Month: November 2018

There’s so much we should be doing, so much to think of, and so much that needs to be said. It’s easy to just want to stop and put it all off for another day.

We most of us are way too willing to postpone tasks and to think that there will come a day when we have more time to dedicate to such things. It usually involves items and tasks that require closer attention and which truly matter. We live in a society of quick decisions. Look at the issue, make the decision, take the action and then move on.

However, we all have those tasks that can’t be decided in a minute. We need to think and ponder, and for we Christians, to pray. Those are the hard things because they task our brains or our emotions or maybe even both.

My elder sister is still dealing with going through our mother’s belongings and she passed more than a decade ago. I understand the problems and could only wish I could help her. When I was able to travel, I didn’t know that she was still working her way through. It is a highly emotional task and one which might have been better shared. Still, perhaps she needs to piece together our mother’s life by herself as she makes her decisions about what stays or goes.

I had to confront this issue myself this past year. After nearly dying, I realized that I didn’t want to leave such a mammoth task to my husband or our children. Not only that, I wanted the joy of giving things to individuals who would appreciate them. Sometimes, it is strangers and sometimes it is a loved one. Whoever and whenever, the giving is better than the owning ever was.

When confronted with life and death, no possession ever crossed my mind. All I thought of was those people I loved and the security and knowledge that I would see so many of them again in heaven. There was sadness, too, when I thought of the ones that I could not be sure of.

I know from experience, when my son passed away, that having that knowledge helps with grief. I will not sugarcoat it, it is hurts like a fresh wound even twenty years later. But mixed in with the grief is the joy of knowing he’s waiting for me. No only him, but my mother and sister and even those children I lost in pregnancy. Especially the one that I didn’t lose naturally but in my stupidest, self-centered and most evil moment on this planet, I threw away when I was eighteen years old.

Before I was twenty years old, I had broken every one of the ten commandments both in thought and in deed. That makes me pretty much as bad as anyone else and much worse than most. God took that evil action and used it to bring me to my knees and, in the moment when I knew I could no longer live with myself from the guilt, to accept Jesus as my savior. I needed forgiveness that I could not provide to myself. Jesus loved me and accepted me when I felt myself to be the worst human being alive.

I look forward to meeting that child one day and thanking him or her for being the person who would lead me to Jesus Christ. I have two other children, besides my son and this child. I lost these two during the year before I became pregnant with my son. Turns out that I am severely lactose intolerant and when I would become pregnant, I would start drinking milk and would lose the baby about a week later. We figured it out in time and I was able to have three children, my son and two daughters.

As a mother, I would deal their day-to-day issues but didn’t give much thought to the eternal destiny of my children. I did make sure that they went to Christian schools when they were younger and that they had Bible groups they met with. What I never did was sit and talk to them about sin and salvation. I never explained to them about our savior and how much Jesus loved them.

When my son became ill at 17 years old, it struck me like a lightning bolt that I had neglected the most important thing I could have ever taught my children. I went to each in turn and asked them about the state of their soul. I was eternally grateful to those individuals who had cared for my children and that they had taken the time to lead them to salvation. That doesn’t excuse me.

It shows that even though I wasn’t engaged, God took seriously my first husband and I dedicating each of our children to him. He made sure that someone took on the job that we both failed to do.

I thought about it from time to time during the prior years, but I always thought I could find the time later. Later came too soon. If it had been left to me on my own, it might never had been done.

I have other things in my life that I postponed. I knew after my son passed away that I was supposed to write for God. I wrote one thing (a dedication to God about my son.) It was so taxing and emotionally exhausting that I stopped writing and instead asked a friend to write Christian messages for me to provide to others. He did so which was a true blessing but it also allowed me to avoid doing the task God was calling me to do.

Fast forward almost twenty years and here I am, finally doing what God has asked me to do. It has taken me way too long but I am here now. I am now finding the time to do the hard task. This is the task that left to myself, I would still try to postpone it until tomorrow. But I am not left to myself these days. God is directing and leading me daily.

When I sit to write, I am always sure that I won’t be able to or what I write will be gibberish. Somehow, God takes my confusion and turns it into the message he wants others to read. It’s not me, it’s him. If ever anything I have written means something to you, know that I was only the vehicle by which it was written. God is using my past, my life, my sins, and my salvation to write a message to you. My hope is that it brings God glory and that Jesus Christ is lifted up and you see that he is your savior. If anything else makes it through, I’m sorry for my human failing.

God is our father. He has a plan for the future. Jesus is our God in flesh and he was willing to sacrifice himself to give us a way to salvation. The Holy Spirit is God who indwells Christians. He is the one that gives us our daily guidance – that nudge, that thought, that small voice in our heads that tells us when we are thinking of going wrong or when we need help.

People talk about making bucket lists. These are lists of things that they want to do before they die. I don’t think many people would have a to do line to the effect of “Secure my eternal salvation.” Interesting, we can come up with a lot of things in this life that we want or even need to do, but the one that really matters is the one of your eternal destiny. Please, don’t postpone that investigation and decision.

Look to God and ask him to show you the way to know him. Ask him to show you that he is real and that Christ is your savior. He will always answer that prayer if it is prayed in earnest.

Today is the day because you are here. Tomorrow is not promised and it may never come.

James 4: 13-14

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Here in the United States, this is the time of the year when we stop for a day to give thanks for all of the good things in our lives.

This year is especially meaningful to me. You see, one year ago, on November 11, the doctors told me that I wasn’t going to live to see another day.

I was told to get my affairs in order and I stopped and looked back at my life. There was only one relationship that needed mending and I was able to get that accomplished.

My children wanted to come to the hospital and visit me but the doctors thought that what I had was airborne contagious. It took all my strength to tell my kids that I was okay and that they didn’t need to come to see me. I was concerned that they or my grandchildren might catch what I had, so I didn’t wanted them anywhere near me. Of course, I found out later, that I had not been as convincing as I thought. My younger daughter and her husband dropped everything and headed to Dallas.

The thing I remember most was searching my heart to see if I was afraid to die. The blessed thing was that I had no fear. I knew that if I died, I would be in heaven with Jesus and the family members who were Christians who had proceeded me. I was sad to be leaving my husband, my girls and my sweet little grandchildren but I thought if God wanted me home, then it was the right time to leave.

With that assurance to comfort me, I settled back into my bed but continued to battle whatever it was that was trying to kill me. You see, even with the assurance of heaven waiting and the pain of fighting a hard battle, I still chose life instead of death. I wanted to live but would gladly leave if it was God’s will.

When the day dawned on November 12, I was still alive. For me, that is the day I will consider a new life day. A second chance at life. I knew that I wasn’t going to die. I was given an opportunity to finally put God first in my life in all things. Something I should have done decades ago.

The nurses weren’t so certain. I heard later that they would start their shifts and then come to see me even if I wasn’t their patient. They were willing me to live and I was so appreciative of them. Nurses are a wonderful comfort. They are in the trenches with you all day long.

Not only did I live, I actually sprung up and started talking (and talking and talking.) The results of their steroids working. I made a really quick recovery to be moved into a regular pulmonary unit and was talking and eating and talking and eating. I was beginning to walk and made sense of my days. Though it was against my pulmonologists orders, when she went home for the weekend, the doctors released me and sent me home. That day was November 19.

Once home, I was weak but happy. I could get from my bed to my living room and back with only a little bit of help.

I’ve come a long way over this year. There have been ups and downs along the way. There are times, like now, where I’m battling enormous pain and trying to find my peace and joy in life.

No matter what, I am thankful to still be here. To still be alive. I get to spend time with my husband and kids and grandkids. I can spend a little time each day reading when the pain levels are down. I can even do a little bit of my hobbies to keep my mind active.

This is a wonderful week for my husband and me. We consider it one of the best Thanksgiving we have had. Our thanks are to God for the great life that we have. For family, friends and country.

Most of all, though, my thanks are to Jesus. It was through his sacrifice that I have peace of mind. He died for me while I was still a sinner and his enemy. He loved me and wanted me to be his own. When I discovered that love and gave him my life, I experienced a new birth. The new birth was in my spirit. God now lives in my heart, thoughts and mind.

It is because of this, I could be willing to leave this world without fear. As you give thanks, whether it be on our Thanksgiving or just on your own, consider whether you have this inner knowledge, this peace, this love in your life.

If not, please look to Jesus. He is waiting for you and he loves you more than his own life. While he was dying on the cross, he looked across time and saw you. He saw everything you have done or said or thought. He saw all of this and said to his Father, I will give everything up for this one. If only this one will come to know me as their savior, I will be happy to made this sacrifice.

As I give thanks for my new life, I’m also giving thanks for anyone who reads this and comes to know Jesus today. Please be the one that I am thanking God for. I hope to see you in heaven one day.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

God is so good to us. He provided a paradise for us to live in. He wanted nothing but the best for us. He wanted to walk among us, to live with us and care for us. He gave us only one rule. He also gave us free will. With free will, we broke the one rule. Yes, each of us did so when Adam took the fruit from Eve and ate it without question.

Today, we continue to sin without question. Both Christians and non-Christians alike. If it feels good, looks good, seems okay or simply that we want to, we do it.

Is it any wonder that the entire universe is spiraling out of control? First there was global cooling with a new ice age coming, then global warming, then climate change and now we have cycled back to a space age freeze. Whether you believe the scientists or not, there is something going on. While I believe the cause is man-made, I don’t agree that it is something that is happening because of fossil fuels or cars or cows or anything else of this nature.

From the perspective of a Christian, I see the world and the universe breaking up because of man’s sin. That which was beautiful and perfect is now imperfect. It’s like a beautiful, hand-made bowl. It worked perfectly and functioned great. Then the elements worked against it and found a man-made flaw from which it developed a crack. It started leaking and eventually fell apart and became useless.

That is how I see the world. The beauty and perfection was in Eden, then the crack first developed with Adam and Eve. Today, we are coming apart. Everywhere you look, there are more cracks developing and it is only a matter of time before the whole thing crumbles into uselessness. Nothing more than refuse where perfection and paradise once was beheld.

God does not mean for that to happen. His son Jesus stepped into time to give us a way to be saved. He lived for us and died for us and gave us an eternal pardon. All we have to do is accept it and repent of our sins that he died for, then ask him as God to live in us and to guide our steps going forward.

It is so easy and yet, for many, so difficult and for some, seemingly impossible. We live in an age where admitting you are wrong is unacceptable. It’s better to stake your spot and be unwilling to change. Yes, that’s the answer. As long as you say it is so, then, for you ,it is so.

That’s a fancy way of saying you are sticking your head in the sand. You don’t see anything beyond your point of view.

This is true of many Christians, too. They fix on a point or two of the Bible and will argue themselves silly. Some of them gang up on others in social media groups to ambush them. One will post and the other will answer and then they wait for someone to disagree with them and then comes the battle. They argue mostly with other Christians and that seems a poor use of their time.

Rather than spreading the good news of salvation, this comes across at best as wrong-headed pride in your skill as a debater or at worst, a form of bullying. There is also more than a tinge of setting yourself up as the definer of Christian behavior and then as judge when you do this. Remember Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Non-Christians visit Christian sites and pretend to be part of the group. They then dig in and ridicule beliefs of others. The Christians there try to talk with them and change their minds. It can go on for hours. Christians – at some point, shake the dust from your shoes and move on.

Arguing never solves anything. We are generally speaking, the creatures who stick with our ways through thick and thin. An argument won’t reach anyone. Only God can reach into their hearts with love and compassion.

It’s time to reach out to the world with love. Yes, it will be thrown back in our faces time and time again. There will, however, be times when the love of God reaches through to even one person.

I truly believe that there will come a time when no matter what, no one further will come to believe in God and accept Jesus as their savior. It is at that point that the end will come.

However, that time isn’t now. How do I know that? Well, the end hasn’t come yet. It might come tomorrow or it might not for a thousand years. I have to behave as if time is short and that God needs to use me and other Christians to reach those last souls who will accept salvation.

The wonderful promise we have is that someday the heavens and the world will be made new. That perfection and beauty will surround us once again. Once again and forever, God will walk among us. He will live with us and care for us.

This time it will be forever. Brothers and sisters, I hope you will be there with me.

Revelation 21:1-8

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new! ”Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Sometimes it is difficult to know what to say to someone who has not yet accepted Jesus. It feels like sharing religion is intrusive and it is easier to take a live and let live attitude.

The problem with this is that by letting someone walk away without hearing about salvation is not letting them live, it is letting them die. Without the saving power of Jesus in their lives, people will not experience eternal life.

Sharing is easy once you start. Of course, you have to pick the appropriate time and place. Shoving religion in anyone’s face is a sure way to turn them off. They can be so offended that they won’t see the truth of what you speak.

Sometimes, all you need to do is mention that you are a Christian and the people around you will scatter. They don’t want to hear what you have to say. That’s okay. You can’t force the story of Jesus on any one. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to give them the desire to hear more.

But if you hold back because you don’t know what to say, just tell them your story about how you came to know Jesus. It will be the most compelling story you can tell to anyone. No one can say that you just don’t understand. That you misinterpreted the facts of a situation. It is your life and your story.

I know how hard it can be. When I first became a Christian, I tried to share my faith. I didn’t know much really about it. The other person was interested and starting asking questions that I didn’t know the answer to. I wrapped up with discussion quickly and said I would find someone who knew more to talk to him. I did do that and I don’t know what happened beyond that because I never checked back.

For almost fifteen years thereafter, I didn’t share my faith with anyone else. I was afraid that questions again would surface and that I wouldn’t have answers to give. Certainly circumstances came up when I felt the draw to share but I pushed those feelings aside and kept my story to myself.

I now realize how selfish I was all that time. I had an answer that people were waiting to hear and kept it hidden away. It’s kind of like being in a burning building. You know the way out but it seems no one else does. You could just head on out and save yourself and leave everyone else to die in the blaze.

The other choice is to make yourself heard above the noise, above the fear and the panic that is happening. You would shout, “I have the answer that will let us all escape from this disaster. Follow me and I will show you the way.”

I would hope that most of us would chose to share the way to safety. That we would not want others to die without trying to help. It is exactly the same with sharing the love and saving power of Christ.

The people around you are in the midst of a dying world. Things are starting to come unglued. They are looking for a way to be safe in a world that seems to have gone mad.

If you look at the news on a regular basis, you will see the hate mongering from all sides. Sometimes, you want to identify with one group or other. But the truth is that as a Christian, there is only one group you can belong to. You are a child of God and part of the body of Christ. Nothing else can approach that in importance.

We are told to be in the world but not of the world. That means we have to live in the midst of the chaos. However, we are not to join in the fray. No politics, no social issue, no cause should ever come before Jesus.

Remember, too, that Jesus told us to love one another. Especially those who despitefully use us. It’s easy to love someone who loves you right back. But to love someone who is intent on hurting you and destroying your life is not easy. But it is what we are supposed to do.

So, if the opportunity comes up and you feel the leading of the Holy Spirit, you should share that you are a Christian. Sometimes, people are amazed at how calm we are in the middle of turmoil. Telling them why can lead them to more questions.

Then again, maybe it won’t. It isn’t your job to save anyone. All you can do is make sure that they know that there is a way. They may ask questions or not. You may simply have planted a seed. Let God do the watering and watch for the growth. You will have done everything that you really can do.

Seizing the moment is important but there are times when you must follow the rules. If it is not allowed in your workplace to discuss such matters, respect that and know that God knows that as well.

Once I was willing to share my faith again, I would sometimes ask a co-worker out for lunch or dinner if I was feeling led by the Holy Spirit. While the time out was definitely social, if the opportunity came up, I would take it.

Most of my co-workers knew my history and wondered why I was still happy and at peace with my life. It was very difficult to do this after my son passed away, but I knew that it was that time or never.

When he became ill, the first thing I asked him was if he knew Jesus. He was shocked that I didn’t already know. I admit I was not living the Christian life well but such a catastrophic illness brought my priorities straight. Once he told me he was saved, I then asked my other two children. Once I knew that they knew Jesus, I was able to relax.

I knew that no matter what happened, it would only happen in this life. Someday, we would all be together again. It is something that I think about often. Sadly, there has been enough loss in our family, that there will one day be a big reunion. We will then be brothers and sisters and live with Christ forever.

The peace that I have from that knowledge is something that I want everyone I know to share. I want those I don’t know to have the same peace. My desire, like God’s, is that everyone will be saved.

Because of that experience, I am now brave enough to talk to people. Quite often, when someone comments on my life, my response is that I am at peace because I am a Christ-follower. You would be surprised at how many people then ask for more information.

In a day of easy access to knowledge and information (via the internet), one might think that everyone would already know the story of Jesus. That isn’t the case. So many people, and not just those in third-world countries, have never heard the truth of the Gospel.

They don’t know that God sent his Son. That the Son was also God. Jesus came here to die for us, to give us a way to undue the death sentence we have because of our sins. He came to defeat Satan, sin and the grave. He lived a sinless life so that he could be the perfect sacrifice. He took on the sins of each of us upon the cross. He took our place. It is his sinless blood that was shed that day to provide us a cover and a cleansing of our sin. On judgement day, God will only see the sinless blood and will not condemn us for our sins.

He then rose on the third day after defeating death and sin. In doing so, he also gave us the way to eternal life. He promised we would be with him forever and that he was going to prepare a special home for us where we will be together forever.

Before he left us, after raising from the dead, he told us what he wanted his followers to do. He told us that we were to spread the good news of salvation, which is known as the Gospel, over the entire world.

So, the next time that God leads you to speak to someone, remember what Jesus told you to do. By sharing the love of Jesus, you are doing what you were told to do. Some people will try to argue to tell you what is wrong with your religion. Don’t give in and argue or somehow try to convince them on the basis of your intellect and knowledge.

Just tell them your story. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to do that. You should be reading your Bible daily (even just a verse or two.) That way you will have the knowledge in your head and the Holy Spirit can make use of it.

If you are a member of a church or a group of Christians, and someone asks questions you cannot answer, don’t leave it at that. Tell them you will either find the answer or find someone who can answer it for them.

With practice, you will be surprised at how easy it becomes. While some people turn and walk away, many more are willing to at least listen. Even just asking someone if they would like to go to church with you and maybe have a brunch or lunch after can be a way of sharing. When people see and feel the love of God in a spirit-filled church, they will be astonished and may want to experience it more.

This turned into quite a long letter. Not really surprising for anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis. It was a long way to say, follow Jesus’ last commandment. Spread the Gospel to the world. That is the extent of the job he set before us. Everything else is secondary to this.

It’s taken a long time for me to understand this and this blog is one of the ways that I share. I’m pretty much housebound but opportunities still arise to tell others and even invite them to the church that I attend (watching the sermons streamed live.) I follow the prompting of God because I’ve seen firsthand what happens when I ignore it.

I want others to have the same peace that I have. I want them to feel the same love from God that I feel. I hope you have the same desire to share the redemptive power and love of Jesus as well.

Matthew 28:18-20

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

We’ve all heard the children’s rhyme. I suspect we all wish it really was true. The truth is words are powerful. It’s easy to be hurtful or flippant or simply cruel. It’s even easier these days to do it in social media or texts or emails. You don’t have to be face to face with the person you are trying to tear down. You just do a hit and run and off on your merry way you go.

I was physically abused by my mother and older brother when I was younger. I didn’t fight back but I learned to have a terribly sharp tongue. I could reduce a person to anger or tears fairly easily. Sometimes, they wouldn’t even realize that I was mocking them even controlling them with my words.

It has been a very difficult habit to break. I’ve been working on it since I became a Christian and that was over forty years ago. Most of the time, I can control myself but every once in a while, those hateful thoughts and words tumble out of my mouth in sharp and hurtful ways.

I know when I am saying something that I shouldn’t. I wish I could claw those words back into my mouth. But, I can’t. Once they are out there, they have the ability to damage or even destroy someone. All because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

I’ve talked about my chatty behavior from steroids. That’s a whole different beast. I simply can’t stop talking at times and any filter I have had in the past seems to be gone. Thankfully, as the steroids are tapered down, this crazy talking spat is calming down as well. I look forward to the day when I can simply be silent and not feel that I have to share everything I am thinking about.

Hurtful words, though, are not chatty. They aren’t informative or any good thing. They are meant to hurt. To tear someone apart. To make them hurt, too, the way I am hurting inside.

I’ve found that when I do this, it is usually in retribution. Something I do when someone has done or said something that hurt me. I smack back with my mouth and say terrible things, which even if true (and they generally are), it isn’t up to me to point out.

Sadly, I know I am not alone in this. It seems we all have problems controlling our words. With the venues open to us, the vitriol gets spilled out to the world. The hurt grows, the hate grows, and then some individuals take action.

It happened this week in Pittsburg. Who knows where it will be next week? It seems that these awful and unimaginable events are becoming the norm. So much so that in less than a week, the news reporting of this heinous act has moved on.

How can that be?

Words produce emotions and emotions produce action. Those words can be uplifting and the resulting emotions and actions can be good. Too often, it is the opposite. The words are mean and destructive and the emotions and actions wreck unbelievable damage.

We need to walk ourselves back from the brink of disaster. Not just as a country but as a member of mankind. These events, while highly publicized here in the USA, are not limited to us by any means.

There is so much hate in this world. Simply pick a country and you will see the divisions within are mounting. Politics, religion, caste systems, social orders and more are the basis for hating your neighbor. For wishing them dead and gone. Wishes can turn to words and words to emotions and emotions can take action.

It’s easy to say it is the crazy people who do this. At some point those individuals let their hate craze their minds. I don’t want to try to get into their minds. I just want this type of behavior to stop.

I don’t know if it is because I am a Christian or if it is because I am simply a human. I do know that Jesus did not want us to hate. He wanted us to love one another, even if the other person was the opposite of me.

Without Jesus, that might be hard. For those of us who are Christ-followers, he promised that his yoke was easy and his burden light.

We could and should learn to love one another. We should not look at others and scream “Sinner!” just because those others sin a different way than we do. Because we are all sinners, even those of us who are saved.

Hate the sin and not the sinner has become a catch-phrase. Something people say out loud but rarely practice. Whether it is towards another Christian or an unbeliever, it is really the way we should view them. And don’t forget that you are a sinner, too.

Jesus didn’t forget. He knew all about you and me. He saw us at our worst and knew the full amount of the sins we would commit throughout our lives. He still loved us. He loved us more than life. How many of us can claim to follow in his footsteps with regard to this particular command?

I’ll keep trying and I hope you will too. Each time I say something hurtful or mean, I’ll repent and ask God to help me from making that mistake again. Left on my own, it will never happen. It’s only with God’s help, I can do this. So can you.

Ephesians 4:29-32

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.