The Great I Am

There is nothing quite like finding a new insight into a well-known biblical passage.  When this happens, a new enthusiasm for scripture energizes me.  I am embarrassed to admit I have skimmed scripture too quickly, especially when it is familiar to me, as was the case this past week with the Christmas story in Luke.

Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem to be registered.  Yup.

Mary gives birth to Jesus.  Mm-hmm.

Mary wraps Jesus up in swaddling cloths. Sure did.

Jesus is placed in a manger. 

Wait a second…

Slow down.

What did that say?  “…She laid Him in a manger.”

 God put His precious son in a feeding trough?  He could have placed Him anywhere. Why there? I had overlooked this detail for far too long.  Was there a deeper significance to God’s barnyard cradle?

 And while ruminating over my newly raised question, something Jesus said about Himself came to my mind. He said, “I am the bread of life.” This was His first I am statement recorded in the book of John.

 So, at His birth, Jesus was placed in a feeding trough only later to declare Himself to be food. Jesus’ mission for coming into our world was foreshadowed in God’s choice of a manger. If mankind would by faith “feed upon Him” (take Him in like animals do food) He would satisfy our hunger and give us eternal life.  New symbolism leapt off the page.  An unnoticed detail now discovered.

 Then I thought to myself, what about the other “I am” statements? Are they also symbolically connected to the narrative of Christ’s arrival on earth? I turned to the book of John and was astonished by what I found. The second “I am” statement Jesus made in John 8:12 is, “I am the light of the world.” 

 After Mary placed Jesus in the manger, an angel of the Lord appeared to some of the shepherds near Bethlehem. Luke 2:9 says, “And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.”  The dark sky lit up with bright light from the shining presence of the angel and then “good tidings” (which literally means “to share the gospel”) were proclaimed to the shepherds. An angel, surrounded with light announced that the “Light of the World” had arrived.   

 The next two “I am” statements follow right along with the events of the Christmas story.  Jesus called himself “the door” and “the good shepherd” in John 10.  After the angel returned to heaven, the shepherds went immediately and found Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  The shepherds entered through a doorway and found the Lamb of God.

 The fifth “I am” statement Jesus made was, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). The shepherds were told they would find the Savior wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. It is intriguing that at Jesus’ birth He was wrapped in “swaddling cloths” and at his death, He was wrapped in strips of linen cloth. He entered and exited our world wound in fabric.  However, the cloths that were meant to bind Him, could not contain Him!  He left the cloths of this world behind in His empty tomb signaling to the world He had resurrected to life.

 The sixth “I am” statement (John 14:6) says, “I am The Way, The Truth and The Life.”

At a much later time, perhaps as many as two years after the birth of Jesus, wise men followed a star that led them to the young boy.  By faith they believed Him to be the King of the Jews.  The star pointed the way…to the One who called Himself “The Way.”  During Christ’s ministry many would do the same, they would search for truth and find life.  All manner of mankind would search. The rich, the poor, the broken, the hurting, and the humble. But only some would find The Way, The Truth and The Life.

 The final “I am” statement was probably the toughest to connect to the Christmas chronicle. But with some help from Stacy, together we found a connection. 

 John 15:1, Jesus states, “I am the vine.” We know an umbilical cord connects a child to its mother, just like a vine connects to branches.  Christ’s umbilical cord made Him human.  Physical blood was supplied to Jesus through Mary in utero.  That blood would be essential to make Jesus fully God yet fully man. And that same blood was required as the atonement for mankind’s sin.

 Christ said that if we abide in Him, He would abide in us.  Emmanual, God with us.  He entered the world inside Mary so that by faith He could live inside all of us. Now we can be attached to Him, The Vine.

 After writing this devotional, while washing dishes, one of my favorite Christmas songs came began playing through my phone. As I listened, the last few lines of the song caught my attention.  These are the lyrics to the last lines of “Mary Did You Know?”

[Mary did you know] “that your baby boy was heaven’s perfect Lamb?

The sleeping Child your holding, is ‘The Great I Am.’” 

He certainly is.

 Could we determine that we will slow down long enough to appreciate the details this Christmas?  In the hustle and bustle, let’s stop long enough to look for God to show us something new about Himself.  Let’s ask Him to meet us in the hectic pace of this season. Let’s reflect and see the wonder and ponder the astonishing events that brought the Great I Am to us. 

The To Do List

Every day I have a to do list.

Sometimes that list is really long and other days it is relatively short.

I’m guessing you have one too.

My to do list often drives my actions. 

I consult it and derive great satisfaction when I cross items off my list.

Perhaps you can you relate?

And I think Jesus may have had a to do list too, and I base that on

Mark 1:35 which says:

35 Now in the morning,

having risen a long while before daylight,

He went out and departed to a solitary place;

and there He prayed.

What Jesus was praying about we are not told, but my guess would be He asked the Father what was to be on His “to do” list. I also believe there was a lot of affirmation and love expressed during those precious prayer hours. Jesus came to serve and to sacrifice yet all of His actions were based on His love. He had love for God and His love for humanity.  

The example Jesus sets for us in Mark 1:35 is an important one for us to follow as we too serve and sacrifice in Christ’s name. We need to be in prayer to deepen our relationship with God and to gain a greater understand as to what should be on our “to do” list.

In Mark 12:28-31, a man asked Jesus what should be on His to do list. And it went like this:

Then one of the scribes came and

having heard them reasoning together

perceiving that He had answered them well asked Him,

“Which is the first commandment?”

 Jesus answered him, 

“The first of all the commandments is:

 ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 

 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your

 heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

This is the first commandment. 

 And the second, like it, is this: 

‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The first commandment or our first priority should be:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Love Him with everything you’ve got!

The second commandment or priority should be:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

In everything else you do (after loving God) should be loving others the way you want to be loved.

Jesus gave this Scribe and each of us what should be our #1 and #2 for our “to do” list.  Love God, Love others. Do it in that order. 

Just as Christ gave Himself to us in love we are also to give back to Him our love and then allow that to flow to others.  Love for God never should stop on the vertical plane.  It should have an immediate carryover to the horizontal to all our human relationships (our neighbors). And when we seek Him first, that’s a whole lot easier to do.

You see if I study the Bible, go to church, memorize scripture, know theology and run a ministry but my heart is far away from God, then the things I do are vain and meaningless. If my private love for God and fellowship with Him isn’t what fuels my public actions, then my “to do list” will be purely done for selfish reasons like gaining praise, power, applause, identity or feeling good about myself. 

And I absolutely cannot love others without God’s love pouring though me. The vitality of my relationship with Christ will then extend outward to those around me.  As we know and love God (the first command) we are then able to fulfill the second commandment. 

All scripture revolves around these two responsibilities.  I read a quote on this topic which says this,

“The rest of scripture provides us with the means, manner, motive and method for loving God and others. Because when we obey God’s word, we are either loving God or loving people or both!”   

So, no matter what portion of scripture we are reading from Genesis to Revelation we still need to follow these two commands, in this order!  

 Paul wrote about love in 1 Corinthians 13. Notice verses 1-3 tell us what is looks like to act without love saying this:

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

So, this is what we are without Christ’s love: 

My actions profit me nothing. 

But if we love Him first and our actions flow out of that love, we

can love like He loves which is described for us in verses 4-8.

4 Love suffers long and is kind;

 love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, 

thinks no evil;

 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. 

This is a description of God’s perfect love.  And the more we encounter it, the more we can express it to others through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, what’s been on our to do list?

Is it time to reorder some of the list?

I know for myself; it is not easy to carve out time to spend with God.  Oh, yes, I want to, no doubt! But I get distracted just going downstairs to get a cup of coffee!  But are we willing to push through and create the time so that we can sound less like a clanging cymbal and  then serve for the right reasons with His love flowing through us? 

So, my challenge is this, when we create our lists of things we have to do let’s be sure #1 and #2 are where they belong, before we try to tackle the rest of the list. 

A Tiny Fluff

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it,

but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

It was a beautiful morning, and I mean truly perfect.  There was a bright blue sky with no clouds.  It was warm and sunny but not humid.  It was breezy but not windy.  It was a simply glorious day, so I climbed into my favorite patio chair with my Bible and a freshly brewed cup of coffee.  The amazing weather was a gift to my spirit, but I admitted to the Lord my heart was restless with some of life’s circumstances.

I tried to place my concerns toward the back of my mind as I opened my Bible but shortly into my reading, a distraction floated by.  It was a small, white piece of fluff from a seedbearing plant, and it landed on the table in front of me.  I continued reading, not giving it too much thought. However, a gentle breeze picked the little bit of fuzz up off of the table and it blew it past my face. I gave the air a light swipe hoping the fluff would land in the grass. It didn’t. Instead, it swirled around me again. Finally, I wondered to myself, “Is God trying to get my attention and address my restlessness with this simple visual?”

So, I stopped reading and watched the fluff float effortlessly about. It moved simply at the impulse of the wind.  As I studied the gentle movement of the tiny seed dancer, God reminded me of the 123 John Bible study Stacy and I wrote.  Dandelions were the visual we used on the cover and throughout the study. I had learned a great deal about dandelions in the spring of 2022, including the scientific name for the seed fluff I was observing. It was a “pappus.” A pappus looks like fine hairs that attach to a minuscule seed.  This little creation was ingeniously designed by God and allows for simple dispersal of new seeds.  The wind is the transport system which allows it to colonize new plants apart from its parent plant.

But what caught my attention was the way the simple fluff traveled.  When it was released into the air, it did not anxiously ask the wind where it was going to ultimately land. It simply trusted the wind and carelessly floated. Oh, what faith the teeny seed had in the faithfulness of the wind. It didn’t try to steer itself or tell the wind where it thought it should go. It entrusted its safe landing to the wind knowing its maker knew where it would take root, grow and eventually bloom.

John 3:8 records a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus.  They had been discussing his need to be born again and Jesus said this,

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it,

but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus said these words in the hope that Nicodemus would recognize that although he did not understand everything about the wind, he did understand the effect of the wind.  Likewise, he didn’t need to understand everything about the Holy Spirit to experience it.  Jesus wanted Nicodemus to put his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and be born again.  Similarly, I felt the Lord asking me to trust Him with my life circumstances.  I, like Nicodemus, do not understand where the wind comes from or where it goes but am I willing to trust the wind maker?  Would I, like the little fluff, place my faith in the knowledge that God was directing my future and life circumstances?  Would I choose to believe, even when I could not see, that He is taking me to places where I would thrive?

These questions challenged my restless heart. I could continue to battle the unknowns, or I could trust Him.  And so, on that perfect weather morning, I addressed the stormy weather in my heart.

I held the fluff for a while in my hand and prayed before releasing it into the gentle breeze that carried it far away from where I was sitting.  As it glided away, I decided to follow its example and trust the Lord for what is ahead, knowing He is guiding the wind that that is directing my future.

How about you?  Have you found your heart wrestling with what is ahead or unknown?  Do you honestly trust that God is guiding your path forward? What might you need to relinquish to Him? Do you need to acknowledge your lack of trust? Is there something uncomfortable you foresee on the horizon and wonder how it will work out?

Spend some time in prayer being honest with your worries and fears. Give them to the One who controls all things. Consider how you too can be more like the pappus who trusts the wind to move it to just the right place where it will thrive.

Late Bloomer

I stood looking at the trellis and the plant growing on it.  The late afternoon sun was shining strong and its bright pink blooms and vibrant green leaves were oddly obvious.  Fall colors surrounded me everywhere except for what was growing on the trellis.  As I stared at the unique plant, questions arose in my mind.  Frost was forecasted again tonight and I wondered with criticism, “Why didn’t this plant bloom earlier in the year? It would have been better for it to bloom when rain fell softening the earth and heralding spring.  Its pink colors would have been such a welcomed sight!  Or better still, why didn’t it bloom in the summer when its beauty would have been better appreciated alongside other plants blooming at the same time, and the flowers could have lasted longer?” 

Feeling satisfied with my observations and questions, I closed my eyes and let the sun soak into my skin.  I decided to take a moment to enjoy the sunlight, much like the plant before me. Very soon these warm days would be gone, so I gave myself the rare treat of sitting still. However, my serenity was quickly disturbed.  A soft buzzing sound forced me to open my eyes.   

A slow-moving bumblebee flew past me and landed on the plant I had been disparaging moments earlier.  As I watched the little insect bop from flower to flower, I imagined the bee was likely quite happy to find flowers blooming during this time of the year when many others were not.  When the bee moved on, so did my thoughts, and as is typical for me, they turned spiritual.  What did God want me to take away from what I had just witnessed? Was life mimicking nature? In the stillness, I sensed, indeed it was.

The term late bloomer typically holds a negative connotation and indicates there is a delay or an atypical development has occurred.  But if we believe all things occur in God’s perfect timing, is there ever a situation that is late in blooming? If we trust all things truly work together for good, then even things that appear to be late to us, are not late to God but rather perfectly timed.

I find it difficult at times, to embrace this truth, particularly when it plays out in the lives of the people I love.  I wait longingly for things to fall into place and when they don’t go according to my timetable or expectations, critical questions often come to mind and I question God’s timing.

Do you have a “late blooming” situation?  Are you waiting on God to divinely orchestrate something? Perhaps you are waiting for Him to unfold beauty in a circumstance which is not yet in bloom?

What if you and I chose to trust God while waiting?  What if we considered the timing to be absolutely perfect and will be beneficial to someone else when it does unfold, like the plant was for the bumble bee in early November?  Maybe if we did this, we could release our expectations over to God who alone knows the beginning from the end? 

 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecc. 3:11

Brenda’s garden trellis (below)

Sneak Peek at new DITL Bible study

We are so excited to share our new study on the book of James. A Proven, Active, Faithful Walk will be available on Amazon the first week of August. We will be using this study locally at Calvary Chapel Chester Springs in PA beginning Thursday, September 9, 2021. All local women are invited to attend. If you aren’t local, you can join us remotely as the teachings each week will be recorded and available on our website. The study is designed to be done individually or with a small group of women.

The book of James has been called “the how-to” for the Christian life. Touching on almost every aspect of life, James speaks plainly and pointedly to Christian believers about a life that lives what it believes. James will challenge us regarding how we speak, go through trials, handle conflict, and esteem things in this world. He stresses that a true saving faith will reveal itself in a proven, active, and faithful walk with Christ Jesus.

Now more than ever, the world needs to see Jesus lived out in the lives of believers.

Hope you can join us as we dig into this small, but mighty book.

Blindsided Series - Post Four

 “This is my doing…”

A situation developed in my life and nothing about it appeared good to me.  As I began my quiet time on July 24, 2020, a section of text from The One Year Bible jumped off the page and straight into my heart.  It was from 2 Chronicles 11:4. 

“This is what the Lords says,

‘Do not go up and fight against your fellow Israelites,

go home, every one of you, for this is My doing.’”

I reread the text again and with great bewilderment asked the Lord, “Are you serious?  How can this [the not so good-looking situation in my life] be Your doing?”

And yet, it was very clear to me in that moment, He was asking me to trust Him with what I didn’t understand and what doesn’t look like Him.  I paused, underlined the verse in my Bible, jotted a few notes in the margin and for the next year, continued to pray God would change the situation.  Then in May 2021, I was blindsided by what He had told me was “His doing.”

To say I was confused remains an understatement. How can something so unlike God, be God at work? When something doesn’t look good to me, I have a hard time believing it could possibly be good or from God.

But what if it was quite good and quite God? What if we could fast forward months, years or decades and see into the future to get a glimpse of the very thing we believed to be “bad” play out in a way that was undeniably “good?”  Would we be able to trust God with what we don’t understand today?  When we doubt our all-powerful, sufficient, omniscient, loving God and we turn Him into a small, weak, angry, powerless god. 

Consider this, what if the thing that blindsided us was allowed by God for a very important reason and may become the turning point for change?  Would it alter how we viewed the situation today? How would it change the way we wait for God to reveal His plans? Would trusting Him allow our joy to return, our hope to be rekindled and our mind to become peaceful?  

I recently read a quote which, although very simple, has become a daily reminder for me as I pass through this confusing season.

“God is good.

God is good to me.

God is good at being God.”

-Lysa TerKeurst

 The word of God confirms these three simple lines as truth. 

 God is good.  Nahum 1:7

“The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.”

God is good to me.  Psalm 145:9

“The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.”

God is good at being God.  Romans 11:33

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

We may have been blindsided, but God was not.  He knows all, sees all and controls all and therefore we can choose to allow that knowledge to reign over our situation instead of fear, doubt, confusion and anxiety. Perhaps you also stand on a road that looks very crooked and are wondering how “this could be His doing…” but let’s choose to take God’s words to heart and patiently wait on the only One who does all things well.

Blindsided Series - Post Three

Accident Forgiveness

 Some auto insurance companies offer what is known as accident forgiveness.  This coverage allows for an accident to be “forgiven” even if it was the fault of the insured person.  Should a mishap occur, it will be pardoned, and the insured person’s auto insurance premium will remain the same.  In some cases, the insurance company may lose money by offering this benefit, but it is available regardless of the potential cost the company may incur. 

 I see forgiveness, after being blindsided by an offense, a bit like auto accident forgiveness. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to forgive as we have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”).  Therefore, when forgiveness is needed, we must extend it. This, however, does not mean it will be free of cost. When we forgive a person who has injured us, an amount will be withdrawn from our emotional, mental, financial, and/or physical resources. We may think it unfair to have to pay to forgive and yet, that is exactly what Christ did for us.

Christ understood firsthand what it felt like to be betrayed, abandoned, falsely accused, mocked, forsaken, and beaten.  He forgave all these sins and more when He willingly went to the cross to die for all the sins humanity ever committed.  Because of His sacrifice, we are the beneficiaries of the most incredibe act of love known to mankind. 

It cost us nothing to receive His forgiveness

but in order to offer it to us,

it cost Him everything.

If we accept His gift of grace, He does ask us to offer it to others.  Jesus made God’s expectations very clear for us in Matthew 6:14-15.

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

When we consider how much we have been forgiven, it will hopefully make it a bit easier for us to forgive others.  It will likely cost us something, but it will never cost us as much as it cost Christ.  When we forgive the one who has blindsided us, may we do it generously, lovingly, and sincerely just as Christ does when we ask Him to forgive us.

Blindsided Series - Post Two

 Trusting the Specialist

The car had been blindsided.  The driver’s side door was completely crushed and inoperable.  The car’s paint was marred, and the window would not close.  It could not be driven.  Sadness and shock prevailed as I stared at the beat-up little car.  There was nothing I could do to fix it; a specialist was needed who knew exactly how to repair the car to its optimal condition.  The first step in the restoration process would require a tow truck to take the car to the autobody shop. Once it arrived there, it would be examined by a specialist and work would commence. 

I was anxious for the car to be repaired and wished I could speed the process up by doing something tangible, but the work was way beyond my capability.  This job could only be completed by someone with very specific skills, knowledge, and tools; none of which I possessed.  The one thing I could do was entrust the car to the best autobody shop and then wait for the work to get underway.  Patience would be required on my part because it would likely take a while. 

When an event blindsides us, we may quickly recognize we have no tangible way to fix our unexpected circumstances.  We don’t own a tow truck and we don’t specialize in autobody repairs.  We must entrust the situation to a specialist.  The really good news is this, as a believer in Jesus Christ, we know The One who specializes in restoration and it is God Himself.  He alone knows exactly what each person needs, and He has everything at His disposal to correct the situation.  Nothing is beyond His ability to rebuild and restore and most importantly, His work is flawless.  

The Gospel of Mark chapter 7 tells about a man who was deaf and mute.  His condition was desperate and perhaps some may have thought impossible to heal.  However, he was still brought to Jesus, The Specialist, and this is what happened in verses 32-37.

32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

I love that “they brought” him to Jesus believing He could do the work necessary to heal the man. We too can bring whatever may have blindsided us to Jesus knowing He holds the power to accomplish whatever is needed.  As we pray asking God for His intervention, may I encourage all of us to plead with Him like the people in this story, even to the point of begging.  We beg not because He is hardened toward us but rather because it demonstrates our persistence and desperate need of His help.  Next, allow God to heal the way He sees best.  In the account from Mark, Jesus took the man aside and healed him privately in ways that may have seemed odd or unnecessary to a bystander, yet the result was nothing short of miraculous. The man was restored and made whole.  That is what God does!  We can entrust The Specialist with our circumstances and await the day when we can proclaim, “He has done all things well.”

Blindsided Series - Post One

Blindsided

Definition of blindside

transitive verb

1: to hit unexpectedly from or as if from the blind side

2: to surprise unpleasantly

If you have ever been in a car accident that caught you off guard, you may have used the word “blindsided” to describe the event to other people.  The entire incident took you so by surprise that there wasn’t even time to brace yourself for the impact coming straight for you.  You were obeying the law, driving the speed limit and the next thing you knew your air bags deployed, glass was shattered, there was a horrible crunching noise and your car became undrivable.  Thankfully your body was unharmed, but your vehicle was a mess.  As you surveyed your surroundings, your body’s emotions caught up with your brain and instantaneously your legs began to feel like Jell-O.  You were all shaky inside when you realized the seriousness of the situation and fully understood what had just occurred.

A car accident can be a good analogy for how we may feel when something unexpected unfolds in our life.  In a moment, life can take very unforeseen turns.  When this happens glass shatters and bad crunching noises are heard.  As we push back the deployed air bags and survey the damage, we feel all shaky inside.  

Some car accidents leave us unharmed while others leave permanent injuries.  Both are shocking but some have more long-lasting effects than others.

In our most vulnerable and unexpected moments of feeling blindsided, there is hope. If we call upon the Lord, He will empower us to respond in ways we could never have believed possible.  

Psalm 145:17-18 says this,

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.”

For those of us who have a relationship with Christ, we have the privilege of calling upon Him at any time for help and He will draw near to us.  I didn’t see my blindsided moment coming, but God did.  As I silently cried out to Him for help, He filled me with His presence. He was there to overshadow me and when I finally spoke, His words were my words, my actions were His actions.  Perhaps you have been blindsided and are still picking up the shattered pieces that lay around trying to make sense of what happened. In your shock and surprise, turn toward God and not away from Him.  Allow Him to enter your pain and unexpected.  He will meet you, comfort you and give you His peace if you call upon Him.  He is not far away as we may think, but rather very near.  Call upon Him and enter into a calm that cannot be explained except for His presence.  He will steady and sustain you.

Not the mountain, but the sand in my shoes

We are over a month into our “shelter in place” mandate and I’m sure many of you, like me, are asking the question, “How much longer will it be before we can begin to return to ‘normal’ life once again?”  I think to myself, “Surely it cannot be too much longer!” but then before I know it another full week has passed and still no end in sight.

I am quick to admit I am enjoying having my family at home (a rare and unusual time) but this time has not been without its challenges too. Tears have been shed, tempers have flared, and irritations have been expressed. When these emotions have occurred, a phrase my Mom used to say when I was younger came to mind,

“It isn’t the mountain ahead that will wear me out but the sand in my shoes." 

When frustrations and disappointments have arisen, it wasn’t the mountain of COVID-19 that was wearing us out but the sand of silly things rubbing us raw in our shoes. Unknowingly, and sometimes knowingly, one of us poured sand into someone else’s shoes.  The weight of that sand made it difficult to walk through the day and blisters were beginning to develop.

Thankfully, my family is pretty quick to apologize so the sand was shaken out of the proverbial shoes eventually, however it required extra kindness and humility in order for peace to be restored. 

This past week I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 which is a well know chapter to most of us but what stood out to me were the behaviors that love demonstrates.  Take a look at verses 4-8:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, 

hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never fails.”

I felt these were a good reminder on how to demonstrate love, especially right now while we are all confined together.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to live out His attributes to those around us each day.  In the midst of all this, it is my prayer that we will be especially loving, kind, humble, other centered and patient. May we be the first to say we are sorry and demonstrate compassion.  In doing these things we will not only please God but have less sand in our shoes. This will make the road before us easier to walk no matter how long it lasts. 

With love

Brenda

I Pursue You

Knowing I like visual reminders, or rather, need them; a dear friend of mine gave me this framed saying this past year.

I Pursue You.

I think we all like to be pursued. We want to be wanted. We want to know others care; that they see us hurting and pursue our hearts pushing past self-protective boundaries and pressing into the brokenness. It was my heart's cry one day as I was walking through some relational fractures and talking to the Lord.

As the Lord always does, He turns things upside down and inside out. He quietly spoke to my heart, "I pursue you." His gentle voice reminding me of His heart. His voice grabbed me in the moment. Yes, His pursuit is enough. I want others to pursue me, but He pursues me on my broken road each and every day if I let Him. His pursuit turns my vision from others to Him.

He pursued Haggar into the barrenness of Beersheba telling her to "fear not."

He pursued Moses into the wilderness meeting him in a burning bush telling him He's heard the cry and seen the oppression. He will deliver His people.

He pursued Saul on the Damascus Road telling him to stop resisting Him. God saved his soul that day, opened Saul's eyes showing him His eternal promises and plans. Saul became God's mighty messenger known as Paul.

I Pursue You. Maybe you need to hear that today. That the God of the universe, your Creator, sees you and will meet you on your broken road when no one else might. He is enough. Even more, when we turn to Him He changes our perspective. He meets our need, but then encourages us to be the pursuer of others in their hurting. Who can you pursue today?

The Hearing Aid

Summer is my favorite time of the year, hands down.  The days are longer, the temperatures are warmer, and I love having my children off from school. My life takes on a much slower pace and I find myself resting more.  However, if you know me, you also know I can only sit for so long before my need for productivity kicks in and I must find something tangible to accomplish. 

A few days ago, I had enough lazing about and I decided to trim up the bushes in my yard. They were definitely overgrown and due for some love.  My mom was visiting and graciously offered to help me. We headed out to the yard armed with garden gloves, hand clippers and pruning scissors.  We looked like warriors embarking on a great mission to civilize the jungle. 

My mother is a remarkable lady. At 78 years of age, she works as hard as I ever recall her working when I was a child.  Her physical body is humming along pretty well overall but, her hearing has diminished. As a result, several years ago, she decided to invest in some high-tech hearing aids.  These little sound-enhancing marvels are nearly undetectable when in her ears, but wow, do they make an incredible difference in her ability to hear. She wears them every day to do nearly everything, so it was not at all unusual that she would wear them to do one of her favorite activities, gardening. 

After a full and productive day of yard work, my mom prepared to retire for the night and as is her custom, she reached into her ears to remove her hearing aids.  She reached into one ear and pulled out one hearing aid but as she reached into the other, much to her surprise, one of them was missing! She felt again, nothing.  She searched around room, the bathroom, the hall but the only thing that turned up was a sinking feeling in her stomach.   She began to think back on her day and asked herself, “Did it fall out when I was working in the yard?”  

My entire family began searching for the lost hearing aid as if it were Easter Sunday and we were on an egg hunt.  My husband used a large hand-held flood light as we scoured the bushes for the mysterious little sound bite magnifier.  As we rummaged around the neatly trimmed bushes, the scene became filled with irony as I thought about how our daytime work results had been so satisfying compared with our unsatisfactory nighttime search and rescue mission.  

I began praying from the moment I realized the hearing aid was missing despite my initial twinge of hesitation.  I didn’t want to “bother God” with such a small detail.  Certainly, the missing hearing aid was minor on the scale of life problems!  My dialog with God began with a quick and desperate, “God, please help me” prayer. You know, the one that sounds like, “Hey, sorry to bother you, I know you are really busy doing important big God stuff, but a little help would be great.” prayer.  It’s the prayer I pray sometimes when I approach Him as if He is too busy for me and I am annoying Him.  However, as the hunt for the hearing aid wore on my dialog deepened with Him.  I reminded myself that God loves to hear from His children, so I stopped praying like I was pestering Him and started praying as a beloved daughter of His.  I praised Him for being omniscient. I told Him I believed He alone knew exactly where the hearing aid was hiding (Deut. 29:29).  I asked Him to be the Husband to the widow (my mom) and the Father to the fatherless (me) (Psalm 68:5).  I even thanked Him that my mom had the resources to buy a replacement hearing aid if we did not find it.  As I prayed, I sensed God’s listening ears which certainly did not need a hearing aid.  As, I prayed on, a strange peace fell upon me considering the circumstances.  We eventually called off our pursuit of the wandering hearing helper until we could see more clearly in the morning. 

I went to bed perplexed but oddly hopeful.  Around 4 am I heard thunder rumble in the distance and I asked God to push the rain somewhere else. By 5 am there was a steady rain pelting against my bedroom windows and I prayed “Lord, You know where the hearing aid is and You can even miraculously protect it from rain.”  I must admit, even as I prayed the words, I realized how ludicrous they sounded.  Did I really believe He would keep the hearing aid dry from the deluge of water falling from the sky? I eventually drifted back to sleep contemplating how water and electronic devices don’t mix well.

At 6:45 am, with a full mug of coffee in my hand, I walked to the front yard to find my mom had already resumed raking through the bushes, limb by limb.  As I joined her efforts, our conversation took a spiritual turn.  We dialoged about why we thought the Lord had allowed this set of circumstances to unfold.  What was the lesson we could learn from it?  What did He want us to understand about Him or ourselves through this? We tossed around some ideas but generally came up as empty as our search efforts for the hearing aid.  

Finally, in a last-ditch effort, there was one last place we had not looked.  We agreed to look in the backyard where my son had dumped the debris from our bush whacking efforts the previous day.  There in the woods was a large, deep, twisted pile of plant remains staring at us.  The task of searching through them seemed insurmountable and quite daunting.  As we waded through the thick weeds to reach the discarded pile of plant parts, the parable of the lost coin Jesus told in Luke 15:8-10 came to my mind.  

Luke 15:8-10 says this, “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The lost coin parable is sandwiched between the story of the lost sheep and the prodigal son, but the message is the same in all three parables. Jesus communicated to His listeners how much He loves them and will stop at nothing to find them, save them and delight over their return to Him.  I shared my thoughts with my Mom as we delicately lifted leaf by leaf and branch by branch to see if we could locate the hearing aid.  We discussed how God often allows things for reasons we cannot understand, and I shared some thoughts from an apologetics book I was reading.  As I rambled on a lengthy discourse about God and His sovereignty, all of a sudden, I heard something drop that most certainly was not plant based.  I looked down and there it was, the mischievous, little hearing aid.  “I found it!!” I shouted at my mom, at a decibel that any deaf person could hear, to which my Mom shouted back, at similar volume, “Praise God!” 

The experience of losing my mom’s hearing aid has caused me to ponder two things; the importance of prayer and God’s incredible love for me (and you).  When we realized something significant was missing we began searching for it with abandon. We looked inside and outside.  We searched in the dark, damp night and the bright morning sun.  We traipsed into the bug infested woods and dug through the rubbish.  We did not stop until we found the prized lost possession and when it was found we rejoiced.  This is a way to picture the kind of love God has for us.  He loves us enough to pursue us because we are so valuable to Him. Do not believe you are not worth searching for or that God has given up on a relationship with you.  He will not abandon looking for you and when you are reunited all of heaven will rejoice with Him.  You are loved beyond measure.

Additionally, I was reminded of the importance of prayer.  I have always known God hears my prayers but when He answers me I am often caught off guard. I so appreciate that God is not offended by my lack of faith nor my resistance to approach Him for fear He is too busy for me.  He is always there, ready to help me, and I believe whenever possible it delights Him to give me what I ask for as long as it is in accordance with His will.  He knows I am just dust and knows from time to time I need to see my faith strengthened by what I can see.  God even answered my seemingly crazy ask and kept the hearing aid safe from the rain because it was buried deep in the pile of debris. It was protected and dry when we found it and worked immediately.  

God loves us and hears us. These two statements when experienced first-hand are mind bending and life altering.  May your faith be strengthened as you ponder them for yourself.

Much love, Brenda

Bridget's Blog

Today I spoke about our precious and beautiful friend Bridget as we began our study on the book of Esther.  I had an overwhelming response from many of our ladies asking for the web address for Bridget's blog.  

Bridget wrote a journal on a site called "Caring Bridge."  Here is the link to her posts however you will need to register your name and e-mail with a password in order to read her blog. 

Here is the link to caring bridge  https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bridgetmichener.

With much love

Brenda

Praise from the Persecuted Church

Today, November 6, 2016, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.  If you were in study two weeks ago for Acts 7, you will recall that I asked you to begin praying for those who are persecuted because of their faith.  In particular, I requested prayer for those Christians who are living in areas where Islamic extremists are in control, like Syria.   

While driving in the car on Wednesday of this past week, I heard a news report on K-Love regarding what God is doing in Syria. I followed up by going to K-Love's website and reading the full article.  This is one piece from the article:

“In a new church plant, a woman had been coming to the church for a couple months and she was always covered and was obviously Muslim, Sunni. After a couple months, she came to one of the leaders in that church and she told him her story. “She said, ‘I used to be an al-Qaeda fighter. I had an AK-47 and I used to go fight with them and nurse the injured as well. But I came and I heard the Gospel and I started coming and came to know Christ. I was afraid to tell you because I was afraid you would report me and then I would be arrested. Brother Michael remarks, “This is just a beautiful image of what God is doing.”

God is doing great things because of your prayers for those who are under daily attack for their faith.  Please do not grow weary in lifting them before the Lord. Change happens because of prayer!  Don't let the enemy tell you any differently.  

If you would like to read the full article you can click here.

With much love,

Brenda

Pray BIG

I often feel like the father in Mark 9. A father brought his son to Jesus. The boy was mute and an evil spirit had overtaken him often bringing harm to the boy. As you can imagine, the father was desperate for his son. Knowing that Jesus' disciples had healed many in Jesus' name, the father asked the disciples to cast out the spirit. They were unable. This day would be different. Seeing Jesus that day, this father cried out to Jesus for help and compassion. Jesus asked for the boy to be brought to Him. Jesus said to this father in verse 23, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Pricked in their hearts, and brought to utter desperation, knowing that nothing they or others could do could help the boy, scripture tells us that "immediately the father and the child cried out with tears, 'Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!" Victory was evidenced that day as God triumphed over Satan. Compassion triumphed over animosity and faith triumphed over doubt. 

Soon after, the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn't heal that boy? His answer, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." 

Why prayer and fasting? Because in prayer and fasting, I believe we show God that our utter dependence is on Him. We don't have the answers to the glaring need staring at us. We need Jesus and we need His power. This father's need was great and even more was the son's. But everyday, I have need. Everyday, I have situations that are far beyond anything I can solve. So why do I try and find solutions? Why do I think I have to? God is the solution giver, the problem solver, the need supplier. All we need to do is go to him in prayer, believing in Him for the answer according to His perfect will. 

Yesterday, my unbelief became belief. My faith was strengthen. You see, the Thursday morning Delighting in the Lord Bible study just got started last week. We are studying Acts and the power of the Holy Spirit. There are three of us that rotate through the teaching; Hedy, Brenda and me (Stacy). Each week, we get on a three way call and pray over the week, the ministry as a whole, the servants and the needs. On Wednesday, our hearts were heavy. The children's ministry that supports the study was in desperate need of help. The week before the children's ministry numbers bloomed to 50 as mommas's brought their kiddos to Bible study, some of whom hadn't preregistered. We are thrilled to have these new kids and mommas, but we didn't have enough servants to adequately manage the classrooms. The Kids in Christ ministry coordinator had contacted me with the need. This isn't a new need. Every year we face this and it can be burdensome. Now, I know this is not anywhere near a child who has an evil spirit like Mark 9. But our God is the same God who healed that boy and our God is the same God who calls on us to believe in Him in every need and situation. Philippians 4:19 tells us this. I stand on that truth. 

So we prayed. As the three of us teachers got on the phone on Wednesday at 11am, we prayed over this need. As I was praying, in my spirit, I wasn't believing God for the answer. I doubted He'd come through.  Even as my words asked Jesus to come into this situation and solve it, my head swirled with ways I could solve it. In that moment, conviction came. How this all happens at once, I don't know. But as I prayed, immediately, my prayer turned to one of repentance. I prayed Mark 9:23 and my ministry partners joined me. I confessed my unbelief. I asked God to give me faith to believe that according to Philippians 4:19 "God will supply all of our need through the riches of Christ Jesus." This isn't my need, the Kid's in Christ's need or anyone's personal need; this is God's need. These kids are His, as is this ministry and this need concerns His work in and through us. And so, with renewed belief, I started to pray BIG. I didn't tell God how to solve this problem, I just gave it to Him trusting that we would come on Thursday with the need filled. Truly, I had no idea how this would all work out but there was no Plan B. We stuck with Plan A and that plan was Jesus. 

On Thursday morning, just before walking out the door, the Kids in Christ coordinator texted me telling me that 2 ladies had come forward to help. There was a huge hallelujah from my heart that morning. When I got to church I learned that at the exact time the three of us were praying on Wednesday, God was solving the problem; people's hearts were pricked, calls were made and yeses given to help. On Thursday, we had just the help we needed. 

Why am I in awe when Jesus demonstrates His power? Why am I in awe when Jesus comes through? When He is true to His character and words? 

Oh, I am a woman sometimes of little faith. But yesterday was a faith builder. God showed me, once again, to pray Big believing. Our God is a BIG God who handles BIG problems with Big solutions. Nothing is impossible with Him. Why don't we pray like it then? When I pray Big in Jesus' power and name, needs are met and answers come at just the right time. He isn't looking for us to solve problems and needs, He is looking for us to pray and ask Him to. Then, we get to step back waiting and believing that He is going to knock our socks off. That's what He did yesterday! 

I don't know what need is staring you in the face or what need is weighing down your heart, but God wants to enter into it with you and give you His answer. It may take time for His answer to come, not everything happens immediately. But just like our need yesterday, God met it at just the right moment. He's never early and He's never late. 

May I encourage you to pray BIG, believe BIG and watch Jesus show up BIG! 

Much love to you,

Stacy

Summer Quiet Time and Prayer

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest, in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1

As I embark on summer months, I enter a time of rest from the ordinary.   My children rest from going to school each day and my husband will usually take a vacation from work.  These are some of the reasons summer is my most favorite times of the year! I am excited to be home with my family and enjoy a break from school activities and sports.  I also am so happy to see the sunshine and be barefoot!  The warmer temperatures are such a welcome reprieve from the cold we experience most of the year in Pennsylvania.  I hope you too have some rest ahead and are able to get outside and take in God's beautiful creation.

I have been praying that your summer months bring deep rest as well as usher in a unique quiet time with the Lord.   I have heard from many of you that the routine of Thursday Bible study helped you to stay in God's Word but when study ends, you have to find a new routine for the summer months.  I want to encourage you to pick a book of the Bible you have always wanted to read and go through it slowly this summer.  Savor each verse and dig deeply into the things the Lord shows you.   Maybe choose the book of Ruth or Esther?  Maybe choose a Gospel?  Or what about the less talked about books like Habakkuk or Obadiah?   No matter what you choose, I know God will meet you on the pages of His Word and feed you daily.  Feel free to drop me, Stacy or Hedy an e-mail and let us know what you are studying, we always love to hear from you!  

As you close out your quiet time in prayer each day with the Lord, please remember us at Delighting In the Lord.  We have several specific requests we would appreciate you covering in your prayer time.

• Brenda and Stacy leave to write our upcoming study on the book of Acts.  We will be away May 15-18. May God speak to our hearts and put onto the pages what He wants written.  Protection as us we travel, our families and three days we are away.
• Please pray for Meg Horst, our worship leader.  Meg, her husband Nelson, and their children are headed to the country of Swaziland in Africa sometime in mid to late July.  They are going on what is known as a "survey trip" for 10 days.  While there, they will be meeting with the staff already in place as well as seeking the Lord to confirm their commitment  to being full-time missionaries in Swaziland for two years. If you would, please pray over these specifics:
  • Preparations to leave (passports, time off from work, vaccinations, financial provisions)
  • General health, wellness and safety in their travels
  • Meg and Nelson's three children (new culture, time change, vision of living there full-time)
  • Confirmation of their calling and unity with the staff already in place
  • Divine opportunities to bless the missionaries and the people of Swaziland.
  • If you feel led, you may make a contribution of any size to the Horst's at:  
    • Calvary Chapel Chester Springs, PO Box 595, Eagle, PA  19341.  (Please indicate on your check that the donation is for the Horst's trip to Swaziland.)
• Stacy and Ben Davis are headed to Papua New Guinea July 8-22.  Please cover them in the following ways:
  • Travel (four airplane trips and 26 hours of travel and the 15 hour time change)
  • Physical safety and health
  • Opportunities to share the gospel
  • Women's retreat Stacy is teaching July 15-16 on Joshua 1:9
  • Ben's safety while helping with construction and ministering to the children

Stacy will be sending updates through this blog while she and Ben are away by giving us updates on how to pray as well as what God is doing in and through them.  It will be exciting to watch this trip unfold!  

I will miss seeing each of you regularly on Thursday's but please know you are not far from my thoughts and prayers.  You are precious and very dearly loved.  Enjoy the summer!!

Much love,  

Brenda

John 18 - Fiery Trials Often Have Miraculous Outcomes

“Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear.  The servant’s name was Malchus.” (John 18:10) “But Jesus answered and said, ‘Permit even this.’ And He touched his ear and healed him.” (Luke 22:51)

On the night that Jesus was arrested, John 18 records Peter’s attempt to defend Jesus by cutting off Malchus’ ear. But, Jesus tells Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath.  Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me.” Luke 22:51 then records Jesus healing Malchus’ ear.

There are several lessons in this small portion of scripture that teach us about difficult trials, the choices we make, and miracles God often orchestrates when we face trials.

Just before Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested, He begged God to remove the fiery trial He was facing.  As He cried out earnestly to His Father He experienced such anguish that His sweat was like droplets of blood.  Yet, His loving Father did not remove the fiery trial.

Have you ever been there?  Ever begged God to remove or change something with great earnestness and pleading, only to find that the fiery trial remains? When this happens, there are many ways to respond.  Many years ago, the Lord allowed a fiery trial in my life and I responded in unproductive ways.

·      I fought against God.

I raged against God and my circumstances.  I was angry and I felt I had     been served up a huge plate of injustice and I wanted to let God know about it. 

·      I ran away from God.

This was my second response after anger.  I turned my back on Him and severed my relationship with Him.  No church, no Bible reading, no fellowship with other believers.  I cut all ties that were in any way associated with the Lord.

·      I lashed out at those around me.

Like Peter in our passage today, I pulled out my “sword,” figuratively speaking, and struck the people who were standing closest to me.  My “sword” was often my mouth and the cutting words I spoke. 

I engaged in other detrimental behaviors during this fiery trial, but instead of discussing those I would like to tell you about my present trial and how I am following Jesus’ behaviors which are found in John 18.

·      Jesus was obedient.

God had plans for Jesus and Jesus chose to obey God’s plan; a plan Jesus did not desire.  Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested and bound.  He could have fought this very easily. As John 18:6 records, all He literally had to do was say His name “I AM” and everyone would have fallen over.  But He did not, He accepted God’s plan.  This must have been immensely difficult.  No one wants to sign up for what appears to be a bad and painful road. I get it.  But what if the only way to receive the blessings, is to walk down the road we do not want?  What if this is the only way to see the good God has planned?  

·      Jesus wasn’t powerless.

Jesus wasn’t powerless during His fiery trial - His power was sheathed.  He allowed Himself to appear weak, but inside His strength was still the same.  As a believer in Jesus Christ, you and I have the same Holy Spirit power within us to experience victory on our toughest days.  Our circumstances may look bad and we may appear physically weak, but we must not underestimate God’s power living within us!  Tap into God’s replenishing source, the Bible.  Get into it and keep reading until your Spirit is renewed.  It is your never ending power supply.  Also spend time in prayer, worship Him and enjoy fellowship with other believers.

·      Jesus was at peace.

Jesus remained at peace throughout His trial.  Hebrews 12:2 takes Jesus’ disposition a step beyond peace and indicates that there was even joy. “For the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right had of the throne of God.”  Jesus had joy in His trial.  Wow.  In John 15 we learned that having joy means we experience a calm delight.  We can have a calm delight on our darkest days because we know who is in control and He knows what is best for us. 

On my nightstand, beside my bed, I have a little plaque that says this,

“I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”

I begin and end each day knowing this truth is real.  We have no idea what each day holds, but praise God we know who is holding our day and gratefully it isn’t us!

As I move into the weeks ahead, I do not know what will unfold regarding my present trial, but since February (when the trial began) I have seen three incredible, earth moving, answers to prayer.  They are nothing short of miraculous to me.  Just as Jesus astonishingly restored Malchus’ ear, Jesus is restoring things in my life as well.  Things I have prayed for more than 10 years are being answered in the midst of this trial. Tears spring to my eyes even as I type this because I am amazed by God’s goodness and faithfulness.  As Stacy taught us in John 11 about Lazarus being raised from the dead, things I truly thought were dead, are coming to life.  This is our God.  The mighty, holy, awesome, loving, perfect, life giving, infinite, sovereign, wonderful, Lord Jesus. You are not alone, He stands with you, holding you and all of your circumstances. 

If you are in a fiery trial and are not yet aware of any miracles, remember He is at work even when we cannot see Him moving.   Sometimes our obedience, our peace and the power of the Holy Spirit are the miracles.   I encourage you to be on the look out for mighty things to come in the midst of your fiery trial.

Much love to you,

Brenda 

John 15 - I am the vine

When I was in 8th grade I was given the opportunity to take a day off from school to explore a job that interested me.  I knew exactly what I wanted to explore - the career of journalism.  I jumped at the chance to go to an actual newspaper and spend the day with a “real” journalist. My Dad knew a writer at the Bucks County Courier Times and she graciously allowed me to shadow her for a day.  I was enthralled from the moment I walked into the newspaper building.  As the day unfolded, I became even more enchanted with the possibility of a career in journalism.  There was just something about it that captivated me and it became my dream to research, interview and report the news. 

As I look back on the last 32 years from 8th grade and now, I realize that God had other plans for me and the dream of becoming a professional journalist did not materialize.  Yet, what I realized this past week was that my innate desire to research, interview and report still flows strongly through my veins.  This insight came to me as I drove home from a trip to a local vineyard.  I had gone there in order to better understand Jesus’ teaching in John 15.

“I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser.”

“I am the vine, you are the branches.”

Jesus is likely referring to a grapevine in this chapter. I know very little about grapevines so I began researching vineyards on-line and planned to visit one.  It was a little adventure for me.  Although I was unable to contact the vineyard owner ahead of time, I decided I’d make the trip even if it meant only getting a photo of the estate and grapevines.  I was pleasantly surprised when upon arrival I was greeted by the owner.  He spent over 35 minutes answering all my questions and giving me details I could not gain through my research on-line. I cannot wait to share with you what I learned this Thursday!  

As I drove home quite pleased with the outcome of my visit, God reminded me of Philippians 1:6 which says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”  This means that until Jesus either calls me home or He returns, my story is not over (and neither is yours).  I have often regretted having not pursued journalism and yet God reminded me that I am doing the work of a journalist for His glory. It is not how I initially I envisioned it; it is far better than I could have dreamed.

You see, God (the vinedresser) created me (His branch) to bear much fruit.  The desire to research, interview and report is a gift the Lord has given me for His purposes.   When I allow God to use the gifts He has given me, He brings forth fruit and I experience joy.  I was truly filled with joy while I was driving home because I was doing what the “journalist” in me was created to do.  I was putting together a story.  Not a story about about a local current event but rather, something so much better, a story about my Savior.  That filled my heart to overflowing with joy. In addition to gaining a deeper understanding of John 15,  I also had the great privilege of sharing my faith with the owner of the vineyard.

When I see God orchestrating the circumstances in my life in ways like this, I am so encouraged. They remind me of the personal nature of God and how much He loves me.  Grapevines need year round attention and care by the vinedresser in order to produce good fruit.  God most certainly gives year round attention to us.  He desires that we use our abilities and talents for His glory. 

May the Lord remind you this week of His attentiveness toward you and that your story is not finished yet.  He desires that “you bear much fruit” (John 15:8) “and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).  

Much love,

Brenda