Author: Kristi Wilson

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Lessons in Kindness

Just a few days ago I overheard a conversation Dave was having with one of our neighbors. Just out of the blue he said “You know I miss Glory. Each time I drive up and open the back gate I expect to see her there waiting for me”. That little girl taught us so many lessons about love!

Our dogs can teach us so much. They depend on us to provide for them. They lovingly wait for our return; if we are gone for 3 days or three hours there reaction to our return is the same. Excitement!

A few years back I heard singer/songwriter, Don Francisco, talking about a song his wife , Wendy, had written, “GoD and DoG”.

I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
Simple spelling G O D, same word backwards, D O G.
They would stay with me all day. I’m the one who walks away.
But both of them just wait for me, and dance at my return with glee.
Both love me no matter what – divine God and canine mutt.
I take it hard each time I fail, but God forgives, dog wags his tail.
God thought up and made the dog, dog reflects a part of God.
I’ve seen love from both sides now, it’s everywhere, amen, bow wow.
I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
And in my human frailty…I can’t match their love for me.

Those words touched my heart. It seems I’m not the only one who could see a correlation between the unconditional love of My Father and the devotion of my four-legged canine companion.

I remember a time when we had been on the go and I had forgotten to feed Glory. It was late, almost bedtime, when I realized she still needed her dinner.

 She was very mild natured and you hardly ever knew she was around. I realized she had been overlooked and sat with her for a few minutes. She needed the attention and responded so lovingly. The love and attention were much more important to her than her dinner, which was late.

“Good people are kind to their animals, but a mean person is cruel.” Proverbs 12:10

The creatures of this earth were put here by God for our enjoyment but we are also to be good stewards in providing for them. They depend on us and we learn love from them. In the mornings Glory would lay at my side while I read my Bible, had prayer and wrote this blog. She just enjoyed being close to me as I was spending time being close to the Father. She’s been gone six months now and I miss sharing my quiet mornings with her.

Let us carry these same characteristic of caring and kindness that we have learned from our four-legged friends to our two-legged friends.

“God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13 Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.” Colossians 3:12-14 CEV

We can all use a little more kindness!

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Comienza otro proyecto

He estado hablando con un número de personas que han estado haciendo algunos proyectos de bricolaje muy involucrados en los últimos meses. Hace años, un amigo mío, que estaba pasando por una remodelación de casa, me dijo que la parte más importante del proyecto era tener un buen matrimonio. Ella dijo que la renovación fue tan estresante a veces que se habría rendido y vivido en escombros si no hubiera sido por la fuerza y el aliento de su esposo.

Una de nuestras hijas y su marido acaban de completar un cambio de posición completo de su remolque de viaje; pisos, paredes pintadas, armarios, cojines nuevos, tableros de mesa, las obras. Una amiga mía comenzó lentamente con sus proyectos, el baño principal necesitaba nuevos accesorios. Ahora, sus paredes han sido pintadas, nuevos accesorios de iluminación añadidos, el garaje limpio y organizado, nuevos muebles se han ordenado, y algunas habitaciones se han reorganizado.

Hoy comenzamos un nuevo proyecto nosotros mismos. En diciembre, compramos un remolque de viaje de 5a rueda. It’s más de diez años de edad y el interior es muy agradable, pero anticuado. Dave y yo hemos estado planeando esto todo el verano. Dave comenzó en julio cambiando parte del piso antes de empezar nuestro viaje de tres semanas. Pero hoy es el día en que comenzamos con las paredes y los armarios.

Hemos hecho un inventario de lo que teníamos y lo que necesitábamos comprar. Los suministros se han reunido y es hora de comenzar. Podemos ver en el ojo de nuestra mente el proyecto terminado. Va a ser un trabajo duro, pero el resultado final valdrá la pena.

No es difícil relacionar los cambios que hacemos en nuestros hogares, nuestros peinados y nuestros vestuarios con los cambios que Dios hace en nosotros. Ayer mismo estaba hablando de algo y me di cuenta de que no debería haber dicho lo que hice y en voz alta dije “Padre, siento no haber dicho eso. Gracias por corregirme”. Estoy siendo cambiado diariamente por Su gracia.

“Porque por Su amor-favor has sido salvado del castigo del pecado por medio de la fe. No es por nada que hayas hecho. Es un don de Dios. 9  No se te da porque trabajaste para ello. Si pudieras trabajar para ello, estarías orgulloso.  10  Somos Su obra. Nos ha hecho pertenecer a Cristo Jesús para que podamos trabajar por El. Planeó que hiciéramos esto”. Efesios 2:8-10 NLV

En una versión de estas versiones dice que somos Su mano de obra. Dios, el Padre, ha diseñado con amor a cada uno de nosotros para cosas buenas. No quiere nada más que lo mejor para nosotros. A veces, parece que estamos en construcción; hay cinta de pintor en nuestras paredes, algunos bordes ásperos que necesitan lijado, nuestras encimeras pueden estar cubiertas con paños y suministros, pero el Maestro Artesano puede ver el producto de acabado y lo hace sonreír.

“Estoy seguro de que Dios que comenzó la buena obra en ustedes seguirá trabajando en ustedes hasta el día en que Jesucristo venga de nuevo.” Filipenses 1:6 NLV

¡Señor, gracias por amarme lo suficiente como para hacer una buena obra en mi vida!

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Another Project Begins

I’ve been talking with a number of people who have been doing some very involved DIY projects over the last few months. Years ago a friend of mine, who was going through a home remodeling, told me that that the most important part of the project was having a good marriage. She said the renovation was so stressful at times that she would have given up and lived in rubble if it hadn’t been for the strength and encouragement of her husband.

One of our daughters’ and her husband just completed a complete make-over of their travel trailer; floors, walls painted, cabinets, new cushions, table tops, the works. A friend of mine started slowly with her projects- the master bathroom needed new fixtures. Now, her walls have been painted, new light fixtures added, the garage cleaned and organized, new furniture has been ordered, and some rooms have been rearranged.

Today we start a new project ourselves. In December, we bought an 5th wheel travel trailer. It’s over ten years old and the interior is very nice but dated. Dave and I have been planning this all summer. Dave actually started in July by changing out some of the flooring before we started off on our three week trip. But today is the day we start with the walls and the cabinets.

We’ve taken inventory of what we had and what we needed to buy. Supplies have been gathered and it’s time to begin. We can see in our mind’s eye the completed project. It’s going to be hard work but the end result will be worth the effort.

It’s not hard to relate the changes we make in our homes, our hairstyles and our wardrobes with the changes that God makes in us. Just yesterday I was talking about something and realized I shouldn’t have said what I did and right out loud I said “Father, I’m sorry I shouldn’t said that. Thank you for correcting me”. I’m being changed daily by His grace.

“For by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. 9 It is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud. 10 We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NLV

In one version of these versions it says we are His workmanship. God, the Father, has lovingly designed each one of us for good things. He wants nothing but the best for us. At times, it seems like we are under construction; there is painter’s tape on our walls, some rough edges that need sanding, our counter tops may be covered with drop cloths and supplies but the Master Craftsman can see the finish product and it makes Him smile.

“I am sure that God Who began the good work in you will keep on working in you until the day Jesus Christ comes again.” Philippians 1:6 NLV

Lord, thank you for loving me enough to do a good work in my life!

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Wisdom for Each Day

I don’t spend a lot of time in the book of Ecclesiastes, I should probably do a study of the book someday. It was written by King Solomon and he recorded his search for the meaning of life. Now Solomon was blessed with God-given wisdom. People came from all over the world to hear his teachings. Yet, this book can leave the reader perplexed and undone unless you read all the way to the end.

“Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. 10 The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly…13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.” Ecclesiastes 12:9-13 NLT

His conclusion to the whole books was to “Fear God and obey his commands”. Fear doesn’t mean to be afraid but it does mean to reference, respect, and hold in high esteem. When we have that kind of respect for the Lord we will depend on His Word for guidance and instruction. We will trust His insights and follow His commands.

It would be foolish to seek the advise of an expert and then ignore it and attempt to handle things on our own. That is an exercise in futility. There are many “so-called experts” expounding their ideas and conclusions and yet we are without answers. God’s Word is the only place that we will find the answers we are seeking.

Two things are going through my heart this morning – many are dealing with weariness – so much has been going on in our lives recently and we are weary. Look up!

The second thing is this. In our weariness cry out to God. We need the Father’s direction and deliverance. King David knew weariness. He was running from his son, Absalom, who was trying to kill him.

“But you, Lord, protect me. You bring me honor; you give me hope. 4 I will pray to the Lord,
and he will answer me from his holy mountain. Selah 5 I can lie down to rest and know that I will wake up, because the Lord covers and protects me. 6 So I will not be afraid of my enemies, even if thousands of them surround me. 7 Lord, get up! My God, come rescue me!
If you hit my enemies on the cheek, you will break all their teeth. 8 Lord, the victory is yours!
You are so good to your people. Selah” Psalm 3:3-8 ERV

King David knew he could find help and rest in God. All his life his focus has been on honoring God and His word. At one point he said that God’s word had made him wiser than all his teachers (the experts).

If you’re weary, look up. Trust God to direct and get involved, obey His Word. He is the expert on life.

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Tempted to Complain?

I have to admit that there are times when I am tempted to complain but that hasn’t been the case for quite a while now. My life isn’t perfect; it has it’s up’s and down’s however, my God is perfect!

And He loves me!

As I was making the morning coffee my head filled with song by singer/songwriter Dottie Rambo:

He left the Splendor of Heaven
Knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha
there to lay down His life for me.

if that isn’t love
the ocean is dry
there’s no stars in the sky
and the sparrow can’t fly
if that isn’t love
then Heavens a myth
there’s no feeling like this
if that isn’t love

Gratitude spills over into everything we do when we focus on the truth of God’s love. There is one reason and one reason only that Jesus left heaven and came to earth. That reason is His love for us!

Complaining causes us to lose focus of what is good. It can be a downward spiral. How many of you have heard these words?

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” I Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Paul was giving instruction to Christians about the example they had received from their fore fathers who had murmured and complained in the wilderness. They had seen all of God’s power when He delivered them from Egypt; crossing the Red Sea; living under the pillar of cloud by day; eating manna from heaven; drinking water from a rock and still they complained and rebelled.

So, now Paul is giving strong admonition to the Christians in Corinth. Don’t let the temptation to complain and murmur about your circumstances cause you to stray from the Lord. God is faithful and He will provide a way of escape. Don’t be confident in your own abilities because when you do, you will fall but be confident in Christ and what He has done for you.

This is a good word for today. How many times a day do we find ourselves complaining about something? How many times are we trusting in our own strength and not His?

We should remind ourselves of how the Lord has been faithful in the past. Remind ourselves that we are the reason He left heaven. This should keep us from complaining about the present or worrying over the future!

We have His promise that He will never leave us or abandon us. Now that’s love!

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Blessings All Around

This weekend we were talking about the blessings of 2020.

I know, so many are talking about the horrible things that have happened this year and it certainly is one for the record books but we have experienced several big blessings. One was the early arrival of our great granddaughter, Phoebe. Her name means “bright and pure”.

There was some real concern the first of February when we learned she was coming five weeks early. We had expected her three weeks early but not five. Her labor was long but she arrived healthy and left the hospital just a few days later. Dad, Grama and Pops got to be there for her birth and were able to visit her and her momma the few days they were in the hospital. If she had come just a few weeks later, when the country was becoming COVID aware, none of that would have been possible.

God’s timing is always right and we are blessed to have her in our family.

I heard a pastor tell about two things which impacted him greatly when he was an 18 year old. It was then, for the first time, he heard that God knew who he was and that God loved him. He said that was all it took to give his life to the Lord.

The reality of knowing that God Almighty knows me – He knows everything about me and loves me anyway, is pretty overwhelming. Little Phoebe will know from the very beginning that God was involved in her arrival and each day of her life to follow.

“You, Lord, brought me safely through birth, and you protected me when I was a baby at my mother’s breast. 10 From the day I was born, I have been in your care, and from the time of my birth, you have been my God.” Psalm 22:9-10 CEV

“You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, 14 and I praise you
because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.” Psalm 139:13-14 CEV

God, the Father, knew us as we were growing in our mothers’ womb. He knows every detail, He knows every bump and bruise, every hurt and disappoint, every failure and bad thought and He loves us unconditionally.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. 11 And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.” Romans 5:6-11 CEV

Thank you Father for knowing me, loving me, making peace with me and saving me!

Thank you for the blessing of life in 2020.

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Commitment

When our kids were little we lived in a small farming town west of Phoenix called Peoria. Now those of you who are familiar with the Phoenix area realize that Peoria is no longer the sleepy little farming town it once was.

But then, the fields around our subdivision were prosperous with crops of alfalfa, cotton, and vegetables. It was not uncommon to see tractors and farm equipment driving through town on the way to their next field. But what was most fun was getting our vegetables from the fields and then visiting the dairy and the chicken farm.

Fresh milk, fresh eggs and fresh vegetables. Nothing like it!

When our kids became school age I was amazed to learn that many of their classmates didn’t know where their food came from. It seemed almost shocking. It was great when one of the parents invited the class for a field trip to their dairy. Seeing those children’s faces (and some of the mom’s) in the milking barn made me chuckle.

This morning I’d like to tell you a little story about a farmer. Farmer Jones was a wonderful farmer and all his animals loved him. He took such good care of them. One day the chicken said, we should do something special for Farmer Jones. All the animals agreed so they thought and thought – what could they do that would be special.

The chicken spoke up again – “I know we can make breakfast for Farmer Jones on Friday.” Yes, yes – that’s what we’ll do all the animals agreed. All but one. “What’s the matter”, asked the chicken? “The cow will give milk, I will give some eggs and you can provide the bacon.” The pig looked long and hard at the chicken and then said, “Breakfast only requires your participation but for me it’s a total commitment.”

It seems that these days people have a problem with “total commitment”. Get a job, it doesn’t work out, get another one; same with marriage. Things don’t work out, it’s not working for me, I’m not happy – move on. Contracts almost always have a loop hole or escape clause. There’s got to be a way out.

The same was true in Jesus’ day too. When people saw the miracles that Jesus did they were drawn to Him, and rightfully so. However, the crowds started to wane when His teaching included words like love your enemies and if you follow me you will face persecution, deny yourself.

Jesus called his followers to be disciples.

We get the word discipline from the word disciple – a pupil; a learner. There are many who believe in Jesus as Savior but not all are disciples. They are willing to express a relationship with the Lord and even make a few changes to their lives but they don’t want it to impact everything they do.

“Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honor to my Father. 9 I have loved you as the Father has loved me. Now continue in my love.” John 15:7-9 ERV

What does it take to be a disciple or a learner of Christ? If we desire to be truly free, it requires that we spend time learning from Christ and His word. Following His example.

“As He was saying these things, many believed in Him. 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:30-32 ERV

Let’s go back to the story of our farmer’s breakfast. For years I was a willing participant. I was glad to provide what I could, when it was convenient but I lacked full commitment. The Lord patiently loved me. He was teaching me, correcting me, never giving up on me. (I am so grateful for that.)

Let me encourage you to be more than a participant. Become a disciple, be committed, draw close to Christ.

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A Godly Heritage

My mother celebrated her ninety-seventh birthday yesterday! Yes, that is correct – 97. We had the joy of being with her, my sister, brother-in-law, niece, daughter and son-in-law as we celebrated her life. A few close friends dropped by to say hello and to wish her well. For the past few weeks her mailbox was filled with cards from friends, family and acquaintances. As of yesterday the total birthday cards received came to 110. She was overwhelmed by the expressions of love.

Mom talks a lot about leaving this earth and going home to heaven. It’s something she is looking forward too with much joy. She feels she’s been here long enough and is awaiting her departure with great anticipation. But while she’s here she continues to pray for her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren on a daily basis.

She tells her friends and the few people she is still able to interact with about her love for Jesus and how good God is. She always tries to have some sort of devotional book on hand to give to someone who needs to know about Jesus.

I know how blessed I am to have such a godly heritage. She and my dad both loved the Lord and brought my brother, sister and I up to love Him too.

“Remember these commands I give you. Keep them in your hearts. Write them down and tie them on your hands and wear them on your foreheads as a way to remember my laws. 19 Teach these laws to your children. Talk about these things when you sit in your houses, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 20 Write these commands on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. 21 Then both you and your children will live a long time in the land that the Lord promised to give to your ancestors. You will live there as long as the skies are above the earth.” Deuteronomy 11:18-21 ERV

At this point, each time we say good-bye and leave we understand that it may be the last time we see Mom alive on this earth. It is a bitter-sweet experience. Mom says we are to have a party and not be sad because she will finally be home. My daughter text me yesterday after she left and said “the good-byes are so hard”. To which I replied “Then just tell her ‘see you later’ because you know she’ll be waiting to see you when you get to heaven”.

Mom never had great monetary riches, she never had a plaque or monument placed in her honor, she never traveled world-wide or excelled to great heights – not by the world’s standards. However, her life has been filled to overflowing. Her home was always open, her table fed whoever was hungry, she shared love and friendship and loved the Lord.

A life well lived! I am very blessed to have such a godly heritage. As Mom said yesterday “I never knew so many people were watching what I did and that it effected them the way it did”.

That’s true. We don’t know whose watching so let’s live each day in a way that can change lives and point people to Jesus.

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A Hard Row to Hoe

Yesterday Dave and I found ourselves “on the road again”. We were making the trip from home to my mother’s in Yuma, about four and a half hours away. The interstate takes us through a big city, small towns, across open arid desert and fertilized farmland. I grew up here, I know the land well.

It was the arid desert that held my attention on our drive. The cactus, greasewood, and dry, hard ground is the natural state of things in the desert. The green fields of alfalfa are not. After many years of working the soil it is able to produce a viable crop but left unattended it quickly reverts to the dry, desert it once was.

Any farmer knows “It’s a hard row to hoe”.

Some of the land in Israel is arid and it too can be hard and dry. I think that may be what prompted Jesus as He told about a farmer who went out to sow seed. Jesus, said we need to understand this parable so we can understand many of the other parables.

The sower sowed the seed on all kinds of ground. He didn’t just see the good soil and sow there but instead seed went on the hard ground, the rocky soil, the soil with weeds and thorns and also the good soil. Every kind of soil had the ability to receive seed.

The same is true for us – the seed is the Word of God and the Word is available to all. We are the soil and it’s our responsibility to determine what kind of soil we will be. Frankly, I still have some thorns and weeds in my soil but am working daily to see that they are removed so that the seed can grow and bring in a healthy harvest.

In the Old Testament we are given this admonition:

“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’.” Hosea 10:12 NLT

It’s our job to break up the hard ground in our lives – God shows us the rocks and the weeds but we have to be willing to throw them out and see that the seed has healthy soil to grow in. God promises to send the showers to soften the soil and make it ready to receive the seed.

Once we receive the shower of His love and the ground of our hearts is soften, we can receive His word and our lives will become productive. We will no longer be like that arid desert but our lives will produce like the well-watered farmland.

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Research

A good portion of my day was spent in research yesterday. Occasionally, I do freelance projects that require a verification of facts and figures. It’s tedious but also interesting. More often than not, the information I gather is not something I would normally find interesting but when I look at it through the eyes of the one requesting the data it sparks my interest.

There’s a line from the movie, Monte Walsh, where a ranch manager is describing how the ranch has been purchased by an investment group in the East. Their representative has come to learn the in’s and out’s of ranching. The ranch manager goes on to say “Mr. Slocum is here for two weeks to learn ranching.” When asked what skills he will learn, the ranch manager repeats several times “He’s a good one with the numbers”. This man won’t learn anything about the cattle, the way of life or what is takes to have a successful cattle ranch – all he wants to know is the numbers. The bottom line. His research is strictly a financial one.

There have been times that when folks have asked “how are you doing” or “what’s going on with you” and I know that they are really only concerned about the bottom line and not the details. It seems they ask out of obligation but their interest isn’t really in the circumstances that I’m experiencing.

However, there is one who is always interested.

“We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. 15 But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. 16 Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham’s descendants. 17 He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. 18 And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.” Hebrews 2:14-18 CEV

Jesus didn’t just do a statistical evaluation of what life was like as a human. He became human so that He could experience life as we know it. He got tired and hungry; in arid climate he was hot and thirsty. He went through all the emotions we do – He experienced the murder of his cousin, the death of a close friend, He was betrayed by a business associate and misunderstood by His closest friends.

“We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:14-16 CEV

Jesus understands EVERY weakness we face and because of that He offers us help and kindness. All we have to do is come to Him.

I’m so glad that Jesus knows my heart and not just the numbers. He’s experienced life as we know it. His research is complete and He has made us this promise.

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

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