Headed In the Wrong Direction

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path." 
- Galatians 6:1a (NLT)

Just the other day I was out running errands. I was headed down Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, going along with the traffic when all of a sudden there was a car coming up the road... headed in the wrong direction. Horns began to honk and drivers frustrated with this interruption to their agendas began yelling their objections. The driver headed the wrong way sat in her car unmoving, obviously shaken and unsure of what to do. 

Then to the left I notice a van pull over and stop. Two men got out of the van. One of them stood in the middle of the road and addressed us. "Stop yelling at her," he said. "She doesn't need you honking and yelling at her. She needs help." 

I have to admit that at times I, too, can get so caught up with my own agenda that I fail to notice the needs of those around me. I fail to notice that someone is headed in the wrong direction and could use some help getting back on the right path. Instead I see someone getting in the way of what I'm trying to accomplish... forgetting that what's really important is what God is working to accomplish.

Lord, give me eyes to see what you see, ears to hear what you hear, and a heart that responds to the fears and needs of other with a love that looks like yours. Help me to set aside my own agenda and allow you to use me as you choose to be a blessing to others who just need a little help getting back on the right path... headed in the right direction.

Another Birthday

My middle son's name is Stephen and today is his 19th birthday. Stephen is just precious!

Now I realize that as a 19 year old young man, precious is probably not the first adjective you would want used to describe you. Perhaps handsome, intelligent, witty, fun, athletic, hard-working, friendly, crazy, kind, generous, compassionate... Stephen is all of that and more, but I'm the mom and this is my blog and I say he's precious.

Pre.cious [pre sh es] - adjective 1. of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly. 2. greatly loved or treasured by someone.

See, I'm right! Those of you who know him will have to agree. Stephen is of great value. That's how God created him... full of strength, character and potential to be and do great things. I think we've only just begun to see the awesomeness that is Stephen.

So, Stephen, my prayer for you today and every day is that you will know that you are greatly loved and treasured. You are precious!

Have I Dreamed Too Little?

Some days I think that there must be something else, something more I should be doing... or trusting God to do through me. Something more fulfilling, more eternally valuable.

For me it's much easier to stay where it's comfortable, where I can see the shore. But I sense that I need to be venturing out in new ways. I need to dare to try new things and trust God for the outcome. I need to rest in God's promise that he will daily provide my needs while I focus on eternal things. I need to lose sight of land and find the stars.

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love." (Attributed to sixteenth-century explorer Sir Francis Drake.)

Ducks

To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment. - Jane Austen

Are We Home?

I have a junk drawer. Ok, I have more than one junk drawer. And though there are some (like my husband) who may be critical of my junk drawers, today I am once again reminded of the treasure that can be found lurking beneath the junk.

Today I found a piece of paper with this written on it...

"Our waiting should always be shaped by alertness to the Word of God that comes to us in such mysterious ways." (Even from the bottom of my junk drawer.) "It is waiting in the knowledge that someone wants to address us. The question is, are we home? Are we at our address, ready to respond to the doorbell?"

I've been waiting for six months now. That's how long I have been looking for a job. Waiting to see where God would want me to be. But have I been at home, or out to lunch? Have I been so focused on the end result of finding a job that I'm missing the wonderful time of rest God has allowed? Am I actually right where God wants me for now?

Even though I know better, it's so easy to be anxious about so many things. But today I'm reminded that I can trust God to provide what I need, when I need it. It may not look like what I anticipated or come when I expected it, but I know that God is faithful. My part is to stay alert and ready to respond.

Lord, I know that you are working on my behalf and I can trust you. Thank you for reassuring me again today that you have not forgotten me.... you know my address. Whenever you're ready to ring my doorbell, I'll be at home waiting for you.

A Little Pencil

I find that I often see spiritual significance in ordinary, everyday things. I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps it has to do with years of Sunday School object lessons. Whatever the reason may be, I recently noticed something interesting in Mr. Proulx's E11 Classroom Expectations. It has to do with pencils.

I'll quote directly from the classroom rules and procedures: "Pencils - It is the nature of pencil lead to dull with constant use. You should expect your pencils (whether mechanical or other) to require your responsible attention throughout this course. Sharpening a pencil, or undertaking a quest for appropriate sized lead during class is inconsiderate and demonstrates a failure to prepare for the classroom. Sharpening your pencil should be accomplished before the bell rings."

Mother Theresa once said, "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." I would suggest that the same is true of you and me if we have entrusted our lives into God's hands and asked him to use us. So then, how can we stay sharp and ready to be used?

I think the answer can be found in becoming very familiar with the pencil sharpener. Being held in God's hands is not always about 'writing'. Sometimes it's about 'sharpening'. God knows that for us to write well, we need to be sharpened regularly. So, when we read God's Word, he sharpens us. When we pray and listen for his response, he sharpens us. When we meet together and worship with other believers, he sharpens us. When we share our faith story with others, he sharpens us. When we trust God in spite of our difficult circumstances, he sharpens us.

Have you noticed that after a pencil is sharpened, the pencil is smaller? That's how it should be with us. Just as John the Baptist said in John 3:30, "He must become greater. I must become less." After all, it's not really about the pencil, it's about the sharpener... it's about the writer.

Lord, I may be just a plain old yellow No. 2 pencil, but I believe that in your hands even I can be used to accomplish great things. I pray that you will always be able to find me sharpened and ready for your use. Use me to write a letter to those who need to know your love. Use me as you choose. Use me for your glory.

All You Can

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

- John Wesley

Apple Hill

I've just returned from an adventure to Apple Hill. And let me tell you, if there's one thing you're sure to find at Apple Hill, it's apples. All kinds of apples. There are red apples and green apples. Tart apples and sweet apples. Soft apples and crunchy apples. Many varieties... but all still apples.

The apples are used in countless ways. There's apple pie, apple fritters, apple strudel, apple doughnuts, apple salad, caramel apples, apple milkshakes, apple juice, apple butter, apple syrup, applesauce and even apple fudge. Many uses... but all still apples.

Some apples are better in pie, others are better for applesauce. Some are prefect for juice. Many purposes... but all still apples.

It seems to me believers are a lot like apples. We come in all kinds of varieties and can be used in many different ways for many different purposes... but all still believers. Romans 12:6 (The Message) says, "Let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefullly comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't."

So what is your speciality? What were you created for?

If it's serving, then serve!

If it's teaching, then teach!

If it's encouraging, then encourage!

If it's contributing to the needs of others, do it generously!

If it's leadership, then govern diligently!

If it's showing mercy, do it cheerfully!

(Romans 12:7-8)

Lord, help me to be content just being who you made me to be. Instead of striving to measure up to other people's expectations, help me to strive to please you. Instead of comparing myself to others, help me to recognize your grace and acceptance and love for me just as I am. Instead of feeling inadequate for the task, help me to trust in your strength and provision.

Day by Day

One of my favorite hymns:

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

My 2008 Christmas Adventure

Smilebox:

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Check out my Smilebox

This adventure was my Christmas gift from Chris. We had such a great time.

Journey

Success is not a place at which one arrives

but rather the spirit with which one undertakes the journey.

- Alex Noble

Single-Hearted

So often I want to get ahead of God... to be out there doing something that looks great and wonderful to me. But I am constantly reminded that the best place to be is sitting quietly at his feet observing what he is doing, listening to what he has to say.

Just as Elijah experienced, the Lord was not in the wind. The Lord was not in the earthquake. The Lord was not in the fire. The Lord was in a gentle whisper.

Lord, help me to stay so close to you that I can hear your gentlest whisper. Give me a singleness of heart that causes me to recognize every opportunity you have for me to share your love and grace with others. Make my heart and intentions pure so that my life will bring glory to your name.

Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is. - Amy Charmichael

Mark

My youngest son's name is Mark and today is his 15th birthday. I remember the day he was born. (Isn't that what moms are suppose to say?)

I often joke that he was born in the gym, thus explaining his basketball expertise. Actually, we did make it to the hospital on time but since that day Mark has seen more than his share of the inside of a gym. He's spent countless hours watching his father coach, watching his older brothers play, and proving that he has a pretty good shot of his own.

But even if Mark wasn't good at basketball, or ping pong, or badminton, or baseball, or backgammon, or guitar hero, or the many other things he's good at... I would still love him. I would still be proud of the person he is. He's independent with a mind of his own and goals that he is aiming to achieve. He's friendly and funny and generous. He's becoming a wonderful young man.

Now if we could just get him to go to bed on time!

Birthdays

Today is my brother's birthday and today is my sister's birthday. A day to celebrate a brother found and remember a sister lost. A day to know that God is faithful.

O Lord, by all thy dealings with us, whether of joy or pain, of light or darkness, let us be brought to thee. Let us value no treatment of thy grace simply because it makes us happy or because it makes us sad, because it gives or denies us what we want; but may all that thou sendest bring us to thee... - Phillips Brooks

Utter Extravagance

This past Christmas, the gift I received from my sister included a note...

... I think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask - ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory - to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him - endless energy, boundless strength! (Ephesians 1:16-19 The Message)

At the time, I never would have guessed how God would answer her request. Who would have thought I would find myself at home - not working. But now I just love getting up in the morning to sit on the deck and read my Bible. Every day I'm reminded that God is completely in control and that he will never fail to provide exactly what I need. It is indeed an immensely glorious way of life. God is utterly extravagant in his working in my life... what an amazing truth!

One Little Word

My oldest son's name is Christopher. Most people call him Chris. Apparently some people use the remaining part of his name and call him Topher.

Chris graduated from college in May. We made the trip to Southern California for the big day. While we were there, I was helping to clean out his dorm room. In the process I found the most interesting post-it note stuck to his closet door.

The note had originally read, "Topher! have a lovely, fantastic, joyful day." But the note had been slightly altered to read, "make a lovely, fantastic, joyful day." Only one little word had been changed. But that one little word changed everything! No longer was it about what was going to happen to him, now it was about what he could make happen... in his own life and in the lives of those he would come in contact with.

After the graduation ceremony, Chris' roommate came over to tell him that a particular person was there. If they hurried, maybe they could get a picture with him. I didn't recognize the name, but from their excitement I thought it might be a favorite professor. To my surprise, I was introduced to the janitor from their freshman dorm. What a wonderful man! A man who had learned the post-it note lesson. It's not about your particular circumstances, it's all about what you choose to make happen regardless of your circumstances.

Chris left home today to return to Southern California to pursue his Master's Degree. I'm so proud of him! I know he's going to be a great success because he's deliberately choosing to be the kind of person that makes things happen - he's choosing to make a difference in the lives of others by being the person God intended him to be.

I'm still going to miss him, though.

Daffodil Hill

The weather was beautiful. It was the perfect time of year. I couldn't miss the opportunity to visit Daffodil Hill. I called my mother. We made our plans. Sunday afternoon we were off on our adventure. We spent Sunday night in Folsom; a familiar, comfortable spot. Monday morning we would drive the rest of the way to Daffodil Hill.

We set ourt early getting on Highway 50, a road we had traveled many times. It wasn't long, though, before we exited and found ourselves on unfamiliar, narrow country roads. A couple of times a car came up behind us. I pulled over and let them pass. We weren't in a hurry. We were enjoying the scenery along the way.

We drove on and on and I began to wonder if we were headed in the right direction. Then I saw it. There by the side of the road was a little sign. Daffodil Hill - 6 miles. We were almost there. Just a few miles more and there it was right in front of us. A hill just covered with thousands of beautiful daffodils.

Sometimes I think my spiritual journey is a lot like my trip to Daffodil Hill. I know in my heart it's the right time. God wants to show me something new, something beautiful. So I set off, perhaps tentatively stopping in a familiar spot, taking roads I've traveled many times before. But then God says, "Take this exit," and I find myself in unfamiliar territory. Occasionally I'll run into someone along the way. Maybe I'll have some company. But I hear God telling me, "Let them pass. I want you to focus on Me and the things I have to show you."

I think God often chooses the scenic route for me, the long way. I begin to wonder if I'm really headed in the right direction. Have I come all this way just to find I've taken a wrong turn? Am I lost in the middle of nowhere not knowing where I'm headed? Then I see it. The little sign that reassures me that God has not left me. Just a little farther and there it is; a beautiful new revelation of God's greatness. A new insight into what God is doing in my life. Then I'm glad I trusted God and begin looking forward to my next adventure...