GROWING SEEDS: "Living Right Side Up"

"If you grasp and cling to life on YOUR terms, you'll lose it; 

but if you let that life go, you'll get life on 

GOD'S terms."

Luke 17: 33

 

 

In the not so distant past, I lived my life on MY terms.  Don't get me wrong, I believed in God....I believed He died for my sins, rose again and ascended into Heaven.  I believed all the things a good Christian is "suppose" to believe.  I tried to be a decent, good person; I tried not to harm or judge people; I attended church every week and I prayed when I needed something.  Yep, I considered myself a pretty fabulous Christian.

But what I didn't realize as I was busy patting myself on the back for being this crackerjack Christian was that I was living on LIZ terms.....not God's.  Looking back, I see where He was desperately trying to get my attention....frantically waving His arms yelling "HEY LIZ, I'M OVER HERE" or "HEY SOFTIE (my Dad's nickname for me), CAN'T YOU HEAR ME??".....and rolling His eyes as I trucked-on living Liz's life....blind and deaf.   Funny how things come into focus when we look back on them, isn't it?

I was living my life, in many ways, as the people of Noah's time were.  I was chowing down on food (without thankfulness); I was buying houses (without asking for guidance); I was marrying (without His blessing) and I was working (without taking Him with me).  And although I may not have been doing many of the seriously wicked and creepy things the people in Noah's time were engaging in, I was living my life ALONE and WITHOUT Him.  And we are reminded by Noah's story that if we are living a life without God leading, it might be a good idea to learn how to swim.

Now that my eyes have been opened, my hearing has been restored and the Holy Spirit is now zooming in as a 1-million-candlepower-light shining in my soul where it once was a dim, almost burnt out candle, I seriously think the devil is a bit TICKED OFF because he was dumped.  

Dumped for an often more difficult.......but eternity-bound life.  

"It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day." 

Matthew Henry

 

 

 

"GATHERING"

"God prunes us when He is about to take us into a new season of growth and expansion."

~ Christine Caine

Can I pray first before writing to you today?

Father, guide these fingers of mine as I transcribe the words You dictate and want said to this amazing child of Yours reading this right now.  Touch their heart....let them hear You speaking to their very soul at this exact moment.  Thank You Father, for always, ALWAYS listening and hearing our prayers.  Amen.

Over the past couple years, I have felt a "change" happening....not just in my own life, but also in my sister-girlfriends around me.  Suddenly, God was dropping women in, AND OUT, of my life at a rapid pace.  As I inched closer and closer to God in my personal relationship, suddenly the most amazing Godly women were popping up everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  Not just at church, but in the grocery store, at the car repair shop, at the RV campground.....even at the dollar store.  It was SO obviously God.  Each time it happened, I would just look up, smile and whisper "thank you" for bringing these new, wonderful relationships into my life that were guiding, strengthening and holding my hand down this journey I was on.  At the same time, He was also removing women who had been in my life for years.  Some I considered Godly women, others were just going through the motions with God.  As He removed certain ones from my life, my heart grieved for the loss of these friends.

But what I have discovered is this:  change isn't just happening to me.  It's happening to many of you reading this.   Right here, in our own church, in our own community, in our own circle of friends and sisters, there is a gathering of women hungry....STARVING....for a relationship with Jesus.  This has nothing to do with denomination but has everything to do with the Holy Spirit.   Christian women are wrestling right now - all ages, all traditions, all shapes and sizes.  There is something stirring in the hearts of women all around the world right now......and it's awesome to see.  I, for one, want......no......NEED to be a part of it.

And there is something BIG happening for my sisters-in-Christ on February 7, 2014 to help meet this desire.  If you are feeling these same stirrings....these same nudging's and if you are needing to gather and unleash yourself to live out God's purpose, please let me know.  I'd love to let you in on what is happening as the new year begins.  I want to see women who have never felt welcome or felt like they belong.....or those who don't do the whole "church institution" thing very well......I want to see women like ME, being a part of this amazing experience.

Interested?  Email me at chuckie2@aol.com

GROWING SEEDS: 'Gratitude"

GRATITUDE

gratitude |ˈgratəˌt(y)o͞od|

nounthe quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness: 
Last year, I was challenged to start counting and writing down 1000 Blessings in my life.  I will admit, at first it was easy...."Thank You for the rain"...."Thank You for the sunshine"....."Thank You for the ding of my cell telling me I have a message",  but after the second day, it became harder.  I started repeating myself and thanking God for the sunshine again.  I wondered how in the world am I going to come up with 990 NEW blessings to be grateful for?
But the most interesting thing happened: I quickly discovered that Gratitude means living your life as if everything is a miracle.  EVERYTHING.  And I also discovered that God absolutely, positively, unquestionably, without a doubt BLESSES us even more when we thank Him.  
Have you ever given a gift to someone.....something you "knew" they thoroughly wanted and in which you put your entire heart and soul into.....and yet, never heard a word of thanks out of them?  Hellooooo......welcome to God's world!  He gives and gives and gives and rarely do we acknowledge the gifts He has so graciously given us.  The gift of rain at just the right time; the gift of color in the Fall; the gift of a loving, although bizarre, family; the gift of lungs to breathe this fresh Mt. Vernon air.  Yet, where we might never give a gift to that ungrateful person again, He continues giving.....over and over, time and time again.
It requires changing our vision.....putting on a new set of eyes which, in turn, changes our attitude when rain doesn't come for 9 months or  we are betrayed by a friend.  It teaches us to be thankful and offer gratitude for everything......  
G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E
A simple word with a BIG blessing!

 

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

— Melody Beattie

GROWING SEEDS: "The Samples"

"Attitude of Gratitude"

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'Thank You,' that would suffice."

Meister Eckhart

As I've mentioned before to you, I start each day in my favorite chair with a piping hot cup of coffee, a view of the foggy lake and my Bible in my lap.  It's my "Morning Gratitude" time with God......quiet time before the chaos of the day has a chance to take over my mind.  It's a chance to THANK God for the good, bad and ugly things occupying my life.  

And you know what I was grateful for this morning?  Susan and Tom Sample.  

They are a "quiet" force within our church.....they do the things that need to be done, in a stealth-like mode, silently and without fanfare behind the scenes.  You won't find them talking about these things.....they are simply too busy doing these things.  Matter-of-fact, when they learned I would be telling you about them, they asked that I not mention their names.  So, although their names are Susan and Tom, for the sake of this article, we will call them Mary and Paul.  Ok?

Susan....umm, I mean "Mary", has been the silent leader of the Lunches of Love for 7 weeks each summer.  She and her volunteers have grown this program from its initial 6 kids that first day five years ago to an average of 90 hungry kids a day this past summer.  She found bus drivers, cooks, teachers, businesses and other churches to serve the less fortunate children in our community.  Some of these kids, whose only meal each day came from Lunches of Love, had never even seen a pillow....much less ever heard about God.   I have a feeling that when God chose "Mary" to use her teaching credentials to organize our church and community into this amazing project, He knew she would listen....she would hear Him.....she would be grateful to obey.

And "Mary" wouldn't be complete without Tom...oops....I mean "Paul".  After 40 years of marriage and 4 daughters, I think "Paul" knew how to listen....or at least say, "Yes dear".  Not only is "Paul" an intricate part of the Lunches of Love, he also, VOLUNTARILY (code word for "FREE"), handles all the computer equipment for the church and Rainbow Daycare.  He makes sure all software is up-to-date, all computers are in working order and repairs them when they're not.  And as a user of the sturdy, dependable Mac, I can honestly tell you that working on those dicey, erratic and temperamental PC's can be a major daily challenge! (Sorry "Paul", I just had to say that!).

These two, Susan and Tom, ARE "the church" to our community and to us.  They work silently....give happily....and give all the Glory to God.  

They are the Attitude of Gratitude.

GROWING SEEDS: "What Is FAITH?"

 

What is FAITH?

 

Seriously.......what IS faith?  

 

I always thought when Jesus said, "If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea' and it would obey you!" ......that He was speaking literally to His disciples.

 

First off, I hate mustard and didn't know mustard came from a seed.  Secondly, I've known a lot of people who I would consider as having a BOATLOAD of faith and I've never seen them verbally pull up a mulberry tree, or any tree for that matter, and throw it into the lake.  And if they had that much faith, wouldn't you think they'd want to do that??  Geeez.....I sure would!!  Kind of a "Show and Tell" type trick for your friends.....way cooler than me pulling out my web toes and showing everyone.

 

But as I read over the scripture text for this week, a light bulb (although dim) flickered on.  Faith is all about ACTION.  Faith is the actual "pulling up" of the mulberry tree and "throwing" it.  And sometimes.....that ACTION requires standing still and waiting.  I think, in some ways, that's the hardest kind of faith.  The John-the-Baptist-In-Prison-Waiting-To-Have-His-Head-Chopped-Off type of faith.  The kind of faith it takes when the outcome doesn't come as you think it should.  Terminal cancer.....loss of job.....loss of your head.

 

Faith that God's "got this".......that He will never fail you....He will never abandon you (Hebrews 13:5) and that He knows what's best for your life.  "Faith is the confirmation of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality." (Hebrews 11:1).  I say that Faith is that point......that air-space......when you let go of YOUR hand and grab GOD'S hand.

 

In God's world, our faith is so small that it's smaller than a mustard seed.  In our world, it's time to tell the mulberry tree,  “Be uprooted and plant yourself in the sea!” and then watch it go.

 

GROWING SEEDS: "What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity"

“For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity.”

~ C.S. Lewis

This past weekend we had a Memorial Service for a dog. 

It was my friend Cheryl's dog, Lucy Hood, and everyone that had ever crossed paths with little Lucy.....loved Lucy.  She was a little 4-year old weenie dog with a huge personality that loved chasing squirrels, messing with skunks and was engaged to our dog, Murphy.  She loved steering the golf cart all around the neighborhood, kayaking in the lake and biting sprinkler heads.  What she lacked in legs she made up for in personality.

We gathered Lucy's favorite people for the Memorial Service, sang a song, buried her ashes in a bottle and placed them carefully in the Etheridge Pet Cemetery.  We laughed, we cried and we remembered.  And we each secretly thought she left this earth too soon.

As I stood there, listening to Betsy sing "Bless The Lord My Soul" at the foot of Lucy's grave, I heard these words,

"And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will SING YOUR PRAISE unending
Ten thousand years and then FOREVERMORE."

And it dawned on me.  I'm not afraid of death.  I'm afraid of NOT living like Lucy lived......in a fast-forward, speedy-gonzales, screamin'-like-a-girl-to-go-outside, eternity-bound way.  Eternity is NOW......not reserved just for once I reach Heaven.  Eternity isn't like a stopwatch that begins once we die.......eternity is living right this second.  How is it possible that Lucy.....a DOG.....knew this??

My hope is that on that chosen day, when it's time for me to take my last breath on this earth and my eternity continues on, I'll be singing in my typical off-key, squeaky voice at the top of my lungs with a gigantic smile on my face as I bolt as fast as I possibly can into eternity and into the arms of my Savior.

"The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name"

 

 

My Bella

September 24, 2013

I remember that day well......11 years ago today. 

It was a Tuesday....just like today and was the 267th day of that year in 2002.....and we had eaten a lot of mexican food the night before with her parents in hopes it would encourage her to get here sooner......

It worked.  

As we've watched this first grandchild of ours grow to a healthy 11 year old, we have never forgotten to count our many blessings for her.  She is tall, athletic, smart and cute as a button.  She has these AMAZING blue eyes that dance when she's excited and an infectious Texan laugh that has its own drawl.

And I had a few things I wanted to tell her today.....on this very special day of hers......

My Dear Sweet Bella,

My heart had never felt so full and satisfied as it did on this day in 2002 when I held you for the first time in my arms.  See, I was never able to have children of my own, so for me to have a grandchild....a beautiful blond granddaughter......was a MIRACLE.  A mind-blowing, extraordinary, unbelievable miracle and I thank God daily for bringing you into my life.

After we got through that first year of colic and you screaming bloody murder every time you saw Grandpa Charlie and me, we became friends.  We played dress-up EACH and EVERY time we saw each other even when we both outgrew the outfits.....and I questioned EACH and EVERY time why you always stripped all 687 of your Barbie's of their clothes.  Especially my designated Barbie, Meg.  I won't even go into the phase of your life where the Barbie's all had no heads.

Then you said you wanted to be baptized a few years ago.  Such a grown-up decision and in my mind, you were still 2.  I must admit, I thought you were too young.....I questioned whether you fully understood the commitment you were making.  But you know what?  I now KNOW you knew exactly what you were doing.  As I stood up with the rest of your family in your church that Sunday, watching you stand proudly in the baptismal, with those AMAZING blue eyes and long blond hair, I wiped tears from my eyes as I saw you growing up before my eyes and committing yourself to God.  There simply isn't a word in the English language to fully express my love for you at that moment.

And here we are today.....a few short years of you being a teenager.  If the next 11 years go as fast as the last 11 years, you'll be a college graduate and maybe even married.  My advice to my first born granddaughter; the one who likes to write stories, take pictures and wear cowboy boots with shorts, is to find the BLESSING in everything.  Everything.  Even the things that don't look like a blessing....be thankful for it all......

You have blessed my life, my sweet girl.....and I am SO very thankful for YOU.

Love,
LeLe

Happy 11th Birthday!!

GROWING SEEDS: "Glass of Our Church"

 

 

"People are like stained-glass windows.

They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in,

their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

On the heels of the sermon series of our church's stained glass windows, it seemed only appropriate to sit and visit with two of the chosen people who helped design and plan what those very windows surrounding you would look like.  

I'm talking about Mike and Janet Jordan.

Mike and Janet have been faithful members of the Mt. Vernon First United Methodist Church for about 40 years now.  Back in the day when the church was located on Kaufman St. just spitting distance from Mike's old tromping grounds, First Baptist Church, they started raising their children, Julianne and Josh, at the 1930's brownish brick church building with the amazing stained glass windows throughout.  

But by 1985, it became clear the church body had outgrown its square footage and plans to build a new church began.  

The pastor at the time, Dan Hoke, a retired architectural engineer, began the long process of organizing committees for each aspect of the new construction.  Mike and Janet were asked to lead the Decorating Committee along with a team of about 5-6 other members.  This team visited various churches as far away as Arkansas and, with the help of Pastor Dan Hoke who decided on the stained glass symbols, came up with the design you see before you today.  

As I visited with Mike and Janet this week, I realized that they, along with the entire team who gave of their time....their resources....their energy, did so that we could not only "feel" the presence of God in this place, but "see" the presence as well through the stained glass.....which is exactly what I do each time I walk through those double doors into the sanctuary and see the colored glass cross ahead of me.

And I could just picture the entire congregation that beautiful Sunday in 1985 as they each carried one old thing from the prior church to their beautiful new church home. Some carried a hymnal or a Bible or a cross.......a piece of history in one hand....child in the other, and the Jordan family proceeded down the aisle to find their home on that 4th pew from the front on the right.  And in true childlike fashion, Julianne, age 5, made that pew forever the "Jordan Pew" by proceeding to throw-up on the brand new, never-before-sat-on cushion her parents so lovingly had just selected. 

Holy Joy and Amazing Grace

 "Holy JOY lies in the habit of murmuring thanks to God for the smallest of graces."

Ann VosKamp

And I whisper thanks over and over and over and over again right now 

for the family I have been graced with.  

For the love my brother and his favorite girl have for his only child.....a man now......safely back within his reach from the pits of war.....

For the love of my sister-girls......who make me laugh sitting on my favorite 3-legged bench propped up by a rock....and make me cry as we walk down sometimes difficult roads together holding each others hands.....and who love me no matter how many fire ant beds I have in my yard......

For the love of companionship when you thought life just couldn't get any lonelier......

For the love of capturing memories.....both in our minds, hearts and SD cards...

For the love of my One-and-Only....numb legs, hard-of-hearing, swollen feet and with a heart as big as they make them with an almost constant smile on his face in the face of pain...

And especially today, for the love and return of my Marine, with the familiar family blue eyes and crazy awesome smile that make me never want to let go of him.

Thank You God,  for these Graces that are Amazing!

GROWING SEEDS: "How To Live Through The Hard Days"

 

 

HOW TO LIVE THROUGH THE HARD DAYS

Sometimes, even right before it really begins, you know how the week’s going to go.

Yep, it's been one of those kind of weeks.  But as I sit here, watching the sun come up in the most beautiful shade of pinks and reds, I am  brought to my knees in thankfulness for the difficult times.  For these times remind us that without these messy days....the day-to-day struggles....the wreck I see when I look in the mirror and the fact that I'll never get it all right, I am reminded of Ann VosKamp's words, "Christianity is the only hope for this broken world, because there's no other way for the broken to get the Nails they need to rebuild."  And trust me when I say "I need a LOT of nails"!

You all know what I'm talking about.  We've all experienced those days, weeks, months maybe even years, where it was hard to see the pinks and reds of a sunrise and be thankful.  Each day rolled into the next and "Joy" appeared to have taken a vacation without us.  

But I am constantly reminded that when we know Christ, we always know how things are going to go.....always for our good and always for His glory.....even when it doesn't "feel" like it.  Have you ever heard people say, "God's will never gives you more than you can handle"?  I say "HAAAA"!!  I truly believe that God absolutely, purposely, deliberately gives us more than we can handle, because it is when we throw in the towel to Him and He takes over, that He proves Himself by doing the impossible in our lives.

And as I glance back out to the sunrise this morning, I see the Sun's reflection on everything it touches......the trees, the grass, the lake, my dead thirsty flowers and I am thankful.  Thankful that God only allows pain if He's allowing something new to be born.

"I'll be with you as you do this, DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY, right up to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:20