Rains

Wow, the air conditioning is unusually noisy, I thought, as I stepped out of the meeting room into the hallway. Or am I hearing heavy rain? Strolling down the hall toward the front entrance of the church, I couldn’t distinguish the source of the “white noise.” Nearing the door, I saw several girls dart inside, drenched.

A downpour! I got giddy with excitement.

This semester I’ve been attending a weekly women’s Bible study by Beth Moore, about the book of James. It’s been a rich and very meaningful study so far. I appreciate how Beth opens the Scriptures for us women. This evening we listened to her message on DVD, titled “Between the Rains,” based on James 5. “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (vv. 7-8). Beth emphasized the theme of the rains, as well as that time between the rains. She explained that this recurring theme in Scripture is always tied to God’s faithfulness. She shared that the times between rains are part of the laws of harvest. In our own lives, like in the farmer’s field, when it’s dry and we don’t see anything happening, we need to be mindful that God hasn’t moved to other ground—He’s working underground. She quoted Hosea 6:3, which promises that as surely as the sun rises every morning, our rains will come.

Having been living “between the rains” for a long time now, I was deeply encouraged by Beth’s insightful message. And then to have the message validated by such a timely rainstorm at the end of the study. Wow!

Yes, Lord. You are faithful. My rains are coming!

Sprouting Tulips

Tulips are some of my favorite flowers. Here these tulip sprouts peeking above the soil remind me of the challenge the Apostle Paul gives in Philippians 3:12-14. The imagery associated with this famous passage is often one of an athlete straining toward the finish line. Today, however, with signs of early spring budding around me, I appreciate the illustration offered by these tulip shoots. Forgetting the cold, lifeless days of winter; and reaching for the warm, life-giving sunshine; the delicate leaves press above the compost to grow taller and stronger each day. The tulips haven’t “attained” yet, but before long, we’ll be admiring their vibrant blooms basking in the sun.

First Crocuses

Yesterday I spied my first crocuses blooming, here in Midland. Oh, I love crocuses! Splashes of vibrant color against the drab grays and browns of lifeless winter. Soldiers braving the lingering snow, standing valiant in all types of weather. Symbols of spring and new life.

Crocuses are one of those first signs of spring that I eagerly wait to notice each year. To me, they illustrate a glimpse of the beautiful promise God gives in I Peter 5:10. "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you." During winter when everything appears dead, when days are cold and nights are long, it's encouraging to know that this dreary season is only for a while. Before long, bright green sprouts. Yellow and purple burst forth, beginning the triumphant transformation.

In my own life, I'm eagerly waiting for crocuses, heralding a new season. In the meantime, though, I must trust the God of all grace. He knows what He is doing, even when I can't see it or make sense of it. As surely as the flowers bloom each spring after winter, He promises to bring me through my season of suffering, to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle me. He has called me to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, and He will do it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I always enjoy Valentine's Day--yes, even though I'm still single. [sigh: someday . . . ]. I like to think of it as a day to celebrate God's love.

Here are the little Valentine goodies I've made for my third grade class. At the top of the picture is one of the little packages all wrapped up and ready to give. The rest of the picture displays the contents. These little valentines were easy but time-consuming to assemble. I had fun watching a movie with my family last night as I worked on this project.

The pink scroll has the following message:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Enjoy these little Valentine goodies! On this festive occasion, I hope they help you celebrate the sweet love of God. “We love because He first loved us.” (I John 4:19)

A Hershey's Hug to remind you that God's love for you is everlasting.“I have loved you with an everlasting love, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Jer. 31:3 and Deut. 33:27)

Cinnamon Red Hots to remind you that Jesus’ love took the heat for your sins. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10)

A heart-shaped chocolate to remind you to love the Lord your God with your whole heart. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deut. 6:5)

A Hershey's Silver Nugget to remind you to love God's Word supremely. “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.” (Psalm 119:72)

Conversation Hearts to remind you to share God’s love with others.“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” (Heb. 10:24)

I assembled the gifts using mini paper baking cups, wrapped with cellophane. Those mini baking cups made such cute yet inexpensive packaging! The size of the packages worked perfectly to cut squares of cellophane that were 1/3 the width of the cellophane roll. I used generous pieces of curling ribbon to tie the cellophane around the paper cups, so that I had plenty of left over ribbon to secure the pink scrolls. Voila!

Today I went for a little hike through the nearby Barstow Woods, enjoying the beauty of the freshly fallen snow. . . .

Here is one of my favorite pictures from my hike/photo-shoot earlier today. The double set of footprints in the snow conveys to me the idea that Jeremiah 10:23 expresses. It is not up to me to determine my own steps. God is walking alongside me as my Guide and Companion, giving me the direction and encouragement I need to keep going in the course He has set for me. It's a timely and much-needed reminder to me.

2012 in 2012!

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness...” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Scripture repeatedly declares that God freely gives us good gifts. (See Psalm 36:8; Psalm 68:19; John 1:16; Romans 8:32; James 1:17; 2 Peter 1:2-4.) Inspired by Ann Voskamp’s beautiful, best-selling book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, I've decided to go for 2012 in 2012! Throughout the year I will be keeping a journal of the gifts God brings in my life. A number of these gifts I look forward to posting in my weekly "Thankful Thursdays." Others will be shared only as far as my family's kitchen table, and some I'm sure will be just between God and me. I want to live this year, moment by moment, basking in His fullness; and I want to look back on this year, remembering His goodness. Here's to thanking. Trusting. Hoping. Celebrating. Living.

Invitation to Abundant Life

At the dawn of this new year, I have been meditating on Isaiah 55, an invitation to abundant life:

1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

​​Come to the waters;

​​And you who have no money,

​​Come, buy and eat.

​​Yes, come, buy wine and milk

​​Without money and without price.

2 ​​Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

​​And your wages for what does not satisfy?

​​Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

​​And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

3 ​​Incline your ear, and come to Me.

​​Hear, and your soul shall live;

​​And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—

​​The sure mercies of David.

4 ​​Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,

​​A leader and commander for the people.

5 ​​Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,

​​And nations who do not know you shall run to you,

​​Because of the LORD your God,

​​And the Holy One of Israel;

​​For He has glorified you.”

6 ​​Seek the LORD while He may be found,

​​Call upon Him while He is near.

7 ​​Let the wicked forsake his way,

​​And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

​​Let him return to the LORD,

​​And He will have mercy on him;

​​And to our God,

​​For He will abundantly pardon.

8 ​​“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

​​Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

9 ​​“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

​​So are My ways higher than your ways,

​​And My thoughts than your thoughts.

10 ​​“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

​​And do not return there,

​​But water the earth,

​​And make it bring forth and bud,

​​That it may give seed to the sower

​​And bread to the eater,

11 So shall My word that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But ​​it shall accomplish what I please,

​​And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

12 ​​“For you shall go out with joy,

​​And be led out with peace;

​​The mountains and the hills

​​Shall break forth into singing before you,

​​And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 ​​Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,

​​And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

​​And it shall be to the LORD for a name,

​​For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

(NKJV, copied from Blueletterbible.org)

Oh, the poetry and promises that well up in this beautiful passage! My thirsty, weary, battered soul is renewed to be reminded of the power in God's Word. The perspective. The purpose. The provision. The prosperity. The peace. The pleasure. Yes, LORD, yes. Accomplish and prosper Your word in my life this year.

Steps

Evergreen

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good (Psalm 52:8-9).

Here in mid-Michigan, we don't have olive trees like the Psalmist mentions, but we do have a variety of trees and shrubs that stay green all year long--even through the long, cold days of winter. These evergreens covered in snow remind me to keep trusting in God's faithfulness.

Merry Christmas!

Calligraphy by Timothy Botts. Image from http://www.inkwellgreetings.com, via Google images.

This Christmas I’ve been meditating on Isaiah 9:6. It’s a beautiful and famous passage of Scripture. I don’t know about you, but I need a God who can shoulder the world’s problems—and my own. I need a Wonderful Counselor who can untangle my confusion. I need a Mighty God who can fulfill His purposes in my life. I need an Everlasting Father who cares for me. I need a Prince of Peace who can calm my turmoil. 

That’s Who He is, and that’s why He came. 

Merry Christmas!

Wildwood Metro-Park, Toledo, Ohio, Winter 2005

He Guides and Guards

All this week I've been reflecting on these two slogans (below). These thoughts come from several Scriptures, namely Proverbs 21:1, Psalm 32:8, and Proverbs 2:8. Proverbs 21:1 declares that the LORD holds our hearts: "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." Psalm 32:8 and Proverbs 2:8, respectively, tell of His promise to guide us and to guard our paths. When things in life don't make sense, it's nice to know that He is still steering decision-making and arranging circumstances. How grateful I am to have the confidence that God is in control of our steps.

Present Tense

"Today we are going to be talking about present-tense verbs," Mrs. D-- introduced the new English lesson to our third graders. "There are three tenses of verbs," she explained. "Past, present, and future. The past tense tells what the subject already did, the present tense tells what is the subject is doing, and the future tense tells what the subject will do. Past and future tenses are topics for other lessons; for now, we're going to focus on present tense."

What a great reminder for me! In my own personal journey I need to focus on the present tense. I live before the "I AM" God. As His name attests, He exists in the present. (He's got my past and my future covered too--but those are topics for other posts.) Today I find much encouragement from this list of present-tense verbs.

God . . .

• lives (see 2 Sam. 22:47; Psa. 18:46; Gal. 2:20; Heb. 7:25; Rev. 1:18).
• hears (see Psa. 69:33; Prov. 15:29; John 9:31; I John 5:14).
• knows (see Psa. 103:14; Mat. 6:8; 2 Tim. 2:19; 2 Pet. 2:9; I John 3:20).
• cares (see I Pet. 5:7).
• loves (see Deut. 33:3; John 16:27).
• heals (see Psa. 103:3; Psa. 147:3).
• comforts (see I Cor. 1:3-4).
• strengthens (see Phil. 4:13).
• protects (see Prov. 2:8).
• gives (see Psa. 68:5; Psa. 119:130; Psa. 136:25; Psa. 146:7; Prov. 2:6; Isa. 40:29; John 6:33; I Tim. 6:17; James 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:5).
• provides (see Psa. 111:5).
• sustains (see Psa. 3:5; Psa. 18:35; Psa. 54:4).

* This list was compiled using dictionary and word searches on the Blue Letter Bible website.

Strength of My Heart

Taken on a gray, chilly fall day, this picture of Black-Eyed Susans illustrates to me the message of Psalm 73:26. The warm, sunny days of summer are over; most of the blooms have frozen in the first frost. Although the shriveled stalks in the foreground appear dead, the flowers still blooming in the background prove that the plants have not died. Through the cold days of winter ahead they will wait, patient and still. Come next summer they'll be vibrant as ever. As we can observe in nature, God does make everything beautiful in its time. Even when we can't see the evidence, He is at work, according to season. During those "winter seasons" in my own life, it is all too easy to lose heart. I need the reminder that "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Pondered Paths

These photo collages come from a hike I took back in September 2009, with a girlfriend of mine while we were on a girls' camping trip at Warren Dunes State Park. Climbing those sand-dunes along Lake Michigan deepened my appreciation for these promises from Scripture. I'm grateful to be reminded that God knows my path.

Dragons in My Lunchbox

I've been encouraged and challenged lately by Psalm 37:23, which says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way."

The steps of a good man [strong man, warrior--emphasizing the ability to fight]  I was fascinated to discover that "good man" has the connotation of a strong warrior, able to fight. Life is often hard. I need discipline, courage, and strength to live faithfully engaged in my spiritual battles. 

are ordered [to be set up, established, fixed, stable, secure, enduring, prepared, furnished, directed] Knowing that the LORD orders, establishes, prepares, secures, directs my steps  infuses me with confidence and hope.

by the LORD, and He delights [takes pleasure in, pleased with] in his way [path, journey]. If the LORD is taking pleasure in this way that He has ordered for me, then I'm convicted that I should enjoy it more, too. Rather than bemoaning my current step, regretting my past steps, or fretting about my future steps, I need to delight more in today's step--in the grateful acknowledgment that He has designed my steps for me and is Himself delighting in my way.

One of today's little delights was finding dragons in my lunchbox. It always warms my heart when any of my third graders make me a drawing. Today one of the boys folded up a dragon picture he had drawn for me and hid it in my lunchbox as a surprise. Awww!  Later this afternoon, another boy presented me a colored-pencil shark attack.  It never ceases to amuse me that the artwork I receive from girls almost always has hearts and flowers, whereas the pictures from boys are of snakes, dragons, monsters, sharks, and other deadly things. ;-) Those dragons and shark have been making me smile all evening. What a gift God has given me this year to be a teacher's assistant in third grade. =)

Psalm 37

Today I've been meditating on one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Psalm 37. I need to be reminded of these truths. These realities give me the perspective I need to keep trusting, dwelling, feeding, delighting, committing, resting, waiting...

Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart (v. 4).

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm (v. 7-8).

. . . A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous (v. 12-17).

The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off (v. 21-22).

A family picture taken in 2007, with Grandpa aged 97!

 

I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed (v. 25-26).

Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forever more. For the LORD loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off (v. 27-28).

The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged (v. 32-33).

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off (v. 37-38). 

But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him (v. 39-40).

Steadfast Mind

When things in life don't make sense, I'm learning that I don't have to give in to the frustration and confusion. I can choose a steadfast mind. Here are some thoughts from God's Word that I'm reminding myself . . .

* Special thanks to my brother Peter for taking these pictures for me.