We just celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary so I have been inundated with memories from the past sometimes making me somewhat sad because of times gone by. Since the celebration is over I still continue to remember things from those first years of marriage. One of them is our first Christmas tree. It was, of course, a fresh tree bought from a lot. We went out and bought all new ornaments and lights for the tiny tree. I remember bringing home to our little apartment boxes of red apples for bulbs, garland and twinkling lights of all colors. Although I hate it, we bought silver tinsel and strew it about until you could barely see the ornaments.
For years I drug these ornaments out at Christmastime but the years took a toll on them. The red came off of the apples, the garland was in pieces and the lights had to be replaced several times. But then the tinsel covered up the chips, brokenness, and darkness.
Sometimes we feel like these pitiful decorations. Once we were brand new in our faith after we had accepted Christ into our hearts, but then life began to tear away our "bright and shiny"! Our life changed as trouble came our way, our health deteriorated, or relationships changed. But then there was lots of tinsel to cover our disappointments. There were church services, Christian friends, and bible studies, but inside there was something missing, a longing for new life. Why had the paint chipped away? Why had the beautiful twinkling lights gone black? Why are we left with only the tinsel?
We as busy believers have forgotten our first love!
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Revelations 2:3-4
So in this busy season, if you feel you have somehow lost your first love, turn your life around and seek your first love this Christmas. Don't hide behind the tinsel!
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13 NLT
Let us cast off every distraction so that we can run free and unhindered in pursuit of Christ.
There is still hope in the manger!
There is still hope in the cross!
Seek him while he may be found!
I still hate tinsel!
Friday, November 29, 2019
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Pain, Pillowcases And My Praisin' Arm
Pain, Pillowcases And My Praisin' Arm
Because Michelle, my friend, and Physical Therapist, is on the Praise Team at church with me, I felt free to tease her and tell her I needed my "Praisin' Arm" to work again. I hold my microphone in my right hand and raise my left arm to praise our Lord as lyrics of a song bless my heart. As we both laughed she said, "No problem"! After a painful rotator cuff surgery, I had lost much of my range of motion. In fact, my "praisin' arm" barely made it past my waist.
Most of the time I went four times a week and sweet Michelle heard nearly every story of my 71 years on earth. She suffered through the planning of my 50th Wedding Anniversary and turned away when she stretched my arm so far I thought it would break and ignored my grimaces and groans because she knew that's what it would take to get well. Every week she would measure my progress with her funny looking ruler and would report progress most times. I shared my thoughts on the devotional I had read that morning, my prayer list and my grateful heart for all the Lord has done for me. I loved it when she did the same in those early hours before the place was filled with patients. I loved hearing stories of her little girls and shared our child-rearing ideas. Mine from the 1970s and her currently were not all that different.
The pain was ever-present especially at first but she persisted. I think of how the Lord sometimes lets us experience pain in our lives. He stretches us to the limit to make us stronger and eventually well. Oh, how he must have to turn away as we grimace and groan under the load that we carry. After being "stretched out" I would get a warm pad on my arm that soothed those sore muscles. Many times when I feel that I have been stretched to my limit the Lord soothes me with his presence and gives me encouragement through his word.
One of the exercises I did was with a pillowcase over my arms. I would go up the wall as far as I could with the pillowcase helping it to slide more easily. Sometimes as we plead for instant answers to our prayers, he tells that His grace is sufficient for us. Though we struggle the "Pillowcase of His grace helps us glide more easily through life with His constant, unfailing love. Eventually my "Praisin' arm" begin to respond as me and my pillowcase reached higher and higher. I teased Michelle endlessly that I was going to take my pillowcase to church so I could raise my arm farther into the air.
Finally, my "Praisin' arm" could go far into the air as if reaching for heaven itself. As if the hand of God reached down to grab it as I praised Him. As we go through life, we would do well to use our pain to grow, hang on to His grace as we are stretched and raise our "Praisin' arm" high and often. Thanks, Michelle!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Because Michelle, my friend, and Physical Therapist, is on the Praise Team at church with me, I felt free to tease her and tell her I needed my "Praisin' Arm" to work again. I hold my microphone in my right hand and raise my left arm to praise our Lord as lyrics of a song bless my heart. As we both laughed she said, "No problem"! After a painful rotator cuff surgery, I had lost much of my range of motion. In fact, my "praisin' arm" barely made it past my waist.
Most of the time I went four times a week and sweet Michelle heard nearly every story of my 71 years on earth. She suffered through the planning of my 50th Wedding Anniversary and turned away when she stretched my arm so far I thought it would break and ignored my grimaces and groans because she knew that's what it would take to get well. Every week she would measure my progress with her funny looking ruler and would report progress most times. I shared my thoughts on the devotional I had read that morning, my prayer list and my grateful heart for all the Lord has done for me. I loved it when she did the same in those early hours before the place was filled with patients. I loved hearing stories of her little girls and shared our child-rearing ideas. Mine from the 1970s and her currently were not all that different.
The pain was ever-present especially at first but she persisted. I think of how the Lord sometimes lets us experience pain in our lives. He stretches us to the limit to make us stronger and eventually well. Oh, how he must have to turn away as we grimace and groan under the load that we carry. After being "stretched out" I would get a warm pad on my arm that soothed those sore muscles. Many times when I feel that I have been stretched to my limit the Lord soothes me with his presence and gives me encouragement through his word.
One of the exercises I did was with a pillowcase over my arms. I would go up the wall as far as I could with the pillowcase helping it to slide more easily. Sometimes as we plead for instant answers to our prayers, he tells that His grace is sufficient for us. Though we struggle the "Pillowcase of His grace helps us glide more easily through life with His constant, unfailing love. Eventually my "Praisin' arm" begin to respond as me and my pillowcase reached higher and higher. I teased Michelle endlessly that I was going to take my pillowcase to church so I could raise my arm farther into the air.
Finally, my "Praisin' arm" could go far into the air as if reaching for heaven itself. As if the hand of God reached down to grab it as I praised Him. As we go through life, we would do well to use our pain to grow, hang on to His grace as we are stretched and raise our "Praisin' arm" high and often. Thanks, Michelle!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Grumble, Grumble, Grumble!
Grumble, Grumble, Grumble
Here I am not even two weeks out from the most wonderful time, when my kids and grandkids came home from all over the country just to help us celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Yet, I found myself mechanically putting ornaments on my fifth tree and complaining! I complained that it wasn't like when the kids were all little and we would make an evening of it. Larry would make a a pot of fudge, not the modern kind, but the recipe that used to be on the back of the Hershey cocoa can. We would play Christmas carols and a few times I even taught the kids how to string popcorn and cranberries for the garland. They would put their ornaments and green and red garland that they made from construction paper on the tree and we would celebrate each homemade treasure. It didn't matter where they landed, if they were perfectly placed or color coordinated. After it was finished we turned off the lights to admire our work and there were times we even went outside to see how it looked as the multicolored lights shined brightly out of the frontroom picture window. The fresh smell of the tree made the whole room inviting. Hmmmm! That was a pleasant trip down memory lane but then there was my murmuring! My complaining! My grumbling! Tears of loss of a time gone by. The lights still sparkled but not in this girls soul! This mood pretty much continued all day as it matched the gloomy November day we were having.
This morning I got into my study of the Psalms and figured that I could find something that would cheer me up. Oh, how You, oh Lord must tire of our constant whys and whines! Sure enough in Psalm 10:14 I found it! But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. There! That's me afflicted! Really, Jeanie! You just testified to anyone who listened that You have been with us all fifty years of our marriage and now you complain because things aren't like they used to be when you were young.
Then my bible directed me to another scripture that hit too close to home. I turned quickly to Philippians 2:14-16 that says "Do EVERYTHING without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault... Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.
Hallelujah, Lord! You, again, had me pegged and brought councel to my heart! I have nothing to complain, murmur or argue about, you have given me everything I need. Then the Lord led me to turn on our 12ft tree and as the lights flashed on I saw the blessing the Lord wanted me to see. It was ornaments placed willie nillie, ribbon slung across the bottom of the tree with no apparent purpose and a few broken ornaments that we used anyway! It was the handywork of a new generation of tree decorators! It was the beauty that my grandkids created while they were here. Each little hand had placed shiny bits of love all over our Christmas tree. Oh how generous you are to us, God, even when we grumble! I love you, Lord! Thank you, Jenna, Evie, Kellan and Harper Jean!
Here I am not even two weeks out from the most wonderful time, when my kids and grandkids came home from all over the country just to help us celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Yet, I found myself mechanically putting ornaments on my fifth tree and complaining! I complained that it wasn't like when the kids were all little and we would make an evening of it. Larry would make a a pot of fudge, not the modern kind, but the recipe that used to be on the back of the Hershey cocoa can. We would play Christmas carols and a few times I even taught the kids how to string popcorn and cranberries for the garland. They would put their ornaments and green and red garland that they made from construction paper on the tree and we would celebrate each homemade treasure. It didn't matter where they landed, if they were perfectly placed or color coordinated. After it was finished we turned off the lights to admire our work and there were times we even went outside to see how it looked as the multicolored lights shined brightly out of the frontroom picture window. The fresh smell of the tree made the whole room inviting. Hmmmm! That was a pleasant trip down memory lane but then there was my murmuring! My complaining! My grumbling! Tears of loss of a time gone by. The lights still sparkled but not in this girls soul! This mood pretty much continued all day as it matched the gloomy November day we were having.
This morning I got into my study of the Psalms and figured that I could find something that would cheer me up. Oh, how You, oh Lord must tire of our constant whys and whines! Sure enough in Psalm 10:14 I found it! But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. There! That's me afflicted! Really, Jeanie! You just testified to anyone who listened that You have been with us all fifty years of our marriage and now you complain because things aren't like they used to be when you were young.
Then my bible directed me to another scripture that hit too close to home. I turned quickly to Philippians 2:14-16 that says "Do EVERYTHING without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault... Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.
Hallelujah, Lord! You, again, had me pegged and brought councel to my heart! I have nothing to complain, murmur or argue about, you have given me everything I need. Then the Lord led me to turn on our 12ft tree and as the lights flashed on I saw the blessing the Lord wanted me to see. It was ornaments placed willie nillie, ribbon slung across the bottom of the tree with no apparent purpose and a few broken ornaments that we used anyway! It was the handywork of a new generation of tree decorators! It was the beauty that my grandkids created while they were here. Each little hand had placed shiny bits of love all over our Christmas tree. Oh how generous you are to us, God, even when we grumble! I love you, Lord! Thank you, Jenna, Evie, Kellan and Harper Jean!
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