Followers

Monday, April 25, 2011

A Very WISE MAN

Solomon is considered the wisest man ever to have lived.
I wish I could have had a few conversations with him over a good cup of coffee (with some flavors of course!).
Today I was reading in Ecclesiastes. I read thru chapter 6, but it really took me a long time cause there was so much to ponder. If I were to begin to write down all that I thought, you might have to read forever, and lets be honest: I am not even in the slightest near as wise as Solomon was, and you would get bored fairly quickly I would guess.

In chapter 1 he writes that
"No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are never content."

Can that really be true?? If it is, why are we  like that? I know that in my quest to know more and love God more deeply, this is true. What I read in His Word, or what I might read in a book, makes me want to know and follow Him more.

Then in Chapter 2 , Solomon concludes:
"So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. then I realized that these pleasures are from God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from Him?"

Wow. Am I not enjoying the life that God has given me? He wants me to enjoy this life because He has given me life.
Why is it then that I can complain, lust and want more? Solomon adds similar words further in Chapter 6

"Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless."

Enjoy what you have. Oh I want to enjoy every minute, but I don't.
BUT i do enjoy Scud and spending time with him. I look forward to spending any time that I can with my kids. And Kellen and Jax? Well I enjoy every moment with those 2 precious little boys-even when they are sick.
I enjoy seeing my friends immensely. Especially since my dearest friends are no longer close. Every single time with them is a treasure.
I enjoy living at Woodleaf. The spectacular beauty I see every morning out our front window is never lost on me.
But sometimes I wish I lived closer to my family and friends.
I just thoroughly enjoyed my vacation to Kauai...but wish it was longer.
I enjoy my work..both past and present.
What a privilege it is that I get to meet with college kids and share Jesus with them and try to encourage them to walk closely with Him. I enjoy seeing their zest for life and how much they enjoy life.
And yes, I still miss my nursing career. What joy and privilege it was to minister to countless patients and their families. And I loved learning about the human body more and more as each year passed.

And in chapter 5, wise Solomon admonishes us :

"Enjoy your work and accept your lot in life-this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past."

That's what I want for today. To enjoy life.
That's what I want for tomorrow and the many days following.
To enjoy my work and to accept my lot in life.
Because this is the life that God gave me.
I want to enjoy all the precious gifts of people, places, animals, work that He has given me.
I don't want to brood over the past or what might have been.
I want to see life with my eyes wide open to what He has in store for me today.
I want to listen for Him and His leading. I want to love those He puts in my path today. I want to represent Jesus accurately. I want to enjoy all that He has blessed me with.
And I want that for you too.
So I am off to enjoy life today. How about you do the same?

Sunday, April 24, 2011

SUNRISE

Habakkuk 3
His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.

So I just spent 13 days in the beautiful island of Kauai.
Which happens to be my MOST favorite place on the earth.
What a tremendous gift it is to marvel everyday at the sunrise.
To see the clouds blowing into the island and then to begin to see speckles of pink and orange and crimson fill the sky.
Each day it seemed the sunrise would get more spectacular or maybe it was just that I looked forward to them more and more each day. I didn't want to miss a single moment of the glorious awakening to a new day.
One morning I saw this sunrise:

























Then another day I saw this series of images:





Each different moment I witnessed stunning, almost indescribeable, breath taking beginnings of the dawn's early light.
And each morning the sunrise was completely different than any other days.
Multiple times my breath was taken away and I was imaging what it must have been like creating the world for God.
"do I want to start with this brilliant sunrise or a more subdued one?"









Oh LORD make your sunrises however you want them to. They are incredibly fabulous however you choose.
One morning after a night that had a continuous almost torrential downpour, I woke up especially early because I remember my dad telling me that those sunrises' were something you would never want to miss...and this is what I saw




And my quote at the beginning of this that the LORD's coming will be as brilliant as the sunrise has my imagination piqued.
Today is Easter. This is the MOST GLORIOUS day for all who call on the name of the LORD. Today is the day that Jesus Christ Rose from the Dead. He defeated sin and He defeated death. The GREATEST MIRACLE of ALL time!! It is the day that assures me that no matter what happens to me in this life, that NOTHING can separate me from His Love, from His Grace. That Resurrection Sunday can be everyday, because Jesus has redeemed my life from the pit...forever.
Easter is EVERYTHING that I base my life on. Jesus is the HOPE, and STRENGTH and PASSION of my life and I long to see Him face to face.
In the Bible , He promises that He will return to the earth coming in the clouds.
In Hawaii and now, I love looking at the cloud formations and wondering what it will look like when Jesus returns to the earth. I have certain days when it has rained and the clouds are drifting across the sky dancing merrily, and the sun is breaking thru and I think to myself "this is what I think it will be like when Christ returns", but that's just my finite imagination.
And if His coming is as BRILLIANT as the sunrise....I can't even begin to fathom.
All I know after witnessing the incredible beauty and majesty of the sunrises the past 2 weeks, is that I can't wait to see Brilliance of Christ's return.
HE IS RISEN.
HE IS RISEN INDEED!!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

GRATEFUL

I have a young friend named Kyle.
He is someone I admire and respect deeply. And I'm in awe of him. I guess you could say he is one of my real life heroes.
I have known Kyle since he was born. His parents are some of our oldest and very dearest friends.
As a young boy, Kyle was all about playing army. He could sit for hours and play with his green plastic army guys with pretend rifles, guns , tanks etc.
As he grew older, he had a maturity about him that was unusual for boys his age. He never really knew his paternal grandfather but he admired him tremendously. You see, his grandpa was a retired colonel in the US Army-as was his oldest uncle.
Can you see where this is going? Kyle wanted to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. I think it was after his sophmore year of high school that he went to a camp at West Point in New York and then he was absolutely convinced that this is where he wanted to go , what he wanted to do.
So it was no surprise to any of us, during his senior year, that he applied and was accepted into the Military Academy at West Point. All of us were completely thrilled for Kyle. And so in the late summer of 2007, Kyle headed off to West Point.
It was at that time, they I made a commmittment to pray for Kyle thruout his stay at West Point. I confessed to him this March when he was home for spring break that I think I have missed 2-3 days of praying for him during his stay at West Point.
Why wouldn't I pray for him? Kyle is going to spend the next years of his life fighting for my freedoms. He is willing to do whatever it takes . This summer he will be in Alabama in some type of flight school. His years in the military are just beginning and I am so grateful for the men and women who fight for our freedoms.
I must admit that my mother's heart is scared for him. I don't want him to go to Afghanistan. I want him to be safe here. And I can't imagine what he must feel. He is willing to give his life for any of us if needed. Just like the thousands who have since our country began.
Kyle and the rest of all the military in the world have jets, submarines,aircraft carriers, fighter planes, and so much more than I can even begin to comprehend at their disposal to try and fight for ours and many others safety and freedom. I don't even understand it, can't fathom why we get into wars and why we win some and lose others.
But there are many Kyle's out there doing this for us.
So as Kyle waits for another month to graduate from the US Military Academy at West Point, I want to thank him for his selflessness, for his willingness to fight if need be, for all of us. He is worthy of the admiration,and respect I have for him. And although, I would LOVE to be at his graduation..to be a beaming proud friend, (money and a commitment to be at my job in AZ days later prevent this), I will celebrate him from a distance. Congratulate him and give him my gratitude, and yours too.
This morning I was reminded of Kyle while I was reading the book of Jeremiah.I read that :

But the ONE who redeems them is strong. His name is the LORD of Heaven's Armies. He will defend them" (see Jeremiah 50)

God who is the Head and LORD of Heaven's Armies, will defend them.
My God will fight for me, will do whatever it takes to redeem me. Afterall, His Son died for me in order to redeem me-to get me out of the clutches of the one who wants to destroy me, to keep me from knowing God's love, mercy and forgiveness.
I have been contemplating this phrase the LORD of Heaven's Armies off and on for about a year now. And I am not sure of what it really means. But what I do know is that the Army in heaven is massive. And God, being God has ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING at His disposal. Everything He needs to enable me to keep going. Everything I need to keep me from losing hope. He is the real COMMANDER IN CHIEF and HE has EVERYTHING we need to win the battles, to win the war for our souls.
So I have even more gratitude, respect and awe of the LORD of Heaven's Armies.He has truly given His Life for mine.

Thank you Kyle.
Thank you God. YOU are truly the LORD OF HEAVEN'S ARMIES!!!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

DEHYDRATION

I take my dogs on walks often. Living in the mountains provides trails and jaunts thru unparralled beauty. But Cody and Riley don't see the beauty. They feel the freedom to run and explore; to sniff to their noses content. To try and figure out what kind of animal has been on this particular trail. To go in and out of bushes and water.
Cody is a yellow lab with the personality of "let me enjoy life to the fullest". She is exuberant and can't contain her excitement when I mention the work "walk". Cody literally jumps up to six feet high trying to get me to go faster to our gate. Faster to her freedom.
Riley, my sweet black lab tries to calm the younger Cody down- tackling her as she tries to what seems to Riley-attacking me.
I love our walks. The dogs love to roam and run to and fro all over the place. I am sure that Cody runs 2-3 times more than I walk.
When we get home, both dogs race to the water bowl. Completely dehydrated from the running and roaming that had ensued. I usually have to replace the water bowl immediately as they drink and try to hydrate their cute little lab bodies.



Have you ever been dehydrated? when you are so thirsty that all you want to do is drink glass after glass of water. To quench that extreme thirst you are experiencing.
And our bodies let us know when we don't get enough water.
Our friend Will found out what it was like to be dehydrated this morning.
Will is an athlete. He plays college soccer and is what i consider to be in excellent shape.
But will didn't know how thirsty his thin framed body was today. He told his friends at coffee that he felt a bit weak or faint or maybe his blood sugar was low. He went to get something to eat and then while talking to his friends, turned his head, fell off his chair and then began seizing. Will was rushed to the hospital and after a few hours of tests that included labs, EEG's and a CT scan of his brain, it was determined that he was severely dehydrated.
I mean we are talking severely dehydrated. 2 liters of IV fluids later, they discharged him home to get rest.
Why did Will not know he was so dehydrated? Did he miss the signals? His body certainly didn't.
WE NEED WATER to survive. 80% of our body is water, so YES, we do need to drink 6-8 glasses of water everyday to keep us hydrated.
I for one, don't want to scare my friends with a seizure, because I didn't know I wasn't drinking enough to keep my body flowing fluidly.
And then as I drove home from the hospital and was thinking about dehydration, I wondered how easy it is for us to be spiritually dehydrated and depleted.
When we don't get enough of our intake of GOD. When we let the busyness of life keep us from being replenished spiritually. And then how easy it becomes for God's enemy to come and tempt us with the lies he always does. And then we start believing them. And life begins to unravel, and we wonder what has gone wrong.
WE desperately need to hear from God. Most of us don't hear the voice of God audibly. But God does speak to us-in His Word. And we need to hear from Him each day. To get His perspective. To receive His guidance. To know His peace. To see how faithful and loving He is to us.

Psalm 42:1-2 says:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

For a deer to pant for water, it has been running and is probably dehydrated.
That's how we are to be : panting after God. Panting to get hydrated. Panting to stay hydrated. So that we can escape dehydration and not let satan throw us into spiritual seizures.
Drink your fill of the Word of God. Allow your spirit to hear His. Allow God to fill you up with every type of food and fluid you need to survive.
Your life literally depends on it.