My Daddy

She brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.  She sighs a deep sigh and smiles a big girl smile.  Her hand is firmly grasped in his hand as they wait for the cue.  She can tell his arm is shaking a little and her heart is beating faster with each stanza of music coming through the tall, double doors.  Is this what she is supposed to be doing?  Is she supposed to take this big step?  She is thinking that this is the most magical time of her life and can’t wait to start a life with the one she loves.  Then she hears a whisper.  “You look beautiful.  Keep a stiff upper lip.”  Her dad, clasping her hand in his, slowly walks her down the aisle toward her new life, a life without him.  She will always be his little girl but another must take his place in her life.  It is the way it is supposed to be.  Her father, always gentle and caring, kisses her on her cheek as she starts her new life.  

Fathers.  Aren’t they wonderful?  Aren’t they the cure all for an achy heart?  Aren’t they the ones that always make things alright?  Not everyone has that sort of dad but my dad was very much like that.  I always knew everything would be okay as long as my dad was around.  Even when he was traveling on business, I knew he would be home and that life would be safe and good.  My mom, I know, loved to have my father home because it just meant that we were a complete family.  Together always.  

We all have a Father in Heaven that we know we can always count on no matter the circumstances.  He knows what we are going through.  He has cried a thousand tears for what we cry over today.  He longs to hold us through the storms of our life and carry us in His capable arms over rough, bumpy ground.  His strength is in His words, His being, His love.  He is everything.  He is the ultimate daddy.  I love my daddy, my one on Earth that He placed to take care of me.  But I absolutely adore my daddy in Heaven, the maker of Heaven and Earth.  The one who knew me before I was even formed.  He has been with me from the beginning.  I love that knowledge.  No matter how tough things get, I know that I can always count on my great Father in Heaven.

Remember God is your Father.  He is our great Father, our heavenly “Daddy”.  Hold on to Him and let Him know that you love Him too because, yes, daddies love to hear they are loved too.  Give Him praise and glory even during the tough times.  He sees your beginning and end.  He knows the now.  Let Him guide you through your life.  He is the one you can lean on as you walk down the aisle towards the next adventure in your life.  Yes, there may be tears and there may be stumbling but He is always there to help you up and give you a hanky.  

I love my daddy.  I love Him with all my heart.  I want to speak to Him first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  Those bedtime stories I remember with my dad are such an important childhood memory.  Those times when I would be woken up in the morning by my father as he threw all my stuffed animals at me in fun, I will remember.  I want that sort of relationship with God, my Father.  I want Him to be a part of every facet of my life, from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun.

She stops and turns and looks at her father.  He looks at her proudly and shows his love by just a single smile.  She knows in her heart that this is the plan that God has for her.  She winks at her father, says “I love you” to her mother, and then turns to her husband to be as they start the ceremony.  What a lovely moment.  Cherish those times with your father and cherish those moments with your Heavenly Father.  He only wants the best for you.  

Dear Father, Daddy, I love you with all my being.  You are my maker, my friend, my father and my hero.  I thank you for the life you have given me and I thank you for the life I will have.  I pray that you watch over every moment of my life and may I do all things for you Lord.  In Your Son’s name, Amen

Jeremiah 29:11-13  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Let the Dust Settle

Faith....faith in our Lord, faith in our God, faith in our Father.  We need faith in our lives.  We need to believe that God is the sovereign one that will make all things good according to His will.  Why is it so hard then to have that faith?  Right now, I am looking out the window watching our huge windstorm and thinking I need to get out and rebuild the greenhouse.  I need to get out and replant my seedlings that were so carelessly thrown away by the wind.  I need to fix what is broken outside.  But in the back of my mind, I realized that I need to wait until the windstorm is over.  Let the dust settle outside and then pick up the pieces that are strewn around our yard.  Wait until the wind is over so that I can replant without the possibility of more broken pots.  Wait, wait, wait.  My husband's job has a sort of windstorm going right now.  We do not know if he will have a job in July or not.  We do not know how much pay will be cut if he still has his job.  My first and foremost thing to do is panic.  I don't eat when I get that stressed.  My stomach is in knots.  My head is not where it is supposed to be.  It is that fight or flight thing that I have going on and I know that is not of God.  Talking to a good friend today, she advised me to wait until the dust settles before rushing to judgement, making plans that don't have to be made, stressing myself out and getting upset about everything.  We just have to wait and see what happens with his job and then properly take the steps to go on with our lives, as God sees fit.  He has our best interests.  He has our back.  Why then do I rush to fix things while the dust is still flying in and around my head?  Why can't I just calmly walk up to Him and lay it at His feet?  Why can't I just let it go into His hands all the way and let go myself?  Things always turn out bad when you don't have a clear head but when you have faith in Him who knows your future, your plans can never go awry, even if bad things still happen to us.  We live in a cruel, cruel world.  We just have to keep our eyes on the prize, His Heaven.  Let the dust settle and have FAITH that He will take care of all things.  We have to BELIEVE He will.  It is easier said than done sometimes and I am upset with myself that I can't take my own advice.  I have no other choice though.  I have to put ALL my FAITH in Him.  He is my Father.  I love Him and know that He will sweep all the debris that is left behind the bad things.  His love is never ending.  Just let the dust settle and have the faith to lean on Him and give it all to Him.  After all, who wants dust bunnies in our lives?

Ever Wonder What God's Plan Is For You?

Kindness and goodness is part of the Fruits of the Spirit.  God loves us so much, just as we do our own children.  I know in my heart that I am learning about God's love for me through my job as a parent.  I love being a parent.  Yes, it can be difficult many times and other times so wonderful that you feel as if you have a dream life.  Most of the time I am somewhere in between.  As I listen to my children, laugh one minute and argue the next, I know God has those moments with us too.  How many times have we said, "No God!  I am not doing that!"  Or "No, not my job."  "God, I don't want to go up to that person and talk to them."  It is the adult equivalent of our children.  God has a plan for you.  You may know what it is and you may not.  I know many days I have absolutely no clue what the Lord wants me to do with my life here in Fernley, Nevada.  "By the way, why do I live in Nevada anyway?  I am a Northwest girl, God.  Don't you know that?"   He wants me here for a reason and just recently I have begun to embrace that with open arms.  

He has a time and a place for each and every one of us.  Does that boggle your mind?  Does it blow you away that the Lord of Heaven and Earth, Creator of all things, knows little old me?  It is even more amazing that He has a plan for little old me.  He has saved us to do very specific works in this world.  We have a job to do.  Whether it is as a parent or the bread winner of the family, you have a job.  But there are other jobs He has for us.  They are His gifts He bestows on us through His Holy Spirit.  My prayer is for each and every one of you to sit down in a quiet area, no distraction whatsoever and open your heart and mind to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Ask Him to reveal to you what it is He wants you to do in this specific time in spiritual history.  It would be so nice if we had a definitive answer in our minds but most of the time we don't.  We have to rely on Faith.  He made us with free will.  So we have to take that into account when doing what He wants us to do.  I wish I knew all the things the Lord has planned for me to do as a job for His kingdom.  So today or in the next few days, I am going to reflect on His life for me and ask Him point blank, what He wants me to do.  I would love to know why the dark clouds of life seem to come in through windows I thought long closed.  I would love for Him to open the big French doors to the life He has made for me.  But for right now, I need to leave the porch light on and hope that soon I will have that answer with the opening of my front door.  I don't want to rush into my house and quickly close the garage door behind me.  I want to know so that I can start living my life with more divine purpose.  He is our Creator, our Father, our Guide.  I love Him for that.  I hope that you too can see the path He has for you.  Step out of your house, into the garden and follow the path He has set before you.  (If you live in Nevada, yes, you will find spiky tumbleweeds along the way, but it is temporary.)  He has such a wonderful life for you.  Give Him your time and your Faith.  

Dear Father, I pray that you show us the purpose you have for each and everyone of us.  I pray for better understanding of how to recognize this "job".  You are all knowing and also so loving Lord that you want what is best for us even if we don't know what it is.  I thank you for your love.  In Your Son's name, Amen

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10

Lukewarm Christianity

These past couple of weeks I have been faced with something that I have been guilty of in the past and hope to never go back to in the future.  That would be being a "lukewarm Christian".  Lukewarm, what does that mean to you?  Well it means to me that it is not quite a hot and on fire Christian and not quite a cold, distant, uninvolved Christian.  It is one that thinks that their walk is just fine, thank you very much.  One that doesn't want to get too involved lest I be known as a "Jesus Freak"!  It is one that doesn't make a commitment to come to a Bible class because it just isn't convenient or my favorite, I don't know what is going on in the study so I don't want to come.  Lukewarm people are all over church.  Lukewarm people are all over society.  I remember being a lukewarm Christian.  I would sit in church, pregnant and uncomfortable, thinking that this church is nice but don't really want to get too much involved.  We would come in the door, listen to the sermon, make an excuse to go to the restroom during greeting time, and then wait to exit the side doors as quickly as possible before we were invited to a potluck.  (All seriousness aside, I am not a potluck person.....never will be.)  I remember going to Bible study with some amazing women, who are still very good friends of mine, and thinking, I really don't want to be here.  I need to be at home doing chores, playing with the kids and whatever other excuse I could think of at the time.  You know, that Bible study book does look interesting, but I can't remember what page they are on now.  I don't think I would be accepted if I didn't have my homework finished.  Okay, well that is a bunch of, shall I say, hooey!  Yes, I remember being that way but now I feel that my walk has come so far with the help of some amazing friends.  It is amazing what the Lord has done through me and is doing through me.  I love being a Bible study teacher.  I feel that my life, although very busy, is fulfilling.  The fellowship and sisterhood I get there is needed and wonderful.  Yes, I have sisters all over the world, but when we are in that little room studying the Word of God, it is just as if He is there sitting in a chair with us.  I love that feeling when we get to vent and talk about our week and then tie it all into what we are studying.  I love being a wife an amazing man.  He was baptized a couple of years ago and I am so happy that I have him on my side.  Going to church alone was really hard and I think it contributed to my lukewarmness but I can't put all the blame on that.  It has to do with the state of your heart.  Having him with me on my walk with Christ is awesome!  More than I could even imagine.  We love our church.  We love our friends.  We love each other.  Our children are getting a great education through our walk as well and it is amazing to see their growth.

Nope, being a lukewarm Christian is not for me!  No way!  As God stated, He would rather spit out the lukewarm Christian because it is not something pleasing.  Who wants to be wishy-washy anyway?  What sort of example is that to our children?  We need to make a commitment to the Lord and stick to it. We owe Him that.

May God bless your week this week and may your walk be as hot as your morning coffee.  Let it permeate through your life.  Savor the flavor.  God loves you.

Standing up for our Faith

Recently I got on this "ancestry" kick where I have been researching both sides of the family.  It is amazing what I am finding and there is so much more to discover.  The one person that I knew was a notable ancestor was William Brewster, of the Mayflower.  Growing up, we would listen to my grandmother talk about how our family can trace its roots straight back to 1620 and the landing on Plymouth Rock.  I remember sitting there just entranced as I took it in that he was someone I was related to and learned about in school.  How many First Graders can stand up in their class to give a report on their ancestor during Thanksgiving?  But as I became older and life got in the way, the memory was put on the back burner.  We always knew about it but it was just history.  Since I started this genealogy search, originally to help my in laws find their side of the family tree, I have been blown away by my side of the tree.  William Brewster was an amazing man.  He worked for the Archbishop of York as a bailiff and was in charge of all the daily things that the Archbishop had to do during the day.  But what I didn't know until recently was that behind that facade, he was a strong believer in something more than what the Church of England was offering.  He was a "religious rebel" I guess you could say.  He was incarcerated for his beliefs and had a family during this time.  His beliefs in the fact that Jesus Christ is our Savior and we should be able to worship the way we want caused many upheavals I am sure in his family life.  How hard it must have been for his wife Mary to go through this and see that her husband was a wanted man.  Of course, we all know the story of the Mayflower making it to Massachusetts in 1620.

The amazing part of this story is I can see his complete and utter faith in the Lord.  He was so led by faith that all the things that happened to him, he let it happen because he knew God was in control.  No king, queen, archbishop or the like would make him falter when it came to his faith.  He literally put his life and his family's life into the Lord's hands.  That complete faith and trust my ancestor had is the kind of faith and trust that I hope to have in life's difficulties and in life's praises.  We think that we have horrible things happening to us now for God's sake.  Persecution by friends, family members that tell us to go leap off a bridge before telling them your testimony, the world telling us that we are horrible people because we don't "include" everyone and Satan telling us that we are bad.  Persecution is hard for a Christian.  But imagine having the sort of persecution that would land you in jail because of your solid beliefs in the Lord Jesus Christ.  I couldn't imagine not being able to go to church on Sunday mornings and worshipping my Lord and Savior freely but there are those in this world who could be killed for doing that very same thing.  I just ask that we have the faith and the trust in Him enough to get us through our Christian lives.  It may not be easy but we also need to be in prayer for those who don't have the same opportunities we take for granted everyday in our country.  I hope and pray that we will be allowed to worship the way we do in our country for a long time and that our children are allowed to but it is up to us to stand up and make sure that that right is not taken away, just like William Brewster.  He believed in something so powerful and life changing that he threw away his comfortable life in another country to bring freedom to those in his inner circle and ultimately in our nation.  I want to have a faith like him.  I am so thankful for the things I am learning about my brave ancestor and one day would love to embrace him in heaven.  God bless and have a wonderful weekend in Him.

Witnessing to the Lost

Today in church we were learning about being witnesses here and now to people that are lost and in grave danger of eternal hell.  I know that isn't "politically correct" these days but it is the truth.  The whole Bible, from beginning to end, is true and God's word never falters.  All that it says has happened or will happen.  How could we refute what it says?  We are just mere mortals, mere humans who don't know the first thing about life and the divine nature of God.  Witnessing to those we don't know is hard but I feel witnessing to those we know and love can be harder.  For some reason, you get comfortable with your friendship and don't want to rock the boat.  You want your friendship to not be filled with uncomfortable moments.  But there are times when you just can't help it.  You may not be ministering to them directly but indirectly as I do with many of my friends.  I am not an "in your face" sort of person.  My outlet and way to get the Word of the Lord out there is by writing.  It is what I love to do and what I feel comfortable doing.  But persecution can happen when you least expect it.  Just this last week, I fell under attack for doing what I love to do.  My views, sayings, and personal witnessing on my Facebook page made someone decide after 8 years of being friends, that they didn't want a friendship anymore.  The reasoning was that they haven't changed and don't want me to make them change.  They felt that I was hanging out and too involved with my "churchy friends" and family.  The cutting out of our friendship happened literally overnight.  It wasn't even a personal, face to face encounter but rather one that involved no words at all.  It hurt to the very core of my being.  It hurt so much that my eyes were puffy from crying last night and I didn't know what to do except call my mom.  (Moms are good for that.)  My mom said now I feel just an inkling of what Jesus felt after Peter denied him.  Or just a microscopic portion of how God feels when we turn our back on Him or sin.  We are in essence rejecting Him.  That really put things into perspective for me.  I know that my friend, in rejecting me, is also rejecting my Lord and Savior.  That really makes me sad and want to all the more pray for her and her family that their hearts will soften towards the Lord and that whatever seed that was planted the years we were friends didn't land on hard rocks but rather fertile land waiting to sprout in His time.  It is so hard to witness because you know that you could be rejected.  But you know it is the most important thing we need to do as believers.  Make sure that no one is left behind at the end of days.  God doesn't want anyone to perish and I pray in my heart of hearts that my friend turns to the light rather than the darkness.  Materialism is their God and I hope and pray everyday that love of Jesus Christ will overcome her and they will be saved.  So it is our duty to witness to everyone.   Just hope that one day you will see faces in Heaven that you touched long ago.  How glorious that day will be.  The smiles will be everlasting!  Praise God!

I Need Patience NOW!!

My day started out pretty well and then I went to the gas station.  That pump was the bane of my existence!    It hurts enough to fill my car with gas but to have a gas pump laugh at you while you are pumping is not my idea of a sense of humor.  I tried and tried to lock the handle of the pump but it wouldn't lock.  Mind you, it was cold and windy and I didn't much want to stay standing out there in the elements.  But unfortunately I had to stand there and baby this pump through gallons and gallons of gas.  Okay, I hate to admit it but I talked to the pump.  Yes, I thought I lost it too.  A lady on the other side looked at me and told her friends that I was talking to the pump.  A teensy bit embarrassing.  I was just out of patience and by the time I hit the "help" button to let the attendant know that their pump didn't work right, I was finished with pumping the gas.  By the way, the button to call the attendant didn't work.  I could have gone in but I had the kids and the dog in the car.  I just couldn't leave them in the car.  Needless to say my patience was thinner than paper, thinner than air, thinner than thin!  I was angry and I needed to be filled with Patience and quickly.  I bowed my head and prayed a short prayer and knew that God would fill me as long as I let Him.  (He was most likely laughing too at my behavior or crying.)  Whichever, I knew that only my Father in Heaven above could give me Patience through the Spirit He so freely gives me.  I have the Spirit in me. Why don't I rely on the Spirit I already have in me that I received after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior?  We think that we can do things on our own.  How ridiculous this illustration is on patience, it made me think about all the things in life that I think are not important, really are to Him.  He loves me no matter how small I think my situation is in life.  He is our biggest cheerleader, cheering us on to the finish line in the race of life.  He wants us to work on our endurance, our perseverance and our maturity.  Like a good running coach, He is one that makes sure we train through our trials.  Yes, I may not be fast or able to leap tall buildings on my own but with Him on the sidelines, watching my every move, I can do anything.  That hurdle down the straight away looks daunting but all I have to do is run, set myself up for it and go over it when He says. Yes, He could easily move the obstacles out of my life but He doesn't always.  It is for us to go through it with His direction.  As long as we see Him out there saying "I am here.  I am.", our race is successful even if there are some stones and holes on the path to get there.  I am looking forward to the day that all that I went through reveals His glory ultimately and I can look on His face in Heaven and know that His love and direction was what got me to where I am forever.  Think of the ending of the great race of life.  How glorious it will be to go through the ribbon at the finish line with our Heavenly Father waiting on the other side with open arms and words of love.  I can't wait for that day. Yes, life on Earth is hard and it will get harder but my eyes are firmly planted on my coach, my creator, my Father in Heaven.  My hope lies with Him.  May you find that Hope in your life and may His light shine on your situation.  Give it all to Him.  God bless.....