In the Storm

contentment.

the barn is almost complete

i cannot tell a lie. i have had mixed feelings about this barn. on the one hand it has been an amazing project that hoosier man and georgia boys have been able to put together from start to finish: from drawing up plans to putting the roofing on. the work done has been well-thought-out, well-constructed, and just plain good. hoosier man saved a ton of money by using 'free' windows, and hand me down siding. go hoosier man! but, after all is said and done it still has been a chunk of money.

my mixed feelings come in when i look at our front and back of the house and we still have no deck after living in the house for 14+ years (which we have talked about and talked about but because I haven't saved for it, it hasn't happened); the discontent there is we didn't save for the barn either; then there is our carpet throughout living room and hall. it is thread bare (i mean you can see the backing); no wood floors to replace it. because i haven't saved for it. and the lone cabinet still lays in the garage unfinished and not put together...

i know the source of my discontent.

i just haven't found that place in this situation of contentment. so when hoosier man is super excited i truly am excited for him but that discontentment creeps into my being trying to rob the excitement i want to freely give; to freely have.

nothing i can do about any of this except give my discontentment over to my God - and rest in His provisions. it is only their I find contentment. it is there i don't see a thread bare carpet but the roof over our head that shelters us from the storm. the home God blesses as we open our doors to a small group of believers for the study of His word. i don't see the lack of back porch or front porch but his amazing creation as i walk out the door: the clouds he regales me with just because he know how much i love the clouds; i don't see a barn instead of...(place discontentment here) but I see a labor of love, a time of bonding with his sons, proof again and again hoosier man is hard working, full use of gifts honed over the years.

so flee discontentment. get behind me. you're not welcome here.

do not worry - one hundred forty six seconds with God

 

it is how i live my life. i just can't worry about it. it sucks the joy right out. i'm an optimist. pessimists worry. they see trouble a mile away and worry long before it gets here - even if it never does. see. joy gone. worrying just doesn't get us anywhere except loss of sleep, loss of joy, loss of a good day, loss of a smile, loss of laughter, loss of happiness. look - God tells us He's got it and to stop worrying. why do you think he'd tell us that. well. because he's got it and we need to stop worrying. what? don't you trust God? you really don't - if you worry.

hey. i got an idea. pray instead of worry. when you are done praying you have effectively given over the situation, problem, worry - whatever - to God. and may i remind you here: HE IS A BIG GOD!

 

(picture from pinterest.com)

(words: from the heart)

a different perspective

 
life is rough. sometimes we go through things and we ask, "why?" oh, we know why but we get caught up in those why's. as a christian even we often don't see the end game so to speak and fear rushes in. we really do need to look at the rough patches in life with a different perspective. not a world view perspective but look at the situation through the eyes of our Lord. hard to do. so very hard. when we're knee deep in fear.

and too there is the different perspective of just a photograph. two little boys sitting at the table dangling their feet. guess i could have taken a picture of their faces. but i needed a different perspective.

Love this...

 
(from Pinterest.com)

I love C.S. Lewis. Hey, he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia!! Amazing, amazing books to fuel the imagination, and spur the heart, and touch the soul. And this is a great quote. I love the idea of never saying enough with dreaming or goal setting. Someone once said regarding 'retiring' that no where in the Bible did anyone retire. That God never intended man to 'retire'. That kind of goes along with this quote. I don't think God would ever want us to stop dreaming or stop setting goals. I mean we can never be finished becoming like Christ until we stand face to face with him so we are never done growing and if we're never done growing than there is always more. Just more. So dream more, set goals more, and grow more.

Imagine if you set a goal to read the bible every day for 1 week. And you checked off each day for 1 week. Then you set another goal to read the bible every day for 1 week and you accomplished that goal. Are you seeing where I'm going. You don't ever stop setting goals and you don't stop growing. God's word tells us that His word will not return void so those two short term goals you set and accomplished will produce much fruit in your life. Ah, love it.

This is wonderful; after my 47 before I'm 48 goal list; and our 100 days of summer list to realize that I haven't stopped dreaming and haven't stopped goal-setting. What hit me when I saw this quote though was my mom hasn't either. Although it's been just over a year since my dad passed away Mom is still dreaming and still goal setting too. Love it.

146 Seconds with God and The Uncommon Woman

 

From my bible study, the Uncommon Woman, by Susie Larson: the chapter on believing His Promises are True, tells this story, “James is the most amazing man of faith I have ever met. He knows what he possesses in Christ. It’s like he brings an increased sense of God’s presence with him wherever he goes. His understanding of the promises and the purposes of God surpasses anyone I know.

     “James was invited to Africa to minister to some missionaries there. The people felt depressed and oppressed and couldn’t seem to get out from under the dark cloud that had descended upon them. They were desperate for James to arrive.

     “The plane landed on the tarmac in Africa, and when the door of the plane opened, a man was standing there waiting to meet James. The host weakly grabbed James’s hand and said, ‘Brother James, we’re so glad you are here. We’ve been so depressed, Brother James. Now that you’re here, can you feel the darkness and oppression in this land?”

     With a pregnant pause, excited to tell us the best part of the story it was said, “James stepped onto the tarmac, looked this man square in the eye, and said, ‘You listen here. I have the living, powerful God of heaven alive in my soul. When I step foot on this land, that oppression feels me.”

(The disclaimer here is that we are not defective disciples if we come upon times of oppression when we need someone to loan us their faith in order to help us stand).

However, this story challenges us to “more firmly, more resolutely…walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth” (Psalm 116:9). God’s presence is rich with promises, provision, and protection…when we lay hold of what we possess in Christ we will also believe that everywhere we place our feet, God’s Kingdom comes to bear. James’ story can be ours! 

Point 1: Ms. Larson also goes on to remind us that “when we keep Jesus on the throne of our life every single day, and when we determine to be done with attitudes and activities that are beneath you, you will be positioned to march into your next place of promise.” Some of the foremost attitudes and activities that come to mind are worry and fear. I worry very little. But I fear about certain things. When I do I dethrone my King from His throne.

 

Point 2: The Israelites took forty years to take a journey that should only have taken them a week or two. Their delayed journey more than likely was a direct result of their rebellious fears and unbelief. “The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them. Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord” (Psalm 106: 24-25, NLT). The Israelites refused to believe the promise and then they grumbled because their lives had no promise. Do we grumble without a promise and not even consider taking our need to our Father too? Do we worry instead of believe and therefore delay whatever journey God has planned for us – and possibly will never see because we are worrying instead of believing?

 

Point 3: God absolutely detests grumbling and complaining. You know why? Because God is the source of all things and we are the object of His affection! The Lord is our Shepherd and we shall not want. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says that all God’s promises are “Yes” in Christ. If we are grumbling and complaining once again we are saying God doesn’t get it right. Or he breaks promises! Wow, I don’t want that.

I could proceed on continuing to rewrite Ms. Larson’s entire chapter – it’s that good and full of a heart-full of – well – goodness.

146 seconds with God

Proverbs 11:2

'When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.'

The book of James quotes another scripture in Proverbs; 'God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.' Also in Proverbs is 'Pride goes before destruction...' (16:18).

When I was reading this verse and the idea of pride coming before disgrace and before destruction, and that God opposes the proud I was struck - no dumbfounded by where my thoughts went with this verse:

Do you remember the grade school outside game, Red Rover? I asked my boys if they knew that game (I wondered if they still played the game). They do!!

This is what I thought of: Satan calls out 'Red Rover, Red Rover send pride over.' Pride runs toward Satan's battle lines. Pride is heading straight for disgrace. Disgrace is locked arms with destruction. Disgrace and destruction hold on and consume Pride. So Pride takes its place between disgrace and destruction on the side of Satan.

On the opposite battle line is God. God calls out, 'Red Rover, Red Rover send humility over.' Satan is happy to let go of humility because humility weakens his line of battle. Humility runs straight for wisdom and grace. Humility gets engulfed by wisdom and grace.

It may be all fun and games - until Pride causes hurt, destruction, and disgrace. All too often destruction consumes the proud and takes everyone around with him, and he is disgraced. 

Leave pride behind. Humble yourself.

146 seconds with God

I'm going to begin a new series called 146 seconds with God. I used to read a blog called 97 seconds with God. Loved it. The blog is still active but the author hasn't posted for almost two years. 146 is a memory jarrer that I can't seem to get out of my mind. So I decided why not go with that. And it shouldn't take more than 146 seconds to read any of my posts in this series. I will begin with one a week but, since my text will be based off of scripture verses I may up that. Look for the first one tomorrow.