Happy Thanksgiving!!

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD,

for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever."

Psalm 118:1

A Note of Thanks: Part III

On this third day of thanks, I want to thank the Lord for my friends. Have you ever stopped to consider that God brought your friends to you? I don’t think I seriously thought about this until I became a Christian and I started developing friendships with other godly women. There is such a unique bonding that goes beyond words.

The other day one of my friends gave me a very warm hug and thanked me for my friendship. This was very special to me since just four years ago I almost lost her as a friend because of something really dumb I did. God chose to rebuke me, change my heart, and now my friend and I are the best of friends. This could only have happened because of God’s love and intervention.

So I am thankful to God for the friends He has given me; for knowing those who would stand by me, counsel me, encourage me, and love me.

A Note of Thanks: Part II

On this second day of thanks, I want to thank the Lord for my family. Nothing is by accident with God. He handpicked our parents and relatives. He knew who our spouse would be and how many children we would have. Although sometimes we are tempted to question His choices, there is a distinct reason why these people are in our lives, and we need to love them, cherish them, and care for them because God gave them to us. I love my family, and I am thankful for all they have done in my life to help me turn into the person I am today.

A Note of Thanks: Part I

Doesn’t it seem that we are rushed this Thanksgiving? The stores want to squish this very precious holiday between a bagful of Halloween candy and Season Greeting gift wrap. Thanksgiving, after all, isn’t as commercially successful as selling costumes or assorted socks and slippers in all shapes and sizes.

But I want to put the brakes on. I want to say, “Hey! Let’s be thankful!” So I’m devoting the next few days to say how thankful I am for the blessings God has given me.

All my thanks, of course, flows from the love of God. It is He who has given me everything that I’m thankful for. It is because of God’s unfathomable love that He sent His Son Jesus down to earth to die so that we can experience God’s love, forgiveness, and redemption. Isn’t that amazing?! Even if you were the only one on this planet, Jesus would have come down to die for you. I can’t understand how people fail to be thankful for that!

I am thankful that God is longsuffering; that He wooed my heart day after day, year after year, until I was ready to accept Him into my life as Lord and Savior. And I continue to be thankful that He is longsuffering with my development as a Christian, since I constantly make mistakes and need lots of grace and mercy.

Home for the Holidays

My kids are off from school starting today for Thanksgiving vacation. We will visit a local theme park, go to a couple of orthodontist appointments, and try our hand at some early Christmas shopping. We don’t have a huge amount of plans (besides, of course, Thanksgiving Day). It just will be nice taking a break from the normal daily routines.

I will try to get some writing done, but I’m not putting any pressure on myself for the next week. I want to be able to enjoy my kids’ time off, too. But I will keep thinking of ideas for a few deadlines I have in the weeks ahead. Jotting down notes is a lot easier and less time consuming than actually composing articles.

If you have young kids still at home, try to make good use of your holiday time with them. They grow up so fast. Treasure the moments and be thankful when they are home for the holidays.

Dealing With Doubt

Do you doubt? Do you worry? Many people have this misconception that Christians shouldn’t have any misgivings or struggles. We are supposed to always be happy and joyful and goody-two-shoes.

Yet when we read our Bibles we see that even the giants of Scripture, Daniel, Moses, Joshua, and David, struggled with doubts in their hearts. Where is God in all this? Am I really called to be here? How can I handle this multitude? When is it time for God’s promises to be fulfilled?

Christians are human. We doubt; but we aren’t supposed to stay in that state. We are to look for the One who gives us hope and cling to His promises. We are to hold out our hand, knowing God will lift us up in His timing.

Psalm 94:19 speaks volumes to my heart: “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.” Loosely translated it means in the numerous disquieting thoughts I have, God’s mercy smoothes my soul.

Do doubts fill your mind? Seek God’s comfort and consolations. Read about the struggles the Bible heroes went through. Then find hope as He smoothes your soul.

Mid-Week Reflection

"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,

and humbly accept the message

God has planted in your hearts,

for it is strong enough to save your souls."

James 1:21 NLT

Close Calls

With all the fires here in Southern California the last few days, stories have begun to emerge of close calls: people having minutes to evacuate; houses saved when there had been walls of flames all around; family keepsakes surviving the infernos. Can you name some close calls in your life? I know I can name several from mine.

But I often wonder just how many close calls I’m not even aware of; times of protections that I may never know about. I’m sure there are lots of those. As a believer I know God is watching over me. The Bible even mentions that “…The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them (Psalm 34:7).”

With God our life is filtered. Nothing can reach us unless the Lord allows it. Does this mean I am protected from every little thing? No, but what does affect me has been allowed for a reason and I need to trust God’s sovereignty in allowing things to happen.

Had any close calls lately? I hope you are thanking God for His protection.

Guilty

It was Election Day and I was waiting for my son to get out of school. My habit was to go early to get a good parking space to avoid the crazy traffic jams that appear right at the ringing of the dismissal bell. Since the school was being used as a polling place that day, I knew the parking would be horrendous, so when I saw the spot at the loading zone open, I pulled right in.

Lots of parents park in this area to wait for their child. Even with a sign that says, “Loading Zone. No Parking,” no one has ever said anything, including the campus policeman. So I was rather surprised when a new officer pulled up, lights flashing, and stepped up to my window and told me to not go anywhere because I was going to receive a ticket. I started to state my case, but then I realized I had no excuses. I was caught red-handed. I was guilty, especially since I was parked right in front of the sign.

To make a long story short, I didn’t end up getting a ticket. A set of circumstances gave me a bit of mercy, but I did receive a very strict warning. I will definitely not park there again.

This incident reminds me of God’s laws. How often do we disobey His word because we haven’t gotten caught? Do we lie to get out of a situation? Are we in a compromising situation with someone? Are we taking home company merchandise even though it doesn’t belong to us? Are we cheating on our taxes? Since we haven’t gotten caught, we think it’s okay to continue in these actions. Because we tend to follow the world’s trends, we think God’s laws aren’t relevant for today. But we need to realize that God doesn’t change. What He has called wrong in the past is still wrong today. Our sins are still against God’s law. We are guilty. God sees everything. We are caught red-handed.

Thankfully, God wants to grant us forgiveness. He wants to restore us to a proper relationship with Him since our sins create a rift between us. But first we have to acknowledge our sins, say we are sorry, and then ask God to forgive us. Sometimes it’s hard to admit we are wrong. However, if we don’t, we will definitely suffer consequences for our actions.

Are you guilty? God wants restoration. He wants to forgive. Go to Him. He will grant forgiveness to all who ask.

Expect the Unexpected

Life is full of surprises. Sometimes you’re traveling along and then, without warning, the rug gets pulled out from under you. You can do several things when this happens. You can feel sorry for yourself. You can blame everyone else, including God, for the problem. Or, you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving. I prefer to do the latter.

I’ve learned that it doesn’t help to feel sorry for yourself. All you get is lazy and bitter and depressed. And sometimes the circumstances aren’t the fault of anyone. Life just happens. Trying to find someone to blame doesn’t help your situation, although some may argue that it makes them feel better. I think blaming others is a waste of energy and a cop out.

This is why it’s better to get up and get going. Instead of dwelling on yesterday, try thinking about the tomorrow and the day after that. Set goals to overcome the current circumstances, even if it will take time to do so. And finally, don’t forget to pray. God is not outside the box. He’s right there beside you and He is ready and willing to give you strength, courage, and peace.

In life you can expect the unexpected. Just don’t let it keep you from moving on with your life.

Out With the Old

It seems that I can’t even give away my good, used stuff. Our garage sale over the weekend left us with several boxes of items. I figured if we couldn’t sell them, the local thrift store would take them. But when we went to take the boxes to the drop off site, only four of the ten boxes were accepted. They would not take toys or books. Now we have to call another thrift store to see if they would be interested in our donations.

I really want to get rid of this stuff because we really could use the room. The items are too good to just toss out, especially the boxes of books, but I can’t keep these things anymore. There is just too much clutter. I want to be able to walk around my living room without bumping into a box here, a carton there.

Some people like to keep everything, especially if it is a collectible. I used to think that way, but then I came to the conclusion that, 1) the value of something is in the eye of the possessor, 2) you’ll rarely get back the full worth of an item, and 3) it really isn’t all that important in the scheme of life to accumulate too much because we can’t take it with us when we die.

What are you holding on to that you really should be getting rid of? Maybe it’s time for you to get out with the old, too.

Strengthening Those Muscles

We just discovered that my youngest daughter has strasbic amblyopia, a condition where one of her eyes strays a bit to the side instead of focusing like it should. The treatment at this point will be to wear a patch on her good eye for several hours a day, forcing the muscles in her poor eye to strengthen. After that vision therapy is recommended.

Since we have annual checkups, the optometrist was able to compare the differences in vision from last year until now. Because my daughter is young, there is a good chance for improvement. All we need to do is be diligent and follow the recommended exercise routine to strengthen the eye muscles.

Sometimes our focus is off in our walk with the Lord. Our eyes start to stray, keeping us from seeing things spiritually like we should. We wander off the narrow path and merge onto the wider way that Jesus warned us about. On our own we try to refocus, but our muscles have become weak, and our efforts seem futile.

Thankfully, the Lord can help strengthen our spiritual muscles. By giving ourselves completely to Him, we can trust Him to exercise our faith so our relationship with Him becomes stronger and more sharply focused.

Feeling weak in your walk? Let God give you an exercise plan to get those spiritual muscles back in working order.

Cloudy

I had a glass of ice tea with my dinner the other day. It was very refreshing and tasty. When I got about 2/3rds down, I decided to refill my glass. Something distracted me at the time, and I found myself adding milk instead of tea. The result was a cloudy mess that I refused to swallow because my pure glass of tea had become tainted.

Sometimes we forget how much sin can cloud our lives. Little things, like lies, gossip, and grumblings, can cause separation from God just as easily as adultery, theft, and murder. One drop of poison is just as bad as ten drops; so one small sin is as harmful to our relationship with God as several serious sins.

Thankfully, Jesus’ death on the cross covers all sins. He can take our cloudy lives and remove the toxins that keep us out of fellowship with Him. All He requires is that we accept Him as Lord of our life and Savior of our souls.

Looking for clarity? Ask Jesus to make your heart crystal clear.

Soldiers for the Lord

Today the country is observing Veterans’ Day in honor of those who have served this country to protect our liberties and freedoms. Without the valiant and willful sacrifices of these faithful soldiers, America would be a far different place. They deserve much respect and praise.

But today I would like you to consider some other soldiers who are just as worthy of our honor and respect: the Soldiers for the Lord. These are faithful Christians who have been obedient to their true Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ, and have willingly followed God’s lead to love others, to intercede on their behalf, and to defend the Gospel.

Being a Soldier for the Lord is not easy. The duties consist of interacting in enemy territory, sharing a message of hope that isn’t always welcome. It requires long hours of prayer and fasting to intercede for the lost, and it requires a selfless duty to serve others who too often aren’t thankful at all.

We are to be these Soldiers. As believers in the One True God, we need to put on our full armor, as described in Ephesians 6, and moved forward according to the Lord’s directions. We need to trust God for strength, supplies, and sustenance. We need to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow the Lord without complaint and in full obedience, receiving little reward until our service here on earth is completed.

Have you signed up for the Lord’s army? It is an honor to serve the Lord. Come join the ranks and become a true Soldier for the Lord.

Boxes Galore

My living room is full of boxes. One would think I'm packing up to move, but actually my family is preparing for a garage sale.

It's amazing how much stuff we have. At one time I thought most of these things were essential, but since they've been packed away in storage for a few years, I've come to the conclusion that I don't need the majority of these items. So I'm sorting through the boxes, pulling out a few important things like extra sheets, hand towels, and baking dishes. I will be selling everything else.

Our lives sometimes carry excessive baggage. Just like all our extra stuff, we accumulate habits, attitudes, and ideas that we really don't need. Every once in awhile we need to sift and sort through everything, keeping only the necessities. The best way to do this is to ask the Lord for help. He is the best purger in the business. He can show us exactly what we need to get rid of and what we need to keep for future use.

Looking to get rid of a few things you've been keeping in storage? Let the Lord help you clean house.

Recognizing Sovereignty

Were you happy or disappointed with the Presidential Election on Tuesday? No matter how we may feel, we now have to accept that a new president is forthcoming, with changes to be expected.

We must, however, remember that God placed this man into this position; therefore, we must respect him because of the office that he will shortly hold. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”

We must recognize that if God reigns supreme in our lives, then we have to accept His sovereign will. He can see the past, present, and future since He exists beyond time. He knows exactly what will happen in the coming days, months, and years. It’s hard for us because we aren’t omniscient like the Lord. We just have to trust Him, day by day.

Make sure you’ve made God the Lord of your life. Accept His sovereignty, and trust completely in Him, no matter what changes the world brings.

Mid-Week Reflection

"I would have lost heart,

unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness

of the Lord

In the land of the living.

Wait on the LORD;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the LORD!"

Psalm 27:13-14

Back-Seat Driving

If you’ve ever driven anyone anywhere, you know there is always a chance of getting critiqued by back-seat drivers. “Turn here. You’re going too fast. Maybe you should have let me drive. You’re too close to that car.” It’s frustrating driving this way because it’s easy to lose your concentration, sometimes causing you to make even more mistakes.

I wonder if God considers us back-seat drivers. Instead of letting Him drive, we want to grab the keys and head out in any direction we please. Sometimes we want to turn right when God knows it’s best to turn left. Sometimes we want to step on the gas pedal to follow our own green light, when actually God has a red light showing and wants us to keep our foot on the brake.

His gentle prods to follow His guidance can be misinterpreted as bothersome instead of loving. If only we’d relinquish the steering wheel and sit in the back where we belong, we’d be so much better off. He would head us in the right direction with no fear of getting lost since He never loses his concentration.

Are you trying to drive yourself when you know that God should be doing the driving? Sit back, relax, and let God take charge. You’ll always get much better mileage with Him.

Beware the Infomercial

Having come from a background in film, I view audio-visuals with a different light than the average viewer. I am quick to note errors in composition and continuity. I notice how many different camera shots were used within a scene. I can detect whether someone is singing live or lip singing; and I can tell if a reality show has in fact been staged.

Media is a powerful tool that can persuade the masses, making myths seem like facts and facts seem like myths. I place Infomercials in this persuasive category. The whole presentation is to get you to buy their product. Everything is orchestrated. Have you noticed that not one single person dislikes the merchandise? Infomercials are extremely expensive, so you don’t want any negative comments if you are paying that amount of money.

Since anything visual can be made to look good, or can be edited to say basically anything you want it to say, I am very skeptical of infomercials. My kids, on the other hand, can easily be persuaded to buy into the hype. Sure, it may be a good product, but I’d want to do a bit more independent research before I agree to buy into it.

Hitler took great advantage of selling himself to the public through the manipulation of media. His cinematographer, Leni Riefenstahl, was a master of creating beautiful films that made Hitler look like a man committed to the salvation of Germany.

So I say beware the infomercial. Depending on what it is trying to sell, you can easily be fooled into believing something completely opposite from the truth.