November 18, 2013
”Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
I love books! I love to browse and to roam in bookstores…I am fascinated with book covers, titles and ideas! I love reading the thoughts of great thinkers…I love to laugh and to cry through vicarious experiences…I am also notorious for reading four to five books at a time, keeping them stacked on my night-stand, or distributed in the various places in my home where I might sit for a few quiet moments…
And in those quiet moments, the most powerful and profound and life-giving book is the Word of God, the Bible…Riveting thoughts…Undeniable Absolute Truth…to Transform a life…for Eternity…
“In this way, he who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments; and I will certainly not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but will acknowledge him in the presence of My Father and His angels.”
Revelation 3:5
The Book of Life…
Did I mention that I love books, bookstores and the perusing! One day in particular, I remember pulling into the parking lot of my favorite mega Christian book-store and I had compiled a list for Christmas shopping! The adrenalin was flowing as I parked my car and began to gather the lists and coupons that I had accumulated. That day, I had dressed in a long cotton dress…It was a straight-line and one of my favorites. However, my daughter had been gently encouraging me to place my beloved dress in the “give-away” pile…I thought that I would enjoy one more wear out of the dress… (It was a beautiful shade of sage green) The problem with the dress was that because of the width at the bottom, it required that I take relatively small steps, almost a shuffle.
As I mentioned, the anticipation of the shopping had energized me…my heart was pounding…I opened the door to appropriately step out from my car. I have no idea what happened, but instead of my feet moving first to “step out” of the car, my upper body hurled itself out first, ahead of my feet, and I landed on hands and knees in a crouched position, in front of the shoppers in the crowded parking lot.
I remember the ungraceful landing…and then the awareness of people’s stares and shock, as I very slowly gained courage to look up. No one moved…but everyone just stared! I immediately decided that the only possible recovery was to just bounce back up to my feet, as if nothing had happened… (Seemingly reasonable I thought) However, I did not calculate the limitation of my lower appendages because of the dress binding my ankles…and try as I might, I could not move my feet under my body to arise…After several attempts, I maneuvered my feet into position to hoist myself up. I was so thankful that no one rushed to me because I knew that their first question would be, “ What happened?” and since I had no clue what happened, it was best to just move on…And they moved on with chuckles and laughter about the crazy woman who had just plopped out in front of them. I was not going to let a silly moment interfere with my shopping as I reenergized, once on my feet, and shuffled into the store as quickly as my dress would allow! It was a fabulous day! And yes, I retired the dress…with a note pinned to it, “Wear with Caution!”
God says that laughter is healing!
The Book of Life…
I am so thankful for the gift of eternal life that our faithful God promises to His children…to those who walk with Him, who call Him Lord…I love to read in Revelation the description of Heaven and its splendor…of the dazzling beauty and stunning Light in the presence of the Creator…our Father, the King of Kings…
And I love the absolute Truth that our eternity with our Lord begins the moment we enter into relationship with our Savior…when we acknowledge Him as Master…when we recognize our limitations, that we cannot go alone, according to His will and purpose…We must recognize our desperate need for Him, and consequently, our undeniable need for the Church…His people, people whose names are written in the most fabulous, Hope-filled, Life-giving, Life-sustaining, Word of Truth, The Book of Life.
And I love doing life with the people whom Our Father has placed in my life. I adore my family….my husband, (the cutest boy in the world), my children, their spouses, (my third and fourth children), my grand-children, and all of our extended family…And I love the friends whom God has specifically placed in my life, through the church and through other circles…
The sun is rising on the new day and I am deeply thankful for this life…I am thankful for the painted sky…the crisp fresh breeze this morning…the beautiful deer grazing in the open field as he trusts the new day to meet his needs…And I am deeply thankful…And as I pray this morning, I count so many of my blessings in the people…God’s people, and I thank my Almighty God for you…as we Live…
As we Live well…
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace…There is one body and one Spirit.”
Ephesians 4:2-4
“Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise…be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:15-20
As we Laugh well…
Women’s groups and organizations have always intrigued me especially when the gathering occurs and the female energy and emotion reach their crescendo! I think back to my first experiences in Brownies as a little girl, to Spirit Clubs in middle school and high school when all the young women gathered into one room usually after school or at lunch. I remember the cacophony of voices and laughter all happening at once…I remember being exhausted after the meeting…never sure of what had just happened or of what decisions were made…At some point, I would check out and just listen to the roar of activity…Laughing when all was done…not sure what the exact purpose of the meeting had been! Laughter is healing…
…Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace…There is one body and one Spirit.
Ephesians 4:2-4
As we Love well…
I am so thankful for the friendships and the relationships that God has placed in my life through the years. It has been a powerful and amazing experience to do life with people who have the common thread of Christ Yeshua woven through their lives as the Life-connection. Through the years of life-experiences, of raising children in the church, of homeschooling, of Christian schooling, of employing people, celebrating life with family and friends…I am thankful for the friendships which have been founded on God’s Word to keep unity through the Spirit…I have found these relationships through Bible studies, Life-groups, Prayer groups, volunteering, and serving. Doing life together…
I have often wondered what makes some groups of friends and relationships long-term and more successful while others dissolve after awhile. Recently, I asked some friends to describe the elements which they deemed necessary for long-term relationships within friendships…It was fascinating to hear their input…about doing Life together…
The first element mentioned was that the relationship or the environment be safe and trust-worthy… Safe to share private and confidential matters without judgment or condemnation. Safe to be authentic and transparent…Safe to be different…Safe to mourn and safe to laugh…Safe to arrive at a function late because life interfered with the schedule…Safe to leave early if necessary…Safety afforded by the bearing with one another…by the patience with one another…by the environment of grace and mercy without the compromise of Absolute Truth…Safety afforded by the commitment and the decision to embrace God’s Love…A place of safety and a place worthy of trust…
A beautiful widow in the Community Prayer Group in Waco shared that she continues to feel safe to come and to pray after four years of gathering because she does not feel judged…rather she feels the love and grace to come as she is. Women of every socio-economic group have committed to pray for the city, for the nation, and for God’s Kingdom…They feel safe…They feel loved…because the purpose of the meeting is to trust in our Loving God and to petition Him on behalf of a hurting world, the people whom God loves…
As we love well…through His Grace….
I am also thankful to be a part of a church, Lake Hills Austin, which makes its mission to provide a safe environment for worship, for Bible studies, for Life groups, for every gathering…to share the Love, the Grace, and the Mercy of God, without compromising Absolute Truth of God’s character and His Word. Lake Hills makes a concerted effort to provide an environment which is conducive to the new seeker, providing the environment which is stress-free, judgment free, condemnation free…allowing and inviting the Holy Spirit to move in His power and His Love and His wisdom, within the life and the hearts of the people… A place of safety and a place worthy of trust…I am thankful for the churches who embrace the grace and the mercy of our Lord…
The second observation by a friend concerning long-term friendships and relationships was that the common thread of the gathering was for the glory and the honor of our Almighty King and Master and for the edification of His people….She noted that God puts the call in the hearts of His people and when they answer and gather for His glory, the environment is not only safe, but it is Life giving, Joy producing, and Trust-worthy…Because our Loving Father is worthy of our trust…He is Life-giving…He is safe because He is perfect agape Love…His correction is within His perfect Love…
Doing life together, Living well, Laughing well, Loving well…
And I am so thankful for the beautiful relationships and friendships that I have been given in a life-time and for a life-time. God is faithful to give life-time friendships through every stage of life…some we experience for years, and some for moments, depending on how many days we are here on this earth…These precious relationships are not dependent on the length of our days…but on what they are founded upon, and through this foundation, they are for a life-time. When our Almighty God is the foundation and the purpose of the life that we live…we find places of beautiful safety and places worthy of trust…places of God’s insurmountable Love!
I pray that we embrace the instructions of our almighty God to Live well…to Laugh well with our family and our friends…and to Love well as Christ Yeshua loved us and gave everything that He and His Father possessed…for our life-times with Him, as our names are written in the greatest book ever written, The Book of Life…
Yes, I love books…and I love doing life with everyone who loves our Almighty Father…and I love that you and I carry messages to a world in desperate need of a wonderful message…of a Life-giving message…the greatest Book ever written…
Daughters of Truth…I pray for each of us that we Live well…that we Laugh well…and that we Love well…
I love celebrating life with you…
Joyfully,
