I awaken in the middle of the night, fear-struck and wondering, “How will I finish this task when it’s so much bigger than I am?” And the Lord says, “Nothing is bigger than I AM.” Hovering close, His feathery Spirit slips truth into my worry-weighted one. In healing waves, He pours Himself, freely. So what can I do but freely receive… [box] My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9[/box] Lord, it’s a battle, this worry habit. After so many years of practice, I wonder if I’m too good at it. “Practice letting …
Goodbye Fear, Goodbye Yaps
“Fear hangs out right next to whatever it is you’re most called to do. That means the closer you get to your calling, the louder fear sounds. Keep going – fear is a chihuahua that sounds like a Doberman.” — You’re Made for a God-sized Dream My chihuahua is “Yaps” because he never shuts up. Well, I have a few words for ol’ Yaps – if y’all don’t mind the accent. (I just got back from da South and dis one ‘ere kinda stuck wid me.) Yaps, we’re through. It’s ova! Ya had me going fer a while, wid all …
Happy Light Year!
My candles flicker bits of shadows on my husband and kids around the table. I burst with God-dreams for each of us, hoping our family will spill out and reach more people with the hope that once reached us. Sometimes I think time’s richer than money, and I grieve how it’s stolen and wasted on willy-nilly pursuits. Then I remember how each new year brims with fresh possibility. What will I do differently as I partner with Jesus? Wanting my dreams and passions to match His, I dwell on Matthew 5:14. [box] “You are the light of the world.” [/box] …
Smells and Whistles
Something smelled horrible as I started the treadmill at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center. Sweat times a thousand! Was it coming from the carpet? From the men dripping beside me? I could hardly stand it! People grimaced as they walked by. What was it? One staff member hovered nearby, sniffing. What? Had someone reported it? Alert! Bad smell in the back corner! Check it out! My imagination went faster than my running shoes ~ until the truth hit me with a gasp. No!! It couldn’t be! Ever so inconspicuously, I dropped my nose to my sleeve and inhaled. Then …
My Big, Fat, Powerful Tongue!
My Bible Study leader looked at us. “Ok, so we’re going to share prayer requests and praises. Cheryl?” I began, “Hmm… Well, last week I had a mastectomy….” Everybody gasped. I gasped. Heat rushed to my face. “Ah – you meant to say ‘mammogram,’ right?” The leader glanced at my chest. “Yes, mammogram!” I said, whacking myself on the head. “Well, they both start with m.” I snorted, then everybody lost it. Only Two Kinds of Mistakes The incident reminded me how there are really only two kinds of slips or mistakes: Mistakes of human denseness (innocent blips like my …
Do As I Do
[box] Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” John 5:19[/box] I confess: I can be impressionable. If I respect you and you say, “Cheryl, read this or watch that,” I’m likely to seriously consider your suggestion ~ simply because it worked for you. The problem is, what’s good for you isn’t necessarily good for me (yours and my strengths and weaknesses can be as different as the sun and moon); nor is it necessarily best for …
No Shellfish Please
“Don’t be shellfish,” I tell my kids, hoping to sound light about something so heavy. Selfishness is THE battle, is it not? It is so multi-talented that it manages to hurt us, God, and others, all at the same time. [box] Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3[/box] Hats off to our role model, Jesus. [box] Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave …
Lost
[box] “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” Exodus 13:21[/box] With my “creative” sense of direction, this kind of “guidance” could sure come in handy! My GPS usually does a good job, but it didn’t on July 3rd. Instead of taking us to an out-of-town fireworks display, Mrs. GPS took us to a cemetery! No joke. Our first hint should have been the lack of cars and …
Prayers for the Undeserving
[box] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 [/box] As I have loved you. You must love one another. Quite the request, Lord. It was in your heart all along, wasn’t it? “Love my people. Do unto others. Feed my lambs.” It’s a breeze to love you, Lord, so perfect and kind. But people? Even the best pastors, leaders, teachers, people who know better… They fail. You want me to love them with complete, sacrificial love? Pray for those who hurt me? Forgive them deeply …
Who’s At The Wheel?
Be still, and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10 Be still in this restless world? Is it even possible? Perhaps not. Unless we let God do the stilling in us. Be still, and know that I am God! Maybe if he does the stilling while we do the knowing, we’ll get somewhere. Somewhere serene on this sacred journey to stillness. Be still, and know that I am God! Why in the world is this taking forever? Are we there yet? Daddy, Sally’s wiggling in her car seat, and Bobby took my doll! Daddy, I’ve got to go pee! Chill. …
Can-Do Attitude
The power of positive thinking jumps to a whole new level when we add the Christ-factor. “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Phil 4:13 When we’re in His will, He strengthens us to do everything. What could be more positive? Some say, “I know He wants us to love all people, even difficult people, and to praise him in the midst of all circumstances, even crazy family circumstances, but do you really think it’s possible to stay Christ-like, self-controlled and patient when life falls apart?” As a sensitive, easily-rattled person prone to ask this herself, …
The Big Fail
“Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” John 18:15-17 The “other disciple” is said to be John, the one writing this gospel. John took advantage of his acquaintance with …
A Time To Die?
Leaves litter the ground, reminding me how seasons bleed, one into the next, as quick as a blink, while God waits for us to catch new vision. I kick back on the swing, crunching my feet in fresh crisps of color as I mull over memories of my dear Aunt Shirley. How strange I can’t call her anymore. As sudden as a Minnesota temperature drop, her brain aneurism leaves my own brain reeling. I crumble squeeze a bright orange leaf, blink away pictures of us splashing together at her cottage, of us wizening from sun and water, coming out smelling …
Prayer & Angels
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12 Stuff happens when we pray! If we could draw back the spiritual veil, our jaws would drop to see God commissioning His angels to action for us! “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14 Satan, mad at being kicked off the angelic prayer loop, resorts to age-old schemes. Threatened by our faith-expressions, he tries to distract us from …
The Beautiful Choice
Choices…. [box] God could have made us robots, marching to His heart, forced to love completely, obeying from the start. Instead He made us separate, with built-in modes for choice, so love would prove more precious when we finally hear His voice…[/box] I wrote this as a young teen in the trenches of a choices… I was the girl who believed if someone didn’t like her, there was something terribly wrong with her. Have you ever met someone who was so insecure about relationships that she sometimes controlled, manipulated, and strangled them? Love, by nature, can’t be forced; it necessitates choice. …
Most Important Prayer For Leaders
In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” God answered …
When Misjudged
How would you feel if you embodied perfect love towards the people you created, and instead of them acknowledging you as God, they judged you as satanic? How patient would you be? Wouldn’t you want to get ‘em – or at least sit on their lunch!? That’s not what Christ felt, yet He was disrespected like no other. In response, He kept to His mission of loving, serving, dying and saving…. to make us more like Him. Did you know that you’re on a mission to make a world difference? If you bear the name of Christ (Christian), it’s not …
Come Thirsty
When my stepdad visited last week, he told us a story about how as a little boy he liked to feed his calves fresh milk from buckets. The eager calves would stick in their heads so deep that they’d come out covered and dripping. Isn’t that the kind of dramatic effect we want when we plunge into the Word of God? We want our countenance to drip with so much of God’s love and light that others recount His wonders. Eternal Lord, help us assimilate Your Word so it becomes us. Moisturize our dead, dry parts. Restore our spiritual youth …
Why Read the Bible?
My child, I’m with you, waiting to lighten your day with Truth. Open yourself to freedom, joy, hope, health, & soul rest. Bathe in My pages that spear each test. Lean on Me when you can’t see. I’ll help you over-stand. Soak in grace. I was poured in your place! Truth seeps in the secret places, mending, brightening. I stumbled through wrath to make your path secure. Tiptoe close. Absorb My sweet-somethings in your ear. As the flower turns to the sun, or the dog to his master, so the soul turns to God. – William Temple To him who …
Purpose in the Darkness
When Lazarus was deathly ill, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus. They waited. And waited. Where was their beloved Master? Four days in a tomb brought more than a foul smell. It brought more mourners ~ more potential. “Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.” (John 11:19-20) Here was this kitchen-busy Martha, kicking her beautiful heart into action while Mary stayed home this time. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you …