“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”  The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”  I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance,  the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter ;you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

But make no mistake:  His love never changes!  His mercies are new every morning! (Lam. 3: 22-23) He longs to give us the desires of our hearts! (Ps. 37:4)  BUT…(there’s that conditional word…but!)  God’s promises are true; yet, they are conditional!  Don’t believe me?  Read the Word and see!  Here’s an example from 2 Chronicles 7: 14-16 (NIV):  “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.  I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.”

There it is!  HIS Word for us!  “IF”…”THEN”.  God longs to forgive our sin and heal our land IF we will:  1. Humble ourselves 2.  Pray   3.  Seek His face   4.  Turn from their wicked ways

I propose that it is time to turn things around!  WE, as a generation of God’s people and as Christ-followers, must become less tolerant of and desensitized to the ways of this world and turn back to the precepts of God’s Word and beseech the God of the Universe to find favor with us and to turn our hearts back to Him.  May we work hard to become “one nation, under God…”

Please leave your comments…but not hate mail! 

Out of the Desert

I’ve been in the desert all week, except for a couple days on the mountain…in Arizona…visiting our Dominican daughter, Viviana, and her sweet family!  It’s been a welcomed time of r & r for my man and me.  The unfortunate part is that I started the trip ill with a horrible respiratory infection and, while it has been tempered a bit with a z-pack, it lingers still.  My throat is dry and parched~ like the desert...

^“They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts. He made the water flow out of the rock for them; He split the rock and the water gushed forth.” ~ Is. 48:21 (NASB)

There is something oddly beautiful about the desert.  Mountains and valleys, hills and plains of Umber, Sienna, Indian red…dirt, and dust…and cactus of various sorts!  Prominent in Arizona are all sizes of the Saguaro Cactus.

The Saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona. These cacti take up to 75 years to produce a side arm.  The arms are grown to increase the plant’s reproductive capacity.  Some specimens can even live 150 years. They can grow from 15-50’ and begin by seed, not from cuttings. When the rain falls, the Saguaro sucks up the water and visibly expands, storing the water for use as needed.  The fruit of this cactus is ruby red, each one holding about 2000 seeds and sweet fleshy connective tissue.  These fruits are highly prized and edible.  In Arizona it is illegal to tamper with the Saguaro cactus. (Wikipedia)

Intricately designed by the God of the Universe for a specific purpose, and in spite of their peculiar appearance, the Saguaro Cactus  represents the state of Arizona.  Like the Saguaro, there are folks within each of our concentric circles of concern who, also, were intricately designed by God, but feel as though they are wandering in a desert of their own…alone!  Maybe they don’t feel attractive…or talented…or smart…or lovely…or likeable (worse yet, maybe they feel unlovable)…or needed…or wanted…or desired…you fill in the blank.  Yet, everyone has a unique and specific purpose in this life, and represents something (or someone)!  The sometimes daunting task is that of discovering who we are and whose we are!

In Christ, the old is gone and the new has come!  As believers we are dead to the world and alive in Christ Jesus!  Yet knowing that in the head and feeling it in the heart can be diametrically opposed.  There have been times in my life that I have felt as though I was wandering in the desert, all alone, with no real purpose or meaning to my life…feeling worthless and a failure…feeling that  I had so disappointed God that He could never or would never forgive me…NEVER would I be useful to His service.

“Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.“  ~ Is. 43:19 (NASB)

BUT GOD…in His infinite wisdom and mercy and His unfailing love…found this parched and dried up ME…and He refashioned the mold of my life to be the best me He wants me to be!

“Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” ~ Rom. 9:21 (NIV)

I am not “there” yet; but I am on my way, step-by-step, moment-by-moment, day-by-day, from glory-to-glory!  Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

Please listen to “Desert Song”  by Hillsong United….and be richly blessed!  (The lyrics are listed below)

VERSE 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
When all thats within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

VERSE 2:
This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

CHORUS:
I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

VERSE 3:
This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise Ill stand

BRIDGE:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

VERSE 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favour and providence flow
I know Im filled to be emptied again
The seed Ive received I will sow

From the DR to Arizona

In 2001 God began weaving a tapestry of love in my life that continues to amaze me today. I spent a week in the Dominican Republic on a mission trip . One of our translators, Viviana, and I instantly connected…on a deeper level than just a working relationship. She is the same age as our middle daughter; Dominicans call her “Bebe” for short (they pronounce “v” like a “b”); my middle daughter’s nickname when she played travel softball for years was “Bebe. Vivi is beautiful, sweet, fun, funny, gives great massages (my goodness! Those hands on such a tiny little body can really go deep into the shoulder and neck tissue! It hurts so good!), and has a strong faith in God. As I left to return home from that mission trip in 2001, I handed her a note and guess what! She handed me one back, neither of us knowing the other was writing notes! I boarded the ministry bus fighting back tears as she stood below the bus window, releasing the floodgate of tears. As the bus began to pull away, she smiled, waved and with a trembling lower lip said, “I love you, Mama!” And my heavy heart broke!

Years passed. And each summer I returned to the DR with eager anticipation of loving on Vivi and many other Dominican friends…well, family, really! One day Vivi told me that a dentist from Arizona named Kent, who had been there a couple times on a mission trip, had fallen in love with her and she with him. Soon after he asked her to marry him. Now, this is no small feat when you are Dominican and a Gringo wants to bring you to the USA to marry and live. For the better part of 2 years Kent and Vivi worked tirelessly to get the American Embassy to agree to let her come, with rejection after rejection after rejection! Finally, thanks to a senator from Arizona and our good Lord, Vivi was allowed to leave the DR and marry her Prince Charming in the USA! Unfortunately her mom and siblings could not leave the country to come for the wedding. Vivi honored me so by asking me to be her “mother-of-the-bride”! One of my daughters, who had also been with us on several DR mission trips, was asked to be a bridesmaid, as well, so to Arizona we went!

 God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, had been intricately weaving the tapestry of our lives for a number of years, but neither of us knew it! Then seven days of being in the DR and Vivi translating for me and all the rest of our team, formed a deep and a forever bond!


Vivi and Kent were expecting their first child at the same time my eldest daughter was pregnant with her youngest child. Vivi flew to Tennessee to spend some time with us, and how delightful that was to have my daughters together and 2 of them expecting little ones! Kent and Vivi’s Luke, now age 3, was born on my birthday~ another beautiful thread in the tapestry of my life!

This past summer Vivi was a bridesmaid in my other daughter’s wedding . This was another precious time for all of us to be together! My husband and I are in Arizona this week visiting while Kent is on vacation. We all leave tomorrow for the mountains to spend a couple of days sledding, snowmobiling, and having snowball fights! Living in the desert doesn’t afford many opportunities to enjoy the crisp cold snow and the fun it brings. So we will surely make lots of memories this weekend!

 (Playing with the Thomas the Tank Lego toys we brought him--he was in heaven!)

Being treated to some Dominican (and American) food here is super special! Anytime I don’t have to cook its super special…add the Dominican factor in and…well…it’s a win/win for me. Look at this beautiful breakfast we had this morning (not shown: crisp fried bacon):

 (Silver Dollar Pancakces and Huevos Rancheros)

 

My God has showered me with blessings abundant and I sit in awe of the creativity with which He weaves the tapestry of my life more and more beautifully every day. What blessings has He showered upon you today?

My WORD!

In perusing the blogosphere I’ve discovered many folks declaring a “word for the year”. (Check out some at The Lettered Cottage). So I have decided to claim a personal word, as well. Are you ready? Drum roll please!!! F.L.E.X.I.B.I.L.I.T.Y. There! I said it! WHEW! That was rough!!!! Not really…but kind of!

Photo credit here

Flexibility is: “Stiffness" or "flexibilityy" is the pliability or rigidity of an object — the extent to which it resists bending. They are complementary concepts so the more flexible an object is, the less stiff it is (Wikipedia)”. I grew up in a home with a gentle, patient and level headed mother who preached “rules were made to be broken! In fact, I don’t like the word ‘rules’. I prefer ‘guidelines’”. Conversely my father, an alcoholic, was a “no” man~ “Daddy, can I…” “NO!” And he rarely even knew what it was I was asking. For example, I was told to be home at midnight on a very snowy evening; my actual arrival times was 12:05. I was grounded for the entire Christmas vacation albeit my sorority formal and a couple hours on Christmas Day with my boyfriend)! Really? Yeah, really! I determined right then that, when I became a Mom, I would never be that vague, that strict, that unreasonable with my children! NO WAY!!! Well…

I like the comfort and security guidelines offer. I need them and want them…I thrive under detailed guidelines. However…or should I use the proverbial “but”?... I also need/desire/want/expect flexibility within those guidelines. For example: we expect our 18-year old son to be home at a certain time, even though legally he has no curfew. However, he lives in our home; he is financially dependent upon us; he is a part of our family. We expect him to abide by (i.e. “honor” the rules of our home. However, if he cannot or will not be home at that time, and he lets us know, all is well! That’s called flexibility! Another example: for the past 10 years I have gone on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. At the beginning of each trip we are told the “guidelines”, the “expectations”…the “rules”. The first one is always “Be flexible! If we tell you in the morning that we are doing construction after lunch and something more necessary comes up, we need you to be flexible with the change in schedule!” Because I am a detailed planner, that can mess with my head a bit! But you know what! I have learned flexibility in the DR and it has helped me be more flexible at home!

Scripture outlines God’s laws…His rules…His standard. The 10 Commandments were the blueprint for the Israelites lives. Strict laws! Specific laws! Laws about clothing, and food, and character, and behavior, and worship…laws impossible to fully comply with! Much of The Word is God’s road map for the Christian life…His expectations and promises. Call the “rules” or “guidelines” or “expectations”…He loved us enough to help us know how to live a life pleasing to Him; He loves us enough to forgive us for our failure to comply. IF God does that for me, does He not expect likewise that I will offer the same to others? YES! Yes, He does! He says in Scripture (Ephesians 4:32). That seems so reasonable …yet, it is often difficult for me to do!

So, I will work tirelessly this year to become more flexible! Will you please pray for me, that I will practice what I preach and will achieve my goal?
Many thanks and abundant blessings on your year,

The Beginning of the End

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

~Martin Luther King, Jr.~

What things matter to you?  Will you/do you speak up...or will you/do you remain silent?  My Daddy used to say:  "Sometimes it's better to keep you mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt!"  I ask:  who determines a fool?  

Thank-you, MLK, Jr., for risking speaking up rather than silencing your voice!  You made a difference...and that difference continues today!