Who are you?

When I hear this question: Who are you? I have a tendency to start sharing facts about myself like: where I live, who I am married to, what I do, how many children I have, where they live and what they do, etc. How about you? What is your tendency?

As I was reading John 1 this morning, verse 15 made me pause and reflect. "Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

So I ask you: Who are YOU? Matthew West says it best for me in his song HELLO, MY NAME IS :

"Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I've been save, I've been changed, I have been set free

"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing"

My prayer is that my life is a testimony to Him. It is not only what comes out of my mouth that demonstrates who I am but what I DO. 

What does Jesus look like on you?

Pressure Washing

I spent most of the morning pressure washing our patio. Mildew settles on it when it stays damp and in the shade. It looked pretty nasty. We had noticed it getting worse and worse but had not made it a priority to clean it. Since the weather had cooled off some this morning, we decided it would be a good day to tackle this project.

As I worked diligently to clean it, I noticed how the mildew had settled in all the tiny cracks and crevices. It wasn't a matter of just quickly moving the sprayer back and forth. I had to hold the sprayer close to the concrete and move it slowly back and forth. If you have ever used a pressure washer, you know that it does exactly what the name of it is - it dispenses tremendous pressure so that it will dislodge the slime and the grunge. If you move it quickly, you miss some of the grunge. So you have go slow.

The Lord reminded me as I was cleaning that our lives are like this too. Stuff settles in our mind and heart that can cause us to look, think and act grungy. It is not a pretty picture. He doesn't like what he sees so He has to do some "pressure washing". He convicts our spirit of those things in our life that are dark and slimy. It might be a slow process and it might hurt, but He wants to dislodge our mind and heart of those things that are keeping us from being all that we can be for Him.

This reminded me of a sweet praise song that we use to sing:
"Create in me a clean heart, Oh God
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, Oh God
And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord
Take not they Holy Spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation
And renew a right spirit within me."

A Condition of the Heart

It was four weeks ago yesterday that my Daddy went to be with the Lord. I know he is safe now and healed and I know that he is dancing with my Mama. One of the treasures that I was able to have was growing up listening to my daddy play the piano. I'm not sure that he ever took lessons for very long but was blessed with the gift of being able to play by ear. I took piano lessons and enjoy playing but never ever able to put that little extra touch to the music like my daddy.

I now have my Daddy's piano. It is a beautiful piece of furniture and has a beautiful tone. This morning I sat down to play and got out one of my older hymnals. I enjoyed just flipping from page to page and playing some of the hymns. 

I am not what you call an "accomplished musician" by any stretch of the imagination and I do not sing very well but I love to play and I love to sing praises to my precious heavenly Father. I know over the years there has been lots of changes in Christian music. I still love the "oldie goldies" from my Cokesbury Hymnal and I love the new "Praise" music that we listen to on the radio.

As I typed the word "Praise" music, my thoughts were that the Christian music we sing to our heavenly Father from our heart praising him for who He is, what He has done and what He is going to do is pleasing unto to Him. It is not a matter of how old or new the music is as long as my heart is in tune with His Spirit.

So this morning as I prepare to assemble with a group of people who proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and God as our Abba Father, I pray for my heart to be attuned to His heart.

Each One Reach One

As I am following the reading schedule for the book of John we have for the next several weeks at the Adel Assembly of God, I keep going back to John 1. I am reminded how fresh His word is each day even if I were to read the same scripture every day.

Here are my stand out verses for today:

John 1:33 "I would not have known him, EXCEPT that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me . . ."

John 1:41 "The FIRST thing Andrew did was find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus."

John 1:45 "Philip FOUND Nathanael and told him . . ."

Jesus shared with John, John shared with Andrew, Andrew shared with his brother Simon (Peter) and BROUGHT him to Jesus, Andrew FOUND Nathanael and shared with him . . .

Look at Andrew's priorities once he heard what John the Baptist shared with him. He was a man convicted, convinced and committed. WOW! He is not one that I generally focus on when I have read this scripture. 

He was a man of action and a man on a mission. Got me to thinking: Who have I shared Jesus with lately and more importantly who have I brought to Jesus lately? How about you?

Who Are You?

Have you ever really thought about that - "Who are You"? As I read John 1:22 "Finally they said, "Who are you? . . ." I paused and reflected on how I would answer that question?

I can give all kinds of facts about me: where and when I was born, where I have lived, places I have been, schools I have attended, jobs I have had . . .

But in my soul, in my most inner being, in my heart - who am I? I guess some have battles within themselves as to who they are. Others are still searching. But I have a peace about who I am and whose I am.

I am a child of the one true King! There is not a doubt in my mind or in my heart who I am. This song by Matthew West says it best:

"Hello, my name is child of the one true King.

I've been save, I've been changed, I have been set free.

"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing. . . ."

How about you?

Who are you? Or I guess a better question is ~ WHOSE are you?

Put On Jesus

Romans 13:14 "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desire of the flesh."

What does Jesus on you look like today?

Is He kind? Is He loving? Is He compassionate? Is He thoughtful? Does He have a smile on His face and joy in His heart?

Put on Jesus today and see if it doesn't make a difference in your life and all those that you see.

NOT GUILTY

For me Romans 8 is probably one of the most powerful chapters in Paul's writings. After writing so much about our sinful nature, he begins with a WOWSER statement. Romans 8: 1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

VERDICT: I am judged NOT guilty, I am set free.

The key to this verdict is a life in Jesus with the leading of the Holy Spirit - which is another discussion all unto its self. So I will save that for later as I meditate on my NOT GUILTY verdict because of my hope in Jesus.

Masters and Slaves

Masters and Slaves: these words readily bring up negative connotations for me.

When I think of Masters, I think of someone or something controlling everything about me: what I can and cannot do which results in me becoming a Slave.

Paul writes in Romans Chapters 5 and 6 that the sin of Adam made all mankind sinners and separated us from God but through Jesus we were restored to RIGHTEOUSNESS with God. We were ruined by sin and rescued by Christ. AMAZING! 

Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under GRACE."

Two key words here ~  RIGHTEOUSNESS and GRACE:
RIGHTEOUSNESS: a right relationship with God
GRACE: unconditional love of God

That is pretty AMAZING -- HIS GRACE!

After I posted this earlier, the Lord reminded me of an old song that says this perfectly:
"Once like a bird in prison I dwelt, no freedom from my sorrow I felt. Then Jesus came and listened to me and glory to God He set me free ~ He set me free, yes, He set me free. He broke the bonds of prison for me. I'm glory bound my Jesus to see for glory to God ~ He set me free."

Let It Go

Do I have much in my purse but not much in my person? Today's summer reading plan at the Adel Assembly of God is Mark 10. Jesus speaks to the rich young man and the young man asks 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?',  Jesus basically tells him to 'Go, sell everything you have and give . . . '

Two words jumped out at me SELL and GIVE! There is more to life than riches and I understand that but whoa - the flesh hangs on doesn't it? I asked myself some questions: What barriers are keeping me from turning my WHOLE life over to God and serving? You see, it's not just about money. What things or activities keep me from serving?

If Jesus asked me or you to give up our house? our car? our job? our  hobbies? . . . you fill in the blank . . . to serve Him, what would our reaction be?

There is more to life than financial riches.

Standing In The Gap

As a part of our Summer reading plan at the Adel Assembly of God we are reading Mark 1-5. My heart was quickened when I read in Mark 2:5 "When Jesus saw their faith, . . . " Here we have a group of friends who have taken one of their friends who is paralyzed to Jesus to be healed.

How amazing is that! Their friend could not get to Jesus and they interceded for him and took him to Jesus. They were standing in the gap for their friend. They were interceding for him. We know from reading the scripture that the first thing Jesus did was to forgive this man for his sins which seems a little strange if you are the friends. It was not the sins of their friend that brought them to Jesus to heal but the body of their dear friend. Jesus recognized the sin which holds us back from receiving all that he has for us. The bonus was that this man received the physical healing too.

Often we are so focused on the physical that we neglect the spiritual. BUT Jesus didn't.

Fear Not

When I woke up this morning, I felt disoriented, confused. It was an uneasy feeling. I did remember dreaming but nothing that was scary or fearful. I have told Charlie many mornings after he has shared his "dreams" with me that I don't dream. I know that is not true but I can't remember the dreams if I do. I think that is perfectly alright because I have way too many other things that I have to concentrate on remembering that are actually going to be things I will deal with that day. But this confusion/feeling of forgetfulness scared me somewhat. As I lay there, God told me to read Psalm 100. So I got up and I did just that and from that it led me to 2 Corinthians 9:8 which then led me to Numbers 6:24-26 and lastly Psalm 23. Thank you Father.

So I am going to share them with you and maybe someone reading this will take comfort from them too.

Psalm 100:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his,

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

2 Corinthians 9:8

 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I pray that you can take comfort in any of these verses if you woke up anxious this morning. 

What Condition is your Condition In?

Have you ever thought about the words you say or the words you "think" ( those count too)?

As I was driving home from church, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said: "It's not the words you sing, but the condition of your heart when you sing them." If you think about that, it is oh so true. The condition of your heart dictates the majority of how you receive or speak words and how your mind processes those words and/or thoughts. For those of you who grew up in the late 1960s, you may remember when Kenny Rogers & The First Edition recorded the song Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - that was way before he became known as a country singer. The lyrics are kind of weird but if you think about it, we have to check in on ourselves along and along to see where we are. It is like a self-examination.

Negative thoughts and words bring about death. Positive thoughts and words bring about life.

I hear enough on TV to depress me. I like to hear words of encouragement and hope. I try really hard to speak that language - the language of hope. I read a book quite a while back - Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy by Barbara Johnson. One of the points she made in her writing was "What goes down in the well, comes up in the bucket."

Our heart is our "bucket". What comes in through our ears and eyes is processed through our mind. Some of those thoughts may just fly right on out and others may nest. They end up nesting in our heart - maybe deep down in our heart. And we never know when those thoughts or words might "hatch" or "give birth". I am not saying that all nesting is bad. I believe my heart has nested quite a few positive and motivating thoughts and words. But what is in our heart is the condition that our condition is in and that is what we draw from. Does any of that make sense?


I have to be very careful that my critical spirit does not override the positive in me.

I want to hear and speak words of life. I want to sing with a joyful heart!

So - I am doing a "condition" check on my condition. How about you?

Grace Stoops

One of my favorite Christian authors is Max Lucado. I am reading his most recent book GRACE.   Such a short word. Seemingly easy word yet filled with more than our human minds or lips can conceive or speak.

The title of his second chapter is "The God Who Stoops". My connotation of "stoop" is often negative. We often hear it in the context of expressions like "Don't stoop to his level". The literal definition of stoop is "bend one's head or body forward and downward".

Most are familiar with the writing of John 8 where Jesus had been teaching at the Festival of Tabernacles and there was unbelief and division over who Jesus was. Early the next morning Jesus was again at the temple teaching and the adulterous woman was brought to him. GRACE begins!

My NIV translation says "Jesus bent down . . ." Whether it was bending or stooping, it was grace! Lucado gives example upon example of Jesus "stooping" - 'low enough to sleep in a manger, work in a carpenter shop, washing feet, embracing children, pulling Peter out of the sea.'

None of us really know why he stooped. But the important point is that He did! The King of Kings, Lord of Lords stooped. His unconditional love "stooped". His unmerited grace stooped - to reach this woman to assure her - that she was good enough. To assure her that she was important. He stooped to affirm her not to condemn her.

Grace, Grace, Wonderful Grace!

What an example Jesus set - so His spirit is saying to me that if He did this and I am His child then I am to do this - extend grace - bending my head forward and downward to love those who are difficult to love, to love those who need to experience grace.

Grace Stoops Unconditionally!

Loose him and Let him go

In John 11: 38-44, John writes of Jesus calling forth Lazarus from the dead. I have read this scripture many times and each time God speaks to me in a different way about what He is sharing in His word here. There were a couple of things going on as John writes this story but I want to concentrate on the "loosening".

Jesus freed Lazarus from a physical death in the loosening. But He also frees us from a spiritual death. We read in verse 44: "And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. . ." When I read that, the word "bound" jumped off the page.

My mind started thinking: "Bound? Bondage? What binds me?"

What keeps me from receiving all that there is from God? 

Is it unbelief? 

Is it the pressure of the world?

Is it the trials and tribulations in my life?

Jesus can release us from this bondage. Yep, He can! 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Did you read that? A new creation - old things gone - that means release from bondage!

And He said it again here John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." The devil is the one trying to keep us in bondage. Trying to make us second guess everything we do or think. Jesus has brought us forth from the grave of spiritual death so that we might enjoy life in HIM and have that joyful life MORE abundantly. Now you can't beat that!

Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."  Read that again! Stand in FREEDOM -Freedom from condemnation from the world, from your friends!

Are you in a difficult trial? Do you feel as though you are in bondage? Jesus can set you free!

Here are the words from an old song we use to sing "He Set Me Free"


Once like a bird in prison I dwelt,
no freedom from my sorrow I felt
But Jesus came and listened to me,
glory to God, He set me free!
Chorus:
He set me free, yes, He set me free,
He broke the bonds of prison for me
I'm glory bound my Jesus to see,
glory to God, He set me free!

I am a singing it as I type it - you should hear me - it sounds so purdy :)

God bless you today! You no longer have to live in bondage - He came to set you FREE!

Huffing and Puffing

I am reading Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst and learning a lot about ways to control those moments in my life when I become "unglued". This morning as I was reflecting over some of what I have read I went back to Chapter 1 and was rereading one of the many situations she had on becoming unglued. She wrote: "I headed upstairs in a huff to give the girls a piece of my mind."

Well the first time I read this I was so into the situation that she was about to describe that I did not pay close attention to the word "huff" but as I was re-reading this a.m. it just popped off the page. I think I have more "huff" moments than I do "unglued". I don't always come totally apart which is how I translate "unglued"  - but I am more often in a "huff" - which for me is more like frustration - but big time frustration. Does that make any sense at all?

I had a huffing moment this morning. As I walked into the bedroom my husband's jeans and shirts that I thought he had put away were still where they were yesterday. Since I am 5'4" tall and he is 6'3" tall and the top rack of the closest is 7' tall, my reasoning is that it is so much easier for him to hang his clothes than me, right? Not always so - so I did some huffing this morning. I didn't become unglued but I was having a strong urge :) so I "huffed". 

I am reminded of the childhood story The Three Little Pigs. The big bad wolf played havoc on their lives and he roamed around "huffing and puffing" until he blew down 2 of the 3 houses. So you see you do not have to become totally unglued to do damage to the ones around you. Lots of huffing and puffing can do the same thing. 

I need to remember this scripture all the time: "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 

I think that totally excludes any kind of "Huffing and Puffing"!

Morning Talks With God

I shared a couple of weeks ago how God woke me up at 4 a.m. to have a little talk :) Well we had another good discussion this morning in the shower! I am so glad that there is no exact place that I have to go to to have a little talk with my Lord.

I woke up feeling anxious. My heart was racing because there are lots of things that I have to do today. I am so excited about a ladies bible study that we will begin this afternoon so I am  nervous and ANXIOUS! How many of you can relate to that feeling?

He brought to mind a scripture that has really resonated with me and Charlie - Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

My heart was saying I want everything to be perfect but He said you do not have to be perfect because I am perfect in you. Wow - that let off a lot of pressure! Why should I think I could do this better than God? I know all of this but I need to be reminded of it on a regular basis - He is control.

He brought another scripture to mind: "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you,  plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. So if He has the plan I just need to follow it - less stress for me - right?

He also reminded me that if He is going to be able to do anything for me I have to be empty of "self" so that HE can do a good work in me. Did you pick up on that - - - so HE can do the work - not me!

Love, love, love the fact that I can sit back and let Him do the driving!  Remember the old Greyhound Bus slogan [if you do that would make you really old-like me :) ]"Leave the driving to us" that is what He wants us to do. The key to all of it is that I have to come to the end of myself, I have to die to self. It ain't easy but - what a relief!

Striving VS Chilling

It's 4 a.m. and I am awake. I am WIDE awake! My mind will not shut down long enough for my body to rest. Not a good place to be.

A friend of mine shared with me that when I am trying to be in control more often than not I am striving. Striving keeps me awake at night. Striving steals my joy. Striving makes me a control freak. Striving causes me stress and stress for everyone around me. Striving makes me have a short fuse. Striving causes me to miss the sweet moments in life. Striving causes me to wear my feelings on my shoulder.

I am reminded of the lyrics of an old song: "Slow down you move too fast. You got to make the morning last. Just kicking down the cobble stones. Looking for fun and feeling groovy." I haven't been doing too much of that lately - "feeling groovy" - CHILLING!

Why in the world would I choose to live a life of strife when I know I could chill? Seems like a no brainer to me!

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

That tells me to Let Go and Let God! He is the wind beneath my wings. When I get ahead of God and I am in the flesh, I am striving.

Jesus said: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Paul wrote: "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13 

I call that "Chilling with God".

So it is pretty clear to me that I need to Let Go and Let God. His plan always works.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

TRUST GOD - LET GO --- CHILL!

Thought for the day:

"Life is better when you LAUGH a little."

God says: "I've Got THIS!"

Recently I almost missed a blessing because I was in too much of a hurry. I was at the church office and the Pastor asked me if I wanted to join them for a short devotional when I got through working on something for them. I got through faster than I thought and my spirit convicted me that I needed to stay for the devotion.

Pastor Jerry shared Psalm 91. This particular Psalm has lots of special memories for me as it was my go to scripture during a time I was going through breast cancer surgery and my mom having colon cancer surgery.

As he read, it brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that through "it" all God said "I've got this!"

So bear with me as I share the entire Psalm and watch for His "I've got this!"

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. (I've Got This)

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  (I've Got This)

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. (I've Got This)

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  (I've Got This)

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,

¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.  (I've Got This)

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  (I've Got This)

¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  (I've Got This)

¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.  (I've Got This)

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  (I've Got This)

¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

I am so glad that I stayed and let God remind be that He's Got This!

Celebrating Life

What a wonderful opportunity we had July 26, 2012. We celebrated my daddy's 90th birthday! We didn't do anything fancy. It was so special just to be together and have lunch.

I am so proud of him and all he has done. He has taught me so much and I treasure that because I am who I am because of the example my daddy and mama lived before us.

If you go by to see him and have some time,  he would love to play a hand of  "Seven Up" with you! And you had better watch him - He is good! My daddy loves country music and he loves to dance. He has been a trooper since we lost mama six years ago. He still lives by himself and tries to stay as busy as he can.

So here are a few of the photos from our special day with Daddy.

I told you he loves to dance. So here he is with his two great granddaughters dancing to a Loretta Lynn song in the background.

Daddy and Rebekah

Daddy and Anna

 

Birthday cake with the birthday boy:

My Sister - Tena , Daddy, Me

Kelly, Rebekah, Anna 

Charlie, Me, Daddy

James, Tena, Daddy

Love you Daddy! Thanks for everything!

40 Years And Counting . . .

My, my, my - how time flies when you are having fun! And I am having fun! Met my soul mate at the University of  Georgia and it has been an adventure every since. On June 17, 2012 we celebrated 40 years of marriage!

What I love most about Charlie Merwin is his love of life. He makes the most of every moment. He is easy going and very patient with me and he makes me laugh when I don't feel like it. He has been my rock and my best friend.

I don't think I would have ever traveled as much as I have or experienced as much as I have had I not met him. I know more about turkeys and deer than I could have ever imagined. I am a pretty good fisherman because of him even though I do still get really aggravated if I have to fish out of the back of the boat. AND he taught me how to ride a motorcycle! I truly believe that God reached down and picked him out and put him in my path 42 years ago.

We have learned so much together too. We have learned to love MUCH and forgive MORE. We know that there are times in our days that we need time to ourselves - to breathe - AND times that we need to cling to each other to get through STUFF. If everything about a relationship was easy, what fun would there be in growing together?

So thank you Charlie Merwin for the time of my life! May God continue to bless us as we LIVE, LOVE, and LAUGH.