Table of Olives

“He forgives all your iniquity…” Psalm 103:3

Sometimes you know you should not say something and yet you do. That still small voice says no, but you open your mouth and speak. This happened yesterday and I am thankful for the conviction that immediately came. As I laid my head on the pillow last night, I spoke to the Lord about it and confessed my sin. He is always faithful to forgive, for Jesus died for all our sin. Then this morning my heart was still heavy over my sin. In this case it means there is more. What came to light was the seed of rejection that was still present. One would think that at this age all would be gone. It is not blamed on anyone, for I know who is behind those seeds. Seeds take root, grow and twist around ones heart. Sometimes a memory can touch that place, but they do not have to remain. Apparently, a weed remained and needed to be taken out.

Because of the Lords compassion, grace and faithful love He used my sin to reveal something He wanted to heal. That is exactly what He did. I am well aware that I will continue to sin until heaven, but I am also very aware of grace. When you know the love of your Heavenly Father, you run into His arms of grace. It is an amazing place to be. Where are you running today?

The other night I had a horrible but powerful dream. Two people I love dearly were divorcing that very day. One was against it and the other was moving ahead in full force. I tried reason, then begging and nothing changed the persons heart. I said they would be doomed in court and fell to the floor in such sorrow, then I woke up. I knew in my head and heart that this was just a dream, but the sadness would not lift. Then Election Day came and the sorrow increased.

Trying to sort through my feelings led me to this conclusion. My heart is broken for the state of our nation. It appears that we are making every effort to divorce ourselves from “One nation under God”. Truth is ridiculed, life is dismembered, marriage is mocked and gender is to be determined. This is what happens when we forget that God created, we did not. This will not stand up on judgement day. We will be found guilty of sin and sentenced to hell. The price has been paid and our eternity is secure, but we refuse to accept Jesus. He died for the whole world, but we turn our eyes from the cross, harden our hearts and write our own agenda. Such foolishness.

Our nation is loud right now, demands are being made and truth will come to light. My fear is we will remain in such a divided state until we lay aside our pride, selfishness, greed and immortality and accept our place under God. He is King, ruler over all and His victory stands. I do not care how unpopular following Him, His word and Reign is and I will not sit on the sidelines. I will speak the truth in love because withholding the truth is the most unloving thing we can ever do. So, hear the truth today. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17). The choice is ours to make.

“And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:17

A few years ago, one of our boys and I were driving home and the sky was just beautiful. Since I was driving I asked my son to take a picture. He took several and it wasn’t until later that I saw the details. This picture came to mind yesterday and I wanted to share it with you. It seems quite fitting for the days we are living in.

So much is going on and I am praying the Lord opens our eyes. I pray He opens our eyes to the help He daily gives and to His mercies that are new each day. I pray He opens our eyes to the people right in front of us that need an encouraging word, to know they are loved and accepted. I pray He opens our eyes to the deception satan is sliding in at every turn. The way he is dividing families, friends and our government. Is siding with one political party or another really worth the cost of a relationship? It makes me so unbelievably sad and also furious with the enemy. He has overplayed his hand this time and so I am doing what I know to do. Prayer is a mighty weapon and I am using it! Open our eyes Lord!

There is something I have noticed these last few days, pain can make me self-focused. Maybe because it was ever present, but I found myself thinking about how everything would effect me and not others. This was eye opening and heart revealing. It also got me thinking, could it be that many in our world are in pain?

There are all kinds of pain and a million different stories to tell to go along with each one. When you meet an angry or fearful person, I wonder if their heart is in pain? If the pain never goes away, is never properly healed, what is the long term result? Is healing even possible? I believe it is and only possible with the help of the One who knows our heart. Any other attempt is counterfeit and temporary.

Friends, many people are walking around in pain and living in response to what is going on internally. They might not even be aware of it because it has become a part of them. What can we do? Pointing out the pain probably will not work, but I know prayer will. Who better to talk to about a hurting person than the One who made them? He was there when the pain first began. He is the only One who can unravel the self made bandages applied to these hurts and bring lasting healing. Who could use our prayers today?

This past week I had surgery on my hand to remove a spot of cancer. The surgeon said that cancer has roots and he wouldn’t know how deep it was until he got in there. Thankfully, he removed it all and stitched me back up. There will be a scar forever on my left hand.

During this whole ordeal, I could not help but think of how this seems so much like sin. We never know how deep our sin is or how much damage it does. Are we not so thankful that Jesus died for our sin before we were ever born? He removed what would kill us, separate us from Him for all eternity, by dying in our place. I cannot even imagine the pain He went through to pay such a price, but that is how much we are worth to Him. You know, I have never read anywhere that He received stitches for His wounds, but I do know He has scars on His hands too. And every time I see this scar, I will remember the price He paid for me.

“Peace is the evidence of a life of forgiveness.” Lysa Terkeurst

Did this quote stop you in your tracks like it did me? It makes perfect sense, I just do not always put the two together. However, if you think about it, watch people who live peaceful lives, do you ever hear them talking negatively about others? Do you hear them string out their offenses like Christmas tree lights? They make the choice to forgive and therefore live peaceful lives. They are like bright candles that draw you in and you know something is different about them. You want to keep company with them and learn what is the reason for their peace. Now we know, they forgive. Sure would make the holiday season much more enjoyable if we go ahead and forgive before we gather around tables and trees. I will go first. Join me?

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

Have you ever had one of those birthdays that just seem to keep going? This has been my experience this year and I kinda like it. There have been so many sweet gifts, texts, messages, cards and surprises. I have so much to be grateful for, all unexpected and undeserved. A reminder of His grace.

In the midst of all the celebrating, I have missed my mom more this year. She was an incredible gift giver and each one had so much thought behind it. Her cards were a work of art and communicated her heart. Her and I had a hard time telling each other how we felt sometimes, so a card gave both of us an opportunity to tell one another that we loved each other.

I had talked to the Lord about this hurt, but no one else. Somethings are just between the two of us. So, with only Him knowing how my heart felt, you have got to hear about the unexpected surprise I found today.

One of our children left a pair of shoes on the stairs for days. I found the owner and went to put them in their closet. On a high shelf I saw one of my moms baskets that I have and pulled it down. Inside was the best cookbook of all time and a few other treasures. There was this notebook that was divided by months and had everyone’s birthdays recorded. Each month had a pocket that would hold cards. I flipped through and guess what I found in the pocket for October? A card for me!!! Can you believe it? More than nine years ago, my mom bought a card for me, not knowing she would not be alive for my next birthday. Only the Lord could have known exactly what I needed. He is a good God. I pray you know Him.

“There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.” Ezekiel 37:22

We let the kids pick a story out of their Gospel Project Bible every morning to read during breakfast. One of the boys picked the account of the Lord bringing dry bones back to life. It is phenomenal! In that same chapter is an assignment the Lord gave to Ezekiel about writing the name of the two kingdoms on sticks and then making them become one nation. If He did it then, will He do it again for America?

I had a picture of two sticks, one inscribed with Republican and the other Democrat. Only the Lord can bring these two “kingdoms” back into one nation. Can you even imagine what that would be like? What would the nightly news sound like? I am going to pray.

Lord, our nation needs you to bring us back to one. We have made such a mess and it is impossible to bring unity without You. Each party, which neither give us much cause to celebrate, has strong convictions. Both have ideas that line up with your Word, both have some that do not. Bring us back to the cross. Bring us back to your feet, let us see the nails driven deep to pay the price of our sin. May it daily remind us of the deep wedge our sin is causing in this country. You died for the sin our nation has committed and continues to commit against You. May we accept your death on our behalf and raise us up out of these grave circumstances we have chosen. As You did in the days of Ezekiel, do it again today. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

“The secular mind always maps out for itself a way in which self can work and become great, but the Lord’s way is quite the reverse.” C.H. Spurgeon

How I wish I would have had this quote when I was younger. It is so simple and yet shouts of dependency on our Lord. This may sound completely opposite to the worldly mindset many have taught and lived by, but I think that is the point. The Bible is full of examples of people who trusted God’s map for their lives and not their own. Take the life of Queen Esther for example. She was an orphan, raised by her uncle and became queen. Not only that, she went to the king at the risk of her own life and saved the Jewish people who lived in the kingdom. She saw a need and stepped up to help. Who could have mapped out such a plan other than God?

So many unknowns right now and maybe your carefully laid out plans are not working. What are we to do? Perhaps we can follow Queen Esther’s example and see who around us might need our help. Is there a single mom, widow, new business owner, college student or a close friend who needs you to come alongside and support them? Could this be part of His plan for you that you would have missed if allowed to continue your own plans? Do you have the time now to make a phone call, write a note, extend a dinner invitation or buy a cup of coffee? Who needs reminding that are loved and seen by their Heavenly Father?

You might not be asked to rescue an entire people group, but you can be used to rescue one who is struggling. An encouraging note, text, phone call, etc., can mean the world to someone. I know that it greatly encouraged our oldest daughter, when a family in her new town invited her over for dinner. She felt loved, seen and cared for and only God could have worked that plan out. He is amazing like that. We can ask Him today what His plan is for us. We can choose to trade in our map that builds our kingdom of one for His eternal one. One will end with you and the other has no ending. I am going the reverse way. Join me?

*Her shirt happens to say fully loved:)

“And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.” Isaiah 61:4

A quick demo clip from a home building company caught my eye last night. The company made the comment that they demolished a home, that had 57 years of memories, in 3.5 minutes. I thought I might cry. Their point was tearing down the old to build the new. I get it, but who made those memories?

The house reminded me of the stories I hear of businesses, marriages, families, relationships, and the list could go on. Why is demolishing the easy answer? Could we not rebuild, repair and raise up instead? Oh, things might need to be taken down to the studs, the foundation shored up and even added on to, but wouldn’t it be worth it? Perhaps the outcome would be unrecognizable, but maybe that is the point.

In the verse from Isaiah, we see the desolation goes back generations. Maybe we can apply that idea to our own lives. Is there some undealt with family ruins? Have we let it continue? Could be it has nothing to do with our families at all, just our own sin? Friends, there are ruins a plenty right now and becoming more and more evident. What can we do to get the repair process going? I know we can start with prayer. We can start by asking the Lord to search our own hearts and minds, point out our sin; He is full of grace and mercy. If we each took our own sin to the Lord, repented, asked for forgiveness and lived free, we might see others differently. Can you even imagine the “houses” we would see?

*Caught this heart in our home