Category: Relationship

Posted on

The Candy Cane

Have a cup of coffee with me this morning as I share “The Legend of the Candy Cane”. Every year I share the story in one fashion or another. Since so many of you are new readers this year I thought I should share it again.

Over thirty years ago I was given a little lapel pin at Christmas. It looked like a cute little candy cane. However, when I held it upside down it was in the shape of a “J”. It was attached to a little card which told the story of how it came to be.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15 Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. ” John 10:14-15 CEV

A few years later I was in a bookstore and found a wonderfully illustrated children’s book, “The Legend of the Candy Cane”. I bought it and it sits on our coffee table each year and I have read the story to our children and grandchildren. It’s a cute story of a confectioner who moves to a small town and sets up his shop. The winter is harsh and the town folks are feeling isolated and alone. The candy maker, with the help of a little girl from town, set out to do something to lift the spirits of their neighbors. They make candy canes. The confectioner tells the little girl the story behind his new candy as they work.

The story gave me an idea of how to share the message of Jesus with all I meet throughout the Christmas season. I have printed little cards, like the one picture above and attach each card to a candy cane with a red ribbon. I always have a supply of them in my purse or coat pocket and when I’m out and about I hand out candy canes to store clerks, waitresses, postal workers, anyone I have dealings with.

Handing out Candy Canes with this little message is a great way to share Jesus at Christmas. I even have a basket of them on the counter in our home to share with neighbors and friends who drop in.

Who doesn’t like candy at Christmas? The candy cane has been associated with Christmas for as long as I can remember. The story of the candy cane is one of Jesus and His saving grace. Find a way to have fun and share the love of Jesus with folks.

“His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb.May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19: 10 & 14 ERV

The story of Christmas is not only the greatest story ever told but it’s the sweetest!

(You can find a link to the book on my website page “I Like These”.)

Posted on

Love, Love, Love

Love, love, love – all you need is love!

If you are as old as I am you will probably hear the Beatles singing those words in your head. All you need is love…

That’s what Christmas is all about. It’s a time of showing love, a special time of year to recognize the most wonderful gift of love that mankind has ever known. The birth of a child, the birth of our Savior. God’s unconditional love in human form.

Jesus shows us the Father’s unconditional love in action.

God doesn’t quit loving us when we fail. These are the people Jesus loved; the woman who committed adultery, the tax collector who cheated hundreds, Peter who denied Him three times, the demon possessed, the outcasts and the half-breeds, even the criminals on the cross and the soldiers who crucified him. He loved them all!

The night before Jesus was crucified we find Him in the Garden of Gethsamane praying. He was praying for Himself, for His followers and for us. Yes, we were on His heart before we were even born.

“I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me…23 I am one with them, and you are one with me, so that they may become completely one. Then this world’s people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory that you have given me, because you loved me before the world was created. 25 Good Father, the people of this world don’t know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me. 26 I told them what you are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love that you have for me will become part of them, and I will be one with them.” John 17:20-26 CEV

Jesus prayed that the world would know that the Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus. Think about that.

If the Father only loves us as much as He loved Peter, who denied knowing him, that would be something. He was forgiving, compassionate, non-condemning. But He loves us as much as He loves Jesus! Grab hold of that and don’t ever let it go. God, the Father, loves us as much as He loves Jesus and He thinks the best of us!

Now truly this is the gift of Christmas – God so loved the world that He gave! My prayer is that we come to understand how much He loves us and then we show that love to the world. This is the Apostle Paul’s prayer for us:

“I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of.” Ephesians 3:17-20 ERV

Thank you Lord for flooding my life with Your love!

Posted on

Receiving It All!

Often times during the Christmas season, the season of giving, another trait rears its ugly head. Greed or wanting to have it all is not a desirable characteristic.

However, a giving heart wants our loved ones to have all that we can possibly give. Having all and giving all come from to entirely different motivations. Wouldn’t it be strange if on Christmas morning when all the presents are passed out if we or one of our children took just one gift and without opening the rest said “this is enough for me, I don’t need any more” and pushed the rest of the gifts aside?

The giver of those gifts would be disappointed, I’m sure. Each gift had been hand picked, even hand designed and there they sit unopened and ignored. That would be so sad.

Truth be told we are all guilty of doing that with God’s gifts in one way or another.

“I pray that God will be kind to you and will let you live in perfect peace! May you keep learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus.

3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:2-4 CEV

God’s word says that He has given us EVERYTHING we need for this life but too many are willing to only open the gift of salvation and leave the others untouched. God gave us many great and precious promises so that we could live a daily life focused on His goodness and grace.

We accept that Jesus died to forgive our sins but then continue to live in guilt because of the things we’ve done. Along with salvation comes the gifts of peace of mind, joy, strength, freedom from fear, grace, mercy, protection, provision, rest and kindness.

Our heavenly Father has provided all of these through His promises. However, many times we leave these gifts unopened and ignored because we don’t have knowledge of them. If we don’t know the gifts have our name on them then we fail to receive what the Father has designed especially for us.

The verses above tell us that the Father has made many gifts available to us but we only discover that as we learn more and more about Him.

“We praise you, Lord God! You treat us with kindness day after day, and you rescue us.” Psalm 68:19 CEV

Day after day is giving us His kindness and his protection. Day after day He sends His joy and peace. Day after day He unfolds His love before us. He is a loving, patient Father and He wants to give us all we need to escape the corrupt influences of this world.

It isn’t greedy to take every gift the Father provides. Completely the opposite, it’s a sign of accepting His love, having it all.

Posted on

A Good Day

The last couple of days I have had pictures from Christmases past show up on my memory page. I’m not surprised by how many of them have been from Christmas tree cutting adventures.

The second Christmas after Dave and I were married we went Christmas tree cutting with some of the members from our Sunday School class. I was seven and a half months pregnant. Our financial resources were slim but we had a full tank of gas in the truck and a tree permit only cost $3. Flagstaff was only a two and a half hour drive up the interstate. We were good to go and once we went we were hooked.

Amazing!

Forty-seven Decembers later it’s still one of my favorite things to do. We have cut our own tree about half, if not more, of those years.

What makes it a favorite thing? Well, the family is all together searching for the same thing, the perfect tree. There is an excitement to the search and it’s beautiful. The photograph I used for this morning’s post was taken on our tree cutting adventure in 2010 from a mountain just a few miles from our home in Montana.

God’s handiwork is breath-taking.

“It is wonderful to be grateful  and to sing your praises, Lord Most High! 2 It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love and at night to announce how faithful you are. 3 I enjoy praising your name to the music of harps, 4 because everything you do makes me happy, and I sing joyful songs. 5 You do great things, Lord.” Psalm 92:1-5 CEV

The verses above describe my heart as I sit here each morning sharing my thoughts with you. “It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love”. It is truly wonderful! I have learned and am still learning how to see my heavenly Father’s love in each day and through each circumstance. (Not all circumstances are caused by Him but He is always with me and taking me through each one.)

Each time I look at the image I used this morning I am amazed by God’s greatness to create such a scene of beauty and then I am overwhelmed when I realize that the God who created this marvelous view loves me beyond measure and has chosen to be my Father.

He loves you too!

With that realization, how can we do anything less than have a good day?

Posted on

Thankful for Protection

I was sitting here for the last few minutes mulling over what I might share with you this morning. Several different things were running through my mind but nothing seemed to gel.

It was then I felt something crawling on my ankle. It was something small and I figured it was a moth. I uncrossed my ankles and looked down but didn’t see anything. I sat here a bit longer and there it was running across my keyboard. Now, don’t freak out when I tell you this but it was a baby scorpion!

Yikes! I had a tissue handy so I pinched it in the tissue. Problem solved. No more scorpion. Living in an arid climate we find scorpions in the house on rare occasions. It’s something we learn to be on guard for.

Years ago Dave and I learned to take these words of Jesus at face value:

“Jesus said to them, ‘I saw Satan falling like lightning from the sky. 19 He is the enemy, but know that I have given you more power than he has. I have given you power to crush his snakes and scorpions under your feet. Nothing will hurt you. 20 Yes, even the spirits obey you. And you can be happy, not because you have this power, but because your names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:18-20 ERV

Jesus had sent his disciples out to surrounding cities to preach the good news or the Gospel. He told them to heal the sick, cleanse lepers and cast out demons in those places to demonstrate the power of God. When they came back to where Jesus was they were telling Him of the miracles they had seen.

Jesus’ comment was what we read above. “I have given you power over the enemy, over serpents and scorpions but the greater miracle is that your names are written in heaven. The greater miracle is that you have relationship with the Father”. (my paraphrase)

Our hearts should be overflowing with thankfulness because our names are written in heaven’s Book of Life when we come into relationship with the Father. God has been gracious and kind. There may have been disappointments and even heart aches in the last year but God remains faithful and trustworthy. He continues to bring blessings and benefits into our lives. He protects and provides! He covers us with His love.

“Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning. 18 He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family. 19 My Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry.” James 1:17-19 NLV

He is the giver of every good and perfect gift and He does not change. We need to listen more and murmur less.

“We praise you, Lord God! You treat us with kindness day after day, and you rescue us. 20 You always protect us and save us from death.” Psalm 68:19-20 CEV

One translation of this verse says ” Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”

Daily, He loads us up with benefits…Selah (stop and think). As we get ready to go about our day let’s stop and think about the ways the Lord has been good to us. You probably haven’t started your morning by killing a scorpion but I know you’ve already experienced some of God’s goodness.

Be thankful for protection!

Posted on

Give Thanks During Adversity

I would be unfeeling and lacking in compassion if I didn’t acknowledge that there are some of you who just don’t feel like being thankful. The words “Happy Thanksgiving” set you on edge.

Some are facing a physical battle for your very lives. Others have lost loved ones this year and your hearts are aching. Still others of you may have experienced the closing of a family business and financial insecurity. There’s just not much, if anything, to be thankful for.

It’s important that we learn how to give thanks in the face of adversity. It’s also important for those of us who are in a better place to be compassionate, understanding and supportive of others.

“But let the godly rejoice.
    Let them be glad in God’s presence.
    Let them be filled with joy.
4 Sing praises to God and to his name!
    Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
    rejoice in his presence!

5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
    this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
6 God places the lonely in families;
    he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.” Psalm 68:1-5 NLV

I cannot express enough the Father’s ever-abiding presence. He does not desert us or abandon us. He is always with us giving us comfort, strength and help.

Jesus experienced heart ache and loneliness. His accountant stole money from his business. His family didn’t understand Him and even His closest friends abandon Him in His greatest hour of need. He experienced all that and made us a promise that we would never have to go through those things without His help.

“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 4:14-15 CEV

Having a grateful heart during adversity becomes our victory song. Not thankful for the adversity but thankful we aren’t alone and thankful that we have the Father’s promise of help.

No matter the circumstances we face we can give thanks – thanks that God never lies, He is faithful to His word. He brings the help we need!

Posted on

The Miracle of a Hug

Yesterday morning I spent quite a bit of time visiting with a friend who I haven’t seen in years. Periodically we have these calls and catch up. It was so good to hear her voice.

We talked about everything. As we were talking about our children and the wonderful adults, or near-adults, that they have become I remembered an experienced with her younger son from years ago. She mentioned that he is now 6’4″ and plays on his high school basketball team.

What I remembered was a little boy with glasses about six years old. Dave and I worked for and with our friends each summer. I did clerical work and some days were more hectic than others so I had a rule for days like that. If you came into the office and my door was closed you were to wait until I opened it to you – don’t just come barging in.

This little guy had been visiting his cousins for a few days and I knew he was due to come home. I was working with the door closed. I heard the outer office door open and close but heard nothing more. I continued working through some accounting procedures and when I was done, several minutes later, I opened my office door to see if anyone was there.

There he stood, right beside the door, such a big smile on his face. He didn’t say anything at first and I told him I was glad he was home. Finally I asked if there was something he needed. He looked at me and said, “I just wanted to give you a hug”.

My heart melted – I think we both shed a tear. What a wonderful hug it was!

I know many of you are like me, we’re huggers. It’s a “family” trait.

“The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 CEV

Our Father is a hugger. I often wonder how different the story of the prodigal son would have been if the father had greeted him with a lecture, a cold shoulder or an “I told you so” instead of a hug and a kiss.

The son was stinky, his clothes were filthy, he had been living a life of rebellion but the Father just wanted a hug! He wanted to embrace his son; he was overjoyed his son had come home. “All is forgiven, come home”! This was the call of the Father’s heart.

It still is.

We wander, we roam, we run off but the Father, our father, watches and waits and when He sees us coming, hearts full of remorse, He runs to meet us with open arms and a heart of forgiveness.

He celebrates our return with a hug and a kiss.

I am so grateful for His embrace! There is a miracle in a hug; a miracle of healing, a miracle of love, a miracle of reconciliation.

Posted on

Satisfaction Guaranteed

I’m probably like many of you. In the last few months the majority of my shopping has been done on-line. For the most part it has been ok but there are those exceptions and two of them came in the last week.

We received the notifications that these items were going to be delivered mid-week. Sure enough, right on schedule they arrived but they were the wrong item or subquality. How disappointing!

And then there was the follow-up. Email brought the quickest contact. Take the pictures, include the receipt, send the explanation as to what was wrong but really no satisfaction. Oh, we did receive a refund but now I had to start over looking for something similar because this had seemed like the perfect gift.

I almost burst into song. “I can’t get no satisfaction”!

But there is one place that guarantees satisfaction and I know I will never be disappointed there.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:2-5 NKJV

The place of absolute satisfaction is with the Lord. What more could we hope for than forgiveness, health, safety, strength, love and mercy?

Satisfaction guaranteed.

Even in the face of adversity we can and should be satisfied because we have His companionship to give us strength. The Apostle Paul was beaten and shipwrecked several times during his years of ministry. Look what he said:

“I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13 Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” Philippians 4:11-13 CEV

I have learned to be satisfied…yes, it’s something we must learn.

Advertising tells us to look for bigger and better. I remember our first television set had a seven inch screen, was in black and white, had three stations and we thought it was a marvel. Now, we are conditioned to believe that a 55″, 4K, smart tv just isn’t enough. Seriously?

There are things I would like to have and there are places I would like to go but I don’t have to have them to be satisfied. I am content. I am satisfied with the blessings the Lord has added to my life. I’m thankful for what I have.

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.” I Timothy 6:6-7 NLT

With Him, we have a promise of Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Posted on

Looking For Love

Yesterday our family plans for Thanksgiving changed dramatically! We learned that some of those we hold dear won’t be able to come. Many of you are just like us and are finding that your Thanksgiving table will have empty chairs and your homes will have fewer loved ones sleeping under your roofs.

It’s so disappointing.

With that news centered in my heart I came to my chair and prayed for our family and those of you that will be missing loved ones this year. I felt the Lord’s love wrap around me and His peace settle in. I am content in His presence.

“I pray that because of the riches of His shining-greatness, He will make you strong with power in your hearts through the Holy Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. 18 I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. 19 I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself.” Ephesians 3:16-19 NLV

The photo for this morning’s blog was taken about eight years ago at our home in Montana. It was a particularly hard day for me. I was dealing with loneliness and my heart was aching. Dave was gone and it was up to me to check the fences to make sure none of them had gone down because of the previous night’s snow.

As I walked along the road I was telling the Lord of my hurt and disappointment. With tears in my eyes I looked up and saw this obvious expression of God’s love. There, twisted into the barbed wire fence, was a heart with the snow glistening like diamonds behind it. It was just for me – a sign of my Father’s love and presence.

That morning I found an expression of love in a pasture fence. I’m wondering what I will find today.

The Apostle Paul prayed that we would have strong hearts and that we would know the depth of our Father’s love. Just when I think I couldn’t experience any greater depth of His love I find that it goes even deeper.

Since God is love and there is no beginning or end to Him, there is also no beginning or end to His love. He loves us – of that I am certain!

May I encourage you today to Look for Love. You will find it. It will be coming from the Father’s heart.

Posted on

Clearing Clutter

This morning when I got up and looked around the house I stopped to be thankful for my mother.

When I was a girl we lived in a trailer. My dad worked in road construction and we moved frequently. Our home moved with us. But there isn’t much room in a trailer and so everything had to have a place. I was allowed one junk drawer and when it was full I either had to throw out some of the old or I couldn’t keep anything new.

I learned to appreciate the qualities of tidiness and organization that were a natural part of Mom’s life and adopted them as my own. I have one friend who comes to visit and she always tells me, “I love coming to your house, it’s free of clutter. Always picked up and neat. It makes me feel comfortable and welcome like you were expecting me.”

The Apostle Paul said this in I Corinthians 14:40: “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

He was referring to the local gathering of believers in Corinth and the order of their service. He admonished them that it should be orderly so that those attending weren’t confused but gained benefit from the service.

He used the word “All” and every place I have researched the word all means all. I’m not trying to convict or condemn any who have cluttered homes. It’s a personal choice and I won’t judge you.

However, when it comes to cluttered minds, thoughts or actions that can be a detriment to us hearing God.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

It’s hard to “be still” with a thousand things on our mind. It’s important that we have our thoughts line up with God’s so that we can make wise and godly decisions.

In the very beginning the earth had no form and was void of life but God spoke the worlds into existence with His words and brought order and beauty. He removed the chaos. His Word will bring order and beauty to our lives as well.

I know how busy things can be at this time of year. Family, friends, food, festivities can lead to frazzled nerves and frustration. Take time to walk away from the clutter and the busyness. Clear the clutter. Be still.

The Father is waiting for you!

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress