Author: admin

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

It’s February and we have a pond with algae. We always get algae, maybe three times a season and usually not this early.  It must be treated in one way or another, or the algae will consume the lake. Sometimes we hope for the wind and rain to handle it, but, when taken root, it becomes stubborn and won’t go away without treatment.

In all the years I’ve taken pictures of the lake, this might be the first picture I took of the algae. After all, why would I want to show or keep a picture of an imperfect lake? Wouldn’t it be better to just wait till the algae is gone?  

It takes a lot of work to keep the lake looking beautiful. Every season it takes hours of weed eating and lawn mowing around it.  We are thankful for the help we have to take care of it. Sometimes, though,  I feel pressure to keep it to some certain level of perfection. Anything that we hold as beautiful takes work and discipline to achieve. Honestly, it would be great if we just went down to enjoy the beauty of the lake without any of the required work. I will say, though, as I looked at the lake with algae in February, it was a beautiful, welcome, site. It meant a glimpse into spring. I felt no pressure. I saw only the beauty, algae and all.

I think in our own lives, we are all a work in progress. We have seasons of “algae” that need treated. Maybe we feel a little pressure to show our best selves at every moment, as if there was never any algae.  I’m thankful we have a God who sees our algae and still loves us. In fact, He sees the algae as beautiful because it’s a peak into what is ahead. He loves the before treatment picture and loves the after-treatment picture just as much.  Like the lake, though, it’s never finished. As soon as the grass is cut or the algae is treated, it begins to grow again.

God doesn’t need our unsustainable perfection. He loves us so much He died to save us. He wants our time in his word and with church family. He also wants us to use our talents to serve Him, algae and all. Who knows? Maybe we can better help someone because of our times of algae?

Lord, I give you me, algae and all. Use every bit of me however you’d like to your glory.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

I am a terrible dancer. I have no rhythm. When I was a freshman in high school, I got the part of a dance hall girl in our school play and they realized the best location for me was not with the other dance hall girls, but further back, swaying to the music. I have 2 left feet. I truly don’t even know if I was swaying properly to the rhythm of the music or not. I laughed about it then and I can laugh about it now. The director of the play knew what he was getting when he gave me the part, as my older sister was in the musicals as well and she couldn’t dance either.

Good thing God hasn’t asked me to dance. I’d fail miserably. Come to think of it, God would never ask me to do anything He hasn’t equipped me to do, even swaying in the background. Better yet, even if I don’t feel equipped, if He wants me to do a thing, He will see to it that I become equipped. That’s a comforting thought.

It further dawns on me- even being the world’s worst dancer, if He asked me to dance, his Holy Spirit would take over and make it happen to His glory. Of course, that would take complete and total reliance and faith on my part. Hmmm, maybe that’s exactly what He wants from me…complete and total reliance and faith in Him. I’m not the one doing the dancing, God is.

I’m not the one doing the dancing, God is.

Lord,  I need your help. Help me to not just say I have complete and total reliance and faith in you. Help me to live it.

“For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’ Isaiah 41:13

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Have you ever found yourself with a completely cluttered brain? It can be anything that causes it- stress, pressure, grief, divorce, hurt, anger…. the list is unending. I allowed so much negative junk in my brain over the past month that it caused paralyses of the very things I love most…praise, prayer, and bible reading. It’s a terrible place to be and I want no part of it. It’s like being in the darkest part of a tunnel with no light in sight. There simply isn’t time to allow such clutter and negativity.

When I think about how much time I have wasted over the past month on negative thoughts…I begin to praise. When I have a negative thought of any kind, I begin to praise. What was sparked by hurt spiraled into anger and every negative emotion I have felt over the past few years sat on me like mud. It was dirty, filthy, and dark. It took saying words out loud like.. “I forgive and I’m sorry.” It took total obedience and surrender to God. It took me not caring at all about what anyone, but God thought.

What’s that thing that holds your brain hostage? I would encourage you to start quoting your favorite scripture, sing your favorite praise music at the top of your lungs, and begin counting every blessing you have. I plan on doing this every minute if I must. Anytime a negative thought enters, I want to praise. I don’t want to miss out on all the good because I’m held hostage by all the bad.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So, He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.” Matthew 26:36-46

I think every now and then we all feel a little alone. We are tempted to ask ourselves if there is anyone who really cares what we are going through?

I can’t help but be drawn right back to Jesus as He was praying in Gethsemane. He’s telling his disciples how “full of sorrow” He was in the above passage in Matthew. In Luke, the scripture says He was in anguish and agony. He was in such earnest prayer that an angel came to give Him strength. Can you imagine the human Jesus needing an angel to give him strength? The Father created the angels and now Jesus is lower than them.

The prayer was so powerful that drops of blood sweat were coming from His brow.  Jesus, the Savior of the World, was experiencing weakness, anguish, agony, and sorrow. He hadn’t even been betrayed yet. How alone Jesus must have felt when He had to tell the disciples 3 times not to fall asleep.

When you’re going through that thing that no one quite understands, remember The Savior of the World does. When you’re going through hurt, sadness, pain, or rejection or when you feel like you can trust no one, remember, you can trust Jesus. When you’re tempted to feel alone or you wonder if anyone else cares, remember the Savior of the World cares.

His agony goes way beyond Gethsemane. He was lonely, rejected, and humiliated. He was despised, bruised, beaten, and betrayed. Noone could ever understand what He was going through. We can only imagine.  He’s not only our Savior, but He’s also our all and all. He went through way worse than anything we could ever imagine and totally gets our pain. I’m reminded of the words to an old chorus…

“Noone understands like Jesus,

when the days seem dark and grim.

Noone is so near, so dear as Jesus,

Cast your every care on Him.”

Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.” Matthew 26:46

Lord, thank you for blessing me. I live and walk each day in your blessing. Help me to never forget how blessed I am. Forgive me when I haven’t used my blessing appropriately. Help me to always be aware of ways to bless and be a blessing to others.

Thank you for the area of influence you have given me. Forgive me when I haven’t used my influence appropriately. Help me to always remember who I possibly influence and help my motives to be pure. Help me never to be a stumbling block to anyone I influence. Help me to be a good steward of my influence.

Thank you, Lord, for your presence in my life. Help me to always be aware of you and how you are working on my behalf every minute of every day.  I am so thankful for the power of your Holy Spirit active in my life.

Lord, thank you so much for your protection. I can look back on my life and see how you have protected me in so many situations. Thank you for your continued protection in my life and the lives of those I love and of which I have influence.   

In Jesus Name,

Amen

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:41-44

This morning as I was getting ready for church, out of nowhere the term “Pray through” came to mind. This week I’d been praying over and contemplating a few issues in my own life.

I hadn’t heard the phrase “Pray through” in a long time. It reminded me of “alter calls” at the end of sermons or revival services when the preacher would ask anyone who was dealing with a certain issue or wanting to get saved to come to the alter. He would urge you to stay at the alter until you “prayed through”

I began thinking about what the term “pray through” really means. I can always talk to God about what I’m struggling with, but was I really “praying through”? Was I really having a life changing encounter with God? Am I really willing to put in the time, energy, and faith that would allow a forever change to take place and spiritual breakthrough?

I think “praying through” means life change. We may not see manifestation, but victory has occurred. We know we’ve left our struggle at the feet of Jesus. We know we’ve prayed through when we’re finished praying and inner life change has occurred.

After the last supper and before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, in Luke it says “He prayed earnestly”, meaning, with sincere and intense conviction. He said to the Father in his humanness, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”

With all sincerity and with intense conviction He prayed…Not my will but your will. Not my will but your will. May we all “Pray through” with sincerity and intense conviction until heaven is moved and life change begins. Thank you, Lord, for the out of nowhere reminder about “praying through.”

Over the course of 2023 God placed within me:

1. A strong understanding that the time is now for those who left the church to come back and for the church to experience revival.

2. God needs “The Church” to be in a place of strength now more than ever.

3.There is no more important time in history than now to be making sure we are living for and serving God as well as winning others to Him.

This has prompted in me to study the 7 churches in Revelation 2 & 3.

1. All 7 churches have characteristics of “The Church” of today. We who consider ourselves Christians, are part of “The Church” of today. “The Church encompasses all church denominations and cultures who preach Christ crucified, etc. (The loveless, persecuted, compromising, corrupt, dead, faithful, lukewarm)

2. Because He says at the end of every church description. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” That means he is talking to everyone. Do you have an ear? Do I have an ear? Is there something in me that needs to change when I read any of these church descriptions? I can personalize this and see how I need to be warned that I should not allow corruption or compromise to enter my life. I need to ask myself the question am I on fire or have I allowed myself to become lukewarm? Has my love grown cold? Am in danger of spiritual death?

3. Good news! God doesn’t give a warning to every church without hope. He says each time “Those who endure to the end” this tells me 1. People will endure till the end. 2. There are people who won’t endure to the end. Which do I want to be? Which do you want to be?

4. Even in the 2 churches he doesn’t have anything against, (The faithful church and the persecuted church) He gives the understanding you still need to be faithful to the end, meaning, no one is above slipping. We have to be on guard so that we don’t fall away.

5. We are given warning but equally given opportunities to be overcomers, victorious, and conquerors. There is hope.

As I’ve studied these 7 churches, God is now prompting me to dive in to these to subjects/ questions:

1. At what point do you go from being part of ‘The Church” to being just part of the world?

2. A study on “the love of many will grow cold” scripture found in Matthew 24 where the last days are discussed and the dead church found in Revelation.

3. The correlations between the 7 churches in Revelation to the scriptures in 2 Timothy 3 and Matthew 24 which both discuss end times last days behavior of people and happenings in the word.

As many of us typically do at the end of a year, I find myself looking back over the last 12 months and setting goals for the year ahead. I look back with gratitude and joy at the opportunity to take advantage of a trip we had planned during COVID lock-downs we thought we lost.  It was a special time I thought I may never get to experience again. Great trips, weekend get-a-ways, and time with family all helped make ’23 a good year.  Randy and I also put a little time into podcasting, and I’ve exercised blog therapy a little more often this year.

One of the hardest things about 2023 has been navigating the nursing shortage and how it affects Wedgewood. This problem has been nagging me for a long time. I am very grateful to God for continuing to provide. My heart is still heavy as I think about the nurses who have had to work extra so often over the last few years because of the shortage. It’s taken a toll on them, and it bothers me immensely. It has caused me to question if we can sustain this business. Being honest, fear creeps in when I think of the “what ifs”. Then, God gently reminds me that He has gotten us this far and He will make a way, no matter what comes. He has us where He wants us in that regard.

Watching my daughter-in-law lose her precious mother was also a difficult time. A few other family issues have been difficult, but God is faithful.

Looking ahead, I want to draw closer to God and dive more into His word. I would love to find new ministry areas and I’m open to God’s leading no matter how that might be. I also wish to put aside my caring too much about what others think. I have struggled in this area for a while now and 2024 is where I get it figured out and let it go. Caring way too much about what others think, or my perception of what they think, is paralyzing. God knows my heart. I can be free to serve God better as I fix this area. It holds me back from my very best service to God.

I’m blessed. I have a wonderful husband, kids, and family. God has provided beyond anything I could ask or think. He has brought us out of difficult times and reestablished my steps. I look forward to a great 2024!

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

While finally taking the opportunity to slow down after excitement the Christmas Season brings, I can’t help but reflect on how God has been working in my life in 2023. From a renewal & revival to His leading and guidance, God has shown me a few key things I eagerly take into 2024.

1. There is no more important time in history than now to be making sure we are living for and serving God as well as winning others to Him.

2. God has placed within me a strong understanding that the time is now for those who left the church to come back and for the church to experience revival.

3. God desires “The Church” to be in a place of strength now more than ever.

4. I have a calling on my life. We all do. God has given me certain gifts and abilities and He wants me using them. It is my full desire to use them only to His glory.

5. There is freedom in total surrender.

Grandma & Papa’s tree sat on a small table. It was full of blinking, colorful, bright lights. It wasn’t big, but I really loved looking at it with eager anticipation. The tree represented time with cousins, opening gifts, and the wonder of the Christmas Season. One of my favorite memories of Papa & Grandma’s tree was when I was just 4 years old. Though a small tree, grandma managed to put all the gifts underneath and around it.

It was time to open our gifts and I was anxiously waiting to hear my name. One by one each cousin’s name was called. I waited patiently, knowing I had to be next. There had to be a present under the tree for me, right? With each new name that was called, I began to get nervous. As time went on and each cousin’s name was being called to open their gift, I realized there simply weren’t enough gifts under the tree for all of us.

I don’t remember who was handing out gifts, but I do remember them saying there was only one present left under the tree and the last name was to be announced. So, when another cousin’s name was announced and I didn’t receive a gift, you can imagine the tears welling up in my eyes. They forgot about me. How could this be?

Just when the tears were ready to flow hard, my papa came walking from the back room holding a blanket. He said he just remembered there was one last gift. What could it possibly be? What was in the blanket? To my surprise and delight swaddled in the blanket was a perfect, amazing little puppy.

I went from feeling left out to favored, sad to happy, broken hearted to happy hearted. It’s amazing what one gift can do.

It’s amazing what one gift can do.

Years later, as I recall the special gift I received when I was 4, I can’t help but think of the most precious gift of all. As much as I loved receiving the puppy, there is one gift that is so much better.

It’s the gift of eternal life. This gift came in the form of a beautiful baby boy.  It’s the gift of a Savior. It’s the gift of a King. It’s the gift of Jesus. There’s no price tag on this gift. It’s free. You don’t have to do anything special for this gift to be yours. The gift of Christmas is the gift of Christ.

You just need to receive. When you receive the gift of Jesus, you receive forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and an eternal home. You receive a heavenly father, a friend, and a comforter. You receive peace, hope, love, and guidance. You receive grace and mercy.

It’s amazing what one gift can do.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17