Where are You?
DeDe replied: “Amazing how God knew and had a plan, how He asked Adam, “Where are you?” The question for Adam. He still knows and His plan is still implemented, He still asks us, so we too would ‘process”.
Person Replied: “Why did God ask Adam where he was? Did God lose Adam?”
DeDe replied: “Gen 3 says “They hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Interesting that they hid where God put them. (How often do we too ‘hide among.’) No, God did not lose them, He knew. He knew also how they were aware they were naked, the questions were not to inform God, but to have them consider not their ‘position’ (He knew where they were in the garden) He asked to help them process their ‘condition.'”
Person Replied: “Your statement of, “to process their condition” seems to imply they might be ill or have some type of disease. Would it not be better to state that God wanted them to be accountable for their actions?”
DeDe replied: Actually, yes, they were not only ‘ill’ but now dead. ‘Spiritually.’ Looking at Genesis 2:16-17 “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” In the original language, the ‘surely die’, literally is the same word, (mut) ‘die die’ Dying spiritually, you shall die physically (in essence). God created man(kind) for relationship, making man in His own image, breathing His own breath into mans lungs, this relationship was intended to be eternal. Disobedience caused instant spiritual death. (Gotta know the bad news to appreciate the ‘Good News’) Adam/Eve (sin) infected all humanity. (Thanks guys!!) One 
Man (Jesus) was the cure for humanity. Col. 2:13 “When you were dead in your sins… God made you alive with Christ, He forgave us all our sins…” Spiritual genetic sin, did NOT affect Jesus, He was of a virgin birth, He was of the Holy Spirit, rather than humanity, Divine substitution to ATONE humanity. God had a plan. So they were not only ‘ill’, but dead, changing the condition (if you will) of the relationship. ‘Fellowship’ had been broken. Jesus restores that fellowship, taking it back to the original design of the Creator. Atonement. In short, a repair done for the sake of a damaged relationship. Being reconciled to God through Jesus’s sacrificial death.
Person replied: Because of that broken relationship, humanity has set themselves up for constant failure, always searching for something else to fill the void. However, Christ left ALL the opportunity to change course; repent, and call for HIS saving Grace.
DeDe replied: ‘Amen.’ (ending conversation, ‘for now’)
Do WE need to invite such a conversation into our own life? Would God ask us, “Where are you?” Have we found ourselves ‘hiding among’ the stuff? Do we too need to consider our condition of the relationship. Does our ‘fellowship’ need some addressing. As the person said above, “Christ left ALL the opportunity to change course.” (See 1 Jn 1:9)
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Big Game Day: YOU Made the List
Remember back and for some of us WAAAAY back, when we were in the 4th or 5th grade, out on the play ground we would divide up in teams for a ball game? THAT had to be some of the most frustrating moments of childhood. Nervous thoughts of “Will I be picked?” Or remember when the list was posted for those making the team following try outs? We stood a slight distance away, just close enough to see if our name was there, but not too close to be faced with complete rejection, by our names absence.
Making the list. Go ahead admit it, we all want to be wanted, picked and PALEEZE deem me VALUABLE! We all have areas of our life that we fall short, lack skill or just can’t seem to get it right. In these, we begin to see ourselves as less valuable than others. Perhaps even become resentful of those who DO seem to have it all together, and those with gifts dripping off their finger tips, well… let’s just say LOVE usually isn’t the most godly response. Does envy, jealously even hatred sound familiar?
Ever notice that we may take these perspectives or may I say insecurities into our relationship with God? I know I do! Please nod your head, so I don’t feel so vulnerable here folks! Yes, yes we do.
Often, we find our head bowed not necessarily in reverence, but out of frustration, the words that escape are painful “Will You, can You … use … ME!” Then we continue listing all our shortcomings, these becoming our EXCUSES, before we know it, WE are telling God that He should NOT want us.
In short Beloved, have we ever considered the ‘list’ that God compiled. The list of Biblical proportion. These folks did stupid things, made BIG mistakes, were not of the flashy type, some were too small, too old, to ugly, too worrisome.
Eve listened to the Devil * Rahab was a prostitute *Adam blame shifted *Jeremiah and Timothy were too young *Noah was a drunk *David had an affair and was a murderer *Abraham was too old *Elijah was suicidal *Isaac was a daydreamer *Isaiah preached naked *Jacob was a liar *Jonah ran from God *Leah was ugly *Naomi was a widow *Joseph was abused *Job went bankrupt *Moses stuttered *John the Baptist ate bugs *Aaron fashioned the golden calf, then lied about it *Peter denied Christ *Gideon was afraid *The Disciples fell asleep while praying *Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer *Martha worried about everything *The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once *Zaccheus was too small *Paul was too religious AND Lazarus was dead! DEAD I tell you.
Here it comes …. HOWEVER. God used ALL these people! They were part of His plan. They ALL had weaknesses of some sort. Do YOU find yourself among this list (hopefully NOT preaching naked!) Do YOU worry, then beat yourself up for lack of faith? Do YOU fall asleep when you pray, then believe the lie you don’t love God enough?
Have YOU been divorced, afraid, abused, widowed, bankrupted, drunk? God is God. HE compiles the List! YOU made the list, the list of redeemed mankind. God moved in and through these peoples lives. Do we think of Moses as a stutter? Do we think of Gideon afraid? What first comes to mind when we think of Peter? A great leader of the church, NOT Peter the denier! God is the Redeemer, of our soul, life and YES mistakes, failures and shortcomings.
I so admire King David’s longing, through all the junk of his life, adultery, murder, poor parenting skills, he says “Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You ….” he continues with “show me … rescue me… teach me … lead me” (Ps. 143) May we all look 
forward to the dawn of each new day, trusting in God, allowing Him to show us, rescue us, teach us, lead us.
Today as we find that comfy spot on the couch and watch the BIG GAME and perhaps our minds gently slide in the direction of envy of their talent and skill, please remember YOU my friends are sons & daughters of the Most High God! YOU are valuable! YOU are loved! YOU made the List! HIS list! Regardless. Big plans for YOU!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another one toward love & good deeds” ~ Heb. 10:24)
Sense of VALUE
Every night as my husband and I crawl into bed, he reaches for our devotional. Before we close our eyes he is faithful to read, I so love that quality about him. The pages speak directly to marriage and relationship, pulling principles from scripture. Recently one of the authors shared briefly it is her daily goal to state or show appreciation to her husband. This sparked a good conversation between Mark and I.
amazement. To turn the eyes and the mind giving attention, the attention strong as to cherish. Also, having an inward conscious knowledge. It strongly conveys, “I know what I know” not in an arrogant way, but a solid confidence. On a geeky note, ‘eido’ differs from ‘ginosko’ (another Greek word) ginosko, is progressive in knowledge, while ‘eido’ suggests fullness of knowledge, as we would say today, “This is my final answer.” Paul strongly states in 2 Tim. 1:12 ” … I am not ashamed, because I know (eido – “I know what I know and I cherish it”) the One I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.” (emphasis mine) INTERESTING, tucked way back in the definition is ‘to bring or set together, to make known.’The picture it paints for me: As if we were at an auction. The item is in front of everyone, small bids are made, yet YOU know the true worth of the item. You raise your hand, increasing the bid to a higher value. You ‘know that you know’ it is worth so much more. With your bid, you have recognized the proper value. As defined above, you have now brought and set together the true value alongside the item. Appreciate.
of value? Yes! For some, the new raised sense of value exchanges the old ‘price tag’ (if you will) for a new one. The man sitting on the corner, the gas attendant, lady cashier at Safeway, our childs track coach, the Sunday school teacher, our children, our beloved spouses, you and me… we ALL need a good sense of value.
already there, appreciation. Encouragement is helping to strengthen it or bring new insight to cause the quality to be birthed and grow. Both are a must. “We live by encouragement and die without it. Slowly, sadly and angrily.” – Chuck Swindoll.
Give Him Just ONE
Women. We are used to multi-tasking. Having our minds and lives firing in 5 or more different directions. At times we DO find ourselves on overload. When we do, what do we tend to do? And do well? Criticize ourselves. I am reminded of a time when I sat amongst a small group of gals in a bible study setting. In that discussion time we were sharing our goals for the study. There was a mother of ‘4’ (FOUR!) small, YOUNG, needing her attention, children. I can sense you close your eyes and breathe a prayer over this gal. I know, I did.
In her frustration and complete weariness, she shared in depth about not having ‘enough’ time for devotions and her bible study. She felt defeated and was basically giving up, to where she hadn’t opened her Bible in some time. Those in the group kept trying to help with creative ways to carve out enough time. “Go to bed earlier, get up earlier, use paper plates, when they sleep ….” This young mom was nearly in tears. I just sat and listened. These are all good discplined goals, yet they were more worried about the ‘quantity’ of time, rather then the ‘quality.’
You know me, I finally leaned forward and looked the gal in the eyes, lovingly and tenderly asking, “Could you look at maybe just ONE verse each day or for the whole week?” She stopped talking. So did the others. Silence. Well except what I imagined 
going through their heads. “This gal is NUTS!” I’m sure they thought. “One stinkin verse??? THAT is NOT enough! I will get behind! I have to get through that one year bible reading, gotta get my homework done! Gotta write in my journal.” This attitude belongs to many of us. How many of us too, feel defeated and well basically allow our God time to slip, slip away because we cant keep up with the ‘quota.’ Sigh! Head hung, shoulders slumped.
I then shared that it’s not the quantity of time with God and His word that is important, it is the quality. If you have just enough time to read one verse, then the baby cries, or the dog barks or milk is split etc etc etc (so goes life) Then take that ONE verse, WHILE you are cleaning up the milk – holding the crying baby, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to YOU about that verse. You, God, His word … quality time. Listen – listen for HIS application. If need be at the beginning of the week, jot down that verse on a 3×5 card, tape it to the mirror in the bathroom. Even though you may have a parade of offspring following you in there, READ it aloud. Again and again.
Don’t get me wrong I am ALL OVER Bible study, to seek out the meaning, the context, the reason WHY Moses/Paul wrote what they wrote. What the original language is saying, asking the who – what – where – why – and how questions (ok, the Bible teacher in me HAD to insert this). But there are seasons, seasons when time captures us. Seasons when even with discipline … our clock is full.
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12) Allow the ‘alive word’ to minister to YOU! One 
verse? Enough? Yes, yes it is with the Holy Spirit whispering in your ear.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man/woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Tim. 3:16-17 (emphasis mine) Allow God to use His word to teach you, guide you and equip you for the day. The Psalmist wrote “Oh how I love Your law, I meditate on it all day long” (Ps. 119:97) Meditate means to reflect, pray, cause your thoughts to return again and again. To chew on it and keep on chewing. May God massage it into our heart and mind.
During that moment of silence with the gals, I shared I once spent days just on Thomas’s ” … my Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28) I didn’t research – I didn’t cross reference, just “My Lord and my God.” Knowing the context, I thought about it, I said it, I pictured it and I prayed it. It was amazing. The gals just sat there and starred at me. I was shocked that they allowed me to sit at their table the following week.
God knows us, knows our heart. For those of us whose season doesn’t allow for hours or minutes of ‘head in the book’ sessions, don’t stress! Don’t feel condemned, if we can give Him just ONE verse, HIS word, He can and will minister to us. It can be amazing.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Walking the Deck
I sat quietly reading in my comfy chair when my son called out rather energetically. “Mom hurry I NEED you!” As I came into the living room, he hands me a controller to Playstation, like I know what to do with it! Excited, he begins to yell out commands, which I assume I am supposed to be following. I took a seat and thus begins the hysterical game playing. I was laughing so hard, I began to wheeze, tears were filling my eyes, the controller nearly falling out of my hands as I bent over.
We were playing Star Wars, he kept saying “Follow me!” I was TRYING! I didn’t know which buttons to push, so I pushed them ALL. Somehow I was
supposed to get my man up on that scooter thingy. Much to MY own amusement, I kept crashing into trees. My job, as I found out later, was to be a distraction so his guy could finish his mission. Before I knew it, Matthew says, “Ok, you can stop now” – had I even begun? The theme to Star Wars came on and I knew he was victorious.
Amazing what part we play in others lives isn’t it? That reminds of those massive ships in the military. One in particular is an aircraft carrier. There is a department that is lovingly called the ‘Yellow Jackets’ (Flight Deck Officers). These are men and women who, yes, wear yellow jackets and spend much of their time directing pilots as they prepare to take off and in their landings. One of their duties is known as ‘walking the deck’. As a pilot is either preparing for take off or landing, they and many other personnel, line up across the deck and slowly – meticulously look for any debris. The debris if left on the flight deck could be very hazardous to the plane, pilot, the mission.
I find it very interesting as I liken it to our own relationships found in the Kingdom of God. We have many roles we play in others lives: Cheerleader, counselor, confidante, mentor, teacher and friend. But we are also to ‘walk the deck’ if you will and do our part helping to remove any debris or obstacles along the way. Do lovingly what it takes to help another to be successful. We are called to encourage. Much of the time our encouraging a brother or sister takes … ‘action’.
Paul shares in, 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” ‘Encourage’ meaning ‘come along side, to aid with help.’ Here’s a dandy – ‘to beseech with a stronger force’. NOT to be confused with the theatrical big screen over used, ‘Force’ mind you. We are to admonish, exhort to better things, cheer each other on in God! He then says, ‘build each other up’, in the King Jimmy it is ‘edify’. Paul is talking in architectural terms. We are constructing. NOT demolishing! Do our words, our actions help build others up, does it motivate them to better things? Or do we blow them off the deck with our harmful words, our motive selfish, holding back so we shine brighter. (OUCH!) When we leave their presence, with the help of the Holy Spirit did we leave them in a better heart condition?
May we too, put on yellow jackets (in spirit of course) link arms with another and join the heavenly forces. May our words of encouragement be met with our actions of love. May we love enough to point out, pick up, and remove any debris. I am fully persuaded there WILL be times when it is messy, times when we get a bit of jet fuel dumped all over us, but Beloved, it is worth it! To see them… soaring! Perhaps we too would hear the theme to Star Wars, well personally I prefer the theme to ROCKY! (queue instrumental song in your head)
Walking the deck with and for others.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
There IS a reason
Young Jeffery comes running in the house on the freshly mopped tile floor, his mom looks up and energetically says, “Be careful!” Mumbling he whispers, “Why?” continuing on as he looks over his shoulder at her, just when he slips and falls head long into the corner of the kitchen table. “So that you don’t slip and fall.”
I appreciate how the word of God is so very practical. We find that God gives insight and instruction with purpose. Often that purpose is just to know His un-limited love. Did you know the VERY significant itty bitty phrase “so that” occurs 747 times in the Bible. Yes, I looked at each one, (with a few mugs of mint hot cocoa mind you) Let’s open our bibles and look at EVERY one! (just kidding) “Perseverance must finish its work SO THAT you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” ( Ja. 1:4 emphasis mine) It’s not just our Father saying, “Because I said so” God has a reason!
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, SO THAT the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Tim. 3:16-17
Paul prays “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, SO THAT you may know Him better” – Eph. 1:17 You may know Him better, that is some great ‘purpose.’
Paul’s story is FULL of ‘so that’s.’ “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, (don’t you just love the ‘But when God’) who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me SO THAT I might preach him among the Gentiles.” – Gal. 1:13-16 (excited commentary, my interjection)
‘Hina’ (hee-naw) is ‘so that ‘in the Greek, conveys ‘demonstrative idea’, meaning, forward thinking, I am telling you this because… impling cause and affect, one might say a huge street sign of sorts. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, SO THAT we may receive mercy and 
find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Heb. 4:16 “These things I (Jesus) have spoken to you SO THAT you will not go astray.” – Jn 16:1 Think if you will, if we failed to approach the throne of grace, or heed the words of Jesus, what would our experience be? Cause and affect.
Those who do not know God or His word find the bible a ‘rule’ book, full of ‘Thou shall nots..” Yet we who do know Him, know it is all said for our good. God is, does, and gives ‘so that ….’ All this is God Fathering us. Let’s face it, God doesn’t need a reason and notice He doesn’t pull the “I AM THAT I AM” card, because “I” said so. “Walk in the ways of the Lord your God, SO THAT you may live and prosper.” –Deut. 5:33
“Put on the full armor of God SO THAT you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” – Eph. 6:11 Use the Word I gave you, so you are ARMED against the Liar, Killer and Destroyer!
May we take notice, read the signs and understand ALL He has to say to us, even the itty-bitty words. God has a reason!
In Him, DeDe (Breaking it down so that “… we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Delight
Words. Love them. They are our primary form of communication. Well besides physical touch, (group hug!) I have the wonderful privilege of conversing with many people, via texting, emailing, phone and YES, I am a Facebooker or the old fashion way, face to face. I am often asked some really great questions. Questions that cause me to ponder, investigate and study HARD to find some form of an intelligent answer. And frankly, if I can’t, I will simply respond with “Uh, I dunno.”
A friend asked, “The preacher was reciting the verse, “Delight in the law of the Lord”. Hmmmm. What do you think that means?” Alrighty! Hands clasped together, now ringing with complete excitement! HUGE smile on my face. I took some time to think this through and pray and yep pulled out the ‘good stuff.’
Here we go: I do not know the ‘context’ that the preacher was using. However, to sum it up quickly, ‘law’ in the OT basically means ‘word’ – God’s word to them/us. The first 5 books are called the Books of the Law (Torah). The ‘Law of the Lord’ is affectionately known as the “Law of Love.” I have included a website (at the bottom and geeky side note) that explains very simply about those 5 books.
Delight (‘hepe‘ in the Hebrew) means ‘desire,’ may be used for that which a person wishes ‘strongly to do or have’. Now put in context to Gods law, His word to the Israelites, on a practical sense, breaking it down – His word to you and I. Do we desire strongly to have His 
word in our heart – do we desire strongly to DO IT! This delight is NOT a fleeting emotion, it is not a hap-hazard ‘want’. It is HAVE to have. Some scholars describe it as a ‘pursuit’. Do we PURSUE God and His word. (hm…) Here’s a get in your face thought (it did mine) Do I simply ‘believe in God’ or do I BELIEVE God? Big difference. If I believe in Him, that is nice, He’s an awesome Creator and that may be as far as I go. But if I ‘believe Him’, I will – DELIGHT, desire – PURSUE. (sigh)
Back to the phrase, “Delight in the law of the Lord.” Let’s look at Psalms 119. Go ahead, grab your Bible, I’ll wait. See how many times the words ‘law-statues-precepts-decree-commands-word’ are mentioned? When time permits, go back and underline each one. Verse 16 “I delight in your decrees.” Verse 24 “Your statues are my delight..” Verse 47 “I delight in your comands” (to name a few) It proceeds to state that Gods word – His Law affects us that our response is: “I learn-believe-speak-trust-hope-keep-obey-live-follow-meditate and stray not from Your word – ‘law’. Verse 97 “Oh, how I love your law… ” Verse 120 ” I stand in awe of your laws…”
My favorite use of ‘delight is in the law of the Lord’ is in Psalm 1. Quick paraphrase, “Blessed is the man who does not walk with the wicked-stand in the way of sinners – sit in the seat of mockers.” (v. 1) See the progression ,’walk-stand-sit’, ends up pretty tight, (another study sometime). THEN verse 2 “BUT his delight is in the law of the Lord…” But his desire is Gods word to him. I will personalize it. I have a PASSION for His word, there are times I have ‘strayed’ but not so far and so long, as to not ‘desire’ His word, for me – it beckons me. (I’m wierd) To be BLUNT, all we 
really have IS His word. In print. Lasting GENERATIONS. YET… it is not just mere words on paper. Heb.4:12 “For the word of God is living and active…” Ever been reading and BOOM, the word literally jumps off the page and ATTACKS your heart! Amazing stuff. It is the relationship with the inspiring Author, that makes the book so stinkin exciting. (ok, breathe, rein it in DeDe)
You may say, “But I don’t really have THAT kind of desire for God’s word, I am not compelled to read it or WANT it, but I would like to.” Then ask God for it. King David wrote, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps. 37:4) I am fully persuaded, David didn’t mean, be happy in God and He will grant all your hearts wildest dreams. I believe God plants those desires there, in your heart. Desires for Him, His word, righteousness. I know He did mine, because frankly I am WAY too lazy to muster up this kind of passion for anything, and passion it is.
After sharing this with my friend, she said ‘delight’ is now her new word. How exciting! Delight on Lord! Delight her with awestruck moments of Holy inspired, need to take a deep breath stuff! May she continuely come back for more – day after day. May we all! Let the journey of the pursuit begin.
“Delight in the law of the Lord”.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb.10:24)
* The Law: The First Five Books: http://bible.org/seriespage/law-first-five-books
* Interesting Side Note: The Torah (“Teaching”) is the Jewish name for the first five books of the Jewish Bible. In Hebrew the five books are named by the first phrase in the text: Bereshit (“In [the] beginning,” Genesis), Shemot (“Names,” Exodus), Vayikra (“He called”, Leviticus), Bamidbar (“In the desert,” Numbers) and Devarim (“Words,” Deuteronomy).
Resource List: Strong’s Concordance, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of OT & NT, Theological Dictionary of the OT, Bible Knowledge Commentary on the book of Psalms, Hebrew Interlinear Bible, NIV, KJV. (and any other geeky book or website I may have grabbed and read)
Captivated, A Fresh New Year
I have been asked, “What does the Word of God do for you?” I was offered time to think and respond via email. I did just that, ‘thought about it’. Keep in mind as I share my response I am wired a bit weird. As a bible teacher it is a sturdy text book in my hand, I can not shake loose the desire to grab a principle, dissect a word, or link a verse to another and before I know, I have a stack of geeky books at my feet or multiple windows open in my bible software. However…
“What does the Word do for me?” My first gut response when I heard the question was 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “… all scripture is God breathed and good for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” And this is why? Verse 17 “… so that the man (woman) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Gotta love the ‘so that’ of God! Breathe God!
I thought further. Hm … depends on the daily circumstance AND what portion of scripture I am reading, currently I have begun to dig into the book of John and by that I mean, get out the excavating tools, no… LARGE heavy equipment! Continuing… there are times (the Word) CONFIRMS. Confirms that I too am human, just as the characters in the bible. I read about Peter and sure enough, I can relate to his ambitious outbursts, not that I would actually crawl out of a boat and attempt water walking – but I’d do something of the like and swinging that sword and getting the ear 
or telling Jesus NO. Yep… confirms.
God’s word also gives me COURAGE. I read David’s story and I see all the stupid mistakes (I so appreciate God does not cover up the faults of His heroes.) I see the longings of his heart. The run FULL FORCE towards his God at times, the end results may not have been what most would think ‘rewarding’ – but he loved and lived. REGARDLESS, he is forever etched in history as ‘the man after Gods own heart.’ THIS gives me courage. In the same breath, it encourages me. Taking another’s experience, hearing, observing and learning from it, enfolding it into my own, and giving me courage to walk in the same direction. (DeDe’s definition of encourage)
God’s word CONFRONTS. I have literally had His word stand in front of me… BOLDLY . I know THAT sounds weird, but I know that resonates with some of us. If I am behaving in such a way that is not …um… honorable, His word stands against that behavior like a blockade in the road. I am quick to say, “NO, I do NOT heed to it all the time and found that I have ‘ran around’ it.” But I honestly believe, a God loving, Jesus follower, Spirit 
indwelled person WILL be confronted by God’s word.
Then, God’s word CORRECTS. I MUST add ‘if’ we allow it. Sigh… this is NOT enjoyable at times, but since God’s word is LIVING and ACTIVE and we are Spirit indwelled, we are (in my estimate) required to interact with the Word of God. And by golly, if we truly ‘ listen’ at times, it DOES cut to the very marrow. Which indeed is … painful. The bible is our manual, our guide, God inspired those who penned it, so it’s God’s personal letter to us. I would call it ‘the relational manual’ – God is all about relationship. He will tell us through His word where we lack, where we need adjustment, where we don’t align, AND how we are loved. He gave very careful concern to express love, He embraces us, like fathers arms, hugging while He says “I love you, I love you so much, I don’t want you hurt, this is what will help prevent that….” Some call the bible, God’s rule book – I beg to differ. What a harsh concept. I do not want to live my life according to a ‘rule’ book, steps of engagement for God’s approval (ick.)
What does God’s word do for me? His word COMFORTS. When reading words like “… give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name…” (David) What comfort! I can tell Him like it is. The Psalms and other places bring the ‘tenderness’ of scripture to life. Psalm 85 says ‘love and faithfulness meet together… the Lord will indeed give what is good’. How many times are we overwhelmed and we reach for a Psalm, that tender whisper, “He makes me lie down… restores my soul… He guides me… He turned my wailing into dancing….You are my hiding place.” Oh how the inspired penned the cry of our heart! Psalm 63, “My soul thirsts for You …. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory… I will praise Your name… and in Your name I will lift up my 
hands, my soul is satisfied.” (I will add a ‘selah’ here) AND His response, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ Yes, His word comforts.
For me, His word CALLS. It beckons, like when God called out Samuel’s name over and over. It wasn’t man calling – it was God. I do believe that God speaks direction, ‘calling’ (if you will) through His word. There are times I will be reading and soon my eyes well up, I ‘see’ what He is saying and I can not – NOT share it. His Spirit calls so strong through His word, I may end up on the floor face down. The word calls.
I know it was somewhat a simple question, “What does the Word do for you?” And I went a bit ‘C’ happy (sorry). It confirms, gives me courage, it confronts, corrects, comforts and calls me. But when all is said and done, it CAPTIVATES me. I am amazed at the stories, the triumphs, war cries, bush a flame, walking on water, violent storms calmed and abandoned “My Lord and my God!” declarations. HIS word!
Now, I present the question to YOU. As we step into a fresh new year. “What does the Word of God do for you?” Take time to ponder – examine. Are we in the Word enough to have it impact us? Does it comfort us, correct and by golly may it captivate! Remember to PRAY before you pull those pages open. Prayer, an amazing thing. Some make it more complex than it is, more lengthy then needed and by golly more King James than understood. Simply talk to the Author of the Book, ask Him to show you…
In my bible I have written (put there in the early 80’s) When reading the Word look for:
An example to follow – a sin to avoid – a command to obey – a promise to claim – a new thought about God – a difficulty to explore – a matter for prayer.
Your word, captivate us Lord!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds” – Heb. 10:24)
Now What? Post Christmas
It is progressive. I see it like one of those funny long conveyor belt ‘walking spaces’ at the airport, where all you have to do is step on it and off you go, it is moving ahead of you, moving where you are, and moving behind you. In a sense the ‘everlasting’ walking space. THAT is our God, He is here and behind us, and ahead of us. Ever try to go back? What a waste of energy! It was designed to go forward.
Three P’s of Christmas Peace
Christmas. Just the word alone brings a soft glow to the soul. Images of lights, man in a red suit, baby in the manger, faint sounds of jingle bells and shiny ribboned gifts under the tree. Now let’s throw in a cozy fire, soft quilted blanket, cookies and Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey yelling “Mary!” as he runs through the old drafty house. A peaceful experience. Peace.
Christmas peace, Luke 2:14, when the angel appears to the shepherds, he pulls in the backup singers for this declaration, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, on whom his favor rests.” Not only was God gettin some glory, but Peace had come to earth. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Sound familiar? “A baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
This New Testament word, peace, ‘eirene’ (i-ray-nay) meaning as O. T. shalom does, prosperity, quietness and wholeness. But it literally means ‘to set at one again.’ The word picture is this: picture if you will something of great importance has been toppled over, with it down, effecting life as we know it, chaos, frustration even unrest. When it is erected again, (set at one) then all is well when it is in its place. Remember Adam and Eve sinning in the garden? (Thanks guys!) The original design, ‘God and man’ had been ‘toppled over.’ Gone were the daily walks together in the garden. Jesus came, setting things back in the right place. God and man in right relationship. “The Word became flesh (Jesus) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (emphasis mine) It may not be the Garden, but God again walking with us. Emmanuel, oh the ‘with us’ of God! Peace is a Person.
One of my favorite Christmas carols, ‘Hark the Herald Angels sing’, such theology dripping from this song: “Hark the herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled.” Jesus, Peace, God back on earth, setting things right again. God and sinners reconciled.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, (set at one again) 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Eph. 2:13-18) Please read that verse again, slowly. We are now back where we were originally designed to be, full access to God, able to come into His presence. Paul declares this point … “Since we have been justified through faith we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 Peace is position
Peace the Person, peace the position is ALWAYS available. John strongly shares “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Often this verse is used as an evangelistic tool, and a GREAT tool for the Holy Spirit, however, John did not write this to the unbeliever, he wrote it to the Christian. Many of us think, well I gave my heart to the Lord at the altar, “I’m good with the Big Guy.” Are we? How is our heart, unrest? There are times we don’t have a clue as to why the unrest. Ask as King David did, “Search me O God…” (Ps. 139:23) Then… listen. Address what He tells us.
As we ‘confess’, we are saying the same thing about it that God does. It actually means to concede, a STRONG word, admitting that you have been defeated and stop trying to win. WOW. Does that define us or what! I am now in full agreement, I align with what You say God. To ‘stop’ doing something we have to ‘start’ doing something else. I don’t stop standing, until I START walking. In this process, we are taking what was ‘toppled over’ returning to the original design and bringing Jesus back to His rightful peaceful place. THIS is a daily thing. We mess up, we get cleaned up. Peace restored. Peace is a process.
This Christmas as we sing and sway with the Hoo’s in Hooville, drink another glass of eggnog, rip open the thin paper off our packages, and read PEACE across our Christmas cards, may we pause and consider whole heartedly, we, mankind have the opportunity to be at peace, restored back to God. Yes, Peace had indeed come to earth, and He is KING.
Peace is a Person, a position, a process.
In Him, DeDe & Mark (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds” ~ Heb. 10:24)
Awe Maker
Three year old Kallie was nestled safely in her Uncles arms as they waited in line to see Santa at the local tree lighting ceremony. Uncle Brian quietly stepped out of line and worked his way to the window of Santa’s house. 
Pointing and in a whispered tone, “There he is.” She saw him, she saw Santa! She was so excited she began to shake and squirm. In her extreme joy and not knowing how to express her amazement, she boldly placed both hands on her uncles face, and kissed his cheek with everything within her. She … was … thrilled!
What is it for us that causes us such thrill? A favorable outcome to a ball game? An unexpected bonus check that has just been handed to us. Watching someone sincerely walk up the aisle for the altar call. Or even as simple as awakend at 3:00am, in the quiet night you hear the echoing sounds of an owl calling to another. Thrilling! Some big and some just special enough for … you.
How about God and God stuff, does that thrill us? Does HE thrill us? Psalm 92:4 is attributed to David as he wrote, “You thrill me, LORD, with all You have done for me! I sing for joy because of what You have done.” (emphasis mine) Some translations use happy, rejoice and glad, yet those alone don’t seem to magnify what David was attempting to proclaim. Pause for a brief moment and think about David. As he left the hills of his fathers fields, to the courtyards of Saul’s mansion, to the victories of battle, to his reigning years as King. We can’t deny his many failures, and frankly his stupid mistakes. Yet, regardless, he knew. He thanked. He praised. He was in AWE of his God.
The word thrill is ‘Samah’ (saw-mock, ending with a deep guttural throat sound) a Hebrew verb, meaning extreme joy, but it doesn’t stop there! This joy causes the lighting up of the eyes, spontaneous feeling of jubilance. A feeling so strong that it finds expression in some external act. Joyful awe.
Devouring many scholars take on this, I was stopped in my research tracks when I came to: “Samah is not meant to be kept to one’s self, it is meant to be shared!” So David penned, “You thrill me LORD!” For all to read. I feel compelled to ask, “Do we allow, or even invite God to thrill us, to be our Awe Maker?”
Jesus and the disciples were in a boat out on the water, a ravaging storm comes up, the disciples do what most men would do… they freak! Jesus stands, exclaims, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind died down and it was completely calm. The narrative says, “The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matt. 8, Mark 4, Luke 8) AWE.
A more intimate example, John 20, Thomas struggles with doubt about 
what they say about Jesus, that He had indeed risen from the dead. Jesus now stands in front of him, His nail pierced hands extended towards Thomas. Thomas responds, “My Lord and my God!” It doesn’t say it in print, but I am fully persuaded Thomas fell to his knees. Wonderment, respect, reverence, overwhelming joy. Awe.
Spurgeon so eloquently shares, “If we are unbelieving, it is not Gods fault, for He goes out of His way to teach us faith—and sometimes He even gives what we have no right to ask, what we have no reason to expect. We are so weak, so ignorant, so prone to unbelief that He will do anything to create, sustain and strengthen our faith in Him!”
I love it when God shows off with fabulous sunsets, a white seagull soaring with the backdrop of bright blue sky. Fall colors blazing the trees, or the cry of a newborn baby. Go God!
May we not belittle or mock Your brilliance Lord, but invite and EMBRACE You as our Awe Maker, go out of Your way! Open our eyes, unstop our ears, calm our storms, show us Your hand, all in doing so, we share with others. A seemingly silly example, but it paints the picture, just like Kallies uncle, “There he is…”
“You thrill me Lord!”
In Him, DeDe
(“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Call to pause, Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays! Besides the yummy food, desserts, beautifully set tables and wild and fun games played at family gatherings, OH and FOOTBALL! I so appreciate the call to pause. Pause and reflect. Reflect on the goodness of God. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for.
The Psalmist penned so eloquently, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High” Ps 92:1
Paul wrote while under Roman guard, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Phil 4:6 (emphasis mine) He continues with his directness about our approach to God and God stuff, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thess 5:16-18
There is yet another portion of scripture that speaks loudly to thanksgiving, but I doubt we will ever see its words printed in gold leaf across a Hallmark card, though worthy of even more.
We turn to Luke chapter 17, verses 11-19. In short, Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, ten men with leprosy call out, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” The narrative says Jesus saw them, healing them, tells them “go show yourselves to the priest.” They all left, never to be seen again.
But ONE. One came back, throwing himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him for his healing. Verses 15,16 “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God . He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him…” He wasnt quiet about it./>
Jesus’ response, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? WOW! OH, that I would be so very careful to pause, come and throw myself at Jesus’ feet … always. I have made so many stupid mistakes, wandered here and there. But Jesus is always there! There for me to throw myself at His feet. THANKSGIVING!
Jesus tells the ‘one’ who thanked Him, ‘arise, go – your faith has made you whole.’ This ‘whole’ is sozo (in the Greek) – meaning not ONLY a physical healing, but conveying protection, to heal both physically and spiritually, to bring safely through, to justify. The opposite of this you ask? To BANISH! In addition, making this SO amazing, this one man was a Samaritan. The Samaritans were treated rather discriminatingly, they were considered ‘half breeds’ and not really worthy of folks’ time. Now a Jew, a Jewish LORD has not banished him, but healed him. He KNEW! He thanked!
Principle we pull forward? Thanksgiving will lead us to wholeness! Jesus wants us to pause, take notice, come back and thank Him. Have some of us ran off with no hesitation, or are we so busy that we fail to take notice of His goodness. Or do some of us need to pause and come back, back to the feet of Jesus. Be the one!
Call to pause, thanksgiving. “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD.”
Trained Sight
“Do you see anything?” A Stereogram. You know, those funny posters that cause us to pause and ultimately cross our eyes with hopes of seeing the picture. Once you train your eyes to see it, it’s easy to see. Trained sight. [Note: the answer to what is in the picture is at the bottom of this devotion, you have to read ALL the way down.]
Recently, Mark my beloved and I were asked to take the night of teaching at our Marrieds Group while our faithful leaders were enjoying some much-needed time away and relaxing. We opened with Mark carrying around a tray of multiple small household items, (i.e. car keys, black electrical tape, screw driver, ballpoint pen, nail polish etc – etc) each participant was asked, “See what is in front of you, remember it, learn it.” Each person was to later write down what they saw in front of them. This game sound familiar? Some have played a variation of this at Baby Showers. However, as Mark left the room, (and the folks wrote their answers) I asked them to refer to their list and see how close they came. I began …”What color shirt was Mark wearing?” “Does he wear glasses… does he have a beard … tennis shoes or cowboy boots?” Groanings and “Oh man!” was now being heard among the couple dozen folks. The instructions were, “See what is in front of you, remember it, learn it.”
The Lord has been showing me, that often we don’t ‘see’ what is right in front of us, we are busy seeing what ‘WE’ think is important, (read that again: ‘We see what WE think is important’) Observation is HUGE, being aware is valuable, wisdom and training is a must. Remember the repeated intimate greeting in the movie, Avatar, “I see you.” Oh that we would SEE! See our loved ones, with observation and awareness. Lord, train us with YOUR wisdom… to see.
I was taken to the book of Mark, (sharing with the group) chapter 8, to set the context: A few folks approached Jesus and the disciples, begging Jesus
to heal their friend who was blind. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and took him out of the village. “When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” (verses 23-25) Amazing story, nothing like Holy DNA in your eyes!
When Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He basically asked him if he had the ability to see, do you have your SIGHT? The man replied that he could see, but it was blurry. So Jesus again put His hands on him and the man could now see clearly. NOT just the ability to see, but see in DETAIL. The word used to describe his sight, he saw everything ‘clearly‘, means he now had enough information to contemplate and consider, to think about (something or someone) carefully, especially in order to make a choice or decision. Jesus didn’t leave him with JUST the ability to see, He wanted him to have MORE! More to see beyond what was just in front of him ‘People, as if trees walking around.” He NEEDED to see more.
Narrowing this down to our lives, unpacking down to even our relationships, “How do we see?” How do we see our spouses and those closest to us. Are they a bit blurry. Do we seek to see in detail? (metaphorically speaking).
I asked Mark to share with the group a few things he had seen in me, observed over the last couple of years, “You are far more creative than analytical, I am the opposite. You like variety: You don’t like to watch two episodes of the same show in a row, your coffee or cocoa needs to be different each day, I drink my coffee the same everyday, just black.” He continues, “If you feel you should know how to do something or can figure it out, I need to be careful about trying to jump in and help you right away, it may only frustrate you.” Hm… I might add, GREAT sight!
Often to fully understand something, it helps to look at what it is NOT, at the opposite. The opposite of what Mark narrated about the blind man seeing ‘clearly’ (in reference to this in the Greek) ‘paratheoreo’ it is to overlook, disregard or neglect. Here’s the kicker, ‘to be CARELESS with the information received.’ Yup, BLIND! But it is more, it is in the response. Using this, how would it be if my loving husband were ‘careless’ with the information he observed about me, if he neglected and discarded it as useless. WOW! ‘Seeing’ is not only gathering information (observation) but valuing it as worthwhile to address and take action accordingly. This screams, “I love you, I value you!” Make sense?
Once we gather this ‘seeing’ information about our loved one, (my observation of my husband) “Hm… he is very quiet when I ask him a question about doing something” Long pause on his end. I too pause and 
ask God for wisdom, “If any lacks wisdom he should ask of God who gives generously to all.” – James 1:5 Wisdom, ‘inviting the practical application of my God into my very moment’ (DeDe’s definition) Not disregarding that I have noticed that if I push him for an answer or neglect that he is a ‘Thinker’ and thinks things through quietly and solidly, I would indeed be careless and overlook him for my own agenda. Wise sight.
The author of Psalms 119 wrote, “… train me well in Your deep wisdom. Help me understand these things inside and out so I can ponder Your miracle-wonders.” (verses 26-27) Further on, “Train me in good common sense; I’m thoroughly committed to living Your way. Before I learned to answer You, I wandered all over the place, but now I’m in step with Your word. You are good, and the source of good, train me in Your goodness.” (verses 66-68 The Message, emphasis mine)
Jesus may have to take us by the hand and take us out, to help us see, like He did the blind man. He may have to lay His hands on us more than once, to open our eyes, see clearly and heal us. Healed sight.
Like the Stereogram above, it may be blurry, but may we ask God to help us see, see our spouses with understanding and insight. May we have Wise sight. When God shows us things, wise things, allow Him to train us in ‘good common sense’ (love that) how to apply what we have learned. Trained sight.
Lord, help us to see our loved ones.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Pssst… the hidden picture above in the stereogram, is three crosses over the empty tomb of Jesus. Oh and Mark was wearing a long-sleeve blue shirt, he does wear glasses, has a goatee and had on neither tennis shoes or boots, but brown casual dress shoes.
When Life Gets Stupid
I heard a quote yesterday that I thought was SOOO good, I wrote it down, (though short enough to remember). I wanted to jot it in the back of my bible, (but I haven’t yet). I think it is good enough to place on the frig as a daily reminder, (so I will).
The quote? “When life gets stupid”. Isn’t THAT so stinkin true! Life just gets crazy stupid at times, with family, friends, church, ministry, chores, phone calls, emails, grocery shopping, work, PLANNING DINNER … on and on the list goes! Oh I HAVE to add dusting. Since I don’t do it often, I feel better that it even made the list!
Albert Einstein, known not only for his genius status, but one who ‘called it like it is’, was quoted as saying, “Two things are infinite. The universe and human stupidity… and I’m not sure about the universe.” When Life gets stupid.
I thought about this throughout the day yesterday. Hm, when life does get hectic and messy, often our 
responses reach for stupidity. You know, when we completely lack any form of intelligence or flippantly forget to grasp common sense, we just… take off running (in ALL directions) and accomplish practically nothing in the process. And perhaps that stupidity takes its liberty, and brings along a dear friend whose name is Chaos. WHAT do I do with it (them) stupidity and chaos? How do I take pause and prioritize?
The answer? Wisdom! That ‘w’ word. Webster defines wisdom as ‘The quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgement.’ I like to break it down to even simpler terms, ‘inviting the practical application of my God into my very moment.’ I think James must have had a few of these days, he says ‘those of you who lack wisdom ASK …’ (1:5) He goes on to say “Ask the lady at the check out stand.” Um, NO! Ask your very best buddy? Again, NO! “Ask GOD!” God, who gives generously. There WILL be days that we NEED to tap into this 
generous offer. God will show us by His Spirit and in His word skills in the affairs of life, wise and insightful paths. He will give moral understanding and offer practical application, the Biblical definition of this wisdom James speak of. If you are like me, you need step-by-step instruction to dig yourself out. He will do THAT! If you lack insight, the skills needed in the moment, understanding and by golly HOW to apply all this God stuff…ask. “God WHAT is it You want in this very moment?” HOW am I to respond, give me the words and the plan, show me what is most important right now” He is the God of our now! Take just a brief breath to exhale this as well (go for the extra measure) “WHY are my motives important … WHERE should Your name be placed?” May I boldly offer, when/while asking this of God, put the bat down, the one you are beating yourself with. He is loving, He will answer. Just make sure you listen with followup obedience when He speaks to you. “Wisdom begins with a proper understanding of who God is and who we are not.” – Andy Stanley (emphasis mine) We need to listen.
When life gets stupid? Remember, pause, ask God. Wisdom.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
A Changed Breath
Have you ever held a fluffy dandelion and gently blown, watching the seeds take flight, captured by a breeze and float away? It has a technical name of Wind Dispersal, I call it childlike fun, a gentle wind caused by my own breath. Sewing seeds.
Not all seed casting can be gentle, often some are thrown with extreme strength, thrusting the seed out, smattering with scattered force. Paints a violent picture does it not. This is where Saul (also known as Paul) was found in Acts chapters 8 and 9. Saul lands on the pages of scripture in this same violent force, he is first seen holding the jackets of those stoning Stephen, accepting and participating. A few verses later, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priests and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners…” (Acts 9: 1,2 emphasis mine) Saul breathed out murderous threats. THAT is some really bad, icky wicked breath! These threats weren’t just being mean, the word Luke uses to describe Saul, shares strong ATTITUDE. Saul, being a highly educated ‘religious’ man, was treating Jesus followers in contempt, regarding them as inferior and worthless. His breath was that of severe reproach, fault-finding on petty matters. Sewing seeds. BAD seeds. Harmful, painful seeds.
I often find the Lord’s responses extremely humorous, Saul was heading to Damascus to ‘Get those Jesus followers!” Instead, Jesus intercepts. Gotta love Jesus interceptions! In short, Paul is DRAMATICALLY saved, he has seen the light! What mercy, what grace! What love on God’s part. Taking a step back and looking at Paul’s life, he had a change of breath. His once condemning threats have turned to, he writes: “Paul, an apostle, sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead … To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Gal. 1-5) He continues to greet those in Rome, Corinth and Ephesus, Philippi and Colosse in the same manner, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father.” What transformation! His change of breath helped change the world. From reproach to praise. From scolding to encouraging. From death to life. You would never conceive the same wicked threatening man would pen “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. ” – Eph. 4:29
May we consider applying to our own lives a change of breath. How are our words, actions and attitudes sewing? Do we like as Saul once did, regard others as inferior or worthless. Does our attitude scream contempt? Or does our whispered words float on mean breezes. Do we need a Jesus interception – perhaps AGAIN! Yes, we are saved but need Him in our face! (Just sayin it like it is)
May we sew God loving, grace ministering seeds.
A changed breath.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Redefining the Season
September, October and November. Ah… I love the Fall season. The weather changes from the thick warm air to the now wrap yourself in your favorite quilt. With the changing of the season comes the changing of routine. Vacations have taken their place in fond memories, the kids again are finding the big yellow bus, and coffee seems to again take on a priority of the cool mornings. Season and change have somewhat of a synonymous meaning.
Certain seasons bring with them familiarity, habits and patterns. For years my summer months consisted of preparing, studying and researching for the upcoming launch of the Fall Womens Bible Study. As the Leader, I gathered and met with my team of women, sent out the postcard invitations to the women of the church, then on that September fall morning with Bible and notebook in hand, and a message on my heart, I stood welcoming some 40 gals as they bustled in all cheery eyed, hugging amongst all as if the reunion could not be soon enough. For the next few months, we studied, prayed, laughed, cried and grew in our love for God together. Seasons.
Often with the change of season comes an entangled set of habits or life patterns. Some of course are a necessity, running out the door as we drop off the kids to practice, battle traffic to get to work. However, (let us take pause) there may be life patterns (not so good and no so healthy) that have the OPTION of change. “Hm… we have an ‘option?’ But I’ve always done it this way, this is all I know. This is WHO I am. This is familiar.” We self define and define the season. May I boldly say, “We are too COMFORTABLE here.” If you would allow me, (whilst the kids are now safely on the bus, morning duties completed, and it’s just you and I.) Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to His gentle whisper. Are there thought patterns or a heart condition that need to be addressed? Is THIS the season to address them?
Recently looking at Paul’s words to the folks in Philippi (chapter 4) he speaks to anxiety and prayer, God’s peace, having a gentle spirit and joy. He then pens those words… you know the ones where he commissions us 
to basically get our mental act together: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell (think) on these things.” – verse 8 (emphasis mine) The last couple of days I have looked at what it is to ‘think’ about stuff. Stuff.. all stuff. I came across a very interesting word in the Greek, ‘eunoia’ (yoo-noy-ah) meaning, ‘wholeheartedness, enthusiasm, eagerness’. But it is much more, in short, (trust me, I’m being SHORT) eunoia is well minded or beautiful thinking. It can also mean ‘to agree’. How/what are we ‘thinking?’ Are they beautiful thoughts? Are they true, right and pure? Are they God thoughts, are we ‘agreeing’ with Him? Do we have thought patterns that NEED some changing? Now is the time.
Solomon spoke to seasonal changing as well:
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time (season)for every event under heaven—
A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. ” – Ecc 3:1-8 NAS
Is it time? The ‘appointed’ God time. Time to take that hurt that may seem to sit in a priced glass box for others to see, take it out and give it to God, ‘a time to heal.’ Is it time to change the ‘torn apart’ and ‘sew together?’ Is it the season to build up, laugh, dance, to embrace? Is it time to give birth to something new in your heart?
YOU define the season. Redefining. The season for change is now. Think on it. Think with your whole heart, enthusiastically and with much eagerness. If this is a season to ‘prepare’ for the next, then …prepare.
“Father, we invite You, come and invade our thoughts, just as King David said, “O Lord You have searched me and You know me, You know when I sit and when I rise, You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down, You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely.*” You know us. Grace us with desire to change, the insight to see and the wisdom to do it. We are Yours. In the most powerful and precious name of Jesus.”
Redefining the season. Just like Michael Jordan redefined the jump shot, YOU redefine this season, from mourning to laughter.
Shoot me an email if you prayed this prayer with eagerness, (dede4him@gmail.com)
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
*Psalm 139:1-4
The Picture of Understanding
Missing Element
Recently a dear friend passed on to me a question asked of her and invited me to chew on it a bit and let her know what I came up with. A co-worker has been struggling with Matthew 6, where Jesus exhorts us NOT to worry about food and clothing. In context to this portion of scripture, lies her mindset, “If God is concerned about the ‘little stuff’ (food /clothing v. 24-34) and being ALL knowing, All powerful, then why … why does bad things happen to good people?” Where is God in it all? THIS is an age old struggle. One that I have set in the middle of the room and walked around it many times, sitting and pondering, get up and walk around it again. (if you will) With one resolve, I concluded… God is still GOOD.
First before we step down, and take off running, Jesus isn’t necessarily speaking to need for food and clothing, He is addressing our focus, the energy it takes. He continues with, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” (v. 32b-33) Look to God, go to Him. SPEND yourself, spend your energy pursuing Him and His Stuff, FIRST.
The world is full of heartache, pain and suffering. Murder, rape, theft, decease and abuse … the list is vast is it not! “Why do bad things happen to good people?” In my research to offer some kind of an answer, I came across an
Depressed little girl
article written by Jewish Rabbi, Aron Moss. His words spoke volumes to me, rather than trying to summarize them, he has this to say:
“Why bad things happen to good people?” If this ultimate question were answered, then we would be able to make peace with the suffering of innocents. And that is unthinkable. Worse than innocent people suffering is others watching their suffering unmoved. (read THAT again!) And that’s exactly what would happen if we were to understand why innocents suffer. We would no longer be bothered by their cry, we would no longer feel their pain, because we would understand why it is happening.
Imagine you are in a hospital and you hear a woman screaming with pain. Outside her room, her family is standing around chatting, all smiling and happy. You scream at them, “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you hear how much pain she is in?” They answer, “This is the delivery ward. She is having a baby. Of course we are happy.”
When you have an explanation, pain doesn’t seem so bad anymore. We can tolerate suffering when we know why it is happening.
And so, if we could make sense of innocent people suffering, if we could rationalize tragedy, then we could live with it. We would be able to hear the cry of sweet children in pain and not be horrified. We would tolerate seeing broken hearts and shattered lives, for we would be able to neatly explain them away. Our question would be answered, and we could move on.
But as long as the pain of innocents remains a burning question, we are bothered by its existence. And as long as we can’t explain pain, we must alleviate it. If innocent people suffering does not fit into our worldview, we must eradicate it. Rather than justifying their pain, we need to get rid of it.
So keep asking the question, why do bad things happen to good people. But stop looking for answers. Start formulating a response. Take your righteous anger and turn it into a force for doing good. Redirect your frustration with injustice and unfairness and channel it into a drive to fight injustice and unfairness. Let your outrage propel you into action. When you see innocent people suffering, help them. Combat the pain in the world with goodness. Alleviate suffering wherever you can.
We don’t want answers, we don’t want explanations, and we don’t want closure. We want an end to suffering. And we dare not leave it up to G-d to alleviate suffering. He is waiting for us to do it. That’s what we are here for.” (emphasis mine) — Thank you Rabbi Aron.
Working through this these last couple of weeks, I was amazed when sitting in church, the guest speaker, a missionary in the Philippines by the name of Mark, stood before us. With a transparency that had us all leaning forward eager to hear, he shared what was for me, the missing element to my quest. He bluntly, yet so tenderly stated, “It is not WHY, we should ask, but … ‘WHAT?’ From there, I got my own little sermon whispered in my ear from the Holy Spirit. “What Lord do You want me to do now… What do You want me to learn … What part do I have in this?”
“Why?” Tends to just seek an answer, “What?” Can lend to ACTION! “What do I ‘DO’, what do I ‘learn.’ Heartache and pain, does indeed generate the ‘whys’, let’s do our best to generate action, with a WHAT!
I do not know if this answers the question for this gal, yet I do know for myself, it helps me to remember to continue to spend my energy on seeking God and God stuff. Challenging me, being aware of my God starts when I learn and accept the limitations of my own self-sufficiency. Where is God? He is … in ME! He desires to use me. Use me to help reduce someone’s pain, remove the suffering. Also, that we live in a fallen world, where fallen and sinful humans dwell, where bad things happen. But God.
I will leave us with, “Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who YOU are” ( Harold S. Kushner) I will add, because of ‘Whose’ you are. We are children of the Most High King, now go…
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Exciting Challenge
SUMMER! Just ahead… if you are like me, at the end of my spring time study focus I begin to think about what I am going to read this summer. Usually, I begin my list with an adventurous Christian fiction novel, I tend to lean towards a historical setting, one full of romance, travel and faith. And of course, strong characters that cause me to close my eyes and picture myself right where they are or shake my head in complete questionable wonder. Summer!
I am changing the genre this year, I am going for a true story, yet holds all the 
same elements that grip my attention. My goal is to read the entire Bible in 90 days. Yes, that’s right in three months. It is an average of 16 chapters a day. Those who know me best, KNOW I can not do THAT in my normal way. I am a ‘rabbit trail’ reader. I will begin reading a verse or portion of scripture and before I know it have multiple windows open on my laptop, stacks of books chaotically laying at my feet and Notepad full of notes to organize later. Over the course of the next few weeks beginning June 1st, I will set aside my study resources, my goal is to gain a glimpse of the entire story from Genesis to Revelations, asking the Holy Spirit to make all the connections of characters and see God’s hand move with a gentle wave over HIS story. I will however have a notebook with me, instead of running off immersing myself in deep research, I will quickly jot down the things He illuminates for me to study … later.
How about it? YOU want to join me? I will be using GateWays online 90 day plan [ https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/bible-in-90-
days/today?version=NIV ] It offers the option to choose the translation you want, I would encourage a translation that of course is easy to read (New Living Translation, The Message or New International Version) due to the amount of reading, if you are like me NOT a great ‘reader’, scan and skim… always PRAYING before you read, that God opens your eyes, mind and heart to ‘see’ what He wants you to see.
As the saying goes, “There’s an APP for that!” If you prefer to have this accessible on your SmartPhone, ‘YouVersion’ offers the 90 day phone App as well.
Most importantly, this goal is to gain an overview of God – His story, much like a whirlwind vacation trip, taking pictures along the way. PLEASE do not grow discouraged if you miss a day, or get behind, this is not a ‘competition’ with others and or yourself.
I would love to hear from you, if you feel this would fit your summer reading or sense God whispering in your ear, “Do this…”
Be blessed!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Crossing the Line (Again)
It has been said throughout history, “Now you have really crossed the line.” Many, if not most often was said to those who made stupid (STUPID) decisions. Crossing the ‘line,’ declares once on the other side chaos is the potential reality. The line. You know, the place where good and bad stand facing each other. Ever find yourself there? Standing either on the line, straddling it or now … just inches beyond. Regret is the instant response. Crossing the line.
Aaron of the Old Testament was a line crosser. Exodus 32. Painting the scene: Moses was up on the Mount with God, God was etching the Law on the Tablets. While this was happening, chaos below. The people grew restless (‘restless’ sermon in itself, for another time) Aaron was left in charge. Leadership was not new to him, being Moses’ brother, he was at his side confronting Pharaoh in Egypt, he was there when Manna and Quail was provided to the people, he along with Hur held up Moses’ arms in the battle against the Amalekites. Now. Now the folks come to AARON frustrated and lost, “Do something… make us gods to follow…” The line. Aaron instructs them to take off all their jewelry, handing it to him, the narratives says he used a tool and HE shaped the image into a calf. (sigh) Placing the idol in front of an altar and the people, chaos began. He truly crossed the line.
God sent Moses back down to the people, out of disgust, Moses carrying the Tablets, threw them, breaking them to pieces. Moses confronts all. Aaron still on the ‘other side’ of the line, responds “Do not be angry, you know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him. So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” Hm … interesting. He actually went with the ‘oh, looky there, a calf…’ explanation. Other side, lying.
As the people ran wild, Moses stood at the entrance to the camp, declaring “those who are for the LORD, come…” The line drawn. A new line for Aaron. Immediately ALL the Levites rallied to Moses. You see, here is where
we pause, Aaron is a Levite. Aaron crossed the line AGAIN. He crossed back. The folks were instructed to grab a sword, three thousand died that day. Not much more was said about Aaron in this chapter, however it is said that Moses interceded for the people AND Aaron (Deut. 9)
What AMAZES me, Aaron crossed the line and made that HUGE bad decision …yet and yet, God. Forgiveness runs deep, so very deep. God chose him to be a priest. Going on to stand before the people, representing the holiness of God. “Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.” – Leviticus 9:22-24 Notice the fire of God consumed the offerings, and NOT Aaron, wonder if there was just a little ‘ducking’ on Aaron’s part. (kidding)
Some would say, “but Aaron …” Flipping our pages ahead to Numbers 16-17, Korah, Dathan and Abiram spark a ‘coup’ challenging Aaron’s priesthood, God opened up the ground and swallowed them up – THEN there was a plague on those who sympathized with the rebellion, Aaron was told to go and stand between the living and the dead, offering incense, the plague stopped. Following this, God told Moses to take a rod from each tribal leader (Aaron included) write their names on their rod, place the rods in the Tent of Meeting, the one that buds, HE is the one chosen for priesthood. The next morning, guess which rod had budded? Yup, Aaron’s representing the tribe of Levi, God saw fit to cause it not only to bud, but it had blossoms and actual almonds on it!
How many of us have been where Aaron was, made some really STUPID decisions, crossed the wrong line, found our lives in chaos. God in His most gracious love, offers ‘cross the line again’ opportunities. His forgiveness running deep. Just like Aaron, the opportunity was there, he immediately stepped forward, God used him mightily. Or perhaps you stand now rubbing your toe against the line, wondering… just wondering. Stop.
Life is not meant to be a hopscotch game, stepping and hopping from one line to the other, yet when the line is crossed, CROSS BACK.
I love Kings David’s Psalm 133. “How good and pleasant it is when brothers 
live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” Beautiful.
Crossing the line, AGAIN.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Trim Your Wick
The CANDLE … warm glow, dancing of the flame, the slow drip of the fragrant wax. Soothing isn’t it? One could sit for hours in its shadow, just admiring the effect it has on us.
While leading bible study, we were immersed in the Tabernacle of Moses, an amazing study. As the women entered the room, they are greeted with a white linen covered table; with two tapered candles burning in long stem crystal holders. The atmosphere is warm and elegant, inviting. There is something about … a flickering flame.
The Lord revealed Himself many times in the flame, the bush with Moses, where he was commissioned, and Yahweh gives us His name, “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex. 3), and the pillar of fire at night to the Israelites, extending His guidance (Ex. 13). Solomon dedicating the Temple, fire came down from heaven as God’s glory filled it (2 Chron. 7). One can not talk fire, forgetting to mention the show down on Mt. Carmel, Elijah, and his God against the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). Then the tongues of fire on the heads of those gathered at Pentecost (Acts 2)
Oh, we may not be calling God down from heaven these days to consume our sacrifice to prove a point, but the use of the flame on a smaller note, we can understand. The theme of the candle or lamp in the bible is strong. In Psalm 18:28 David writes “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness”. Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”. It is God that burns, His presence, His word that lights our way; it is in our very next step we desire Him to be present. Light our way O God!
With the joy and privilege of the candle comes responsibility, tending. The priests DAILY tended to the lamp in the Tabernacle. Along with the sacrifice, the water, the light, these needed daily attention. When God gave strict instruction of the articles for the Tabernacle, He included the ‘wick trimmers’. Exodus 25:38, the wick trimmers were made of pure gold.
As I researched this, I was amazed to find the need that as we trim the wick short; we ‘cut off yesterday’s fire.’ It was described that the wick begins to have a small build up, causing the flame not to burn pure and too fast. This is the black soot that flows from the flame; it is drowning in a large pool of melted wax. This soot seems to fall and attach itself to those things closest to the candle. Hm… think on that. Drowning in melted wax, black icky stuff attached. We trim for a fresh, even, pure, lasting flame! Fresh Fire! Does that stir something in you?
We recently moved into a new house with a very modern gas stove, cooking on it is a learning process for me having never cooked on one, with fear of BLOWING the house up, yet it interests me that when I turn the flame off how immediately the pan or tea kettle begins to cool down. So it is with our spiritual life, remove the flame of God and we too have an immediate ‘cool down.’
The Lord spoke to me about the need to come DAILY, seeking His presence, His word, that FRESH FIRE, depending not on yesterday’s experience! As I trim my wick and prepare for a fresh word from God, His presence comes. As He did with Moses, He will reveal Himself to me, commissioning me for the day. As the Israelites, He will guide me. As His temple, He will fill me. Just like Elijah, He will do great things in my midst. I will seek the constant flame, NOT allowing a cool down.
How is our flame burning? Is it yesterdays fire, has it cooled down or gone out completely? Seek as David did,.. ‘light my candle O God!
Fresh Fire… trim your wick, for a pure, even, lasting flame, Go God! (wouldn’t THAT look great on the Yankee candle label)
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
Good Friday, a Red Letter Day
HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY!!! Have you ever sat and read through the New Testament and read ONLY the words in red? Jesus’ words. For a completely new perspective, I challenge us to do just that. I know context is everything, but step out of the exegesis box (interpreting the scriptures) for a brief moment, to get an amazing snap shot of Jesus. His strength, authority, His love, and compassion.
Without all the narrative, those red words pack a powerful punch, knowing that Jesus says them. There are dramatic statements, strong commands, tender words. “Let it be so…” (Matt. 3:15) “It is written…” (Matt.4:4) “Get up…” (Matt. 9:6) “Take courage it is I…” (Matt 14:27) “Quiet, Be still…” (Mark 4:39) “Come forth …” (Jn. 11:43) “Don’t be afraid just believe…” (Mark 5:36) “What do you want Me to do for you…” (Mark 10:51) “Who do you say I am…” (Lk. 9:20) “Then neither do I condemn you…” (Jn. 8:11) “I am 
He…” (Jn. 18:6).
These are just a few, but there is one more that to me stands out among the rest. Here I do want to set the context. Jesus is agonizingly set between two thieves. His feet and hands are nailed to a wooden cross. Hours earlier, He knelt in a garden declaring for all humanity “Abba Father … everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
There at the foot of the cross, many mocked, some cried and I am confident there were those in complete silence. After the vinegar was given to Jesus, He said “It is FINISHED…” ( Jn. 19:30 ~ emphasis mine) He then bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
It is finished. The word in the Greek alone paints the most vibrant color filled picture: “To complete something not merely to end it, but to bring it to perfection or its destined goal”* As the pages turn from Genesis to this very moment, God’s story is fulfilled. Does it end here? No! But the bridge back to the Father is perfected. Jesus rises from the dead triumphantly (Happy Easter) engages and commissions the disciples, returns to heaven to reign forever. Now we the church, as inspired by the Holy Spirit carry on with the red letter commands, statements and tender words.
Move over Easter Bunny, here comes the risen King! “It is finished.” Now let’s live like it really IS! Relationship offered, relationship restored. May we live each day as a red letter day!
Blessed Easter to you and yours,
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” ~ Heb. 10:24)
* ‘Teleo’ – Quote from the Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament.
Inspired Fountain Website: https://inspiredfountainpen.wordpress.com/
Sneak Peek: ‘A Harnessed Heart vs A Hardened Heart’
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Jesus (Matt. 11:28-30)
VERY INTERESTING, (sorry to yell) in studying the use of the ‘yoke’, I came upon a training guide for those using ‘oxen power.’
Training Oxen Guide…
A. >>Base for Training: Establish leadership quickly and firmly.
B. >> Rules of Training
1. Train regularly
2. Maintain control
3. Be firm. Insist on obedience
4. Be patient and understanding
5. Be consistent in everything you ask
C. >> Train with the yoke (or harness)
1. Teach ‘Turn right, Turn left.’
2. Teach Step In (step toward), and Step Out (step away)
3. Begin to pull loads
4. Work on giving animals a variety of tasks in a variety of environments.
OH MY! Read the list again, now from ‘God guiding and us following’ perspective. Does this not speak LOUDLY, as we come voluntarily, accept the yoke of Jesus. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” – God speaking, Isaiah 30:21. David shares of his God, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” – Psalm 32:8
Interesting.
I so appreciate Eugene Peterson’s translation of Jesus’ words regarding the yoke, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt. 11:28-30 MSG)
“Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.”
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” – Heb. 10:24)
[Excerpt from Inspired Fountain Devotional Teaching, ‘A Harnessed Heart vs A Hardened Heart’ … Coming soon]
Tangled Hangers
Patience. I want it NOW, or maybe in the next few breaths, before my face turns a shade of red that would cause a paramedic to shudder upon approach. My husband and I, together have begun to work through the devotional book, “Praying the Attributes of God”, by Ann Spangler, and I mean ‘WORK’ through it. One does not merely ‘read’ when you open your heart and mind to transformation. We just finished the week-long journey of patience, looking at God’s patience with us. OH MY GOODNESS! “The Lord, the Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” – God, Exodus 34:6
In short, God does not grow frustrated with us like we do with others, things circumstances or … ourselves. Taking all the geeky (good stuff) and putting it in a nutshell, patience can be translated ‘long-souled’ indicating ‘to be long of feeling, delay one’s anger.’ (YES GOD! Be long-souled with ME!) Quoting, Ann, “God is calling us to be long or large in spirit, willing to exercise faith WHILE we wait for Him to act.” (emphasis mine) Act God!
I have studied patience extensively, but implementing it consistently is a whole other realm, like that of a Sci Fi novel. It takes twists and turns, facing new beasts demanding strong use of weaponry, (can you ‘see’ it?) In the devotional, at the end of the focus on patience, we were asked a few questions, one of which was: “On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how would YOU rate your ability to be patient? What would you do to improve your score?” THIS, invoked great discussion for Mark and I, (love that man!) The first thing that came to mind for me was, ‘Tangled Hangers’, NOTHING makes me more frustrated then tangled hangers, at times I am sure I may lose my salvation over the anger that quickly rises within me, when I reach for one, ONE thing, they tangle and others come tumbling out and fall to the floor. ALAS, my score ‘might’ hit a 1 1/2 at that point. This imagery has been with me this pass week or so, asking how can I ‘get out of the frustrated arena, easily reach and not get tangled?’ Isn’t it true of our lives at times, we are SO busy, our mind so full, that when we ‘reach’ for one thing, the thing needed or wanted, it all comes 
tumbling down. To answer the question, “How can I increase my score?” CLEAN OUT THE CLOSET! (I know, DUH!) The same is with our lives, clean out, get rid of, grow pass all the ‘stuff’, so when we (or God) reaches for something, it is ‘well with our soul.’ We don’t fall to pieces, it is easier, accessible and we get to keep our salvation (just kidding).
“Thank you God for being so very patient with us, willing to allow us to grow and learn. Move – ACT in and through us, we invite YOUR attribute, we welcome YOU, may Your Spirit help us, with … us. May we this week, sense Your whisper as we reach, granting us the strength and wisdom to clean out the ‘stuff’, make life easier and not so cluttered, reducing our frustration. In Your most powerful and loving name, Jesus. Amen”
Tangled hangers – no problem. God.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Heb. 10:24)
Inspired Fountain 