“The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you; to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  Micah 6:8

Yes, God requires something of His children.  

To do what is right.  To love mercy.  To walk humbly with Him, our personal God.  I cannot require or even expect this from others, even other believers.  But I can yield myself completely to One that will reward what He requires; who will equip for what He expects.  I can commit to living out this Biblical mandate, and be emboldened and empowered by His grace to actually be able to do it.  

To do what is right.  This is not “right” according to me.  This is “right” according to a holy God.  Scripture, in the book of Judges, records the chaos and darkness of a people that “did that which was right in his own eyes”.  When one is left to determine what is right for himself in any given situation, we are on a collision course to destruction.  In other words, somebody always gets hurt.  And it is often the believer that suffers, the one that has a whole-hearted desire to fully follow after God, the one that truth and integrity and honesty and kind consideration really matters to.  And that’s often enough to discourage some, making them question the God they serve.  Why??  That’s the question when wrong gets the upper hand. It’s a tough pill to swallow when wrong appears to win.  And it’s not a new question.  

    “You have said terrible things about me, says the Lord.

But you say, What do you mean? What have we said against you?  

You have said, What’s the use of serving God?  What have we gained by obeying His commands…?”  Malachi 3:13-14

But the child of God does not need to struggle with these questions.  The faithful servant that has embraced grace, has experienced the reality and unrelenting love of God, the one that loves and serves Him because He first loved them, that child can throw themselves into the open arms of a great Savior that confirms over and over again that He is enough and there is everything to gain in Christ.  Jesus, in all His tender compassion, His forgiveness, the acceptance and belonging that is found with Him, the sweet comfort of knowing He will never leave or abandon His own, the overwhelming peace that is often impossible to explain but is very, very real...He is enough.  And He has revealed himself through His Word, the promises are true and relevant.  So never back away from doing right.  

    “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  (Philippians 1: 21)

    “In His favor is life; weeping may endure for night, but joy comes in the morning.”

(Psalms 30:5)

To love mercy.  This is a tough one, but again, nothing He requires is beyond His enabling grace to accomplish.  Why is this so tough?  Because mercy defined means it is extended to the undeserving.  It demands that we relinquish the right, even the desire to retaliate, to wish that those who wrong us suffer accordingly.  When everything in you is screaming “you should pay!” it means giving that too, to Jesus.  And believe me, He can be trusted to do right by His children.  

“He [Jesus] did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered.  He left His case in the hands of God who always judges fairly.”  (I Peter 2: 23-24)

Jesus left us this example and the rest of I Peter is full of encouragement and reminders of God’s faithfulness in providing for, comforting, blessing, those that “suffer for right’s sake” and do not return evil for evil.  He will hold you until the hurt heals.  He will bring you to the place that you LOVE mercy, because you are reminded often that He extends it to you on a regular basis.  He is full of mercy...unfailing love...and we can abandon ourselves to that unfailing love because it is eternal.  And, to take it a step further, we can love others this way because of Him.  Love Mercy!

Walk humbly with your God.  There is no other way to walk with God.  We can know God.  We can know about God. We can talk the God-talk.  But to walk with Him?  To have a vibrant, intimate, personal relationship with Him that alters our egos? To live as Jesus lived?  “To cast down every imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”?? (2 Corinthians 10:5) We are so often so full of ourselves.  What we want, how we feel, what we need...our future, our friends, our reputation, our...our...our..; me, me, me!!  Stop for one moment and say with John, “He must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30).  Jesus will never be who He can and should be in your life until you are not the most important person in it.  Stop living for yourself.  Start living for Him!  And remember, it’s not just about “walking humbly”, but walking humbly WITH YOUR GOD.    

      “Pride and arrogance, and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”  Proverbs 8:13

He has shown you what is good.   To live a life this way...doing right, loving mercy and walking humbly with God, this is the good life.  We don’t have to question or debate what “good” is.  He has graciously explained it, made it known.  It is no mystery, it’s simplicity is just not always appreciated.  And the fact that it is required?  We’re the better for it.  It’s the better way.  

By His grace, no regrets. None.

Are You Listening to Me?

“And the Lord God said…”  Genesis 2:18

The LORD GOD said [bold, caps, underlined…emphasis mine!]

It’s a brand new year!  If you’re reading this, we’re off on yet another adventure.  We have been given one more day to LISTEN!  If there is one thing I want to do this year, it is hear what the Lord God says.

I finished a different through-the-Bible plan this year with a Promise Bible my hubby purchased for me last Christmas while visiting our oldest son and his family.  Every day, I was drawn to it like a magnet.  I didn’t always get to read each daily segment, but I was so conscious of it when I didn’t, so wanting to “catch up” or, not wanting to get too far behind.  We ended this year on a trip also, a whirlwind kid/grandkid tour starting in Atlanta with our youngest son and his fam, stopping back in WV overnight to hear our second son preach and spend a “Christmas evening” with them. Then it was on to Indiana to see the oldest and his fam.  We brought the New Year in with the number- 3 son and his fam in Philadelphia.  Since I had my Promise Bible with me, ending 2014, I started over on the first of 2015.  These beginning chapters in Genesis were so familiar.  But there were certain words and phrases that just kept grabbing my attention: God created; the Spirit of God moved; God saw; God divided; God called; God said; God made;  God set them; God blessed them; God ended His work.  Then, all of a sudden a change occurs in chapter 2 verse 4.  It now begins to say, “the LORD God made”; the LORD God formed; the LORD God planted; the LORD God commanded; the LORD God caused; the LORD God said. 

The powerful Creator God became personal, intimate. 

The name “LORD God” was so intimate that the Jewish tradition did not allow for it to be spoken.  We know it as Yahwey, Jehovah.  Too holy to voice, too sacred to even spell, it was YHWY. But not only did God the Creator perform all these wonderful acts, He desired from the beginning to communicate with His creation.  And He has not stopped.  After all, what is a relationship without communication??  And what would our world be without words, spoken or written?  God is all about words.  In fact, He is the Word ("In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God," John 1:1).  He is speaking.  The problem is that we’re not listening. 

Yes, the Scripture is familiar to me.  I have read it all my life.  I have made it a point to learn it, memorize it, and apply its Truth.  Maybe for you it is new, maybe a bit overwhelming.  Maybe you are doubting its relevance in our world today or intimidated or even angered by its authoritative nature.  Regardless, God has spoken.  He is the great Creator God, the LORD God, and He wants us to hear what He has to say.  It matters.  Whether it is a passage of Scripture you have read a hundred times, or you have just read it for the first time, it is now a part of you and it is alive and powerful.  It can change you, cheer you, encourage you, guide you, teach you, correct you, instruct you, empower you, help you, heal you, save you.  JUST LISTEN! 

“Did you hear the words coming out of my mouth?!”  I’ve said that from time to time to one of my boys or one of the many God has given me to care for, when I just knew that somewhere between the words leaving my mouth and being put into action, they just got lost!  The connection was never made between what I had just said and what they had just heard.  It was obvious that even though they heard what I said, they did not listen!  Listening involves more than just hearing.  Until there is impact or action there is no listening. 

The LORD God has spoken people, and I want to listen, more now than ever before.  I want it to penetrate my heart and life, bringing me into an even deeper understanding of His grace, His power, His love.  And I want to act on it in abandon, letting it work itself out in my every deed. I hope you do too.  It could make all the difference in how 2015 plays out.   

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In the Quiet

I'm up early, like 5:00 a.m. early...couldn't sleep.  But I needed this time.  Been thinking all night on Psalm 104:1; "Bless the Lord, O my soul.  O Lord my God, you are very great."

I don't praise Him nearly enough.  And lately I find myself just crying out to Him for one thing or another. Just in the last few weeks I have been weighed down by concerns for personal health issues; concerns for my parents and challenges they are facing because of age and health;  major changes and challenges at work that bring demands both physically and emotionally; and then heartbreak over the choices of those I love, feeling rejected, used, betrayed. Being in the parent role we're in to a number of young people has its rewards, but when you love deeply, you hurt deeply.  There's no getting around it.  Yet God knows that.  He is a loving Heavenly Father who has given greatly for our good, and His love and wisdom and help are not always accepted or appreciated by the likes of His stubborn children.  So I draw even closer to Him and with His help just rest in His love for me.  

But I'm not in prayer long for my own needs when my thoughts and prayers turn quickly to so many other precious people going through so much...sickness, loss, concerns over jobs and finances...hurting, burdened people.  So I pray more.  I know it matters.  I know God hears.  I trust Him, even though it's not always easy to patiently wait for Him to answer...and even harder to accept His answers when they may not be what I would want. But that is why I am who I am, and He is Who He is....very great.  And I have allowed my circumstances, and even the concern I have for others, to overshadow that greatness.  I see it.  I know it to be true.  He has saved me.  He loves me in spite of myself.  He has been so gracious to allow me to have experienced such a full and wonderful life.  He has brought so many wonderful people across my path.  I am awed by His creation...looking out over this mountain ridge this morning, seeing the fog lift and sun break through...what beauty!  I close my eyes and I can almost feel an ocean breeze blowing across my face and the calming affect of the waves rolling in as I sit on a sandy beach. It blows me away every time I get to experience it, and my God created it.  Yes, He is great.  

O God, I praise You today.  I just lift my heart in awe of Your greatness.  You are still in charge, of all the intricacies of life, the workings of man, the nature of governments, Your creation.  Today I want to set aside the tendency to see all the negative, and just embrace all the beauty and the glory around me, letting it recharge my soul and enlarge my hope and expectations in You.  I praise You for so many answers to prayer and that You are even mindful of my needs and concerns.  I praise You for giving Your powerful and alive Word to live by and trust in; I am so very grateful for our precious ever growing family.  I praise you for sweet fellowship with other believers, and for the blessing of friendship, and the promise of heaven and Your return.  

"Bless the Lord O my soul; O Lord my God, Thou art very great."  

It's a Seascape kind of morning

“Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.”  Mark 3:7

The beach is my go-to place.  Even when I can’t literally flee to the sea, I go.  I go to the place where Jesus and I can sit and soak up the wind and waves, the sand and salty breeze, and everything else I love about the sea.  It’s the place, even if only in my heart at times, where we talk and enjoy each other; I listen and reflect, overwhelmed and grateful that He has time for me.  The blessing of a moment of rest, even if it’s just mental.  Without it I’d be mental! 

This is one of those mornings.  But Jesus drew me this time, before I had a chance to even think about my go-to place.  He had it in mind.  He knew what I needed.  He knows what it means to me.  So when I opened my Bible to this morning’s devotion, I knew He was calling me away and I needed to follow. 

He.calms.the.waves.  He can calm my anxious heart.  I can trust Him to accomplish through me what I do not feel I can accomplish on my own.

We begin Vacation Bible School this evening.  We’re packing and prepping for the move to the farm.  I have dentist and doctor appointments to get Jordan to in the next two days.  When we come back on duty at the ranch we’ll be on for two weeks.  Our oldest son and his family come in this evening from Indiana;  Christina and the kids get to visit with us while he has business in Atlanta.  And we wait…we wait for the word from our youngest son that the kidney transplant for grandson Ephraim has finally been scheduled, and we will drop everything and travel down to Atlanta to be with them for the surgeries. 

 

Lord, I am wading out today with you by my side.  I am lifting my face to you and basking in the warmth of your love.  I am trying to grasp your greatness and goodness and praise You.  I feel like a grain of sand on the shoreline this morning, small, a little gritty, yet held in Your Hand and part of Your infinite plan.  It’s a beautiful feeling, knowing You are holding me, helping me.  Thank you for meeting me here today. 

 

 

A Child-like Faith

A friend (and co-worker) was sharing with her young son that our grandson Ephraim was going to be able to have his kidney transplant.  They have been faithfully praying for him all this time.  “Oh, thank God!” he exclaimed.  Then, in that precious child-like innocence he asked, “What is that, anyway?”

Lord, I want that kind of faith!   Children don’t have to know or understand; they just believe God.  And isn’t that what He has asked us to do, just trust Him?  Unfortunately, our idea of prayer and faith is often like a trip to visit Santa at the mall.  We have our list.  We’ve been good.  Why wouldn’t He make sure we get what we ask for? 

Scripture tells us that his ways are not ours, His plans are best*.  And even though that may be hard to accept, it’s best if we do.  And that is not just a pat answer.  It’s Truth.  God is so good and patient that even when we struggle with that, He understands and holds us in His hands.  And just like a loving parent with a trusting child, He won’t let go. 

“Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”  Mark 9:24

 *Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”  (NCV)

'Streams in the Desert'

It was December of 1986, my last ladies Bible study. Shortly after Christmas we would be packing for the move we would make in January. So much had changed in those few years since coming to New York; Rog and I had changed. God had grown us, stretched us, and brought us to the realization that He had plans for our future that we would never have dreamed of. This small group of ladies had become so dear. I was the young wife and mother in the bunch, and they had mentored and encouraged me in ways I had not expected.

It was here I began to write for our church newsletter. It was here I began to lead the Ladies Bible Study. It was here I began to teach Sunday School and work with the teens and children in the church and Christian School. It was here I began to reach out into the community, visiting families and bringing their children to church on a church bus. I was like a sponge, soaking up all these godly women were pouring into me. The foundation had actually been laid earlier in Virginia with a Bible study I was involved in there, but it was in Saratoga Springs that I began to put into practice some of the things I had begun to understand about what it meant to really live for Christ.

As we sat around the table that snowy December morning in my friend’s kitchen, there were mixed emotions. Some people have lived in one area their entire lives. They live and work and worship with many of the same friends and family they have grown up with and known all their lives. I’m beginning to get a sense of what that is like. We have been here in West Virginia now going on 20 years! We have strong ties and bonds here now. And I enjoy this, seeing the roots go ever deeper as the years pass. But I also treasure the memories of these earlier days in my “growing up years”, spiritually speaking, as a young wife and mother. Roger had not long come to the realization that God’s desire for him was to serve as a preacher, and probably as a pastor. That of course meant that I would be a pastor’s wife!! Not in a million years would I have seen myself in that role just a few short years prior. There was much education and training before us, but after much prayer and counsel we were convinced of the direction we would be going. I was excited, but yet overwhelmed with thoughts of where this decision might take us. But God had prepared us and brought us to this point; He was going before us, and we were embarking on this journey together as a family.

Our goodbyes said in the midst of hugs and tears, we prayed together, and they prayed for me and Rog and our young family, that God’s hand of blessing would be on us. Lynn Greene, one of these sweet ladies, then gave me a gift that I use to this day. It was a copy of Mrs. Charles E. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert, a daily devotional, now a classic. How many times have the Scriptures and the articles in this collection brought to me ‘a word in due season’…at crucial times in my walk with the Lord, ups, downs, highs, lows. Even though I have used a number of devotionals through the years (in fact, I collect them!) I would find myself going back to this one over and over again on some certain, some random days. The wisdom of saints in these pages! Men and women that have gone before me that have seen the faithfulness of God in so many ways, it just always speaks volumes to me. I also will often read the note Lynn wrote to me in the front cover:


Dear Angela,
May the Lord bless you and your Bible Study. May he continue to use you in the lives of other
ladies. May He be with you and help you to uplift your husband an d family in His great work for
the Lord. May you in “all ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path.”
Love In Him,
Lynn Green, Ps 107:29


With the Lord’s great grace and His enablement, I am trying to continue to do this, Lynn! God’s Word is even more a treasure to me now than it was then. I continue to make myself available to other ladies both old and young to encourage and teach and minister with (though I am still learning so much from so many!); I continue to strive to be the help my husband needs as a loving, supportive wife; my children and my grandchildren are still my priority and my joy to love and serve; and I continue to trust the Savior to guide and direct my every step. He has directed our paths to this point and I know He will be faithful to see us safely to His desired place for us as we keep following hard after Him.

And that Streams I was given? It is still a favorite and a faithful companion, not only in my devotional time, but any time I need the wealth of wisdom and inspiration it provides.

I leave you with some of my favorite thoughts from its pages. BE BLESSED!



The problem of getting great things from God is being able to hold on for the last half hour.-----selected
March 5, on Hebrews 3:14

He has kept you hitherto; do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. ----J. Hudson Taylor, February 8.

“Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was” (Ex. 20:21). God has still His hidden secrets, hidden from the wise and prudent. Do not fear them; be content to accept things that you cannot understand; wait patiently. Presently He will reveal to you the treasures of darkness, the riches of the glory of the mystery. Mystery is only the veil of God’s face. Do not be afraid to enter the cloud that is settling down on your life. God is in it. ----selected; March 14

Love My Outer Banks!

We’ve just come off of a week at the Outer Banks and I’m still riding the wave, so to speak. Glorious weather, a chance to relax and just enjoy the moments; sitting in the warm October sun, walking on the beach, watching sunset over the sound, flying kites, looking for seashells, visiting our old friends the lighthouses, checking out some of the shops and savoring some of the dishes at the local dives. These are just a few of the things that make this one of my favorite places to be. There’s something about being able to switch to island time, move at a slower pace, and take time to absorb my surroundings.

But there’s more. There are times I am sitting on the beach watching the waves pound the shore, and the majesty and might of God nearly overwhelm me. In my devotional time I read from Psalm 93.


The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. (KJV)


Now, read it again. Close your eyes. Can you hear the ocean roar in the distance? Can you feel the breeze against your face? Can you hear the gulls calling out over the waves? Listen. The Lord on high is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea.

At first I smiled that the Lord would have this passage in my Bible reading the week I’m at the beach. He’s so good that way! Then I just sat and soaked in the amazing truth of it. I knew He had directed this to me at this time for a reason and I wanted to have it blazed on my brain for the coming days and weeks when I’d be back to the real world. You know, that world of routine and demand and schedules and tasks to accomplish and work to be done. But He’s the God that reigns in that world too, and it’s just as beautiful although in a different way because He is the God of it. It’s all ordered by Him and I can trust Him with it. That may sound somewhat fatalistic or even casual to some but it really is that simple. I’m not saying it’s always easy to do, but simple just the same.

Now, I’m back to the banks…if only in my mind. “The Lord reigns…the Lord is mightier than the noise of many waters, yes, than the mighty waves of the sea.”

You Can Do It!!

“If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15-16). A call to love, or a call to obedience? It is both. And it is possible. But I can no longer count the number of times I have heard the following responses and others similar:

“You don’t understand. I just can’t do that.” forgive, be kind, study harder
“It’s too much to ask. God doesn’t really expect that does He? Not today at least. Maybe in Bible times, but that just doesn’t apply today.” stay pure, give of self and finances
“It was just a little white lie, no harm was done. Besides, it was for a good cause” be honest, have integrity
“But I think God understands how much I wanted this, how much I needed it.” avoid debt, be patient, be content
“Oh they’ll grow out of it. It’s just a phase. but it’s so cute at this age! It’s just not right to make them do something they don’t want to do.” discipline children, teach and train for godly character, set boundaries


I could go on. If there is an issue we deal with today the Scripture addresses it. God has a way for things to be handled. He knows the outcome of the right (righteous) response to His Word. Is obedience too much to ask of His children when He has done so much for us? And it is for our good always. His call to obedience is with our best interest in mind, because He loves us, not because He is a tyrant that enjoys having his subjects in paltry servitude.

Now, about a call to love. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” This raises a few questions. Can we keep His commandments apart from loving Him? If I don’t keep His commandments, does this mean I don’t truly love Him, or love Him as I should? This verse infers that our love for Christ is questionable at the least. We see in Revelation 2: 1-6 that it is possible to be doing right things but our love and devotion to our Savior not be all it could or should be.

Our love is fickle; it is weak; it is often merely emotional. And, it is dependent on Him who is Love. I John 4:10 says that we love Him because He first loved us. The more important fact is that Christ loves us. God loves us enough to not leave us in the wretched condition He first finds us in. And a life without Christ, at its very best, is still wretched with eternity in view. Embracing His love and growing in an understanding of His love for us enables us to love Him in return. In so doing, we find a desire to obey that can grow strong.

When it does not seem possible to obey as the Lord would have us to, no matter what the situation or issue, we can be confident He has already made a way for us to do what He has asked. Immediately after Jesus speaks to his disciples and says “If you love me, keep my commandments”, He continues saying,
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14: 16-17).

After walking with His disciples for three years Jesus knew they would question their ability to love Him…consider Peter and his denial of Christ, then Jesus in John 21 penetrating Peter’s heart with the simple question, “Do you love me?” They would need His power to love and obey. And He sent it in the work and person of the Holy Spirit to live in us, just as He promised. In I Corinthians 3:16, “don’t you realize the Spirit of God lives in you?” (my paraphrase) And again in Romans 8:9, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His”. If we belong to Christ then the Holy Spirit dwells in us and longs to empower us to obey.

Consider this: if a bill needs to be paid and the money is in the bank to be used to pay it, but we say we cannot, we either deny or ignore the resources available to us. Or, we do not expend the effort or do what is necessary to have the funds applied. In the same way, there is first the choice to obey, then the effort or process of actually following through.

The choice? “By God’s grace, I will obey.”
The effort? Pray; seek accountability, encouragement or counsel; read His Word; set aside time for worship and service; avoid situations that make it easier to disobey.

If we love Him we are to keep His commandments. Not keeping them is to communicate otherwise. We can fool ourselves, we can fool others, but God is not fooled. And it is the relationship with Him that is most important. We can obey more, and we can love Him always. And we have all the Help we need to do so.

The Turnip Squeeze

My grandmother used to say, “You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip.” I know, you’re thinking, “what exactly does that even mean?” Well, even if you don’t know anything about turnips, you’ve probably felt “the squeeze”!


The overwhelming demands that on occasion life has brought my way are not easily forgotten. It seemed as though I would suffocate under the weight of them. Sitting in a chapel service during one of these times, listening to the speaker as he expounded on Jeremiah 18 about the potter and clay, I literally felt as if I were being crushed! I thought I would explode before I got out of that room and alone with God to “unload” on Him! The heaviness was too much, the demands too great; I couldn’t hold up under the weight of them anymore. Yet, there was an overwhelming sense of knowing God was at work. I might be crushed in the process, but I would come out on the other side a more beautiful vessel if I would not resist or become impatient and bitter in the waiting.


Another season brought financial burden, emotional stress, family and ministry demands, personal sickness. I was taking a full college load of classes and working 20 hours a week. (My boys used to tease about my free time…that was between 2 and 5 in the morning! Little did they know how literal that often was!) I was taxed physically, my time, my energies all expended but I had to keep going. On another occasion, housing was an issue. We could not find any! We were living over the kitchen at the church in two rooms they prepared for us; full-service commercial kitchen, our own personal showers (gym shower/locker room), the entire gym for the kids to play in, it was…interesting. We were grateful, and blessed to be invited to use the empty space while we looked for a house, but it was hard and the pressure to find something was ever present. I sat at the top of the stairs with my open Bible one morning, asking God once again to please let this be the day we would find a place to live. Summer was almost over, and while the arrangement had worked for this time it would not work as well once school started (the church had a Christian School that also used the facilities). And how did He answer me? I turned to the devotional for the day, Psalm 90, and verse one loomed large before me: “Thou hast been my dwelling place in all generations.” I laughed out loud at first, then, just began to cry. God was not taunting me, and even though I am convinced He has a sense of humor, this was not an instance of it being displayed. No, it took a moment, but I realized He was directing and encouraging and comforting…He was still at work and I had to hang on in trust until all was made plain.


My mom called that afternoon. She wanted to know if we were open to making a move out of state to Virginia. I told her at this rate, if God opened up a house on the moon for us, we’d go! She had already found one for a more than reasonable price. Roger and I had already sensed during our “church mice” stay that God was changing our plans and redirecting us. And later it was confirmed that He was actually protecting us from some major changes that would take place in the church we had been in that would have impacted us in a great way. Roger was able to go back to school and finish His ministry degree, I was able to be near home with family (parents and grandparents) at a crucial time, and we eventually connected with a missionary pastor that God used to direct us to a pastoral ministry in North Carolina. The former pastor had died and the church needed to heal. When doors had been so tightly closed for so long it was amazing to see how quickly things started to fall in place.


These times have helped us determine that our home would be an open home. He is our dwelling place, not just the structure we reside in. God’s home is that way. Heaven is His home, and He invites us to share it with Him through all eternity. He welcomes us with delight and not only says “what is mine is yours”, but Christ has been preparing a place just for us. This welcome is intentional. We have tried to model that open invitation as He gives opportunity and shows us He is sending people our way.


Regardless of your physical residence, if the Lord is your dwelling place, you’re where you need to be. He has a way of opening and closing doors, directing and protecting, providing and guiding that is sometimes hard to grasp until you experience it.

We have, and He is!

Sitting, Singing, and Kite Flying

I’m sitting on the deck in the warm sun. Birds are singing, the cherry tree is blooming out. I’m watching the grandkids run and play on the hill. I see them run and laugh and roll in the grass, Bailey the beagle chasing them like butterflies. It’s a beautiful sight. Later, Rog…a.k.a. Poppy, and Jordan has them flying kites. Grandson Elijah looked to Rog with a big smile and said, “Poppy, I could do this all day!” That’s the feeling. It’s happened toward the end of a wonderful family visit or vacation. Or like the kite-flying, or hanging out later at Sweet Frog and Starbucks with friends…I wasn’t ready for it to end. I knew it would, so I just wanted to soak it in and savor every moment. But journeying with God is so amazing, it doesn’t end, and it just keeps getting better! “…He hath done great things. Fear not O land: be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things” Joel 2: 20b-21. Not only can I look back and praise Him for His faithfulness to His Word, His many answers to prayer, His provision and protection in my life and in the lives of many others, the great power and awe of just being in His presence; yes He has done great things. But I can also look forward to all He is yet to do, all He is yet to teach me, all He is still to accomplish in and through me, it’s an incredible thought. It’s also a comforting thought. I can rest expectantly in my Father to do great things because He has done great things in the past! My son Seth said to me recently in response to a difficult and challenging situation he is in: “I will be joyful, I choose that”. I choose that! Regardless of where we are right now, maybe in a storm, we can know that God has done great things, and He will do great things. It’s about how He can be honored, what we can choose to praise Him for, how we can be better in spite of the situation. It’s about enjoying the journey, and we can when we remember that God is great and we are journeying with Him. The problem is that we are often on a timetable, and God is not. He is outside of time. In His great mind and will, His acts are already done. That’s where faith comes in, faith to believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do, in His time…and that will definitely be great and good! What do we do in the mean time? Worship Him, love Him, serve Him, trust Him, wait patiently for Him. And keep in mind, He has done great things and He will do great things! Maybe go fly a kite!

Loaded Questions

“Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness…and He said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” Genesis 16: 7-8

Wow, loaded questions. Where have you come from? Where are you going? Well, Hagar had an answer for where she had come from. She was “fleeing from the presence” of Sarai.

Quite the drama plays itself out in this relationship triangle. There’s Abraham, married to Sarah (Abram and Sarai at this point). They’ve been promised a son, but Sarah is unable to bare children. She believes God will make good on His Word, but she’s not sure when or how. Perhaps He needs her assistance in this matter. Enter Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid. It has been ten years already, and still the Lord has kept Sarah from bearing children (16:2). So, she suggests to Abraham that perhaps she could raise up a child born to him from Hagar; kind of a surrogate mother situation, only without the technological availability of in vitro fertilization. Well, this sounds like a reasonable arrangement until Hagar actually conceives. Sarah begins to feel despised by Hagar and decides she has made a terrible mistake. When Abraham says she can deal with Hagar as she pleases, Sarah is harsh with her. Hagar flees.

The Lord comes to Hagar in her place of despair. She’s pregnant, alone, and since she cannot tell the Lord where she is going she is likely wondering, “what next?” She knows where she came from, a very difficult and awkward situation. Perhaps Hagar had been a bit too excited about the baby. Maybe she appeared to be flaunting the fact that she was able to conceive so quickly. Maybe she somehow made Sarah feel that she was favored now by Abraham. After all, she was going to give him a child. Whatever the case, Hagar was treated harshly enough to make her decide to run away from it all.

It’s January, and I’m guessing I’m not alone, especially this time of year, in spending some time looking back. As the New Year approached I began to pray and think about what might lie ahead in 2012. Speculation, anticipation, even some anxiety is perhaps normal…or at least typical when considering the future. Maybe it’s my age, but looking back is also somewhat nostalgic. I’m thankful to be able to look back and treasure most of the memories of my childhood; those early years of marriage; the privilege to have born and reared children; the lessons learned, the friendships forged; the places traveled; and the many special people over the years God has allowed me to get to know and love. I am also often overwhelmed with a grateful heart when I think of where God has brought me from, what life might have been like without Christ, His patience with me.

But it’s not just in these contemplative moments that the questions of where I’ve come from and where I’m going enter my thoughts. Like Hagar, there have been a few times I have been distraught over circumstances that were draining me dry. After a while, I just wanted out, wanted the hurt to just stop, wanted the situation to just be over. Failures are often easier to try to ignore or leave behind, than face; hurts might seem easier to run from rather than work through. Whether it’s a strong-willed toddler or a turbulent teen, conflict at work or in the home, things can often escalate to something we’d rather run from than embrace. But running away, especially if you don’t know where you’re going, is not the answer.

I imagine Hagar was resistant and aghast when the Lord told her to go back and face the very thing she was trying to escape. It was not going to be easy to go back and submit herself once again to Sarah’s harsh treatment. She may have brought much of it on herself, but even if she had not it would be humbling to return and purposely subject herself to the unfavorable situation she would be in. Yet, that is exactly what the Lord told her to do.

I am sure the Lord has not confronted me with these same questions for the last time, and not just on a yearly basis as I reflect on the passing of time. Because repeat performances of painful experiences are not usually desired, when things get difficult, it’s natural to just want out. There is a time for walking away, and this is not about being doormats or martyrs either. This is about a willingness to submit as the Lord directs, trusting Him to give strength and grace to face whatever we might otherwise wish to just escape from. It won’t be easy, I’ve been there. But God is so very faithful. It’s worth wading through the high water to get what God has for you on the other side of the flood. When fleeing is all you can feel, when you don’t think you can go on, let Him find you where you are, lovingly confront you in your distress, and give you what you need to make it through. He may just ask you a couple of loaded questions to help.

“Where are you coming from?”
What is it exactly that I am trying to escape from? Is it fear, uncertainty, failure, heartache, mistreatment, unfair or unnecessary conflict? Am I feeling that it’s just too much for anyone to expect? Is it just too hard, too demanding? Is there anything I can do to make the situation better? Is there something I could do differently? What if God doesn’t want it to end just yet, can I trust Him? Will I trust Him?

“Where are you going?”
How does God expect me to handle things? What can I learn from this situation? In what ways can God use this to grow me, stretch my faith and increase my dependency on Him? What should I do while I’m waiting? What if this isn’t even about me, but God is using my situation to impact someone else? Are my responses and reactions honoring Him? Is it time for a change? Is a breakthrough or an open door about to happen?