Let Me Step Where You Step

Hiking, for the most part, is a single file adventure, with one leading, and the rest following.  I found that as I was following Mike along this trail, wherever he stepped I stepped there too.  As I watched his steps stay secure wherever he went, I planted my feet there as well.  Mike is also the leader of our home, and I have to trust his steps and direction in our family.  I watch where he goes, and because I know that ultimately Jesus is ahead of him, guiding his steps, I know that I can trust his direction of our marriage and our family.  By his staying on course with Jesus, our path together will always head in God's direction.                        

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take." (Prov 3:5-6)

Legacy

"I wanna leave a legacy. How will they remember me?  Did I choose to love?  Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? I wanna leave an offering.  A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your Name unapologetically."  (Nichole Nordeman)

As the water of truth pours over the ledge and touches everything in its path, our lives on this earth affect others, both for the good and bad...the words we speak, the actions we take.  At the end of my life, I want to have touched other lives for Jesus and those lives touch others, just as the water falls down and touches every layer until it reaches bottom.  My heart is to leave a legacy of love in honor of the Perfect Lover of my soul.  Lord, pour me out like a drink offering!

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering"  (2Tim. 4:6)

The Path That Leads to Living Water

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38)

Roots Exposed

The roots of our faith grow deep as we journey in our walk with Jesus.  With each passing year, the roots should grow deeper and stronger as they search for the "Living Water" that nourishes them and makes them take deeper root.  Life happens though...storms of disappointment, anger, disease, failure, shame, deceit, and struggle try to erode the foundation of our lives in Christ.  With each storm, the erosion has to be tended to, filled in, and rebuilt, otherwise the roots become exposed and vulnerable.  But no matter how many storms crash against our lives, our foundation is always secure in Christ Jesus.

"It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain."

(Isaiah 4:6)

Rushing Water

"6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  (Colossians 2:6-7)

It was a gorgeous, Spring-like day this past Saturday in the South.  Temperatures in the 60's beckoned our family to take an extended ride on the Greenway.  As God would have it, one of the tires blew on a bike about 7-8 miles from our starting point.  I volunteered to stay back and let someone come back and get me and the wounded bike.  I had some time to look at the river as it rushed by.  We've had quite a bit of rain so the river has been consistently up .

As I was basically in a trance looking at the water, my eyes happened upon these two scenes.  Looking up and down the banks of the river from where it had swelled, there were large logs and debris that got caught in the current.  But then I looked down and saw this tiny twig.  It swayed with the current, but it was never uprooted.  Why?  Because it's foundation was planted far enough into the river bed that that current couldn't sweep it away.  The larger log couldn't stay in its place because it had nothing to hold it there.

In this crazy fallen world that we live in, we have to be deeply rooted and established in Christ, otherwise the troubles, challenges, heartbreaks, and just the busyness of life will sweep us away.

Uninvited Guests

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  (2 Peter 3:9)


So...I love me some birds.  I think it's so neat that even after I have not filled my feeders for a few days and they pretty much disappear, I can refill the feeders and within minutes the birds are back...ALL of them.  I love the beautiful birds...of course the cardinal, the chickadee (Kinsey's favorite), the gold finch, the tufted titmouse, and the blue bird.  Sidenote: I currently have no blue birds because the sparrows have taken over their house :(  I get very excited when my yard is filled with beautiful birds, but I have found that I get annoyed when the "ugly" birds, the scavengers, the food hogs come and eat all the bird's food.  So what do I do?  I bang on the window to scare them off!  Even though I like doves (primarily because they are monogamous birds) I tend to bang on the window at them because they are feeder hogs!!  I especially dislike the starlings and the black birds because the starlings are ugly to me, and the black birds remind me of satan. 

God's truth to me about the starlings is this:  "They are my creation; they have a purpose; I love them; and they need fed too."  As I stare out the window at the birds I could care less about, my heart steered toward His people creation.  How many times have I judged someone because of how they looked, or what I felt that they had to offer, by the lifestyle that they choose or by the simple fact that they didn't look or act like me?  (I know!  UGHHH!)  God is sweetly but firmly showing me that ALL of His creation has a purpose and meaning to Him.  Just as the pretty birds need fed, so do the ones we perceive as "ugly".  He wants ALL of His creation to come to Him for the feeding of their souls. 

Who or what is a starling to you?

Perception of His Light

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

The sun has not shown much over the past week.  God has blessed our region with beautiful snow that we don't usually get to enjoy.  More rain/sleet/snow in the forecast, so the sun will be hiding for days to come.  As I was driving home today, I caught a quick glimpse of the sun peeking behind the clouds.  There wasn't even enough light for it to cast a shadow on the ground, but it was a gentle reminder that it hasn't gone anywhere.

As Christ followers, there are times when we look at our lives, our circumstances, and our pain as a measuring stick to God's presence in our lives.  When we feel pain or are going through a particularly challenging season in our lives, it's easy to view God as not as close, or not shining brightly enough in our lives.

As I gazed at this picture, I see the clouds as our circumstances.  Many times we can't see the sun for the clouds, even though in our hearts we know that the sun is behind them.  I've heard, and have said myself, especially in the winter, that too many cloudy days send my spirit into a funk.  I need the sun!  Just as our physical bodies need Vitamin D, our spirits need Jesus!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  (Hebrews 11:1)

The SON is always there...always...forever...the clouds are temporary, our circumstances, pain, and heartache are only for a moment.  Let's remind ourselves the focus on the Son, not the clouds.