Author: nataliebone

When words get repeated, especially in a short amount of time, I pay extra attention. Last night one of my boys, who had not made the best decisions all day, drew a picture and placed it on my pillow. I called him aside to ask for more details. His simple words hit the mark and I thought again of all I want to learn this summer. He drew a picture of what sin makes him feel like inside. He said sin makes him feel dead. He said he saw a picture of himself in chains. I don’t know about you, but at 8 years old I could not have summed up the state of us sinners like he did. He’s right you know, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

This morning our pastor repeated a message similar to what I heard last night. We took communion together as an act of remembrance and worship. We remember all that Jesus did in his 33 years here on earth. How he died a horrible, painful death on a cross. Then after 3 days of being in a borrowed tomb, he arose. He remained on this earth for 40 days and then took to the heavens. Just trying to wrap my mind around this act of grace is overwhelming. Trying to keep the tears from falling is not easy when we make time for this at church. I am so grateful for what he did for me and I will spend the rest of my life pointing others to this eternal gift. How can I not?

After communion, we continued worshipping together. We sang a song called Glorious Day by Passion. The words so perfect. “I was buried beneath my shame. Who could carry that kind of weight? It was my tomb, ’til I met you. I was breathing but not alive. All my failures I tried to hide. It was my tomb, ’til I met you. You called my name and I ran out of that grave.” (As I type, a sweet girl of mine sits beside me singing the last line because she sang it in her class too!)

Sin, shame, unrepentance, unforgiveness and the list could go on, become chains that keep us bound to a tomb. To remain in a place of death, when the stone has been rolled away on our behalf, is not necessary! As this song goes, “I needed rescue, my sin was heavy, but chains break at the weight of your glory.” The weight of glory that breaks our chains is the cross. Look at this verse – “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces.” (Psalm 107:14). Can you just hear the metal pieces falling to the ground?

“Out of the darkness into your glorious day. You called my name and I ran out of that grave. Out of the darkness into your glorious day.” That is how the song ends and can I tell you it was very hard to keep from sprinting with joy out of the church pew after singing this!

I pray you’ve heard him call your name too. I pray you’ve felt the weight of the chains sin so binds us with and asked for the breaking freedom that only he can give. I’ll close by typing out some of the scripture we read today at church. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together in Christ…”. (Ephesians 2:4-5). Friend, you are so dearly loved. Freedom and real life is waiting outside of the tomb. Come running out today!

It is finally here!! The long awaited summer break! There is much excitement in our home. We have had some really sweet teachers and those who have stepped into hard situations. The whole bully thing wasn’t fun, but it taught us a lot. At field day, my son that had been bullied, knew he would more than likely see the boy that made school a place where fear ran deep. We talked about it and he said he was a bit nervous. However, by the end of field day, he said he had tried to find the boy to tell him he had forgiven him. Amazing. Kids have so much to teach us adults.

I hope to learn a lot from them over the next few months. Our days slow down and we have more time together. From Maggie, our oldest, I hope to learn a bit about being content and not fearing missing out. She has learned this lesson well. It came with a struggle, but it paid off. She has plenty of friends and is social, but knows herself well enough that sometimes it is better to let events pass by and recharge.

Moving to the next one in line is Jackson. That kid has physically grown so much this past year! From him, I would love to learn perseverance. He has dyslexia and that made reading such a challenge and anxiety was ever present. He finally got the help he needed and off he went. This year also brought on a new love of running. Who knew he could run like the wind?! He is a great long distant runner and I pray he just gets better and better. I want to persevere like him in the areas that are hard for me too.

Anna Kate comes next and she is a wonder. Her love of learning is incredible! She makes hard things look easy. From her, I plan on learning how to try something that is out of my comfort zone. She joined the choir at school and then tried out for the play! Another talent uncovered – the girl has such a pure voice. She worked hard and performed with her head held high and a smile on her face. She was fun to watch!

The next beauty is Abbey Grace. She is as steady as they come and sees things very black and white. She has style and confidence beyond her years. From her, I plan on learning to be a bit more relaxed. Dancing and not caring whose watching, is as natural as breathing to her. I love that about her.

Paxton comes next and he has the most forgiving heart of anyone I’ve ever met. I’ve actually been learning from him for quite sometime. He also takes talking to God on others behalf pretty seriously, but with an ease that is very mature. He sees needs of others and does what he can to help. I’m keeping my eye on him and pray to love people as easy as he does. Send us any prayer requests and Paxton and I will offer our hearts and words to the Lord on your behalf.

Eli is in a league all his own. Nobody is a stranger and he loves women with blue hair. He is unique and hilarious. From him, I will watch and learn how he accepts those who look a bit different. I’ll see them as someone made in the image of God and love them right where they are. Bring on the blue hair!

And last is Vivian. This child is full of life and fire. She loves well and is very courageous. She knows how to stand up for herself, while looking lovely in freshly applied lipgloss. She is quite secure in how loved she is and asks amazing questions about Jesus. From her, I plan on learning the art of graciously being completely honest and letting God’s truth be the final word.

Looks like I’ll be quite busy these next few months, When school starts again, I’ll have some of the best parts of my kids shining in me. To help our family wash a little of the parts that don’t look like Jesus off of our hearts this summer, we are memorizing 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in inquiry, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” We’ve picked out the things of love that are hard for us and ones that come easy. Lord willing, it is going to be a great summer!

We left off with Jonah on dry land, after being in the belly of a fish for three days. This is where Jonah has to make another choice. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, ‘Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.” (Jonah 3:1-2). I love this next part! “Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord’s command.” (Jonah 3:3). I don’t see any arguing here or debating, just simple obedience. God said do it and Jonah got up and went. What a way to follow through in repentance. Sometimes we can make all kinds of promises to God if He will only get us out of this pit, then we will do – you fill in the blank. I pray we have a Jonah response when given another chance.

When Jonah starts walking across the city, God gives him words. He set out and proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be demolished!” (Jonah 3:4). His message was clear and simple. The response is shocking! “Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth – from the greatest of them to the least.” (Jonah 3:5). One man, going where God tells him and speaking what God tells him to speak. And the people responded! What had caused their hearts to soften and be ready to believe? Easy, it was God.

The message keeps going. “When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” (Jonah 3:6) Now the leadership has gotten involved. He has taken off everything that separated him from the people of his kingdom and trades his throne for ashes. When I looked up the word sackcloth, Wikipedia mentions words like “worn as a token of mourning, sign of submission, grief and humiliation”. Oh, and they were typically made from goat’s hair. I’m not sure what the people of Nineveh typically wore, but I highly doubt the kings royal robe was made from goat’s hair. What a trade and such a humble example.

“Then he issued a decree in Nineveh: By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. Further more, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoings. Who knows? God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.” (Jonah 3:7-9). Can you imagine if this happened in our day? Would the people of the US so willingly submit to our president? The answer grieves my heart. The king was doing all he knew to do to save the people of Nineveh.

And looks what happens – “God saw their actions – that they had turned from their evil ways – so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And he did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10). Why can’t we be like the people of Nineveh? What would happen, if as a nation, we all repented and everyone would, “call out earnestly to God” and “turn from their evil ways and from his wrongdoings”. Can you even imagine?

I get a bit of a picture in my head. Everyone is equal and stripped of their “royal robes” and the dress is humble sackcloth. People who were never meant to be elevated and worshiped are sitting side by side in the ashes with the homeless. We all go low and cry out to God with hearts of repentance. Nobody has their own agenda or is spewing hate of those who have different views. School and church shootings would be no more. Discrimination ends. The murder of innocent babies comes to a halt and all lives really do matter. They matter because we are all asking for disaster not to come to the US. We are all praying to the only One that can save us from eternal damnation. Can you picture it too? What would it take to make this happen?

I pray we each hear the word of the Lord like Jonah did and respond by getting up and going! God may have come to you a hundred times before, but we’ve been to busy with our agenda and defending whatever cause shares our tightly held ideas. Let Him give you the words and take you where He will. Maybe it’s across the US to people you don’t know. Maybe its as close as someone in your own family, who doesn’t know Him. We are still here and there are many who need to hear about the God that relents.

 

I wrote about Jonah, fear and escape last time and I would love to jump back into this story. If you are familiar with the city God had asked Jonah to go to, you can see why he was running away. The city was Nineveh and the people were evil. In fact, they were known for their horrible acts from what I have read. I’ll spare you the details, but it wouldn’t be a place on your top 10 travel destinations in those days. Nevertheless, God cared about the 120,000 people who lived there and He told Jonah to go to them.

Because of Jonah trying to flee, God had created a great storm in the sea he was sailing on. His travel companions decided this was his fault and Jonah tells them to do something crazy. “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that this great storm will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.” (Jonah 1:12). The men rowed hard, but couldn’t save themselves and they made a choice. “So, they called out to the Lord: ‘Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.’ Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” (Jonah 1:14-16). Interesting isn’t it how God can turn what seems horrible into something good. These men were eye witnesses to the power of God and that obedience is pretty serious.

God didn’t leave Jonah to perish in the sea and He doesn’t leave us either. He sent an unconventional rescuer. “The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17). And in those belly moments Jonah prayed. “I called out to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol; you heard my voice.” (Jonah 2:2). Have you been there before? Jonah was in a place of darkness and with no help in sight. I love the choice he made somewhere in that 3 day stay. “As my life was fading away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to you, to your holy temple. Those who cherish worthless idols abandon their faithful love, but as for me, I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation belongs to the Lord.” (Jonah 2:7-9). Nothing like ending up in a pit, where all options have run out, to point you to the Lord.

Jonah also mentions worthless idols. Somethings never change because we still struggle with these today. In my experience, the pursuit of these worthless idols have landed me in a pit. If I stop and think about those times, I’ve got to ask myself what was I hoping to gain? My answers would be acceptance, to finally feel like I was enough and maybe if I’m really being honest, elevate myself just a bit. Recently, I was reminded of the ever tempting “platform”. Now, that would have gotten me some years back, but not anymore. I no longer need a platform to elevate me or give me a false sense of being exalted by others. It won’t last and what would be the price to pay to keep myself on that exalted platform? Oh, I’ve got some examples here, but they would read like judgement. So, I’ll just stick to the scripture that says, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11). The place to stay is low and let the Lord move you when He decides.

And as for Jonah, who was low in the belly of the fish, the Lord had not forgotten him. “Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” (Jonah 2:10). There aren’t words or actions between the end of Jonah’s prayer and the Lord commanding the fish. I wonder if when Jonah started praying, the fish started swimming towards the shore? Guess that will be one of my questions I’ll ask in eternity. In the meantime, we learn from Jonah the need to pray. If we find ourselves in a pit, pray. If we find ourselves in a dark place, pray. If we find ourselves cherishing worthless idols, pray. If we find ourselves abandoning the faithful love of God, pray. In times of thanksgiving, pray. Jonah also told the Lord he would fulfill the vow he had made. He turned from running in fear and disobedience to crying out for help and surrender. He was shown mercy and patience by our all powerful God.

I love the encouraging words written by Paul, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – and I am the worst of them. But I have received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16). God was patient and merciful with Jonah and Paul and many others in the Bible. You and I are no different. God longs to rescue us….

 

 

Today is of course Mother’s Day and it has been a good day. There weren’t too many meltdowns before we headed out the door to church and that is a gift by itself! Worship took my focus off of myself and refocused my attention on the King of my heart. Our pastor spoke encouraging words and ones that I need to spend sometime studying and see how the Lord wants them applied. Church was followed by a great brunch and sweet gifts. Yes, a good day indeed.

Then a quick time of rest and this is where the sadness hit. When the day is focused entirely on the one person that now resides in Heaven, my heart hurts. Not just over the physical absence, but all that having your mom entails. Time has helped heal places and if walking through grief is something that can be used to help others, then I am thankful. Use it Lord and may it bring you glory.

I was reminded the other day, by a friends text, of my moms favorite verse. It was “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgement.” (2 Timothy 1:7). It’s a great verse, isn’t it? The thing is, my mom was very fearful, but all that seemed to fall away as she dealt with cancer. I know medicine helped, but she wasn’t afraid. She no longer had a spirit of fear. That had to be such a freeing feeling, when something you fought against your entire life, is no longer an issue! I think she picked a great verse. Don’t we all want to be done away with fear and have instead power, love and sound judgement? Is this even possible?

The last time I wrote, I mentioned the city of Nineveh. If you look at the book of Jonah in the Old Testament, you will see a man who started out with fear. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come before me.’  Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.” (Jonah 1:1-3).  Oh Jonah, there isn’t anywhere you can go and not be in the Lord’s presence here on earth. Take a ship or plane, He’s still there.

I also wonder what the cost of the fare was that Jonah paid to catch his ride of escape? What price do we pay trying to escape? Whatever the cost, it is never enough. Jonah would soon find out that he could not escape. “But the Lord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart.” Guess what Jonah was doing? “Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep. The captain approached him and said, ‘What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.” (Jonah 1:5-6). I wonder if the call to “Get up” rang familiar to Jonah? Isn’t that exactly what the Lord had commanded earlier?

I’ve had plenty of times in my life where I know clearly what I am to do, but fled in the opposite direction. I paid the fare of escape and for a moment felt peace. However, a storm was raging and my vessel was threatening to break apart. That is such the way with sin. God says one thing in His word and we do the exact opposite. In Jonah’s case, he had good reason to run because what God was asking him to do was terrifying. Fear had to have been a great motivation to send him running and we will look more closely at that next time.

I see a bit of Jonah in me and maybe you do too. Fear has a way of becoming apart of us and spilling over into every aspect of our life. However, my mom knew it didn’t have to. God did not place a spirit of fear in us. No, instead he placed in us that know Him as our Lord, a spirit that is full of His power, love and sound judgement. It is out of what He has placed in us that we pour out to those inside our homes and everyone we come in contact with. So today, lets get up and let go of our fear. It leads to a shipwreck in our lives and anyone else we have in our boat. The price is too high and so much more is in store.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Yesterday morning I was reading in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. It has become one of my favorites. In the beginning of chapter 36 bad news arrives. “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Then King of Assyria sent his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem…The royal spokesman said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: The great king, the king of Assyria, says this: What are you relying on?” (verses 1-4). We could stop right here and have a great conversation. Have you ever been questioned like this by someone more “powerful” than you? I know this feeling, especially in my younger days. I hear this also being said like, “where does your hope come from”? We will get to that, but lets keep reading.

The royal spokesman continues with another question. “You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on that you have rebelled against me?” (36:5). Is it just me or do you hear “who do you think you are”? He urges them to make a deal, to compromise in fear. “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you to rely on the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will certainly rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” (36:15). Doubts must have been a flying by now. However, the people didn’t say a word, because their king had said not to respond.

Word gets back to King Hezekiah and “he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.” (37:1). This was the place to go to be close to the glory of the Lord during this time. He also sent word to the prophet Isaiah saying, “Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of the royal spokesman, whom his master sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that the Lord your God has heard.” (37:1-4). One thing I notice here is how Hezekiah refers to God. He calls him Isaiah’s God, but not his. Maybe he doesn’t quite yet trust that God would speak directly to him.

Maybe we too have counted on other people to pray for us or discern some big decision for us, because we just didn’t trust God to speak to us. Why is that? For me it came down to insecurity, fear, doubt and I didn’t spend much time actually listening. The easier thing for me to do was ask others who did put in the time listening, praying and reading their Bibles. With this set up, I could spend my time doing what I wanted to do and receive the benefits of direction. But you know what? I was the one who missed out and my reliance on others became unbalanced. Once I got a taste of hearing Him speak to me through His word and just deep inside (also known as the Holy Spirit living in you), I’ve never been the same. Don’t get me wrong, I still seek others insight who know the Lord and it often confirms what I have heard.

In King Hezekiah’s case, Isaiah sent him back God’s response. “The Lord says this: Don’t be afraid because of the words you heard, with which the king of Assyria’s attendants have blasphemed me. I am about to put a spirit in him and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword” (37:6-7). This had to give Hezekiah hope!

The royal spokesman sends Hezekiah another message. “Don’t let your God, on whom you rely, deceive you by promising that Jerusalem won’t be handed over to the king of Assyria. Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries: they completely destroyed them. Will you be rescued? Did the gods of the nations that my predecessors destroyed rescue them…” (37:10-12)? I like the wording hear “your God, on whom you rely”. I wonder if, even in this realistic threat, if Hezekiah felt strengthened? My guess is yes, because of what happens next.

“Hezekiah took the letter from the messangers’ hands, read it, then went to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: Lord of Armies, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you are God – you alone – of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. Listen closely, Lord, and hear, open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear all the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God. Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have devastated all these countries and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made from wood and stone by human hands. So they destroyed them. Now, Lord our God, save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God – you alone” (37:14-20).

Do you see how he has changed in his reference to God? He pulls Him near and places his trust in Him alone. Hezekiah isn’t seeking his own glory here either. He wants the world to know who the one true God is. Have you been in a situation of such humility that you have done the same?

King Hezekiah receives another message from Isaiah. “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria, this is the Lord has spoken against him…” (37:21-22). Read 37:22-32 for yourself. It is so good! I’ll pick up with verse 33-35. “He will not enter this city, shoot an arrow here, come before it with a shield, or build up a siege ramp against it. He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will defend this city and rescue it for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.” Do not miss the importance of Hezekiah going to the Lord himself with what appears to be an assurance of the power of God. He takes the letter from one set of hands into his own and then spreads them out before the Lord. I love how he figuratively took this situation out of his own hands and placed it into the Lords.

Want to know how the story ends? “Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred eighty five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning – there were all the dead bodies! So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh” (37:36-37).  (Maybe next time we will fast forward to the book of Jonah and see what happens to the city of Nineveh.) See how God kept His word. He always keeps His word. “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him” Proverbs 30:5. I do not read of any harm coming to the silent people of Jerusalem. They obey their earthly king and he prayed for their deliverance. He also sought the help of Isaiah to pray to the Lord, their shield, as well.

What I took away from these words was beautiful. God always hears and sees. He sees us at all times and hears not only our words, but the words spoken to us. This encourages and saddens me. If you only knew some of the unkind words that have flown quickly out of my mouth. However, I John 1:9 tell us that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Clearly we are told if we confess, talk to God and tell Him what we have done, He will forgive and cleanse us. I don’t see a list of sins that He will forgive and ones He won’t. So that one sin you might be thinking of that He could not possibly forgive, yeah that one, do you not think He isn’t ready to forgive and cleanse you? Oh friend, He is more than ready.

Take your sins, concerns, papers if you have them and place them in the Lord’s hands. Pray, read His word and listen. After you’ve done this, if you feel lead, talk to someone. Hope is waiting and fear can be dealt with!!

 

 

Woven into our study of Ephesians this past semester, a very intelligent teacher has come to share her knowledge of Christian martyrs. Last week we heard about a man by the name of Thomas Cranmer. He ended up being very well liked by King Henry VIII. So much so that Thomas was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. However, not everyone was a fan and the kings council worked up a plan to arrest Thomas. King Henry heard about this plan and not only warned Thomas, but gave him his royal ring. When the men came to carry out their plan, Thomas heard them out and then showed them the ring. I would have loved to have been in that room!

You see, the ring held the authority of the king. With Thomas possessing the royal ring, he could have very easily turned and had the accusing council thrown into jail. The ring was power. Something so small, but because it bore the seal of the king, it had the final word.

When our teacher mentioned the royal ring, I immediately pictured the cross. The work of Christ on the cross and our response to it, act as our royal ring. Like the council came for Thomas, satan comes for each of us. His plan isn’t new. In fact, he started with Adam and Eve in the garden. He would love nothing more than to arrest us with lies and lead us into the slavery of sin. But again, we have a choice. Look at Galatians 5:1 where Paul says, “For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to the yoke of slavery.” Who doesn’t want to be free?

Go back with me to Galatians 2:20 and read these freeing words. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Because Christ, the Son of God, willingly gave his life for ours, we can live in freedom. We do not have to live like our old selves. We do not have to live in fear and shame. We can live in freedom by standing firm in our faith because we know who gave himself in our place. So to the devil we show our royal ring by pointing him to the cross! We remind him that as believers, we are sealed by the King of kings and Lord of lords!

 

 

 

Today the younger kids and I planned on joining in on a field trip to the zoo. We got all ready and headed out only to get stuck in a huge line of cars. After waiting our turn, we finally got to the overflow parking lot and I kinda made my own space. As we walked closer to the entrance, we were met with a sea of people. More buses than probably our school district owns and lots and lots of strollers. The kids were excited and I was mentally preparing for the wait to even get into the zoo. Then it hit me, we don’t have to do this. We stopped right there on the sidewalk with people going around us and I told the kids the situation. This place is going to be nuts and I asked if they would want to make a new plan. What if we took the money we would have spent going to the zoo and spend it on a toy instead? One of them actually said, “Now that’s a field trip!” We tracked back to our car, moved an orange cone and were on our way. A choice was made and we had a great time!

You know every now and again, people will ask me about having 7 kids and how am I so calm. This question is almost always asked when the kids aren’t with me. I finally came up with an answer. It’s a choice. I can choose to be calm or I can let anger, frustration, stress and outside circumstances dictate how I act. You know who pays the price? My husband, kids, friends or any other poor sap who would have happened to get in my way at the zoo. The worst part is it must grieve the heart of God. If I say I am a believer of Jesus and my desire is to reflect Him, what am I saying to others about who He is?

Look at Ephesians 4:31-32 with me. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” I know for a fact that I have and do display all of these bad things at one point or another. I’ve held onto bitterness and let my wrath rise. Oh, and the evil speaking, yes that too. I would add in that for me, when I am afraid, it comes out in anger. However, we are told that this shouldn’t be. We are to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving and these are the total opposite of what came naturally for me. What makes all the difference is when you not only accept and believe, but let Christ forgiveness become part of you. It then is what naturally flows out of your heart.

Do I still have struggles with my anger? You bet. Do I just love everyone? Some people are harder than others for me to love, but I try to because the deep root of God’s love in me. The conviction that comes quickly is pretty helpful when I’m not pouring out what has been freely given.

Keep reading what comes next in Ephesians 5:1-2. “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.” In order to imitate someone, you have to get to know them, study all you can and talk with them every chance you get. This takes time and discipline, but it gets easier the more in love you fall with God.

I would give anything to go back in time and walk in love, treating others differently. So many words I carelessly let fly and hardened my heart to those who I found difficult or not like me. Sometimes a girl that has grown up in the church and takes in all the right information, but lets it stop in her head, can be a very poor reflection of love. But, I have a choice.  I can begin again and each new day. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 4:22-23) This tells me that the Lord has mercy on us, His compassion doesn’t run out and He is faithful.

May each of us look more like the forgiving Christ in the way we walk this weekend. I pray others notice and tell you so!

I have this little 4 year old daughter, who really is something. She changes princess gowns several times a day and uses more lipgloss than all of us put together. She speaks about Jesus and loves going to Bible study. A beauty inside and out. Yesterday was no different and she had on a beautiful costume. I told her, “You look just like a princess.” She responded with, “That’s because I am one!” And there you have it. She knows who she is and dresses accordingly. Sounds so simple if you are 4 doesn’t it?

I got a little bit of a taste of this princess experience a few weekends ago, when my husband and I went to a fundraiser that required cocktail attire. How fun! There is something about stepping out of your ordinary into something saved for the occasional. Jeans get old and Sunday outfits don’t express much. Because I know who I belong to, “the King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16), it makes sense that I dress in a royal way. However, that isn’t always practical and serving my family in jeans is much easier. So, I’m thinking I will look at the other ways we can dress like daughters of the King.

The Bible talks about the things we put on. We can turn to the book of Proverbs and read about a woman where “strength and honor are her clothing” (Proverbs 31:25). I think these come in all our sizes and we should daily put them on. We can flip to Ephesians, a book I have been studying with an incredible group of women, and see lots of things we need to put on and never hang back up in our closet.

The man writing the book is named Paul and he says we are to “put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11) Paul then goes on to list out each piece of armor starting with “the belt of truth” (Ephesians 6:14). Today in our study we heard how truth is foundational. And guess what? There is only one unchanging truth and that is God’s Word. Once you get your truth in place, you put on “the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). Sometimes Christians toss around words that not everybody knows exactly what they mean. Righteousness can be one of those words. Good ole Webster defines righteousness as “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin”. Only the acceptance of the work of Christ on the cross covers us in righteousness. The thing that strikes me about a breastplate is that it covers your heart. Sounds extremely important, doesn’t it?

We keep going and Paul tells us what shoes we need to be wearing. He says “shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). Shoes of peace that never go out of style. I wonder how people would react to us if when we stepped into a room, we brought peace? Next, we are to be holding “the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16). If and when darts come a flying, you better believe I want to be carrying a shield to protect myself. It might seem like a rather large accessory, but trust me, faith is essential. On our heads we are to put on “the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17). Keep the truth of Christ saving you from your sin and eternal life as your future, firmly in place. Satan will come at you with his lies to make you doubt, but you keep reminding yourself of your salvation. The last piece is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Your sword that can be used to defend and fight back against evil and all this changing world tries to throw at you. However, a word of caution. Don’t go around wielding your sword and hurting people. Its my experience that people captive in their sin don’t need a slash with a word from my sword.

So, back to my princess dress wearing daughter. We went outside yesterday to play and she was again dressed as royalty. She told me, “I’m ready for the ball”. She looked stunning in the sunlight. However, a wardrobe change happened during our play time. She ran inside and came out wearing a black top and black leggings. She had put her hair up in a knot on top of her head. Soon, she picked up a kid safe bow and arrow and took aim. The contrast in her appearance shocked me a bit, but what a picture! We too can be a princess always ready and engaged in the battle! Maybe we won’t be wearing a beautiful ball gown, but jeans become royal when they are worn by royalty.

*As I was typing this, Tony Evans sent out this tweet: “You have royal blood flowing through your veins. Hold your head up, you represent the King of Kings.” Amen!!

 

 

Yesterday while driving to pick up the kids from school, I was listening to a teaching by Dr. Tony Evans. The man loves the Lord and His Word. He has a way of proclaiming truth with a bit of excitement. It is quite refreshing. The message is entitled The Kingdom Agenda and it is worth listening to for yourself. Not to far into it, Dr. Evans begins reading Psalm 128. This may not mean much to you, but for me it is significant. This is where I got the name for this blog and it is a promise. God’s promises throughout the Bible often give you instructions to follow in order to see the promise. I’ll type it out for you:

“Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine. In the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life, yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!” Psalm 128

We are given so much instruction here. God clearly states we are to fear Him and walk in His ways. How do we do that? Start back in Exodus 20 and read the ten commandments given to us by God. Then jump into the New Testament and read John 13:34. It says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you may love one another.”  Much easier said than done at times. Some people can be a challenge. I’m pretty sure I am a challenge to some as well. Anyways, keep yourself in the Bible and “walking in His ways” becomes clearer and your heart  responds to what you learn.

Continuing on in Dr. Evans message, he talks about the table. I’m not sure what your table looks like and who sits across from you, but I do know it should be an important place. He talked about his table and what they used mealtime for. We could have very well been sitting at the same table! So much laughter, planning, scripture reading, prayer, dreams and at times discipline take place here. Sometimes I look around as we all are sitting together and know this too won’t last. One will leave for college in a few years and others will follow. Our “olives” will grow up and the Lord will plant them elsewhere.

My prayer for all of us today is that we will fear, trust and obey the Lord. That we will walk in the instructions He has in place for us. I pray you experience happiness and blessings in your obedience. And whatever stage your olives are in, I pray you are passing on love that makes for deep roots.