The Work of Gardening Our Hearts

November 5, 2015November 29, 2015 RefreshHer4 Comments

Last year when my dad suggested we add flower boxes to the front of our house, I knew it was just the addition we needed to set our house off beautifully. With five front-facing windows, the foliage of flowers and greenery would add a pop of color and life! A friend at church hung the boxes for me, then I proceeded to fill them with dirt, flowers, ivy and a spike plant. All summer long, I nurtured and cared for those plants.

Because four of the windows are on the second floor of our house, I would

Open the window
Pop the lower glass inside
Lift the screen
Water, prune and dead head the flowers
Pop the screen back into place
Lower the window
Lock it back into place

I did this nearly every single day – sometimes twice a day when it was really hot. The result? Full, vibrant blooms and lots of beauty. Neighbors and guests commented on the growth and the addition of the boxes. I beamed.

When fall came the blooms began yellowing, so I added some fall plants – mums and a few pansies. Mums don’t last long,so I just recently removed them at the root, and replaced it with more pansies of other colors.

It’s been a bit messy at times, and a good deal of work, but I’m definitely glad we added the boxes. The addition it’s been to the house and the joy it brings my own heart has been well worth the effort!

Yesterday as I was adding Round #2 of the Pansies, I couldn’t help but think how often times we just assume that the growth and change in our spiritual lives will just “happen.” That if we attend church, and maybe read a little Scriptural devotional from time to time and “say our prayers,” some kind of spiritual metamorphosis will be the result. If we know that it takes diligence and effort for a garden to flourish, why can we not apply that same type of energy to our spiritual growth? It will require daily watering, weed pulling, fertilizing, changing, and yanking out some roots, but the end result will be worth all the effort.

While some gardens, like mine, are visual from the front, and everyone can see it, there are others that are hidden, but still give joy to the person who lives there. In other words, it doesn’t matter if your life is in the public eye or you’re in a place where no one sees, God knows each of our hearts, and longs to have fellowship with us, teaching us His Word and of Himself every single day.

When winter comes, I’m hoping my flower boxes will still stand out because of the efforts I’m putting into them right now. So too, when “winter” comes to our lives – hard times or the cold winds of trial, if we’ve put in the effort in our spiritual lives, we’ll be a lovely Christian woman, for God’s glory!

What have you done today to care for the garden of your spiritual heart?

With love,

8E63C63AC0BC189BF1C68B03C74DBB5F

Christian Life

Get-Aways and Ordinary Days

November 4, 2015November 3, 2015 RefreshHer8 Comments

Ministry life is busy. Very busy. It is also draining. Very draining. So, every now and then, we just need to take a couple of days and get out of town. Going away helps recharge our batteries so we can keep serving with strength.

Last week my family took a couple of days to head to Dollywood, an amusement park in Pigeon Forge. They were having their fall Gospel singing, and honestly, it’s my favorite time of the year to be at the park.

We had PERFECT weather. It was in the 60’s by mid-day and it was sunny and gorgeous. The leaves took on spectacular colors in the sun’s light. Alli and I rode several rides, but I just enjoy strolling through the park, looking at the fall arrangements and the trees, shopping in the stores, as well as hearing the Gospel groups sing. Here are some pictures of our time there:

We did a little sitting, and a lot of picture taking in picturesque settings like this one!

Alli and I rode more rides than our fellas; it was so much fun!

Alli’s up there somewhere. This is waaaay too much spinning for me, but isn’t that beautiful?

When we came home, we got rack back into the saddle – it was like jumping onto a moving Merry-go-round. Things were already in motion and we joined in its activity. Our time away was so much fun and so beautiful that I found myself ~~whining~~ wishing we could stay longer. But you know what? Those two days away really were sufficient, and they refreshed us and made us ready to keep on laboring for the Lord.

This is Sour Dough Bread that I made yesterday. Yes, it’s on a heart shaped bread board! =) Maybe because I love bread!

Not every day can be a Get-away Day. Most days are ministry laden, laundry folding, bed-making, meal prepping, people-helping, bread-making kind of days. They’re ordinary days, and that’s okay. They are familiar. They are comforting. They are the reason we exist. We don’t live for the get-away’s – they simply help equip us and gird us so we’ll be ready to keep serving (and we all need to make sure we make time for rest!). Dollywood was fun, but it’s not why I exist. The ordinary days? Yeah, that’s why I’m here. So then, I must put my heart to it, for God’s glory.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

I Corinthians 10:31

Have you had a get-away recently? I hope it helped you to return to your work/ministry!

Lovingly,

8E63C63AC0BC189BF1C68B03C74DBB5F

Stressing Over the Temporal

October 13, 2015November 3, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

Last Wednesday found me and my husband on board an airplane flying west to California! I had the blessing of speaking at a Ladies’ Retreat in Grass Valley from Thursday through Saturday. I had never been to the camp before, and I knew only two people there – the director and his sweet wife.

As I prepared for the retreat, I found myself in my normal mode stressing over “What should I wear?!” Will it be cold, moderate, or hot? Will I need a jacket? Will I be over-dressed? What shoes should I wear? Then I remembered my last retreat in the spring and the lessons I learned, and I let it go. I packed a skirt, two tops, a dress, a pair of jeans, a jacket and casual shoes. Done. I thanked the Lord for the reminder that my external isn’t nearly as important as what’s in my heart.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Matthew 23:25

Why do we get so hung up on the non-essentials and not nearly so concerned about what really matters? Because that’s how our flesh and the devil operate. They strive to get us distracted away from the Lord and from the eternal. For instance, it’s easy to get titled sideways over:

A mess – spilled Cheerios, a puddle of milk, a pile of books,
Too much on our schedule
Lack of communication from our spouse
A shortage of money
Getting treated unfairly
People!

But do we get just as upset over:

Our own messy attitude?
Not enough time to read and meditate in God’s Word?
Not enough time to spend in prayer?
A desire to give more to God’s work?
The way God’s name and ways are abused around us?
The needs of a lost soul?

Now that I’m safely back home, maybe I should just leave a suitcase out to remind me each day not to let the temporal, external things stress me! They truly don’t matter.

Oh, Lord, help me to be bothered to the point of change about what is relevant for eternity!

What’s bothering you today? If it’s something that will only matter in this life, let it go. Give it to the Lord in prayer, if need be, but don’t dwell on it. Ask the Lord to help you focus on what’s really important – that which is eternal. Oh, and if you’re traveling to the other coast, just layer outfits and you’ll be fine. 🙂

Lovingly,

Christian Life

How To Deal with Sudden Fears

October 6, 2015November 3, 2015 RefreshHer12 Comments

The phone rings and it’s the doctor’s office, calling to give the results of the lab work that was recently done.

Sudden Fear.

Your teenage daughter has a painful look in her eyes. She has seemed distant and removed from you and the Lord in recent weeks. She asks to speak with you.

Sudden fear.

Your boss sends an email telling you he’d like to speak with you at your earliest convenience.

Sudden fear.

You pick up the newspaper and read the headlines about yet another innocent group of Christians being persecuted for their faith.

Sudden fear.

There are hundreds of scenarios in which we could find ourselves filled with sudden fear – that terror that falls over us quickly due to some event in which we have no control. You’ve been there, I’m sure. We all have. We weren’t really prepared for the news or the event. Maybe we didn’t handle those situations so well in the past.

But for those future moments, we can prepare ahead of time, simply by hiding a secret piece of ammunition on our person – it’s the Word of God. Open up your heart and tuck this truth away:

Be not afraid of sudden fear,
neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
For the Lord shall be thy confidence,
and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 3, 25, 26

At that moment when the sudden terror wants to grab your heart, your emotions and your will, pull out the Truth that can enable you to handle this difficulty wisely and calmly.

The Lord will be your confidence – Pray. You don’t know what to do, but He does! He will show you the next step to take that will lead you to victory, rather than defeat. Turn to Him immediately and ask for His intervention and guidance.
He’ll keep your foot – Rest. He’ll not let you slip! Remind yourself that the Lord will keep you safe and secure. “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Anything that He allows to touch your life has come through His sovereign hands first. You are still in His grip.

The best way to deal with anything is to be prepared. The Lord has given us everything we need to keep us from sudden fear – the Truth of His presence and the help of His hand! Don’t be afraid!

What sudden fear has you quaking? Pray and rest in these Truths today!

Lovingly,

Christian Life

The Imperfect Stitches

October 1, 2015September 30, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

See that pretty embroidered kitchen towel hanging on my oven door? It was hand stitched by a friend. When it was given, she let me know that it was full of mistakes – little “imperfect stitches.” Really? I look at it and I see the big picture – a sweet little girl, adorned with a bonnet and apron, delivering a cherry pie on Baking Day! I also see the heart of the stitcher, if you will. She spent her time and effort making that for me! I love it and I dare anyone to wipe their dirty hands on it – I have store bought towels for that purpose! This is my treasure, set aside for my enjoyment – imperfections and all.

“I’m afraid I’m not good enough.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t done enough.”

“I’m afraid God doesn’t accept me as I am.”

Those are all quotes I’ve recently heard women say concerning their relationship with God. They’re basing those statements on what is or isn’t happening in their life. Something they’ve prayed about hasn’t been answered, some desire they’ve asked God for hasn’t been given, and so they turn their focus from looking heavenward in prayer to looking inward at themselves. They start searching for all the imperfections, and oh, there are many in all of us – it’s called an old sin nature, and we deal with it every single day.

But wait a minute, that’s what Jesus came to take care of on the cross! That sin has been paid for! It’s covered by the blood! Because I’ve received Christ as my Savior, when God looks at me, He sees me as having never sinned, based on the finished work at Calvary. He sees “the big picture” which is my justification through Christ. I don’t have to worry that He’ll see my mess ups and times when I sin (and there are plenty), because He sees me through His perfect Son.

My friend might have wanted to point out and fix the imperfections in the towel she made for me, but it did’t matter to me. We might try to “fix” up so we’re good enough to please God, but you can’t get any better than Jesus! He “fixed it” all for eternity.

Friend, if you’re worried that though you’ve received Christ, you might not be “good enough,” look at the cross and remind yourself of your standing before God. God sees you through His Son – forgiven. You are God’s special treasure set aside (sanctified) for His use. Now live confidently for Him, pray believing and stop pointing at the “imperfect stitches!”

In Christ,