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Friday, September 7, 2007
An unlikely person was Frank. Frank was a colleague at the bank where I were I worked several years ago. Not once in my entire twenty-three years of banking had I worked with another Christian. Little did I realize God was about to set me on a new journey. Over stacks of loan files Frank and I began to talk about faith and the Bible. He was wise and filled with the Holy Spirit. He began to slowly and carefully teach me new insights into God’s character and purpose for my life. I know I spent a lot of time learning about the Holy Spirit. Frank brought in books for me to read along with my daily Bible reading. He said to me, “Lynn, read the good ole’ dead guys. They had it figured out long before we came along.” He brought me books by R.A. Torrey, A.W. Tozer and Andrew Murray. I love Andrew Murray. I am currently reading two books by Murray today. Frank also recommended some of the good ole dead girls as well, such as Hanna Widall-Smith. Over a course of two years Frank challenged me. He pushed me to discover more of God’s character. He led me to a fresh indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Last week I telephoned Frank to thank him for those years of instruction. I explained how his love for Christ inspired me and grew my relationship with the King. Frank responded like Frank, “Awe shucks.” He was humble and gave all the credit to Jesus. I think God delights in those ah-ha moments when we realize He orchestrated an encounter, a friendship. It delighted the Father for me to telephone Frank and say, “Thank you. Thank you for sharing Jesus with me.” Who was your Frank? A pastor, a parent, a neighbor, the grocery clerk? Honor them with a card or a call. Then let's be Frank with someone else. Colossians 3:16 (NLT)  Please visit me at: Spiritually Unequal Marriage. Labels: Lynn's Articles, thankfulness Leave a comment... 3 Comments Links to this post “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” ~ Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV – emphasis mine)I guess endurance/perseverance is my motto for this week. Last weekend was so busy with  getting things done around the house that my Sweetheart and I didn’t have time to relax. I was hoping for a little R&R, but we had to catch-up on stuff that didn’t get done during the week. I wanted to be fresh for a very busy week at work—long hours were scheduled since we have year-end-close in April/May.We were all under a lot of pressure in my department. How to do you cope with pressure/stress? As for me I look to Him for strength; I put on my headphones and listen to praise music. Others just walk off the job…I am serious—we had one leave work on Wednesday because the stress was too high (no worries—the person returned on Thursday). That got me thinking about our Lord. What if He would have said ‘No’ to the pressure He was under? He could have just refused to be the sacrifice for all of us. He could have said ‘No’ to the cross. What would have happened to us? I know that I could not save myself. I could never fulfill all the commandments God has set before me. But our Lord said YES to the cross—despite the pain that came with it. His love for us was much greater than the shame He would have to endure… I am glad that He poured hope into my heart when He took my sins and nailed them to the cross. With His strength I can make it through year-end-closing at work or through busy weekends…How about you? Will you travel the road of life with a smile on your face and a song of praise on your lips because of the hope He has given you? I pray you do… “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” ~ Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank you for saying YES to the cross. Thank you for enduring the pain and the shame. Lord, help me to travel the road of life with a smile on my face and a song of praise on my lips. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen.  Labels: Iris's Articles, praise, thankfulness Leave a comment... 12 Comments Links to this post
Friday, March 23, 2007
Apparently, my eighth-grader, Kristin, has been the only girl in her entire school, school district, or in Indiana who has still been wearing (you won’t believe this) jeans to school. This “fact” was exacerbated by the “fact” that she could no longer fit into anything that was discarded all over her bed, floor, dressers, closet, or ceiling fan. It’s true that middle schoolers, like toddlers, can grow a lot in one year, so we went shopping for a few items. We looked for styles we could both approve of, but the plethora of microscopic, miniscule, dinky, veritably undetectable wee shorts and skirts was not acceptable to either of us. But that’s a whole ‘nother post! Nevertheless, we made a couple of purchases. Kristin was excited about her new clothes. In fact, she expressed appreciation several times. All in all, the excursion was turning out to be a great mom/daughter bonding time. But then something drained Kristin’s spirit and zapped her stamina in a matter of minutes: I began looking at a few things for myself. Her countenance dropped. Her knees buckled. Her eyes actually got bloodshot. She dragged her feet and leaned on clothes racks for support. She wasn’t complaining, rude or misbehaving; she had simply gotten what she came for, and suddenly, the party was over. Later at home, we were laughing about her descent into listlessness when she remarked that what she did is similar to the way we relate to God sometimes. That is, when we need or want something, we ask, and a lot of times we get what we want. Sadly, as soon as we feel relief from worry, or the storm has passed, or the wish has been granted, we grow tired of praying. We’re not unappreciative or rude to God; we probably even say “thank you,” just as Kristin did. However, we just don’t sense the same urgency or even remember to talk to him like we did when we were holding out our hands. Galatians 3:25-27 reminds us: “By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise.” [The Message] I am reminded that I’m in a relationship with God, my Father, who is interested in who I am on the inside. I love him, and I want to make sure that I participate in our relationship every day in ways that don’t involve asking for something. Whether in earthly relationships or in the one with our Father, there is joy in just spending time with someone we love. Today, may we dress ourselves in an “adult faith wardrobe,” giving thanks to our Provider but also seeking Father/Daughter bonding time without an agenda. May we adore him and fully appreciate that because of Christ, we enjoy a direct relationship with the pre-existent, co-eternal, omnipotent God, who, inexplicably, desires to meet with us at any time, every day. What grace!  Labels: Linda's Articles, Prayer, quiet time, relationship with God, shopping, Spring, thankfulness, worship Leave a comment... 6 Comments Links to this post
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