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by Barbara Chadwick
Colossians 3:12-17
Friends came to stay all night with us. Little Nikky, five, asked me as I was putting things on the table if we had any ice cream. I told him we didn't. (Since we're retired and eat whatever we want we try not to keep too many fattening things around.) At supper he, whispering, asked his mom if she thought we had any cookies. She whispered back that we didn't. Later he told his mom, "They don't have any ice cream and they don't have any cookies. I think it's because they don't have enough money! Maybe we should go to the store." His perception was that regardless of how pretty our house was or how elegant the meal, served on china; we must be poor because we didn't have any ice cream or cookies!
Do you get perceptions of people when you meet them - like they're rich, poor, angry or gracious. When people meet you what kind of perceptions do they have? Do they perceive you to have the love of Jesus Christ in your heart?
The Message translates verses 12-14 this way: "So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic garment. Never be without it."
by Audrey Wauson
How do you know if you have a good heart? A heart that is running after God? A heart that fully trusts God? My friend Martha wrote something this week in the CaringBridge journal that blew me away. I want to love and trust God like this. I hope this journal entry will bless and encourage your hearts this week.
Charlie Crane is a friend of ours and he’s got a bad heart. He brought kids from the Children’s Home in Portales to Boy’s Camp every year. He and his wife moved to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston to wait for a new heart. Although his physical heart is failing him, his spiritual heart, his heart for young boys to know Jesus, is amazingly strong. His wife, Martha, is an incredible woman of faith. Caring for her husband by herself in a strange and different place, God has been faithful to her.
“I know someone (probably more than one person) has been praying for me today. The moving process went very smoothly. I was able to pack and load everything that was left in La Marque in about three hours' time, and I was able to get it all here in just one trip. I still have lots of unloading to do, of course, but I've got the bed made so I can spend the night here in Galveston instead of having to drive back to La Marque. I know I felt the prayers, because every time I would get 'stuck' in the packing and loading process, the Lord would give me a new idea about how to arrange something or pack something or carry something so it was much more efficient. I KNOW none of those ideas came from me. I'm not saying it wasn't hard work; it was. As my mom used to say, 'I'm sore in places I didn't even know I HAD places!'
I look forward to getting the other things into the house and arranged a little more leisurely pace. Tomorrow will be devoted to getting the grab bar installed and the shower seat and bench put together so they are ready for Charlie's arrival. Then after that I'll work on the cleaning, arranging, and decorating stuff.
By the way, if your ever need one of those clothing racks that you put across the seat of your car by hooking either end of it to the already-present clothes hanger, you can find it at WalMart. Be smarter than I was, though. Since this is a travel item, it should be found in the travel department with the suitcases and other travel accessories, right? Nope! Well, maybe since it's about clothing care, it should be found in the clothing care department with the other types of hangers, clothespins, ironing boards and so on, right? Nope! Well, maybe since it goes in the car, it's an automotive accessory and you'll find it the auto department? Right! But as long as you find it, eventually, . . . (I think the Lord is laughing at me again, and gently reminding me that '. . .my thoughts are not His thoughts; my ways are not His ways. . .' )
God is so good to us; and tonight I am exhausted but satisfied to rest in the love of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And it is to this indescribable love that I commend each and every one of you. How we appreciate and depend on your love and support through Him in these days! Love to all, Martha”
Read the latest update now by using this link: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/charliecrane
by Barbara Chadwick
Last night I was disgruntled after praise team practice. My thoughts went:
- maybe somebody else should be playing the piano
- we should go somewhere else and give the new pastor (here one week) a chance to make his place in the church
- and what IS God going to do with us now?
- what IS our future going to be?
I fretted all the way home from Bellvue to Crystal Lakes - an hour and 15 minutes. When we got home Kenneth began to read from our nightly devotional book - a book on hymns - "God of grace and God of glory"
God of grace and God of glory, on Thy people pour Thy power
then the last words of each verse are:
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage
For the facing of this hour, For the facing of this hour.
the second verse says:
Set our feet on lofty places, Gird our lives that they may be
Armored with all Christlike graces, I the fight to set men free
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage
That we fail not man nor Thee, That we fail not man nor Thee
The scripture for the evening was Joshua 1:9 "Be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! Remember, the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
I just started laughing! What an immediate response to my disgruntledness! Praise God! He cares about how we feel.
Lord, I pray that as I remember Your creation, Your mighty acts of deliverance from the Red Sea to the present, and Your Awesome Being, I will remember that You have the desire to care for us and the power to grant us wisdom and courage for the facing of this hour and into old age. Thank You for Your Love and the grace You put into our lives. Amen
by Audrey Wauson
I don’ wanna be a Pharisee…
Cuz they’re not fair you see
I just wanna be a sheep, Baa, Baa. (words to a song my boys learned many years ago)
Pharisee: a self-righteous or sanctimonious person
So I met this woman, actually I see her about once a week, and she drives me crazy. I’m not sure I understand why. She’s very personable, quiet, seemingly intelligent. Then she starts talking. Well, the problem is that in our society we always ask, “How are you?” and so she replies, with a soft sigh, “Oh, I’m ok.” So then you have to ask, “Are you sure? You sound kind of tired.” To which she again softly (and admittedly looking to see if you really want to know) “I’m fine, it’s just the MS.” Or “It’s just been a long week.” Anyways, this woman is not ugly, or abrasive, or in your face, but for some reason her answer and her attitude just irks me.
So being the spiritual person that I am, I begin telling God how much she irritates me. It’s like she’s a walking martyr. I feel like she sucks up all the energy in the room by just walking in. And you know, if this was a one-time deal, or a crisis thing,…I don’t know, I just feel like I’d be more patient. The other thing that really bugs me is that she’s always talking about things that God did for her….a long time ago. There’s nothing fresh, just stale ‘ole woe is me stuff. Mind you I’ve never said anything to her because I’m more sensitive than that, I mean she might actually, really be suffering and I’m just a bit dense.
Then the other day Larry and I were out back moving wood chips and dirt, and the wind was blowing a little, and a bunch of it settled in my sinuses. Actually that would’ve been like Monday I think. So, by Tuesday I had a raging headache. By Wednesday I was exhausted from coughing all night. Thursday I was trying all of the garlic and vinegar cures I could think of (which by the way is the day that my youngest son called and suggested I gargle with salt water and drip some salt water down my nose…I wasn’t ready for anyone else’s solution just yet…I started that on Saturday) Friday I was trying to have my regular quiet time and suddenly this woman’s face and demeanor hit me, as did the memory of several phone conversations I’d had over the past several days of my “illness.” People would hear my voice and say in alarm, “Are you alright?” and I’d croak out some woe is me response and try to be interested in what they were saying, when I really just wanted to focus on the pain and suffering that I was enduring…not very well.
Ah, God is so very good. He is always faithful to point out those areas in my life that are less than stellar. (rueful smile) Since then I’ve been reflecting on how little it took to get me to that whiny, woe is me place. This woman has been sick for several years, multiple Dr.s, numerous self-help remedies, to absolutely no avail. I had been sick less than a week and was reduced to a self-centered, focus on me, baby. Gone is the sanctimonious attitude, the Pharisee that longs for everyone to fit into her mold, to conform to her image of what and how a Christian should suffer. Uggghhh! I hate it when I do that (act stuck-up and know-it-all), and He (God) has to do that (get my attention and remind me who is the Judge.) Sheep on the other hand, are not worried so much about what the other sheep are doing. They are happy to be in the group. They are content to be watered, fed, and given a safe place to sleep. I think… “I just wanna be a sheep, baa, baa.”
I was reflecting that the point that I’d like to be at is where, when I’m hurting, ill, suffering, whatever, that I still am grateful that He loved me enough to die for me, that I still am thankful for His love, care, and compassion for me, that I still worship Him. I’m humbled that He will forgive me for being such a Pharisee to one of His daughters, my sister.
Psalm 130
…Lord, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness…I wait for the Lord; I wait, and put my hope in His word…Israel (Audrey) put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with Him is redemption in abundance… Thank God!
PS. Salt water is very effective. I’m feeling a lot better. Forgiveness is very effective. I’m feeling a lot better.
by Barbara Chadwick
Women of every age seem to struggle with the question, “Am I beautiful? Is there anyone in the whole world who thinks I matter?” Every woman has a unique beauty. How we use that beauty is what defines us to the world. We are created for God’s pleasure. He is the one who gives us significance. Each woman has a physical side – her body, a spiritual side – her soul; and a mental side – her mind. God has given each one of us a task to do. I cannot accomplish your task and you cannot accomplish mine. Henry Blackaby says, “This life is not about what you can do for Christ but about what Christ can do through you.”
Norma Day, author of Timeless Beauty, says, “The key to having a beautiful life is to be able to say, ‘I glorified my creator.’” Will you live a life of significance using the beauty and gifts God has given you to glorify Him? Or will you be like a speck of dust in the wind, blown here and there and end up on a table only to be wiped into the trash by Pledge?
A life of significance recognizes that you were created by God for His pleasure. Psalms 45:11 says, “The King is enthralled with your beauty.” We don’t have to wonder who we are, or grapple with what we are here for, or question when we’ll achieve significance, or where to look for answers. He becomes our identity. In Ephesians 1:11-12 we read, “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.”
In order to praise Him you need a “Divine Heart Transplant” as Ms. Day calls it. You must realize you have need of a Savior and that salvation comes only through Christ (no matter what Oprah says!) The Bible states clearly in Acts 4:12, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” So Jesus becomes our focus.
We must glorify Him in our attitudes and actions. “There is a beauty in forgiveness and humility which builds an elegance of a godly nature into a woman.” Just as Jesus forgave us we must forgive others. Don’t be like Gollum with the ring, holding onto our slights and slams, saying in our hearts, I’ll never let go of this!” This keeps us in bondage.
Another thing that keeps us in bondage is not forgiving ourselves. We must let go of our own past failures or disappointments so that we can become all Christ meant for us to become. We must give to Christ the, “burnt ashes of our lives.” God takes our brokenness and gives us, “renewed beauty in exchange.” Realize that Jesus is your Life Source, your Advocate and your Best Friend.
It is only in Him that we can accomplish anything. He has given each one a task. He asks each of us the question He asked of Moses, “What’s in your hand?” He has already placed in us what we need to accomplish what He put us here to do. Be obedient. Be FAT (faithful, available and teachable) as Billy Hanks, Discipleship educator, teaches. Do completely whatever He puts in front of you to do. You cannot be a Ruth Bell Graham or a Beth Moore. You must be whoever He made you to be; unique and beautiful in His eyes. Matt Redman said in his book, Inside Out Worship, “He is not looking for something brilliant but for something broken: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.’ (Ps 51:17) The exercises of our enlightened minds may deduce God, but only our ignited hearts can delight Him – and in turn experience His desire to delight us!"
Let the Lord gather the dust of your body, mold your mind and guide your spirit. Let Him direct your steps into a life of significance and beauty
I’m grateful to the following authors for inspiring me to live a life of significance. I want to recommend their books to you:Experiencing the Resurrection by Henry & Melvin BlackabyInside Out Worship by Matt RedmanThe 4:8 Principle by Tommy NewberryTimeless Beauty by Norma Day
