Thank God for the Lighthouse!

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” - I Thessalonians 5:4-5

I love to look at lighthouses. There’s something so nostalgic about them. I love to see them perched close to the ocean, standing strong for all to see.

Today I have the chorus of a 1997Audio Adrenaline song, “Lighthouse,” playing in my head:

If it wasn't for the lighthouse

Where would my life be?

On a ship bound for nowhere

On an unforgiven sea

I thank God for the lighthouse

I thank God for the light

Truth is that although I didn’t come out of a major, catastrophic lifestyle before I became a Christian, I am so very thankful for the Lighthouse. No, I didn’t struggle with drug addiction, alcohol, or any type of abuse, but those aren’t the only reasons that lead us to a relationship with Christ. God knew back in 1984 that I would need the guidance and direction of that Lighthouse.

God knew that I would need rescuing from many issues, hurts and disappointments that I would encounter on my sea of life. He knew that I would need to rely on the direction of that guiding Light that would steer me away from catastrophe and collision.

That Lighthouse has sheltered me from many a storm that I thought I wouldn’t survive. It has made me stand strong against many prevailing winds that would have blown me away if not for the sturdy shelter He provided.  

Perhaps your life lately has felt like you’re being tossed to and fro in an unforgiven sea; feeling lost and afraid; feeling like the waves of life are going to overtake you. Perhaps, recently you’ve been hit with many disappointments that have caused you to veer off course in your sea of life. Perhaps you’ve completely given up because you have been feeling like there’s no safety in sight. Perhaps you’ve been feeling desperate as you try to grasp at the air for safety because you’re tired of treading water. It’s in these desperate moments that we need to cry out to God and He’ll direct us to the Lighthouse. Proverbs 18:10 tells us, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Remember when you first cried out to God and He gave you Jesus? Do you remember where you were in your sea of life when you cried out to Him for the first time and He directed you to the Lighthouse? In our desperate times we need to remember that we’re called to walk in the Light as opposed to walking afraid and in darkness. Remember the words written in I Thessalonians 5:4-5, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.”

Let’s not allow the strong winds, waves and storms in our sea of life cause us to be in fearful darkness. Focus on the beacon of light and you’ll be led to safety. Run to the Lighthouse for shelter in the storm and you will be covered. We do not need to live life in an “unforgiven sea.”

If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse, where would our lives be? Thank God for the Lighthouse!

Read more: Audio Adrenaline - Lighthouse Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Shake Off The Cobwebs

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. – Mark 5:14-15 (NKJV)

Spring has sprung….the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and “the bees are buzzing in the trees…they’re making honey just for me….” (sorry I had a brief Disney moment there). Spring is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts…..2^nd chances!

At the beginning of this year I was given, what I feel was, a second chance at life. I had been experiencing a hormonal imbalance that was causing me to have extended menstruation. Well, I greeted the new year with hemorrhaging and my daughter calling the paramedics. I was swept away to the ER where they ran tests and discovered that my hemoglobin levels were at 3. Not a big deal you say? Well, as it turns out a normal level is somewhere between 10-13….8 is a dangerous level and at 6 people have been known to die. Needless to say my level 3 was dangerously low…to the point where my heart should have seized. My vitals were normal and I was functioning in a normal manner (whatever that is for me J); the nurses were surprised that I was even able to talk. They told me that I was basically bleeding out and asked, “How is it that you’re awake?” My response??? “It’s by the grace of God.” And God was gracious indeed. I was given 5 blood transfusions before my surgery and another transfusion in the recovery room. I thank God that despite my stubbornness and ignorance, He covered me with His grace and His healing hand kept me alive and well and gave me a 2^nd chance and an opportunity to start fresh.

And speaking of fresh starts, let’s talk about spring cleaning….You know the take down the curtains, clean the windows, move all the furniture, get rid of the hidden dust bunnies type of cleaning that many do right around this time of the year (or hire someone to do this time of year). While spring cleaning wouldn’t be a huge undertaking for my sister…who is very clean and organized…..I always say you could eat off her floors.

It would, however, be a huge undertaking for this full time working woman (insert finger pointing back at me). For me it would require taking time off work and a whole lot of recovery after the cleaning to get it done. My house gets cleaned, but not the detailed clean that my sister does on a daily basis. Busy work days, full schedules, the amount of people who live in my house and plain old exhaustion keep me from deep, detailed cleaning. 

Sometimes this is also true of our spiritual spring cleaning. When we become busy, frazzled and exhausted, it prevents us from keeping up with our spiritual “house” cleaning. We allow the dust bunnies to gather around our hearts, moths to flutter around our thoughts and grime to darken our windows. It becomes difficult to feel, hear or see God in our lives much less reflect Him unto others.

We read in Mark 5:14-16 that we are the light of the world….a light that can’t be hidden. Our Creator made us to SHINE….not for ourselves, but for others to see our light and glorify God. But how can our light come shining through dirty windows, moth infested thoughts and tumbleweed dust bunnies? It can’t! It’s our responsibility to keep up with the cleaning and renewing of our minds in order to keep those windows streak free! C’mon…we could all use some spring cleaning in our lives….even if you feel that your house is spotless….let’s be honest….it’s not.

So, during this Spring season, in the midst of gardening and spring cleaning, let’s try cleaning out the cobwebs in those murky, dormant areas of our lives. Light and life needs to shine through, not only from the Father to us, but from the One who lives in us towards others. 

So take this opportunity to start fresh and new. It’s great that God gives us 2^nd chances…..seriously, where would we be, if not for His grace?

Seasons Change

Have you ever seen a field of tulips? From a distance it looks like a blanket of color….a beautiful, colorful quilt. Up close they look majestic…standing tall with just a slight bow. I associate tulips with Spring and change.

Some of you might be thinking, “Why did you have to ruin everything by bringing up change?” Believe me, I know change isn’t a welcomed visitor, with its stretching and pain. But change is good….

Let’s look at our tulip friends again….Yes, they’re beautiful with their color and perfect petals. However, beautiful as they may be, they didn’t start off that way. 

Tulips are grown from bulbs….bulbs that can spring back to life even after lying dormant for months, enduring frost and other elements; bulbs that continue to undergo chemical change to prepare for the next cycle.

These bulbs have a biological clock that tells them when to sprout roots, when to stem, when to sprout leaves and when to flower and then finally when to die down and go into dormancy. In fact, bulbs that sprout in Spring need to be planted in Fall while they’re fully dormant.

So what can we learn from a dormant bulb? Plenty!

Dormant is defined as, “not doing anything at this time; not active but able to become active.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  I love the BUT part of this definition. When you see “BUT” be prepared to read something contrasting that is being added to that sentence.

In our Christian walk, oftentimes we lay dormant. Sometimes we’re dormant because we’re waiting on God’s direction; we’ve prayed about something and are waiting to hear from God before we make the next move or make a decision….and this is fine. However, most often we end up in the dormant state because we’re just not doing anything…….

This is a danger zone because in this state, unlike our tulip friends, we don’t allow a natural biological clock to continue working and telling us when to sprout roots, stem, sprout leaves and flower. When we’re in this state we often isolate ourselves. We don’t allow ourselves to hear from God, and if we do allow Him to speak to us, we push it aside because, after all, we’re having a bad, dry season in our lives.

Been there…….done that……..

So, ask yourself, “What brought me to this state of dormancy?” Look back and take inventory of what your life has been like. What can you change? How can you expand your horizons? Have you allowed the circumstances of life to destroy your dreams?  After assessing the damage, get ready to make a change. Plant yourself, like a bulb, into the soil and anxiously await the change...without fear.

Truth is we all go through seasons in our lives. But the important thing is that we allow Him to be our biological clock and sprout roots when He tells us to do so; stem when He sees that the time is right; sprout leaves when He sees that we’re ready to branch out and flower/bloom when the proper season has arrived.

 

And just as we read in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…” we will see colorful fruitfulness in His perfect time and season. 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 

James 1:22 "But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

“What do you want to do? What is something that you would do if you weren’t holding back?” This was the question posed to me by a coworker during lunch one fine afternoon. My mind drew somewhat of a blank….and I say somewhat because in the far back corners of my mind I had an idea, but my mouth wouldn’t release the thoughts. You know that feeling where your mind is spinning with a gazillion thoughts but you feel that you can't organize them into a simple statement??? Well, that's where I was.....

Truth is that I KNOW that what I’m doing now is NOT what I want to do for the rest of my life. It poses no challenges, no adventure, no rush of adrenaline or emotion. Work is...well, work to me....My job can't compare to what my heart is yearning to do. So WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?????

I would like to teach, share messages that God so easily puts on my heart. I want to share those thoughts that I’ve jotted down after being awakened in the middle of the night….the phrases that God has given me that flourish into thoughts, ideas, messages that I’ve kept hidden away in the dark, secret corners where no one can see.

I want to write devotions, words of encouragement that will uplift, help and carry others on when they feel that there’s no hope, no happiness, no more fight left in them. I want to share my own experiences with others and let them know that life will get better after the storm…that we’re not promised perfect, rainbow colored lives, but promised to be carried through the storm and the tough times to a place where we can see the rainbow colors on the clear horizon.

So, what am I doing to get there? Nothing……nothing because of fear; nothing because of lack of opportunity; nothing because I’ve never allowed anyone to see into the secret corners of my  heart; nothing because I’ve allowed the enemy to lie to me saying that I’m not worthy, not ready, not eloquent enough. Nothing………

Oftentimes we hide in our comfort zone because it's....comfortable. We sit in our comfy, hidden, quiet, easy to live with area....and as long as no one sees our secret potential we're fine. But we haven't been created to sit hidden away and comfy? God created us with gifts, talents, potential and for a purpose.

So we need to do SOMETHING, because the longer we sit doing NOTHING the more unhappy and unaccomplished we'll feel. We need to stop deceiving ourselves, as stated in James 1:22. Stop playing the tapes in our head of the lies we've allowed to infiltrate our heart. For we have been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We need to unlock our potential and start doing the things that God has equipped us to do.

So, as stated in 2 Timothy 1:6, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands."

Let's get up out of our comfort zones and do SOMETHING!

 

 

 

Comfort Zone Stretching

“I’m not missions material.” 

“I don’t even like to go camping….What makes you think that I can handle a missions trip?”

“Missions isn’t my thing.”

“I don’t like bugs.”

“I’m high maintenance….I like my showers, blow dryer and straightener and make-up too much.”

“Well, when God calls me to the mission field, I’ll let you know.”

“So far He hasn’t called me.”

“Chris and Pam are leading the Uganda team this year.”

And all of a sudden, I felt a tug, an inexplicable touch on my heart. Although I tried to ignore it, it wouldn’t go away. I didn’t share it with anyone. I kept it to myself, because, after all if I shared this “tug” with anyone they would confirm what I had quite frankly already confirmed in my heart. I was going to Uganda. UGANDA!!!! Of all places for God to put on my heart, He chose Uganda. This didn’t take me at all by surprise because He’s all about taking us out of our “comfort zone” and Uganda takes me WAY OUT!

So, my OCD self started sorting through all the things going through my head. I immediately started planning some fundraising. I started searching the internet for information on preparation for a mission trip to Uganda. I thought of asking my husband’s aunt to make my skirts for the trip. I started taking my supplements and changing my eating to prepare myself, health wise, for the trip. I still hadn’t told anyone about going.

Finally, one day during our lunch break I told my friends that I had decided to get healthy because I was preparing myself for a trip to Uganda. They were ecstatic! I love the support that I get from them. They’re awesome. God saw it fit for me to come into this circle of people, who once were strangers to me, to prepare me for “such a time as this.” 

And so I continue to prepare for my December travels to Uganda. My heart is overwhelmed and expectant. 

And just like that (insert finger snap) my journey begins………

Expect Delays

The lit Cal-Trans sign stated, “Expect restroom delays.” Needless to say I was kind of confused and then, of course, we laughed. Why would they put that sign on the highway? It wasn’t until we were driving back home that I realized we had only read the second half of the message earlier that day. The first part of the sign indicated that the restrooms at the upcoming Rest Area were being worked on….so….”expect restroom delays.” Once we passed the Rest Area we could clearly see that the restrooms were being refurbished. I had misunderstood the sign because I had missed the first part of the message.

This made me think of my own impatience in life and how I’ve handled some of those inconveniences that life has thrown my way. You know what I’m talking about….those “hiccups” that come our way…the ones that we want resolved immediately; life’s wonderful tests and trials that we want answered without any “delays” so we can move on with life. We’re so used to living in the NOW mentality that this world has come to know. We have drive through everything….bank ATM machines, fast food, coffee, cleaners…maybe even some drive through wedding chapels in Las Vegas (not highly recommended). We want it all and we want it NOW!

But the Bible is full of scripture depicting waiting periods. The two that pop into my mind right now are Noah and Moses. Noah had to wait….Hello, the arc wasn’t built in a day and then the rain, the flood, the waiting period for the land to be dry again. Then there’s Moses….Does 40 years of going around the same mountain mean anything to anyone? The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” And Ecclesiastes 3: 11 states, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” So, why do we stress over the delay?

When stuff happens, and I know we’ve all dealt with some kind of “stuff” at one point or another, we want it resolved quickly. We want it out of the way so we can move on. We pray for a quick response and a quick fix, which is fine, but, we need to remember to expect delays. But why???? Because, in those delays we get the first part of the message. In the delay we gain understanding of what God is trying to do through it all. In the delay, we come closer to the Father and learn about the work that He’s doing in our heart and in our life. In the delay there is time for us to come in contact with the outcome…..a refurbished heart and a renewed life.

So, the next time a problem, dilemma, hiccup comes our way, let’s remember to take the time to see the first part of the message and, at times, expect delays.

What are your walls saying?

So, yesterday an old Amy Grant song popped into my mind and I couldn’t stop singing it. Yes, some of you might not even know who Amy Grant is, but I used to love her music back in my early Christian days. The song used to bring tears to my eyes every time I heard it.

But, today, the more I sang the song over and over again, the more it made me think. If the walls in our home could talk, what would they say? Some of the things that popped into my head made me giggle and some, well, made me want to cry. Let’s face it, no household is perfect. No household is problem free. No household, no matter how much we try to cover it up or pretend, is spared from some kind of disruption at some point in time.

So, what would your walls say about your life as an individual, family, friend, spouse? As I look back, I can say that there are words engraved in the walls of my home that wouldn’t be 100% sweet or positive….hey I’m human and I live with other humans. We’ve had to deal with some major issues in our home and I haven’t always faced those situations with a happy face and happy thoughts. I’ve had major breakdowns….epic ones at that. But, when I think back, I have a lot of good, heartwarming memories that pop out of our walls…..baby homecomings, birthdays, anniversaries, grandbaby visits, laughter….so much laughter, tears…happy and sad ones.

Take a moment and evaluate the etched, engraved words on your walls. What are they saying? It’s easy for the good to be overtaken by the bad. If this is the case, a re-evaluation of the heart would be a good place to start. The Bible tells us in Matthew 12:34-35, “…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” Let’s take a moment to evaluate our hearts. What can we change so we can diminish the negativity in the walls and fill them with positive, good words and memories? It’s time to patch up the walls……….

And…..just in case you were wondering about the words to the song……

If These Walls Could Speak

Lead Me On (Amy Grant Album 1988)

If these old walls,
If these old walls could speak
Of things that they remember well,
Stories and faces dearly held,
A couple in love
Livin' week to week,
Rooms full of laughter,
If these walls could speak.

If these old halls,
Hallowed halls could talk,
These would have a tale to tell
Of sun goin' down and dinner bell,
And children playing at hide and seek
From floor to rafter,
If these halls could speak.

They would tell you that I'm sorry
For bein' cold and blind and weak.
They would tell you that it's only
That I have a stubborn strreak,
If these walls could speak.

If these old fashioned window panes were eyes,
I guess they would have seen it all -
Each little tear and sigh and footfall,
And every dream that we came to seek
Or followed after,
If these walls could speak.

They would tell you that I owe you
More than I could ever pay.
Here's someone who really loves you;
Don't ever go away.
That's what these walls would say.

They would tell you that I owe you
More than I could ever pay.
Here's someone who really loves you;
Don't ever go away.
That's what these walls would say.

That's what these walls would say.

That's what these walls would say.