Speak Life

Have you ever noticed how many times we speak the opposite of what we really want or believe?  It happens especially when we are frustrated or trying to figure out a problem that has us stumped. We might say things like “this will never work” or “I give up.”

Other times we might be in a difficult conversation and say things we later regret and really didn’t mean but the heat of the moment plowed right over our better judgment.  Our mouths can get us into so much trouble!

Sometimes what we say may not be hurtful but it’s easy to just be plain negative. Let’s face it; life isn’t exactly easy these days. What with the economy, politicians, taxes, traffic, job stress, hectic lifestyles and even the weather, there is much to grumble about.  But does our grumbling do us any good?

The better question is, does it do the people around us any good? Who hears us when we grumble? Our families for sure. Our friends and neighbors, maybe. And likely a host of other people who just happen to be in earshot when we are at the grocery store or the doctor’s office or church. How do our words affect those who hear them? Maybe those who are searching and wondering if we have what they are looking for, are listening more closely than we realize.

The Lord gives us some direction in Deuteronomy 30:19 – I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.

God told us we should choose life. And one way that we can do that is by paying attention to what we say because according to Proverbs 18:21,  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

What we say has incredible impact so choose to speak life. You never know who might be listening.

Whom Shall I Love?

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:34

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Luke 6:15

That about covers it. We are to love others in the body of Christ, we are to love strangers, and we are to love our enemies. I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t fit in one of those three categories.

And there are no conditions placed on that call to love. It never says that we must only love when others live up to our expectations or when they love us first. Our Heavenly Father loves us in spite of our shortcomings. In spite of our sin. He asks us to love in the same way He loves us. If we withhold love when people don’t measure up, then our love is based on behavior. It becomes conditional. If God’s love for us was dependent upon our actions or our words where would we be?

He didn’t say it would be easy. He didn’t say it would be comfortable. He said it would bring Him glory! In the passage from John, quoted above, it says that all men will know that we are His disciples if we show love. Do all men know that you are a Christ-follower by watching how you love others?

Lord, teach us to love as you have loved us.

It’s Just a Mole Hill After All

You can find lessons from God in the most surprising places. And sometimes when you least expect it, God says something profound.

Over the weekend I went with the family to experience a night hike in a nature park near our home.  We arrived early enough to spend a few minutes with Cliff, who would be our guide on our walk through the dark woods in the middle of a very heavily populated part of Florida. Not much open space around here, unless it’s water. In fact, you wouldn’t even know the park was here unless you were looking for it. A well hidden secret.

God sometimes hides things from us too. Sometimes he makes us look for the treasures of this life. He doesn’t just hand things to us, we have to seek them out.  I wrote something about God’s hide and seek  a while back. If you’d like to read it you can do so here.

Before our hike, Cliff showed us some owls and other birds that are cared for at the park. We also saw peacocks which was a treat. We learned some interesting facts about some of God’s amazing creations.  Finally it got dark enough to head out on our walk. We meandered through the woods adjusting our eyes to the darkness as the sun set in the distance.  We arrived at a viewing dock over a small lake. As we spotted bats swooping in the air someone excitedly pointed out that we were being watched.  Sure enough. In the water, at just the right spot where the fading light was still reflecting off the water we saw an eye and a snout barely above the surface.  An alligator was quietly watching us.  We were in no danger but it was a little unnerving to feel him watching us.  I again marveled at the idea that there was so much hidden that could only be discovered by paying close attention.  God’s treasures were everywhere.

There was one point when we were walking along a boardwalk and I overheard a conversation between two of my grandchildren. Ian pointed beyond the railing and said, “look, there’s a monument.”     Annabelle, who had been listening to the guide, said, “that’s the storm sewer.” She was right, it was a concrete structure, perhaps two feet high, with a manhole cover on the top.  Ian shrugged and said, “well, to an ant it’s a sky scraper.”

When he said it I just thought it was a funny comment but as I’ve thought about it I realize that he was pointing out something I need to learn.

We often don’t realize that our perspective has everything to do with how we live our lives. From the ant’s perspective that structure truly was huge. But from our perspective it was nothing significant at all.

God has been trying recently to teach me this very thing.  The issues that I face sometimes appear like mountains that I can’t hope to get beyond. But from God’s perspective?

Nothing but a molehill.

Have you ever stepped on a molehill? They have no real substance at all. With the slightest bit of pressure they disappear, sinking into the ground where they came from.

If you ask Him, God will show you that some of things you think are mountains are really just molehills to Him too.

Mark 11:23  Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

 

 

 

Last Weekend I Did Something I Haven’t Done in 40 Years

Forty years. A long time.  Lots of things have changed in 40 years.  I know I’ve changed. But even though we change, once in a while it’s fun to revisit the days of our youth. While I certainly wouldn’t want to go back and do it all over again, there’s a comfort about remembering for a little while.

On Friday night I went to a rock concert. The first and only other rock concert I ever went to was around 1976. I was in high school and went with some friends to see the Doobie Brothers at the basketball arena on the Ohio State Campus.  It was loud and there were people there who had obviously started their “happy” way before they arrived at the concert. The air was blue with smoke, some of which smelled a little too sweet.  I guess it was the right atmosphere for the band playing that night.  I remember enjoying the music and the people I was with but I didn’t come away feeling like I couldn’t wait for the next concert. In fact, I never went to anything like that again.

Fast forward to last Friday.  The groups playing were The Doobie Brothers and Journey. The tickets were a birthday gift for my husband who has always enjoyed Journey’s music. This time the concert was outside in an amphitheater that seated 20,000 people and was full to overflowing. We arrived early and as I watched the people coming in I wondered how many of them may have seen these groups back in the day as teenagers. The crowd was definitely on the old-ish side!

But, some things don’t change. The music was still loud ( I had wadded up tissues stuffed in my ears) and we still got a whiff of something a little too sweet in the air and there were still those folks who had obviously started their “happy” earlier as well. Although, this time some of their long hair was now quite gray.

I still enjoyed the experience. It was fun to share the memories that were brought to the surface that night.  But this time, with four decades behind me, I saw some things I never noticed before.  One especially strong observation was how many of the songs played described loneliness and heartbreak.  The lyrics were written from a place of searching, asking the question, “is this all there is?”

It was obvious that the folks in the audience were having a good time. It was fun to see a couple of ladies, probably ten years older than me, bobbing their heads and grinning at each other as they sang along. One woman was watching through opera glasses. I wondered how many of those people were also searching for something more.

As Journey was about half way into their set of songs, I could see the busses for the Doobie Brothers pulling out of the parking lot headed out to who knows where for their next gig.  I wondered if the lead singers have to ask before they go out on the stage, “what city are we in again?” so they don’t say “Hello, Tampa!” when they are really in Miami.

I couldn’t help but think as I watched those busses leaving, while listening to Journey singing, “Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world.  She took the midnight train  goin’ anywhere,” that it was so symbolic of the life most of the world is living.

So many lonely, hurting people. And we have the answer for them. We know the secret of peace and life.  It was a reminder that perhaps it’s time to slow down and pay more attention to those around me. There are so many people who need someone to share some hope with them. Could I set my agenda, my to-do list aside for a while and take time to look around me? Could I bring hope to someone else today? Could you?

Jesus is better than a rock concert.  But nobody will know it if we keep Him to ourselves.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

 

 

In the Beginning, ‘Christian’ was a Noun

Back in the days written about in the book of Acts, the word Christian was a noun. It was what you were. It was who you were.

In our current culture the word Christian is tacked on the front end of almost everything.  You can be a Christian businessman, a Christian doctor, a Christian author, a Christian teacher, and on and on it goes.

But perhaps it would be a good idea to take a step back and see where the emphasis lies. Are you a doctor who happens to be a Christian? Or are you a Christian who happens to be a doctor?  Which is it? Which defines your life most accurately?

Acts 11:26 says, “and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse states the following.

Hitherto the followers of Christ were called disciples, that is, learners, scholars; but from that time they were called Christians. The proper meaning of this name is, a follower of Christ; it denotes one who, from serious thought, embraces the religion of Christ, believes his promises, and makes it his chief care to shape his life by Christ’s precepts and example. Hence it is plain that multitudes take the name of Christian to whom it does not rightly belong. But the name without the reality will only add to our guilt. While the bare profession will bestow neither profit nor delight, the possession of it will give both the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Grant, Lord, that Christians may forget other names and distinctions, and love one another as the followers of Christ ought to do. True Christians will feel for their brethren under afflictions. Thus will fruit be brought forth to the praise and glory of God. If all mankind were true Christians, how cheerfully would they help one another! The whole earth would be like one large family, every member of which would strive to be dutiful and kind.”

The word Christian can be used as an adjective to describe other things. But isn’t it more important that it be a noun? Perhaps it would be best to focus on WHO we are first and then figure out WHAT we are later.

 

 

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Today is Memorial Day.  Who are you remembering today?

Memorial Day is set aside to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Giving their lives for our freedom.

I am blessed to have members of my family who served in several wars as well as during peaceful times. I am also blessed that none of them were required to give their lives in battle.

Still, today I remember them with a grateful heart.  My father, Raymond Serviss, served in the Air Force while his younger brother, John Serviss served in the Navy. Both had opportunity to see adventure but didn’t experience battle.

For my mother’s father, Wendall  Lucas,( I’ve written about him before), and his younger brother, Harley Lucas, it was  a different story.

My grandfather was a member of the 44th Tank Battalion stationed in the Philippines during WWII.  The flame throwers.  He rarely spoke about his experiences but when he did it was clear that his memories went far beyond what he was willing to talk about.

His younger brother was a paratrooper in Europe who landed behind enemy lines and was taken prisoner. He had memories best forgotten as well.

While my grandfather didn’t lose his life in WWII he made some significant sacrifices. When he was sent to Asia he left behind a 9-year-old daughter, a wife with heart problems, and her aging parents. During his tour his mother-in-law died and he wasn’t there to comfort his wife. While he was thousands of miles around the globe his heart was with those in his household. His child, his fragile wife and an old man who had just become a widower. Those he loved had been left to fend for themselves.

Family was the top priority for my grandfather.  To leave his family to care for themselves was one of the most difficult things he ever had to do. So many past and current members of the armed forces understand exactly how he felt.

It brings to mind the story of Jesus calling his disciples to give up everything, to leave jobs and family behind to follow him. (Luke 5)

We are all called to consider our priorities. Most of us aren’t called to physically leave our families behind. But in our hearts we must make the decision to give up everything to follow Christ.

If today, we can say that we are grateful for the sacrifices made by men and women who have defended our freedom, can we also acknowledge an even higher calling to take a stand to defend our faith?  To give honor to our God who made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom for eternity.

For this we are truly thankful!

Matthew 16:24-26  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

 

 

Learning How to Weather the Storm

As new residents to  the Sunshine State, we are learning many new things. Hurricane season begins in two weeks so this weekend our destination was the Tampa Bay Hurricane Expo. We came away with a stack of information to read and digest.

It’s certainly a different world than we have been used to.  We heard many new concepts including evacuation routes, flood zones, storm surges, wind speeds and isobars .  We’d already known quite a bit since we’ve visited Florida regularly for the past 35 years.  And  during hurricane season, we watched with great interest from up north, since my grandfather lived here. We are  now getting a fresh perspective, as residents who could be directly effected by a major storm.

As I listened to discussion about how to prepare and what to expect I was amazed at how well organized the area is to face an incoming storm. They have a timeline of  steps to take 5 days out, 3 days out, and the day of the storm. The key to being safe is being prepared.  The storm has no mercy, but you can take steps to be ready when the storm makes landfall.

I couldn’t help but think of what I had just been learning in my women’s bible study this semester. The topic was the armor of God, detailed in Ephesians 6.  God gave us all we need to stand against the enemy of our souls who also has no mercy.  We just need to USE what we know.

The other thing I couldn’t help but think of as I saw the maps and the satellite pictures of huge storms covering most of the Gulf of Mexico is that even these powerful storms are no match for our God.  Psalm 107:28-29 says, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,  and He brought them out of their distresses.  He caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed.” We also know that Jesus calmed the storm when He was in the boat with His disciples (Mark 4). It was no trouble for Him at all.

We don’t know why God doesn’t always calm the storm in our lives, but we know He is able. If he doesn’t choose to do so, we also know He has given us what we need to stand strong against the storm and believe that He will keep us from being destroyed.

Is a storm on your horizon? What are you doing to prepare for landfall? Maybe you are in the middle of a hurricane right now. Be encouraged, God is more powerful than the storm and He will be right there with you until the storm passes.

Do you know what the amazing thing is about a hurricane? After it passes, the sky clears and the sun shines again.

 

What Does it Mean to Wait on the Lord?

Most of us don’t like waiting. We get impatient, restless, perhaps even anxious. We want our packages to arrive TODAY, which is why Amazon is offering same day delivery now. We want our food quick, so we use the drive through, never even getting out of our car.

Is that how we also wait on the Lord?  Are we impatient and restless with Him too?

Abraham understood waiting.  He waited on the Lord to deliver on his promise of a son.  He must have struggled with impatience wondering if God was ever going to come through on his promise, while Abraham just kept getting older and older. Was God going to run out of time? Would Abraham die before God remembered His promise?

Do you ever feel like you’ve prayed and heard God’s answer and then even though you try to stay faithful and expectant, as the days, weeks, and perhaps years go by, you struggle more and more with waiting.  You try not to be impatient. You tell yourself, “all in God’s timing.”  But you still struggle. Why does it have to take so long?

I don’t know about you, but I write notes in my Bible.  The Bible I have now is falling apart from a decade of use.  I underline, I write notes, I record dates when I feel God has spoken a particular verse into a season of my life.

Psalm 27:14, which says, “Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord,” is a verse God has used over and over in my life.  I have five different dates written beside that verse that span a six year period.  I can’t tell you what was going on when I wrote each date. It really doesn’t matter too much now. The point is that when I needed to hear from God, He was faithful to remind me what was important. He helped me redirect my attention to His faithfulness when I was faced with a difficult situation. In fact, I have this verse written, along with some other scriptures, on my whiteboard right now so I can see it everyday and be reminded of God’s faithfulness.

Read that verse again. What sort of waiting is God asking you to do?  Can you take that verse for yourself and surrender your timing to God’s, believing that He has a perfect plan? Perhaps you can write today’s date beside it in your Bible and be reminded that God has not forgotten His promises to you.

And in the meantime, while you wait, you can follow this advice that I learned many years ago.  Just keep doing what God last told you to do until He tells you otherwise.

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Who is Your Anchor?

Sometimes I have to learn my lessons the hard way. This past week was one of those times.

I have struggled with change all of my life. I remember trying to make myself rearrange the furniture in my bedroom when I was in high school and having a hard time.

I have friends who embrace change. Who love the idea of trying something new. I am not like them. I love the familiar. I can watch old Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart movies over and over. I’ve read some of my favorite books a dozen times. Give me the stability of the   familiar and I do just fine.

It seems rather funny to me to even be talking about this since the past few months have been nothing but a series of changes. My life has been FULL of change and yet I still try so hard to cling to the   familiar.

Through all the changes we have experienced over the past four months, I have felt tossed by the waves on many occasions.  But God gave me the gift of a good husband to share my journey and he’s been my anchor as the waves have crashed around me. No matter what we were facing, I could count on him staying the same. Being one who brought stability.

This past week, however, the anchor’s chains were severed. Or so I thought.

Change.  God brings it on purpose to keep us from getting too comfortable. He can use the most simple thing to get us back on course.  This week it was ridiculously simple.

I’d gone to church on Wednesday evening and it had been a great class.  I came home from class, walked in the front door and found that my husband had completely changed his appearance. While I was gone, Andrew had shaved Randy’s head. He looked like a stranger. I went to my room and closed the door. When I was faced with yet another change, I just shut down. I didn’t want to adjust    anymore.

Now I know… you’re laughing right now. It’s just a haircut! What’s the big deal?  But it was change.  And it was change in the one thing, the one person who had remained the same through all the adjustments of the past few months.  Now he had changed and it was completely unsettling.  I spent three days trying to have a normal relationship with him without looking at him.  You can guess how that went.

By Saturday morning I was feeling the stress  on our relationship and I’m sure he was too. Finally I felt God nudging me to find my husband and resolve this issue.  I can report that all is well now.

The lesson I learned was difficult but so important.   I had gradually allowed myself to put my trust in Randy to be my anchor. To be the one who brought stability and strength when I needed it.  While it is true that a strong marriage is important and God will use our mates to encourage us and help us grow, they are not meant to take on as much responsibility as we sometimes give them.

Randy isn’t meant to be my anchor. God is.

Randy isn’t unchangeable. God is.

God used a simple thing like a change in appearance to help me see that He is the only thing I can count on to never change. He is to be my anchor. My Rock.  He is the one I can run to when life gets hard. And He is the only one who can give me peace that passes understanding.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Who Can You Trust?

Have you ever had an experience like this?

Someone you trust promises they will do a specific thing. You believe them because you trust them. Then time moves on and what they said they would do doesn’t happen.  You begin to doubt their word. If you let it go further, you begin to doubt their character. You start asking questions like, “will they ever come through with their promise?” And maybe you even start second guessing whether they even care about you. Maybe you aren’t important to them after all. Maybe they aren’t even who you ever believed them to be.

Not many of us actually go to this extreme in our thought process but you can see how it could go even further than what I described. We have to admit that we DO allow our expectations of what people will or won’t do go off in the wrong direction sometimes.

Perhaps after you get all bent out of shape because you decide the person must not love you anymore and therefore never intends to fulfill their promises to you, they suddenly come through and you feel ridiculous about what you were thinking. It sounds like something out of a movie where the wife is completely convinced that her husband has been cheating on her because he’s late getting home. When he walks in the door to find a hysterical wife, he says he’s stopped to pick up flowers for her.  She feels ridiculous for worrying needlessly.

It all sounds comical but isn’t that what we do to God all the time?  When we ask Him for something we need and He makes us wait we get impatient. Then we start wondering if He even heard us. Then if we aren’t careful we can begin to doubt that He even loves us. We allow doubt to creep in and cloud our thinking.

Yesterday, our pastor said, ” Why do we believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs?”  That’s a great question. Why is it so easy to allow doubt to come in when we are waiting on God to answer our prayers?

Doubt was introduced in the Garden when the serpent said to Eve, “Indeed, has God said…?”  If we allow doubt to guide our thinking we will surely lose the battle.

So when we pray and we are waiting for God to answer, what do we do?  We’ve all heard the advice to “stand on God’s promises” but what does that mean?  It means making a decision to believe God is who He says He is. If His character is trustworthy then what He says is also to be trusted.  You will find His promises in His Word. He has given them to us in writing so there can be no misunderstanding.

Now when the devil comes and says, “indeed, did God say?”  we can go straight to God’s word and find out exactly what He said.

When the devil tempted Jesus to doubt God, Jesus went right to the word and quoted it back to the devil.

If it worked for Jesus it will work for us.  Try it.

Psalm 33: 20-22

We wait in hope for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

even as we put our hope in you.