Be Still

Isaiah 28:12-13 -- "He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen. So the word of the Lord to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there" That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive." [NASB]

Shuffling my feet from one to the other I stopped to bend down and touch my toes. For a split second, the pain in my lower back eased and I stood upright again. Mentally, I hadn't slowed down to stretch and my lengthy to-do list ran away with my every thought like the tornado in The Wizard of Oz. The more I thought of how long that list was, the more my back hurt, the slower I became, the less I was able to actually accomplish - which left me overwhelmed - which made my back hurt, which made me slower .... you get the picture. 

The thing is, had I actually taken just a few minutes to stop the crazy-person dance with no rhythm and no continuity - to truly rest - I would have had more strength to finish my daunting to-do list. I would have been more efficient and could have actually started to tick things off my list with big happy check marks. None of us runs very well with a drained battery.

In Isaiah God was trying to tell His people this very thing. God was and still is trying to lead us - but we were and are so very busy being busy that we often miss His wonderful opportunities to rest and fully understand His will. 

If we don't take a moment to be still, we simply will not have the mental capacity or the strength to take in God's Word and apply it appropriately. As in verse 13, all we will see is line on line on line, the meaning will slip right through our fingers and we'll march forward into a rather nasty tumble from which we will then HAVE to stop because we'll need the time to heal and pick up the pieces. 

If we continue on our very busy, busy path trying to juggle so many objects and rely on our timing for success, rest, and efficiency - we will find that in the bed of our own making : "the bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you." [Isaiah 28:20] 

In short - we will simply be spread too thin to be of any true service to our Lord. We will stumble backward, become snared, and taken captive - then we end up in the spiritual ER totally out of commission. Where is the success in that?

God really DOES want our service. He wants us to accomplish the wonderful things He has in store for us - they are set before us for a reason and with amazing reward! But - just as Rome wasn't built in a day - neither can we serve God fully if we try to do ALL the serving ALL at once. 

pppsssstttt - did you hear that? That amazing THING?! It's called quiet. We can't get that hustling and bustling about - we have to be still. In that amazing quiet lies the rest we need and the opportunity to REALLY hear God's voice!

Rock Solid

Ephesians 4:14 --"Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth."[LB]

A long-term Florida resident, I'm no stranger to strong winds, rip currents, and crashing waves. Hurricanes no longer frighten me the way they once did. In fact, now a veteran of the stormy experience, hurricanes intrigue me. The are born, they feed, and they die. Much like we do.

The trick to coming out unscathed when a hurricane reaches and breaches our sunny shores - is to do what the fine weather people tell you to do. There are hurricanes that you can watch from shore. There are hurricanes that you weather from inside your home, windows securely boarded up and with the storm kit fully stocked and readily accessible. Then there are hurricanes that you survive by packing up the family and gettin' the heck out of Dodge.

So, which fine weather people do we trust? Do we trust the neighbor that tells us she's been through a hundred of these and though the State of Florida has recommended a full evacuation - she's done this before and will stay right were she is, thank you very much. Or do we trust a radio talk-show host that we've heard a hundred times? What about the check-out girl at our local super-market? Do we listen to her? Or the kindly and familiar faces of our favorite local news team on the telly? What if these sources have conflicting points of view? Who's telling it like it really is?

Well, Florida residents who are REALLY in the know - do their homework. We research the most trusted and reliable sources of information then stick to our guns when the news bulletin breaks. 

Does this sound familiar?

You and I have ONE true source of encouragement. ONE true source of guidance and information. If we want to weather our storms and come out intact - even strengthened - we need to cling to the ONLY ONE that stands Rock Solid every single time.

EVERY SINGLE TIME!

Lots of people in our circle of acquaintances and friends have lots of different opinions and can share lots of different little nuggets of advice. But there are probably few who REALLY stick to the truth in the Word of God. Our delima lies in our decision when it comes to whom we will truly listen. That's a lot easier than it might seem, at first. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you completely and to open your eyes and ears regarding the rock solid truth. Then when the answer comes in, don't keep looking until you find an answer you like better. Go with the truth the Lord has given you and STICK TO IT! Even if it's an answer you don't like.

Think about it, we were deceived in the Garden of Eden because we chose a "truth" that sounded better to us than did the real truth/instruction that God gave to us in the beginning. We as a species do this often, I think.

So - do your homework. Pick your circle of trusted friendships carefully and with much prayer. Then pay attention to the words of encouragement, advice, and accountability God gives you through them. In other words, pick your sources of information carefully and wisely. Then stick to the Rock Solid truth in Jesus.

If we do this - we'll come out shining when the sun pops out from behind the stormy clouds.

The Perfect Gift!

Luke 11:13 -- "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

To look at him, you'd never guess he was two months early and tipped the scales at a whopping 4 pounds and some change. Nor would you imagine that he spent his first month of life hooked to a machine that did all of his breathing for him. Towering over me with scruff on his chin because he hates to shave, my baby turns sixteen next month. His Dad and I have been brainstorming on what gift we'll get him for his birthday. We put a lot of care and thought into our ideas. We take into account the things Tyler likes to do, what his personality type is, and then we consider the things he might need - all manner of consideration goes into picking the perfect gift for our sixteen year old boy. 

And don't even get me started on the wrapping! I've been known to spend quite a bit of time on a single gift, making sure the wrapping is perfect and all the ribbons match [I often make my own bows] - only to scrap the job and start all over from scratch because something didn't look quite right.

The point is, there are few times in our lives when we haphazardly throw something into the shopping cart while purchasing a gift for someone. Then we usually do what we can to present said gift in an attractive package. Usually, much thought and time go into the giving of a gift to a person about whom we care a great deal. 

If WE put that much into a single gift - imagine how much greater attention to detail, timing, even presentation our Father must have where we are concerned. He invented love and care - we are capable of but a fraction of the true thing and yet, we care a considerable amount when it comes to gift giving. Just imagine how very precious it is to receive a gift from our Creator! His timing is perfect. His presentation pristine. The planning and care that goes into these amazing gifts matches nothing on earth!

So  how very priceless is it that we were given the gift of The Holy Spirit? It's the PERFECT gift! We'll never be alone, we have constant guidance, a never-ending hope, and a tried-and-true personal companion the likes of which the world has never experienced!

I stand humbled. I stand in awe. And I stand completely and totally grateful.

That's About The Size Of It

I Corinthians 13:12 -- "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

The table had been cleared, the dishes rinsed, etc. and the five of us scattered through out the house to go about the stuff that we do to wind down. Steven started singing an old tune from Sesame Street, and before you know it, we were settled in front of the television looking up old musical numbers from eons ago, laughing and introducing some memorable characters - who AREN'T Elmo - to our next generation.

We came across That's About The Size of It when the various Sesame Street sketches scrolled by on the YouTube menu and of course, I had to hear it. It was at that point that all three boys turned to Steven and I as if we were absolutely crazy. But there are a lot of good messages in the good 'ole - if not somewhat cheesy - musical shorts from our beloved childhood program. In the short entitled That's About The Size of It we learn that our perspective changes depending on where we put our eyes. Under a microscope an ant looks huge. You can even see all the little hairs peppering it's legs. But walking around on some Saint Augustine grass and coming across an ant mound, the little buggers look very small. 

Life is very often all about perspective. Some of the things we deal with look HUGE when we are up close and face to face with a problem that needs to be ironed out. Some crossroads we face may never be fully understood until we are called home and can ask our Creator about them. Paul explains this in I Corinthians - that for now, we may be privy to only glimpses of the big picture, like a reflection in a mirror, some of the finer details aren't very clear and might even go unnoticed until we can set our eyes on the true image. The REAL thing won't be revealed to us until our perspective can change. 

The one thing we CAN know for certain, is that we DO know someone who has the map. We know the One who CAN see the big picture - the whole, true image. Our TomTom for this life of ours is in the hands of our Savior. We have but to ask him for directions and cling to the truth in his Word. If we shift our perspective from the winding road in front of us - to the clear, true voice of our Lord, we'll never be lost. Even if we can't see the entire map - we can rest confident in the knowledge that God has it all covered. All we really have to do is place of our focus on his directions.  

That's about the size of it.

Scattering Stones

Ecclesiastes 3:5 -- "a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,"

Penney Mansion,  April 11, 1940 by Jack Spottswood

Way out in Penny Farms, Florida there was a beautiful, southern plantation style house that took my breath away every time I was able to ride by and gawk. As the years flew by, I watched what once was a a beautiful home for the founder of the JC Penney department store - as it sagged, became slowly eaten by Virginia Creeper and Kudzu, and finally crumble to a state that was so far beyond repair it was torn down. I remember feeling so sad when I'd learned that the once majestic and historical house was gone. I'll never forget the first time I saw it. I'll never forget the pile of "scattered stones" it became.



When God's temple was destroyed as reported in Lamentations chapter 4, we are told that "the holy stones were scattered." This is a good way to describe the destruction of the wonderful temple and all that it represented - but it's also a great way to describe what happened to God's people when their HQ was demolished.  Israel hasn't been the same since, and according to Jewish Scholars, the chosen people of God are the scattered stones mentioned in Ecclesiastes. They might, indeed, be scattered now, but there will be a time when God gathers them up again and returns them to their rightful and majestic splendor.

Gazing at the pile of rubble that was once the grand Penney mansion, it's so hard for me to imagine the bricks and stone, wood and shingles all being gathered again and returned to the beautiful piece of architecture the mansion was so many years ago. But that's exactly what  God will do - maybe not to the Penney mansion, but certainly to His people.

Adopted people through the blood of Jesus Christ, we will be gathered when the time is right. We will no longer feel like scattered stones in a pile of tired, struggling, aching rubble. We will be exactly where we are meant to be - next to Jesus, praising God. Every brick, every scattered stone will be gathered up in the arms of Jesus.

That sounds wonderful to me!

Fresh, Genetically Engineered,Gas-Ripened Tomatoes?

Philippians 1:6 -- "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

There is nothing more mouth watering than a freshly made BLT [Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich]. In my humble opinion, it's the perfect lunch and can be pared with the home-made soup of your choice. [My favorite combo is a half BLT with a bowl of tomato soup.] There is just something about that beautiful shade of red from a firm, thinly sliced tomato that says hey, I'm a comfort food!

The tomato that you find sitting in a brightly colored mountain of fellow tomatoes in the super-market, however, is not exactly the tomato in it's natural state. Oh, no! Not by a long shot. In order to ship country wide, the common grocery tomato is picked green and then gassed with Ethylene to produce a pretty, uniform red color. And that's not all, to further entice the ever-picky consumer, tomato breeders have come up with a genetically altered hybrid plant that produces fruit of a uniform size and a uniform color. That's right, nine times out of ten when you pick a tomato off the shelf at your favorite grocer, it's a man-engineered fruit that's never been pollinated. I guess that works....but here's a thought;

A tomato from an "heirloom" seed [that means a natural seed from a naturally growing plant that's never been altered] planted in actual dirt and pollinated by bees and butterflies has more nutrients, more natural sugars, and more natural dietary fiber. And while yes, Ethylene is a gas that naturally occurs in most vegetation and is, in fact, the reason a tomato turns red - a plant that is left to ripen naturally is far more healthy for human consumption than is a tomato hosed down with the gas in large quantities in order to speed up or retard the natural growth process. It makes perfect sense to me, leave the thing to do what it's suppose to do, and when it's time to pick the tomato from it's vine/stem,  you'll have a more robust and ready fruit. 

WE are a lot like the commercialized and over-metaled-with tomato. As people growing in the body of Christ, we can't rush into spiritual maturity. It's not possible to hose ourselves down with Ethylene and become instantly brilliant and beautiful. No, our spirit is in need of time, steady natural fertilizer, and those dreaded growing pains. We may be spotted, bright read in places but a tad bit green in others, but to cling to the One True Vine and mature in God's timing is what it's all about. Just like the tomato plant, God's timing is ALWAYS better than our own. Grow in the Word of God and bare fruit in HIS seasons - and we become stronger, steadier, and healthy enough to produce true heirloom seeds. Seeds that will be strong when planted. Seeds that will grow sturdy and healthy plants.

Who REALLY wants to be plucked from the vine before their ready only to sit green in the back of dirty 'ole truck and gassed until we turn read, anyway? I know I don't!

True Story

Isaiah 43:1 -- "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!"

A long time ago the only way to get a felled tree log from point A to point B was the river. Cut logs would be rolled down to the water and floated down stream in large groups to the mill or other place of trade. I can only imagine that working these logs could be fun, if not a great deal of hard work requiring balance, agility, and strength. It was also a job fraught with great danger that could end a life.

Along with the required set of job skills there SHOULD have been a point in the interview when the logger asked his soon-to-be employee, "can you swim?". I have no idea why this question wasn't regularly asked, nor do I pretend to understand the hiring process implemented all those years ago. The one thing I do know, is that for a particular gentlemen [whom I shall call Sam to keep his identity private] the entire interview was conducted without broaching this touchy subject.  AND I know that in fact, Sam did not know how to swim. This did not keep him, however, from doing his job on the river logs. He was a great employee. He had strength, he had agility, he had balance...most of the time. 

One day, deep in the clump of rolling, churning logs, Sam lost his balance and fell into the drink. He had nothing to do but watch the water gain depth above his head and close his eyes, waiting for that moment when he could stand it no longer and tried to draw breath. 

It was then, as water filled Sam's ears and muffled sound of logs bumping into one another echoed through the cold deep river that a hand reached into the water and yanked Sam to the surface, fresh air, and the rest of his life. Being drug to the shore and sweet terra-firma, Sam looked around to thank his rescuer only to find, there was no one standing there with him on the muddy banks. He was completely alone. There were no foot prints next to his in the mud. There were no slide marks leading to the water next to his, and no one standing on the logs rolling by on the river. 

Now, Sam knows what happened to him and he says frequently that it will not be his time to go home until the Lord is good and ready to click Sam's time card up there in that big mill in the sky. Sam knows he was saved by a miracle and for a purpose. It could not be more obvious.

For most of us, we might not get to come face to face with what we recognize to be a miracle. It might not happen in such a profound or dramatic way - but we have been yanked from a gurgling, churning death, just as surly as was Sam.  Our names have been called. We have been bought with a price and claimed by Jesus Christ. 

Sam lives every day to the fullest. He is driven to live the precious life that was saved on purpose, FOR a purpose. 

What do we do with our God-given life? Do we recognize the beauty and the wonder of our escape from certain death? Do we take value in the soul for which Jesus spilled his own blood and gave his own life? We have been pulled from the river. We have been called by name! Let us not waste these precious few breaths afforded to us.

No More Tears

Revelation 21:4 -- "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." 

It was fitting that the rain kept falling. I woke to the bubbling sound of fat drops rolling down the gutter and onto the garden stones outside. I was thinking of my friend and what she must be going through now that one of her loved ones is gone.

Loss is not something I have ever been able to handle well. It goes beyond the pain of an empty spot on this earth - where a loved one's feet used to trod. I'm just not good at comfort. I never know what to say and I'm a terrible friend when loss is involved. 

I suppose that would be why I clam up at the thought that a friend just lost a person they love very much. I can say the words I'm sorry, I can say that I'm praying as you and your family struggle to put the loved one to rest and strengthen each other when the empty spot feels too big to handle. And all of these things are true, but I seem to be at a complete loss when it comes to REAL comfort. When I read the verse for today: Revelation 21:4 - I found comfort by the ONE who can really offer it.

We know that we who are in Christ, need but suffer the loss of our dear ones for a short time. We know we will see them again. That still leaves the issue of the empty spot - but in Revelation we are reminded that there will be a day when the tears will no longer fall. Oh death, where is thy sting? Jesus will wipe away every tear and there will no longer be death, there will no longer be mourning. Pain and crying will pass away. We can revel in the joy of being face to face with our Savior AND being able to embrace loved ones that left this earth before us. 

So as the tears fall down our cheeks when we remember the bright smile of some one dear to us, and realize that we shall not witness that brightness while we breath physically down here on this planet, we CAN know that we have victory over death in Jesus Christ. And we can cling to the hope that one day, there will be no more loss. There will be no more tears. There will be no more empty spots that feel so very lonely.

The Great Overcomer

II  Corinthians 5:17 -- "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Riding in a friends car on the way to our Lady's Night Out I heard the song Overcomer by Mandisa for the first time.  If you haven't experienced this song, I strongly urge you to do so. It's on Youtube.

by: Kelly Babb Dalton - University of Florida at Gainesville

Mandisa has had a life-long battle with her weight. She once sat on the side-lines in the hope that one day, when she could be thinner, she could do some really great things for God. This hit home on so many levels it was difficult for me to concentrate on what my friend was saying to me as I dug deep into the lyrics and let the wonderful voice of Mandisa sooth some old spiritual battle scars. It made me wonder how many of us sit things out, waiting on the side-lines until we reach a point when we think we are ready to serve our Lord. 

When I have more money I'll be able to do things for God. When I lose weight I'll be able to do things for our Lord. When I finish school .... when I get the right kind of job .... after I raise my kids .... when I become more organized .... when I get my own place or my own car .... the thing is, God doesn't need for us to fight those battles. He doesn't need for us to reach certain personal goals in order to be an Overcomer. We ARE overcomers. RIGHT NOW! Because we are in Christ and we are now new creatures. The old things about us have passed away and we are now Overcomers for Christ!!

by: Kelly Babb Dalton - University of Florida at Gainesville

I know I have used the analogy of the butterfly before, but I can't help but think of how perfect an example it is of rebirth - of how we are when we reach out and accept the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. 

Once free of it's egg, the caterpillar does nothing but eat. It can't get enough food. There is a deep hunger that cannot be satiated. Ever searching for more fuel, the caterpillar spends every waking moment stuffing it's cute, and sometimes fuzzy little face. It isn't until it stops, wraps itself up in a cocoon and takes a long, long rest that it's deep hunger can finally be satisfied. It changes from an eating machine into a sleeping, peaceful little thing totally still and ready for it's transformation. 

by: Kelly Babb Dalton - University of Florida at Gainesville

Transformed, it breaks from it's nap-sack a brand new creature. It is no longer the deeply hungry little monster that wreaks havoc in our gardens. It is beautiful. It has purpose. It flits from flower to flower in order to pollinate plants and perpetuate another beauty God has granted us - blooming, bright and beautiful flowers - from which a few will produce fruit - tomatoes, oranges, cucumbers etc. The butterfly serves our gardens when the caterpillar does not. 

The butterfly, in God's grace, has overcome it's youth, it's hunger, it's moments of destruction. It doesn't wait until it's produced offspring or obtained the right career, received a college degree, or accumulated enough in it's bank account before it starts to serve. No, the FIRST thing it does when it's wings dry is fly off to collect nectar and spread pollen. It has already overcome.

Just like you and me. In Christ Jesus, we are overcomers. The time to serve, to start living, to glorify God - is RIGHT NOW. Not tomorrow when we feel we've achieved what we need to - but RIGHT NOW!

Lost And Found

Luke 15: 4-5 -- "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders."

Any of you who have managed a move before know what it's like to lose something and spend a great deal of time looking for it. For example, unpacking untold number of boxes, one might need a pair of scissors to cut the tape - it would be wonderful if I could remember in which box the scissors might be hiding. 

In addition, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the story of the woman who lost a coin, or the shepherd who lost one of his many sheep. The thing is, there is no rest until the lost item is found. It CAN even keep you up at night retracing steps and mentally digging through drawers and cabinets. 


Isn't it amazing that - not only will Jesus forgive us when we slip up - he actively looks for us? He seeks us out! All who are lost - Jesus combs the country side for us in order to reach out and save each and everyone! That boggles the mind! Not only will he accept me "warts and all", but he'll come looking for me when I've lost my way and can't seem to find home base.

Like the frustration and yes, even desperation I might feel when looking for a lost item, or the woman looking for her coin, etc ... Jesus can't bare the thought of even one of us slipping beyond the reach of forgiveness and salvation. Now THAT is a beautiful thing! Most of us probably understand the concept of SEEKING forgiveness when we've sinned. But it's a wonderful, wonderful joy to know that Jesus isn't standing still, waiting for us to approach him - no - he is ACTIVELY SEEKING the lost.