We Made It!

Well ladies, it’s hard to believe, but we have made it to the last blog entry for 2013.  I could be wrong, but I’m betting we all made it safe and sound…together.  Thank you for being a part of this adventure in Scripture memory this year.  As I thought about this upcoming post, realizing it would be the last one, I couldn’t help but review the verses that have been my traveling companions for so long…

In Hebrews 13, I learned that the God of peace equips us in every good thing to do His will, and works in us that which is pleasing in His sight.  In other words, if God has purposed for us to do Kingdom work (and He has), He assumes responsibility to equip us with what we need to do it.  What’s more, He loves seeing us grow through the process! 

God, through the great prophet Isaiah, impressed upon my soul the reality that He alone is God and there has never been nor will there ever be another god but Him (Is 43).  Amen. 

In 2 Corinthians Paul reminded me that all the promises of God find their fulfillment in Christ.  He is our resounding and glorious “yes” from God.  And let me just say, I hung around in the Psalms like a beggar at the back door of a banquet hall.  There is so much to feast upon within this book, and I devoured every morsel of truth I could find and kept going back for more.  Here’s just a sampling of what you will find:

“You lead the humble in justice, and you teach the humble your way.  All the paths of the Lord are loving kindness and truth.” (Ps 25)

“Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” (Ps 119)

“I will praise You as long as I live and I will lift up my hands in Your name…for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy!” (Ps 63)

“The Lord is clothed in majesty and armed with strength...Your statutes, Lord, stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days.” (Ps 93)

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. My loving kindness and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer; My shield and He in whom I take refuge, and who subdues my enemies beneath me.” (Ps 144)

One final encouragement from the Psalms that I received this year was this line that was penned about the beloved King David.  What was written about him is what I want for all of us as women’s leaders to be said about us: 

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” (Ps 78)

As the pastors and shepherds of our church, this verse provides us with the essentials for effective and influential leadership: hearts of integrity and skillful hands.  This is one of my prayers for each of you. 

Paul and I reconnected in 2 Corinthians again when he exhorted the folks in that feisty little church to give thanks to God for always leading us to victory through Christ and who causes our lives to be a fragrant aroma for Jesus.  And ladies, we all know the difference between a fragrance and a stench! 

Upon parting ways with Paul, I traveled to the well-established land of wisdom through the book of Proverbs.  I learned that to build a proper ‘house’ one must begin with the virtues of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (Pr 24).

I will say, the discipline of memorizing Scripture has been well cultivated this past year, and I want to thank you for being a part of this – together.  Together is such a great word because it implies companionship.  We need each other to get through this life well – and to remind us to do what’s most important. 

Ladies, as we journey with God and experience the blessings of hiding His word in our hearts, we will surely have an adventure of a lifetime!  I want to encourage you to continue cherishing His Word and hiding it in your hearts.  There is no down side to it, and, it strengthens us in ways nothing else can.  We are running a race – His Word provides us with encouragement and endurance to persevere (Rom 15). It is in that spirit that I close our blog with this thought:

The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running. (author unknown)

Thank you for running your races well, ladies…keep it up!

My final verse for this year is Psalm 119: 15-16

I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways.

I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your word.

I thank God for each and every one of you.  May God richly bless your faithful labor in His Word.

Bitter Sweet Moments

Twenty four hours ago I was wearing a winter coat and shivering as I waited for the car to warm up. It was time to go. After a week of travel back to my childhood home in Illinois, my family and I were headed for home. But as cold as I felt on the outside a sense of bitter-sweet welled up on the inside. So many memories from the past meeting new memories from this visit meshed together to form something within…something…yet it was something I didn’t know quite how to explain.

Thanksgiving Break had brought me back to the town I grew up in. My parents still live in the house I spent most of my childhood. 1447 Whitcomb Avenue in Des Plaines, Illinois, is an address forever marked in my mind. I’ve known that address longer than any other I’ve lived. It had been a year and a half since I’d been there, yet the smell and warmth when I walked in hadn’t changed a bit.

My mom and dad greeted us with open arms and smiles from ear to ear knowing we had arrived safe and sound. “Who’s hungry? Grandma has a snack for you.” were the sweet words spoken by the happiest grandma in town. How she and my dad loved having the house filled with family and kids running around. They raised five of us, and it is their biggest joy spending time with their grandkids…all 19 of them.

More family arrived for the holiday and my boys were able to hang with their cousins. It was amazing to watch the kid’s interact and play as if they hung out together every day. A year and a half since our last visit meant nothing.  The connection of family meant everything. Inside jokes and silly pictures became the theme, and laughter filled the room.

So now, as I was heading for home in the chill of the night, why was I feeling something inside that I couldn’t quite explain?  Twelve hours of drive time helped me process and think through it all.

Time spent with extended family has its wonderful, loving moments. I treasure time spent with my mom, and most especially time with my dad, whose health has its ups and downs. Yet in the midst of the warmth, there are also the interactions of old wounds coming to the surface. Just when I think I’ve gotten over the pain and changed my pattern of behavior it seems the band aid gets ripped off and…ouch. The sting. The bitter in the midst of the sweet.

What I didn’t like was the way I reacted. In some situations I reverted back to my role of the fourth child in a big, Irish family. How did that happen? I’ve worked hard to change the pattern of dysfunction I experienced growing up. Knowing Christ and being transformed by His wisdom and grace has made such a difference in the woman I am today. Anger and resentment have been replaced with Colossians 3:12, “…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Unkind words and strong opinions have been replaced with James 1:19, “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” The list could go on and on with how hiding God’s word in my heart has changed me from the inside out. So what happened during my trip? Why didn’t the new creation in Christ walk around my parent’s house? Why did my old self lead the way instead?

What I remembered on the twelve hour drive home that I wished I remembered on the twelve hour drive there is:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

One of the first passages of scriptures I ever memorized was Ephesians 6:13-17, which is the Armor of God. I was taught as a new believer that as I grow in my faith the enemy of God will try to discourage me and try with all of his might to pull me back to my old patterns of living. They read the scriptures in Ephesians about putting on the Armor of God to protect me from the evil that might come my way. On the inside cover of my very first journal I wrote out Ephesians 6:13-17, and I prayed those verses every day during my quiet times with the Lord. I so wanted to grow and become a godly woman, and I didn’t want anything to come in the way of my walk with God.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving Break in 2013, and I realized that I had forgotten one of my earliest lessons as a new creature in Christ.  The battle hadn’t changed. The enemy was still trying with all his might to pull me back into my old patterns of behavior. How discouraging that I had let him win during this recent visit.

But thanks be to God I now walk in grace and forgiveness. Confident in His grace poured over me I pushed aside discouragement and I prayed:

“Lord, I put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, I may be able to stand my ground, and after I have done everything, to stand. I stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around my waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with my feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, I take up the shield of faith, with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I talk the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17 (passage adjusted as a personal prayer)

Friends, as we walk in this life let us not forget the battle at hand. Whether we’ve known the Lord for a short time or for many years, the battle is still the same. It’s easy to forget the unseen powers of darkness, especially when life is going well. My prayer for all of us is that we remember to ‘put on the armor of God’ before and during life’s trials. May we allow God to fight the battle for us and rest in His mighty power.

Twelve hours in the card ride home I began to understand that the bitter-sweet feelings of life will come and go. They can show up at unexpected moments and may stay longer than we would like. At times we’ll walk through them well, while other times we’ll stumble and fall. But every time, yes every time, we can come to the Lord and experience His grace, forgiveness and power to keep moving forward.

This Thanksgiving I am truly thankful for the grace of God that has carried me through the bitter-sweet moments of life. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me...

My verse this time is Ephesians 6:12:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  

Praying together,

Teresa

Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude

With Thanksgiving only 2 weeks away (hasn’t the year just flown by?), and being on the tail end (of a very long tail, I might add) of a very busy season, I have found myself thinking about gratitude.  I would love to tell you that it’s because my heart has been filled to overflowing with a cornucopia of blessing and thanksgiving, but really it’s been more around the lack of remembering how much there is to be thankful for.  My mind only has so much space and when I’m running at an unsustainable pace (did I just admit to not being able to keep up with my life?), things like thanking God for His daily provisions don’t have ‘sticking power’ in my cranium!  And yet I can recite the lyrics of almost any pop song from the 80’s…how is that possible on the scale of what’s most important in life?  Right now, I am in a perfect place for cultivating an attitude of gratitude.  Maybe it’s like working out – you have to do it on a regular basis as a part of an overall plan to get and remain healthy.  And when we don’t?  Our overall health and effectiveness is diminished. 

The Psalmists seem to have understood how vital gratitude was:

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart…” (9:1)

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name…” (105:1)

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever,” (106:1 & 107:1)

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His gracious love is eternal.” (118:1)

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His gracious love is everlasting.  Give thanks to the God of gods, for His gracious love is everlasting.  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His gracious love is everlasting.”  (Psalm 136:1-3)

It is as if the greatest priority, the one thing that we must begin with, the thing that all other things come after…is a thankful heart that sees God as good, gracious, and generous.

So how do we do that? How do we keep that in the forefront of our minds during the craziness of the holidays, the busyness of our lives, and the flurry of activity that our days consist of?  I think there’s lots of ways, but let’s just go with three simple suggestions:

Maybe one of the first things we can do is to pause at some point during the day and say, “thank you, Father, for….” and you fill in the blank with whatever it is you see as being from Him.  In the mornings, I sometimes awaken to the thought “this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  And so before my feet hit the floor, I make it a point to thank God for a brand new day – a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate, a white canvas…because God says in His Word, “the Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail, they are new every morning…great is Thy faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22,23)  and, “Let the morning bring word of your unfailing love!” (Psalm 143:8)  I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that each day holds the promise of new mercies and unlimited opportunities to begin again when I make a mis-step or find myself facedown in a pit.  Or, perhaps you prefer to pause at the end of your day and do your gratitude inventory with God.  David, the man after God’s own heart, seemed to find evening a perfect time to reflect and meditate upon the Lord:  “In peace I both lie down and sleep, for the Lord alone causes me to dwell in safety.”  (Psalm 4) “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” (Psalm 63) And maybe one of the best reminders for us as to when to turn our attention and affections toward God is this one, “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Psalm 113)  Apparently, any time is a good time to give thanks to the Lord.  Choose your time – set an alarm to go off at a designated time and when it does, think over the past hour and name as many things you can to thank Him for.  As you sit down to a meal, pause and thank God for the ways He’s fed your soul through the day.  When you jump in the shower (or step, for those of you who prefer not to jump) thank God that He has cleansed you from all unrighteousness, and has washed you in the blood of Christ.  After you workout, thank God that just as He has enabled your body to endure the strain and stress of exertion, so He provides you with what you need to endure the adversity and suffering that comes with life.  Taking the time to pause and thank God begins to lay the groundwork for a grateful attitude.

Another handy phrase you can begin saying is, “Thank you God that I have enough.”  The reason this is helpful is that it forces you to remember all that God has provided you when facing the temptation to compare your ‘stuff’ with other people’s ‘stuff’, or to buy something that is perhaps an impulse purchase or really strong want. If we want grateful hearts toward God, then we must acknowledge this very real tug on us, and speak this phrase out loud as often as we feel pulled by the temptation for more, bigger, better, and newer.  I know adults who indulge themselves with new vehicles, new clothes, and new gadgets – not because they needed any of it, but because they wanted it.  Their reasons may vary – they were tired of what they had, they needed a change, they wanted to upgrade, their neighbor just got one and it is so cool, or it was just too amazing to pass up.  I’m not saying that it’s wrong to want things, or to purchase things that you want.  What I am saying is that we need to balance that with the ability to say “no” to ourselves, especially when it isn’t financially wise to do so. Ask God to help you discern when to say “yes” to yourself and when to say, “Thank you God that I have enough”. 

Finally, I think it’s important to ask, “How can I share from all that God has given me with someone else?”  By looking for ways to bless others, we are acknowledging God’s generosity to us, and are “thanking Him” by doing what He has asked of us – to give and do for others.  When we begin to look around to see who we can help with our resources…whether it is time, money, material items, or manpower, we begin to realize how much we really do have.  Jesus said we would never lack for opportunities to help others – and clearly in our own society, maybe even in our own neighborhood or family, we see that He is right.  In fact, Jesus also said that when we do these things for others, it is the same as if we are doing it for Him.  Is there a better way to thank God than by sharing His love and resources with others so that they, too, might come to know Christ through us? When we develop a mindset of looking around to see with whom God may want us to share, we begin to compare less and thank Him more. 

I have to include something that happened two days ago that really drives this point home.  A family of four in our church recently lost their home to a fire – the house was completely consumed and they lost everything.  The wife, a friend of mine, has for the past few years donated a $100 gift card to provide Thanksgiving to a family in need.  True to form, she contacted me to do the same this year.  However, instead of just providing one gift card, she said, “My husband and I want to provide for six families in need.”  Now, I knew they had just lost everything, and I knew she didn’t work and he was a teacher and they had two little ones.  I asked her, “Are you sure about this?” And her answer:  “Elaine, God has been so faithful in providing for us, I want to do this to help show other families how God is faithful to provide for them too.  Yes, we want to do this for six families.”  So, that evening I am teaching a class at our church and another friend of mine is there.  We begin to chat and she asks me, “Hey, do you know about that gal whose family lost their home in a fire?”  I told her I did.  She continues, “I don’t know her but I wondered if you would give her something for me. God has been so good to my family; I want to share some of that with her? I want it to be anonymous, please.”  And she handed me an envelope with the gal’s name on it.  The next day I leave the envelope at the receptionist’s desk at the church because she’s dropping off the gift cards that morning.  I’m in a meeting when she texts me, “Do you know who the lady is that gave you the envelope to give me?”  I replied that I did.  She texted me back, “I cannot stop crying over the generosity God continues to show me and my family – we are so blessed and I cannot stop thanking God for His goodness!”  My two friends have thankful hearts and God is able to use them in mighty ways because they understand they have a generous Father, and they want to be just like Him. 

These are some practical ways to begin cultivating hearts of gratitude and thankfulness. As Christians, we know that God has already “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” and has given us “everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us.”  God delights in helping us become more like Jesus, who understood more than all of us just how good, gracious, and generous His Father is.  We want to have hearts like His, and these suggestions will help us develop a thankful heart and a better outlook on life. 

My verse for this month is:

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

He will be quiet in His love,

He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy!

My friend Amy had listed this as one of her faves, and I loved it so much I decided I was going to make it my next verse.  Thanks Amy! 

Grace and peace,

Elaine

On My Knees

One week ago I received an email update from CaringBridge.org regarding my sweet neighbor, Marianne. Marianne has been battling lung cancer for nearly 5 years, and through it all she has blessed us with her faith, encouragement and positive outlook on life. “Celebrate Life” is her constant reminder to all of us.  Recently, she received amazing news that all spots on her lungs were gone…Praise the Lord!!! But in the same report she learned that they found a new spot in her neck. Radiation treatment was started, and this new Caring Bridge update was to ask us to pray for her. The radiation was causing terrible pain in her neck, shoulders and arms, and she wrote, “I'm asking for your prayers of pain relief and recovery. All things are possible through prayer.” How right she is…all things are possible through prayer! I immediately closed my eyes and began to ask the Lord to help my friend, Marianne.

This past Tuesday evening I received a text from my sister asking if I had read my cousin’s post on Facebook sharing that my aunt had colon cancer. My heart sank, and I immediately went online to check Facebook.  As I read the post I learned that my Aunt Charmaine, who lives in Chicago, had recently been diagnosed with colon cancer. She was in surgery at that very moment to remove 16 inches of her colon. As tears filled my eyes I began to pray, “Lord, please guide the doctors as they operate, please bring your peace to my aunt and cousins, please draw all of them near to You during this time. And Father, please, please, please let it be Your will that they are able to remove all of the cancer.”

Just last night I found myself again pleading to my heavenly Father for help. My little 6-year-old, Carson, has many food allergies. Peanuts cause the worst reaction for his airways, and have sent us to the emergency room in the past. As fun as Halloween night is for children, it’s a big worry for a mamma with a peanut-allergy child. After trick-or-treating Carson brought his big, bag of candy home and dumped it on the dining room table. What a pile! We separated out all the peanut candies, and then I let him have a couple pieces from the safe pile. Within moments of him eating Milk Duds (I thought they were peanut-free and safe) he began coughing and getting very congested. “Lord, please help my baby,” I pleaded. Quickly I gave him an Albuterol breathing treatment, which is the only way to open his airways and control the cough.  His cough subsided, and he fell asleep. As I carried him to bed I asked the Lord to help my little one sleep calmly through the night.

As I think about these tough circumstances in the lives of those I care about my mind remembers the warning Jesus gave us in John 16:33, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus warned us there would be trials, yet he encourages us at the same time to take heart. As I renew my  mind with this verse, I slowly begin to look at each situation with a new hope.  But if I’m truly honest I have to admit my heart still aches. I know God is in control of all, but I still feel sad and am overcome with emotion at times.

And then…I read on…as John continues in 17:1 “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed…”  

After Jesus warns us about troubles, as if knowing how our hearts will take it, He turns towards heaven to talk to God. And there I find the full response, the one-two punch, to the troubles in life. As I renew my mind with the truth that God is in control and all-powerful, and then bring my heart-filled requests to the Lord (sometimes over and over again), finally the peace of God fills me deep within.

Thankfully, my Carson is fine and had a peaceful night sleep. Today he is back to his usual, playful self. The answers to my prayers for Marianne and Aunt Charmaine are not yet as clear. Time will tell what the earthly diagnosis reveals. Yet, as we all wait, we can rest in the promise that Jesus has overcome the world and all the imperfections down here. And as we continue to get down on our knees and pray, our hearts can experience the peace and presence of God.

My verse this time is John 17:1 “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed…”   

Praying together,

Teresa