Category: Relationship

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A Parent’s Love

Do you remember a time when you had to leave your child somewhere and it made your heart ache? Maybe it was the first day of kindergarten, maybe it was college or boot camp, it could have been at the door to the operating room in the hospital.

A sinking feeling for sure. Even now those times bring tears to your eyes and ache to your heart.

This morning I want to tell you about Hannah. She longed for a child. The Lord heard and answered her prayer and as a response of devotion to Him she gave her little boy to the Lord’s service.

“When the boy was old enough to eat solid food, Hannah took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh…Then Hannah gave the boy to Eli. 26 She said to him, ‘Pardon me, sir. I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the Lord. I promise that I am telling the truth. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer. He gave me this child. 28 And now I give this child to the Lord. He will serve the Lord all his life.’ Then Hannah left the boy there and worshiped the Lord.” I Samuel 1:24-28 ERV

The story of Hannah and Samuel isn’t just a fable that makes a good read. It is the true story of a loving mother and godly woman. Imagine how she must have wrestled with her emotions as she made the decision to take Samuel to Eli, the priest, and leave him there.

Now imagine, if you will, another parent who was willing to give up their child. This time, however, the child was given as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ERV

Hannah gave her son to a loving God but God gave His Son to an unloving world. Hannah knew her son would be well cared for, God knew His Son would be hated and abused.

It’s important that we realize the great sacrifice our heavenly Father made in giving His Son. We can’t take it lightly. He gave Him so we can have life eternal.

He gave because of His great love for us!

“Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:6-8 ERV

Maybe you’re going through a tough time right now. Maybe you feel that you have been abandon, left all alone – let me assure you that isn’t true.

“…for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” Hebrews 13:5 AMP

Our loving Father will never abandon or desert us. We can rely on Him!

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Prayer Warrior

Last night, before I went to bed, I was praying over some situations that involve my family and the families of my friends. I take teaching God’s word very serious, and I am just as diligent when it comes to praying God’s word for those I love.

This past week I have been asked to pray about certain situations – circumstances where those requesting prayer have felt weak and in need of support and answers.

All through the night, I would wake with the words to this song filling my heart.

“When all I see is the battle
You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain
You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow
Your love surrounds me
There’s nothing to fear now
For I am safe with You

So when I fight I’ll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God the battle belongs to You. by Phil Wickham, Battle Belongs

Prayer is not a cute, little ritual of “now I lay me down to sleep”; it’s a battle against things that are contrary to God’s word. It’s taking a stand of spiritual strength.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 ERV

“So be ready all the time. Pray that you will be able to get through all these things that will happen and stand safe before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36 ERV

“ It is true, we live in a body of flesh. But we do not fight like people of the world. 4 We do not use those things to fight with that the world uses. We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power. Those things God gives to fight with destroy the strong-places of the devil. 5 We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 NLV

Prayer is a place of battle. Notice some of the phrases above; “never give up”, “be ready”, “stand safe”, “fight”, “destroy the strong places”, “break down”, “take hold”.

Some years back a movie was produced called “War Room”. It was the story of a woman who learned to pray diligently for her family. She made a prayer closet, literally, a place she went to pray. She did spiritual battle for the people she loved.

There’s nothing spooky about prayer but it is definitely a strong spiritual act.

“Tell your sins to each other. And pray for each other so you may be healed. The prayer from the heart of a man right with God has much power. ” James 5:16 NLV

Jesus lived a life of prayer and He was powerful. Our lives should be a reflection of His example.

Join the battle. Stay in the fight. Become a prayer warrior!

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Spring Into Life

First Day of Spring!

Half the nation is still covered in snow and many places temperatures are below freezing but signs of Spring are popping up every where. When we lived in Washington State I became familiar with “bulbed” plants; tulips, hyacinth, crocus, daffodils.

The scent of the hyacinths is so fragrant. Yet, it’s the determination of the crocus that made them my favorite. When we moved to Idaho, unbeknown to me, I had some purple crocus right off the front porch. I still remember that first Spring morning when I went out and found them pushing up through the snow-covered ground.

Such determination. Such strength.

Imagine it. Lying dormant all winter, and then waking up with the urge to push up through the cap of soil and snow into the sunlight. Nature is wonderful. The Creator is amazing!

“Everything was made through him, and nothing was made without him. 4 In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it.” John 1:3-5 ERV

The same Creator who made the crocus and the hyacinths, made us. We are created in His image and have received our life through Him. He is the Son-light that warms the soil and sparks life in our hearts.

He is the light of the world – He replaces the darkness with His life-giving light that He places within us.

“We don’t tell people about ourselves. But we tell people that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we tell them that we are your servants for Jesus. 6 God once said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness!’ And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:5-7 ERV

We receive our life and power from the transforming light of God’s unconditional, unending love.

It could be that it’s been a while since you felt truly alive. Anxiety may have been crushing you under its weight. Be like that little crocus, let the Son strengthen you, then the world we see that this amazing power we have comes from Him. It’s not of our own making.

Spring into life!

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Looking For…

What did you search for and find yesterday? Did you have something particular – maybe an old photograph or a recipe? Were you looking for a tool in the shed or a bolt and nut that dropped on the ground? Did your search take you to the computer and a new website that you were completely unfamiliar with?

You see, I was looking for all those things. Things I needed or knew I had and when I searched long enough I found them.

This morning, while waiting on my coffee, a question came to mind. “Were you looking for Jesus”? With that question in my heart, I immediately thought of some people who did: the shepherds, the wisemen, Zacchaeus, the woman who had been bleeding twelve years, Jairus who had a sick daughter, the military leader with a sick soldier and the women who went to the tomb.

They all went looking for Jesus and they found Him!

Each of these searchers found Who they were looking for and their lives were changed.

“Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. 14 I will let you find me.” This message is from the Lord…” Jeremiah 29:12-14 ERV

I didn’t always look for Jesus in each day. Oh, I had given Him my heart when I was a child and had Jesus as my Savior but I had the impression that in the day-to-day stuff I was on my own.

Now, there’s not a day goes by that I don’t see the power of God working in my little world. Some days the things I see and experience border on the miraculous and other times it’s the simple ways.

The verses above are our promise that if we search for Him, we WILL find Him.

“In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.

27 The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28 She had said to herself, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well.’” Mark 25:28 CEV

This woman searched for Jesus in her desperation, and she was not disappointed when she found Him. We won’t be either.

Looking for Jesus is the first step. Once we find Him, we need to follow Him.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.” Psalm 23:1-3 ERV

I don’t know what you are looking for today, but may I suggest you start with Jesus? He will lead you to all that is good!

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Crazy Temperatures

I don’t want to make you all jealous but this is the reason so many people come to Arizona in the winter. In the RV circles, I’ve heard it referred to as chasing 70.

70 degrees, that is.

I’m not asking for your sympathy, but this kind of weather puts me in a weird predicament. It’s warm all day, need to run a fan and occasionally turn on the A/C for a few hours and at night, I find myself pulling the covers up under my chin and turning the heat on first thing in the morning.

Shorts during the day and sweaters at night. Finding the right temperature for a constant comfort level can be challenging.

That’s how it is with many of the things we enjoy in life. I like my coffee, soup, french fries and bath water hot. My ice cream, salad, soda, fruit and cheeses cold. None of the things l listed above would be good lukewarm.

I guess that’s why these verses create such a vivid picture in my mind.

“’I know what you do. You are not hot or cold. I wish that you were hot or cold! 16 But you are only warm—not hot, not cold. So I am ready to spit you out of my mouth…So show that nothing is more important to you than living right. Change your hearts and lives. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.” Revelation 3:15-20 ERV

Jesus was saying this to Christians. They had lost their zeal for the things of God and were wishy-washy about their commitment to Christ, lukewarm. He was admonishing them to “turn up the heat” on their spiritual lives. Christ knows we can’t do it alone, so he said, “if you invite me in, we’ll have breakfast, lunch and dinner together”. It will change your life!

Sad to say but I was a lukewarm Christian for many years. Just going through the routine of saying prayers over meals, praying occasionally (complaining) and reading my Bible from time to time. No warmth.

And then, through a series of events, the Lord showed me how much He loved me. He always had and He always will!

“You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. 7 You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.” Colossians 2:6-7 ERV

This was my turning point – drawing my strength, my very life, from Him. My spiritual temperature began to rise and I can honestly say it’s better to be hot than lukewarm.

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Wash Day

Do you remember the kitchen towels that had different chores for each day of the week? Maybe your Mom had them or maybe you remember them fondly from your grandmother’s kitchen.

I found them in both those homes and in fact, those towels provided me with my first lessons in embroidery. According to the towels, Monday is wash day but since we were moving back from the racetrack on Monday, Wednesday became laundry day and so will today.

Too many loads to handle in one day so I divided it up.

A week or so ago I was telling Dave one of my memories from our early years of marriage. We were poor and money for groceries was often scarce. I told him I talked to the Lord about this and knew in my heart that one day I would no longer have to shop with my calculator in one hand and my grocery list in the other. Every purchase had to be considered because I only had so much that I could spend.

But…I didn’t tell him the rest of the story. The other part of my conversation with the Lord was about our clothing. It was necessary to do laundry several times a week so that we would have clean clothes to wear. To say our wardrobe was limited would be an understatement.

For years now, I thank the Father for prospering us. I no longer take a calculator to the grocery store and the only reason I have to do laundry more than once a week is because the hamper it full.

The Lord has taught me many lessons on wash day.

Hanging clothes on the line in those early days were some of my favorite times with the Lord. He taught me the meaning of so many Scriptures as I would reach in the basket of wet laundry and take the clothes pins from the bag. Yesterday’s lesson was a different one with no clothes line, this time there’s a dryer, but there was still a teaching to be learned.

“After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see.” John 9:6-7 ERV

Washing was important in the Bible. It was an action of promise. For the blind man it was an act of faith and obedience that gave him his sight.

For a man named Naaman II Kings 5), obediently washing brought cleansing from leprosy. But the washing that stands out most in my mind was when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

“When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you?…14 I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet. 15 I did this as an example for you. So you should serve each other just as I served you.” John 13:12-15 ERV

Washing was an act of serving, an act of love. I hope this gives you a whole new outlook for Wash Day.

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Stick To Your Story

Last night Dave and I were watching the Sunday service from Gateway Church in Dallas, Tx. Pastor Robert Morris is our TV preacher. He always has a good word to encourage the body of Christ.

The last several weeks he has been teaching on the building up of the body of Christ. Some are given to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip and build up the body of Christ.

That’s us!

This evening we listened to Sunday’s teaching on the evangelist. An evangelist is one who tells the good news. The good news means gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that He came to bring salvation to all who believe in Him.

An evangelist is one who tells a story. We don’t have to be a seminary graduate or part of the religious elite to be an evangelist. Each one of us has a story of how the Lord has touched and changed our lives. When we share our story we are evangelizing.

I was raised in a church that said women shouldn’t be teaching men. In fact, I had a large number of men who felt it was their job to tell me I couldn’t teach. But God put it in my heart and gifted me to share so I couldn’t do anything less.

However, last night the memory that came to mind was when Dave shared his story.

The picture that precedes today’s blog is a belt buckle that Dave wore for years. It is the logo of our ministry, Christian Cowboys Assn. The ministry was to working cowboys and ranchers, taking the love of Jesus to their ranches and arenas.

“So he came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.” Matthew 28:18-20 ERV

Go tell them your story!

Back to Dave’s story. We were on our way to a mule show in Gridley, CA. We stopped at a coffee shop somewhere north of Sacramento. We were with another couple who were going to minister with us at the event.

As we walked into the restaurant, Janet and I walked ahead of Dave and Brent. When Dave came through the door, a man sitting at the counter saw this buckle. He came off his seat and dropped to his knees right there.

Dave and Brent stopped to talked to the man and then took him outside to talk with him at greater length. The man told them he had been running from God and told the Lord he needed Him to prove that He was real. Just a few hours later, Dave walked through the door with his buckle declaring “Jesus Is Lord”.

It was as simple as that. Telling your story. Dave had been timid about sharing so God did it for him. That day that man recommitted his life to Christ.

If we look for opportunities, the Father will give us an opportunity to share our story!

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Nap Time

As I was searching for an image to use on this morning’s blog, I came across a picture of a napping child and the caption read “When is a child too old for a nap?”. My answer, never!

Yesterday day was busy. Not the crazy, hectic, week-before-Christmas busy but busy. Getting everything ready to travel safely and then setting up again once we were back to our permanent site.

Dave does the hard work; my jobs are little and detailed. After we were settled, I made lunch and we sat down to relax. About an hour and a half later, I woke up. Dave smiled and asked, “did you have a good nap”? Oh yes, wonderful.

If we listen, our bodies will tell us what we need and when we need it. We get thirsty and so we get a drink. We get hungry and we eat. (The trick to weight loss is to eat only when we are hungry). We rest when we are tired.

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 NLT

Our bodies have these internal signals that are God-given and we need to listen to them so we don’t damage our health. If we push past these warnings it can be detrimental. Oh yes, I know this project MUST get done – the kids NEED to be at this activity. Just a couple more hours and I can rest. But if we keep that pace harm ourselves with physical and mental burnout.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

I was reminded of a time when Jesus took a nap. He was in a boat, in a storm, with his disciples and he laid down and went to sleep. He wasn’t up fretting or helping them row. He was resting. We need to learn from Jesus.

“Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” 39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Mark 4:38-39 ERV

Sounds like good advice when we are in life’s storms. We can fret and worry and it will change nothing. But when we come to Jesus with those problems, He will speak to our storms and give us rest.

Trusting Him gives us a spiritual nap!

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Run the Race

We’ve spent the last week at the racetrack here in Arizona. Those of you who know Dave and I know that we are big NASCAR fans. Watching on TV can be exciting but being at a live race is the best!

This weekend there are three different races. Each race has its’ own practice and qualifying times. Each race is a different length and each race has cars with different engines and calibrations.

But in every race the goal is the same. Reach the finish line and take the checkered flag.

Friday’s race was less than interesting, to me. The cars went slower, the drivers were less skilled and I wasn’t familiar with any of them. Yesterday’s driver introductions brought more cheers from the stands. These drivers’ were more well known and had built a bigger reputation, some for the good and others not so good.

Today’s race introductions will be before a larger crowd and the cheering will be amplified. These drivers are the elite and their skills and vehicles are top notch. The drivers have a larger fan base.

Isn’t that the way it is with life?

When we’re little our fans are limited to our own family members – mom, dad, grandma and grandpa. They ooh and aah over drawings and 100% on spelling papers. Then we join a youth sports team and the parents of our teammates are cheering for us too. We learn to respond to cheering.

God knew that and so He has given us a cheering squad for this race called life.

“We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. 2 We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2 ERV

Heaven is filled with saints who are watching our race and cheering us on. Jesus is our leader, our coach and our number one cheerleader. He sits beside the Father, telling Him how great we are and how glad he is we’re all on the same team. He also tells the Father when we need help – Jesus intercedes for us.

How can we go wrong with a coach like that? Here on earth it’s nice to have a cheering squad too.

“ So encourage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11 ERV

We all need people who will encourage us and pray for us. People we can call on in the good times and the bad. People who are honest enough to tell us when we need to make a course correction. It’s called accountability. Find friends like that, true friends and value them. Pray that God will add friends like that to your life. They are true gifts.

And don’t give up running the race!

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Hope for Living

Last night Dave and I were visiting and listening to the radio. We’re not big radio listeners – never have been but the last few days, here at the racetrack, it’s something we’ve started. What station? Glad you asked, KLOVE.

What a great way to start and end each day; one song after another filled with the power of God’s promises and the encouragement of praise.

Without Jesus, we really have no hope. I know what that’s like and being on the other side of that now, I can tell you I never want to go back to that prison again.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. This new life brings us a living hope through Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death.” I Peter 1:3 ERV

As Dave and I talked we were reminded of where we’ve been. There have been times that we were desperate – almost hopeless. He was working 100+ hours a week, we had a toddler and a baby on the way. Things were bleak. Another time we had to close the door on our business.

With our heart’s cry of desperation, we said “Lord, we need You. We need You to show us the way out, the way forward. We need Your direction. We need help!”

The Lord gave us two verses back then.

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

“ Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:15-16 ERV

We’ve had other times when we either forgot to ask the Lord for His leading or have just ventured out to do things on our own and have faced failure and hopelessness, but God has been faithful to pick us up, help us through and bring us to a good place.

“But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have. 16 But answer them in a gentle way with respect…” I Peter 3:15-16 ERV

A song came on the radio right before we were heading to bed. What a powerful message of hope! “In Jesus Name” by Katy Nichole

I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ’cause it’s all that I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you

[Chorus]
I pray for your healing, that circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name
In Jesus name

This is my prayer for you – I speak the name of Jesus over you, over every circumstance, over every fear. I pray that you will have a living hope!

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