The Standard Of Me

Ian Percy said, "We judge others by their behavior.  We judge ourselves by our intentions".  I don't know Mr. Percy but that is one profound statement.  We give our selves some wiggle room yet others have to live up to the standard of me.  How on earth did me get to be the standard???? 

Years ago I had a friend that wanted to volunteer at our church in the children's department.  She loved children and they responded to her enthusiastically.  She was devastated when the head of the volunteers department rejected her.  She found the woman in authority to be rude and quite offensive. My friend told me she had had it with these so called "people of faith". She had never been treated so horribly and announced that she would not be attending our church or any church in the future.  Goodness I was sorry to hear that.  Shocked in fact to learn my friend had suffered this type of treatment.  It took a few weeks of chatting to finally get to the soul of this problem.  Apparently the woman in charge had been very friendly and warm initially.  Until she asked my friend if she smoked. My friend always wreaked with smoke but she didn't think so. I use to smoke and I use to wreak but I didn't think so either - hmmm, an example of the standard of me? The lady explained that too many children are allergic to smoke and there is a real concern for the children being around second hand smoke.  My friend was indignant saying she would never smoke around the children.  The woman said that she appreciated my friend coming in to volunteer but at this time she did not have a position available for her.  It was my friend that huffed off infuriated emitting an expletive or two.

These kind of things play out every day in all walks of life. Someone is offended because their intention was not heard or noticed.  There are boundaries in place from business to church to relationship and everything in-between. Some people either disregard those boundaries or push them to the limit because their intentions are good, even noble and they don't believe they should be limited by boundaries or rules. Each one of us is capable of viewing or living life from our own prospective of need, want or desire which becomes the standard of me.

A pearl to string:  God's Word gives all of us a warning to “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23 GNB).  A poem from days gone by jumps into my mind: Be careful what you think…  Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your character.   Author unknown

Just because I think something or believe something  - it does NOT make it true!  No life should be lived by the standard of me.  We need, I need, to be continually "........ transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2). 

I am thankful for Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever".  A truth that is steadfast and does not change. That's the standard for me by which I would like to live.

You are eternally loved,

                                Lyndi

OH how HE loves US

This little hurricane went to Hong Kong
This little hurricane danced with glee
This little hurricane sang "I'm just an echo of your Maker's Passionate, Jealous Love! And you are like a tree."

The God Life

Ah the promises of Christianityhood: "lead the God life and you'll lead the good life". Really?  What does that mean?  You'll have money in the bank? a great job? all your dreams will come true?  Goodness which Hollywood movie have you been watching? 

"Look at Jesus. Mark’s Gospel tells us, “The Spirit drove him out into the wilderness.” Jesus hadn’t sinned. He was right with God and full of the Holy Spirit, yet He faced 40 uncomfortable, lonely days in the desert undergoing intense temptation.  Sometimes we find ourselves in a desert because of our own sin, but that’s not always the case. Like Jesus, we may enter a dry, difficult time so that God’s good purposes can be fulfilled. Don’t get discouraged. Even though He may seem a million miles away, He’s with you. The next time you experience the desert, remember this: You’re only following the footsteps of our Savior".

A pearl to string: Growing up in California we didn't have a lot of snow.... well once... when I was in nursery school.... we had a dusting in Santa Monica. Fortunately my grandmother lived in Oklahoma.  They had snow there. Oh what fun that was to visit Gram. My cousins and I use to play this game in the fresh fallen snow. My older cousin Terry would walk across a snowy field leaving his big ole footprints.  The rest of us had to place our feet exactly into cousin Terry's  footprints without disturbing any of the surrounding snow. Very hard to do when you are giggling and laughing and you have short legs. The one who followed the footprints most exactly was the winner.

A funny thing about that childhood game -- it really was a special lesson in following Jesus: when following the steps of my cousin exactly, my feet didn't get cold because he had packed down the snow. If I messed up my steps, I got snow down my boots and I had cold feet.  We only get "cold feet" in our adult life following Jesus when we get out of step with Him. If we follow directly in His steps, we are protected and strengthened no matter where the next step will lead us.  Jesus says: "Follow in My footsteps" (Mt 16:24).

You are safe in His steps,

You are loved

                    Lyndi

Creations Calls by Briane Doerksen

Read

Creation Calls Lyrics

here.

God's 21st century miracle

Trapped in the depths of darkness: An assemblage of men and women united in purpose meticulously plan and execute a rescue. Combining their God gifted knowledge and stepping out in faith the hour of rescue arrived after two plus months of intense work. From live television reports to live feeds on the internet the eyes of one billion people throughout the world witnessed God's 21st century miracle as 33 Chilean miners were rescued after being trapped 69 days a half mile (2,230 feet) beneath the Atacama desert.

From the harrowing pit of darkness which could have been a tomb became instead a womb of rebirth and the men emerged one by one amidst cheers and tears of gratitude. From China, from Japan, from Iran, from Germany, France, Cuba, and all around the world cameras brought scenes of crying men, many kneeling, praying and thanking God. As I watched and shed tears of joy I heard one miner, Mario Sepúlveda, say,  "I was with God and with the devil - and God took me".  The men each wore t-shirts that said; "Thank You Lord" on the front and on the back said; "To Him Be the Glory and Honor". But what summed it up for me was the Psalm each miner had written on the back of their jackets for all the world to see. Psalm 95:4

"In whose hand are the depths of the earth". 

 

Around the world, from schoolchildren to Heads of State, to Patriarch and Pope, persistent prayers have been offered on behalf of these miners. Heaven was besieged. In an age where it seemed like men and women had forgotten God, clearly, God has not forgotten us. We, along with all of those miners and their families, have been given a fresh start and an invitation to begin again. So, let the message being broadcast from Chile resound in your heart. If you or a loved one is trapped in depression; if sin or fear or a deep darkness has you feeling utterly alone, if your world has caved in upon you, beloved, call upon the Lord.

Jesus will find you and set you free.

With praise to all these companies and people who were "just doing their jobs".....  for the following contributions  in the miraculous rescue of the Chilean Miners. Thank you Father God for each and everyone of them.

Schramm Inc. of West Chester , Pennsylvania built the drills and equipment used to reach the trapped miners.

Center Rock Company, also from Pennsylvania , built the drill bits used to reach the miners.

UPS, the US shipping company, delivered the 13-ton drilling equipment from Pennsylvania to Chile in less than 48 hours.

Crews from Layne Christensen Company of Wichita Kansas and its subsidiary Geotec Boyles Bros. worked the drills and machinery to locate and reach the miners and then enlarge the holes to ultimately rescue them.

Jeff Hart of Denver Colorado was called off his job drilling water wells for the U.S. Army's forward operating bases in Afghanistan to lead the drilling crew that reached the miners.

Atlas Copco Construction Mining Company of Milwaukee , Wisconsin provided consulting on how to make drilling equipment from different sources work together under differing pressure specifications.

Aries Central California Video of Fresno California designed the special cameras that were lowered nearly a mile into the ground sending back video of the miners.

Zephyr Technologies of Annapolis Maryland , made the remote monitors of vital signs that miners wore during their ascent.

NASA Engineers designed the " Phoenix " capsule that miners would be brought to the surface in, and provided medical consulting, special diets and spandex suits to maintain miners' blood pressure as they're brought back to the surface.

Hanging Around Closed Doors

Do you ever hang around closed doors? Push, push, push...  darn this door!  It must be stuck!  This is a good thing for goodness sake!  Surely God would want this for me and I want it for me. Open up you doe doe door!

Ok, I confess I do..... I hang around closed doors.  Yep, waiting on the Lord.  Unwearied I wait. So.... would you like to know what I've learned in all my years of patiently waiting on the Lord?  We need to learn to praise the Lord as much for a closed door as we do for an open door. Why would God close a door you ask? He has not prepared anything behind it for us.  If he didn't close the wrong door, we would never find the right door.

God directs our path through the closing and opening of doors.  Once a door closes, it forces you to change your course.  When another door closes, it forces you to change your course again.  Then, finally, you find the open door and you walk right into your blessing.

The Lord directs our paths through the opening and closing of doors, but instead of praising him for the closed door (which keeps us out of trouble); we get upset because we "judge by the appearances."

You have an ever-present help in the time of trouble that is always standing guard. Because He walks ahead of you, He can spot trouble down the road and set up a roadblock or detour accordingly.  Through our lack of wisdom, we try to tear down the roadblocks or push aside the detour sign.  Then, the minute we get into trouble, we start crying, "Lord, how could You have done this to me?"

We have got to realize that the closed door can be a blessing.  Didn't He say that no good thing would He withhold from those who do what is right?

A pearl to string:  If something is happening in your life that doesn't meet with your expectation, goal or desire..... it might just be the Lord setting up a roadblock to lead you to blessing. We can sometimes trap ourselves in doubt and discouragement through judging by appearances. Be grateful for the many times our Father has closed doors to us just to open them in the most unexpected places.  The Lord won't always say in spoken words: "Go to the left, now to the right" ...sometimes He will just close the doors that are wrong for you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him - and He will direct your paths.  (Prov. 3:5-6)

Remember when a door is closed

You are loved

                Lyndi

You Never Let Go by Matt Redman

This song is the personal prayer of a believer who, in the midst of trial, chooses to trust in God. What's neat about it is how much the lyrics are saturated in Scripture.

Verse 1:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
(Psalm 23:a)
Your perfect love is casting out fear (1 John 4:18)
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
(Mark 4:35-41)
I won’t turn back (John 6:66-69)
I know You are near (Psalm 145:18)

Pre-Chorus:
And I will fear no evil (Psalm 23:4b)
For my God is with me (Psalm 23:6)
And if my God is with me (Psalm 46--especially verse 11)
Whom then shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
(Hebrews 13:5-6; Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:1-9)
Through the calm and through the storm (Isaiah 25:4)
Oh no, You never let go (John 10:27-28)
In every high and every low (Ecclesiastes 7:14)
Oh no, You never let go (Psalm 55:22)
Lord, You never let go of me (Matthew 28:20)

Verse 2:
And I can see a light (John 8:12)
that is coming for the heart that holds on (Psalm 27:14)
A glorious light beyond all compare
(Matthew 17:1-5; 1 Timothy 6:16)
And there will be an end to these troubles
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
But until that day comes
(1 Thessalonians 5:1-2; 1 Peter 1:13)
We’ll live to know You here on the earth
(Philippians 3:10-11)

Chorus Bridge:
Yes, I can see a light (2 Corinthians 4:6)
that is coming for the heart that holds on
(Psalm 97:11; Psalm 57:4-7; 2 Thessalonians 3:5; Hebrews 10:35-38)
And there will be an end to these troubles
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
But until that day comes (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You
(Psalm 71; Ephesians 5:8)

If the song has one overarching Scripture reference, I'd say its Romans 8:28-39 and especially verses 38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

THEN I’LL BE HAPPY

by Joseph J. Mazzella

For a good part of my life I suffered from a disease. This disease dampened my spirits, drained me of my energy, and robbed me of my vitality.

Sometimes it even made it hard to get out of bed in the morning. It made every part of my life more difficult and demanding. For a while too it looked like this disease would be a weight I would have to carry for the rest of my life. This disease was called, "And then I’ll be happy."

I think I first caught it in middle school. During my younger years I seemed to always enjoy the moment and relish each day of my life. At some point during those middle school years, however, I remember starting to look to the future more and more and enjoying today less and less.

At first I thought getting into high school and being a teenager would make me happy. Then the dream switched to being the high school football star. That was followed by being on my own in college. Next came having a great career and high paying job. Getting rich and having that big house followed it. After that was the dream of raising a family. Then there was retiring and finally enjoying my life. Each dream postponed my happiness a little further down the road. Finally I realized that if I kept going this way, I would be dead before I was happy.

That is when I came to see that it would be a lot better to be happy now than to live with this disease. Life I knew would always have fresh problems and frustrations, but I thought it would be a lot better to meet them with a happy heart and loving soul rather than waiting for life to be perfect. These days I am in remission. I still have occasional flare ups of "And then I’ll be happy," but I heal them by knowing that I can choose love and joy every second of my life.

God loves us all so much and wants us to be happy today, tomorrow, and forever. Let’s not let Him down. Let’s choose love, share joy, and spread happiness with every moment we have.

What did Jesus look like?

What did Jesus look like?

WHAT IF?

What if someone else's decision breaks your heart? I'm not talking disappointment here. I'm talking about an interruption in your ability to live your life in a healthy way. Broken heart! You were caught off-guard by a betrayal, a shocking behavior, or loss of a loved one. Suddenly you are feeling like you’ve lost all hope . . . you can feel a physical aching in your chest that leaves you wounded and scarred. There are times when the situation is so bad that you can't seem to will yourself or pray yourself to move forward. At every turn things just seem to get worse. You notice at the lowest of times the people that you care about the most can be your worst enemies. Their motives, while well-intentioned, may cause you to get depressed, worried, scared, unhappy, mean or despondent. God has told us that he is God. Why is it easy for us to only believe this while things are going well?? Why when our hearts are breaking do we feel God doesn't care or He doesn't love us? Most believe that everything that happens will happen for a reason. Yet in the midst of pain we get stuck on an illogical reason that God must really hate me to make me suffer like this. You have just locked yourself in the prison of pain. God already gave you the key to freedom. He put it in the palm of your hand the day He died for your sins. You were forgiven and given the power to forgive. I use to say a little prayer when self imprisoned: "Lord please forgive them while I learn to". That didn't get me out of the prison of pain where ugly thoughts and lies bombard me all day long. I had to use MY key, the one God gave me and forgive my heartbreaker. Only then can you soar on the wings of your broken heart. Your pain will go away, but the lessons learned will inspire others.

A pearl to string: "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord". Ephesians 5:8 Before and after -- that's the story of grace. "I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see." If we could only fully grasp what we so easily sing then life would be filled with more grace and our hearts with more confidence in God.

Proverbs 14:1: "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down". Living in un-forgiveness is like the woman who tears her house down. If you live in un-forgiveness you will tear down those you love. It doesn’t matter where you live. Spiritually speaking, every woman has some type of “house.” It might be your immediate family, your neighborhood, your workplace, your school, your church. In all these places, we can bless and build the lives of people around us. John Angell James expressed this well. He wrote, “A community is not likely to be overthrown where a woman fulfills her mission. For by the power of her noble heart over the hearts of others, she will raise it from its ruins.”

You have the power in Him and
You are loved
Lyndi