AN AMERICAN SOLDIER

 On this Memorial Day I could not allow this day to pass without putting my thoughts down in writing.  My dad served in the Navy.  My father-in-law served in the army.  I had an uncle wo was a marine and I one nephew who served and another one who is serving now.  I am very grateful for those who came home safely.  As for my nephew who is in the army right now, I pray for his safe return.  I am very thankful for every military veteran who fought for my freedom.  Saying "Thank you" just doesn't seem like enough. I am speechless when I think about the sacrifice they made to keep America safe.  I stand in awe at the price many of them paid so that I can sit here in my comfortable home and type this now.  

Yet, there is another group that I cannot thank.  There is a group of soldiers that never returned home to their loved ones.  There are wives and husbands, moms and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends who are spending this day remembering their loved ones who died for my freedom.  There is an empty spot at the picnic table, an empty chair at the dinner table, a empty space in someone's heart.  

This flag still stands for freedom!  Blood was shed so that this flag can still fly over my home today.  Blood was shed so that we can voice our opinions and our beliefs without fear.  Blood was shed so that we Americans can be free.  When I see this flag and when I really stop to think about what Memorial Day means to me, I picture a widow with her young children standing beside a grave clutching the American flag as they lower her husbands body into the ground.  I can see the tears streaming down her face, I can hear the cries form deep within her soul.  You know, that gut wrenching cry that comes from a pain deeper than I could ever imagine.  

An American Soldier is strong, brave and courageous. They sacrifice everything, including their lives so that you and I can be free.  Never underestimate the power of the American Soldier.  

WHO ARE YOU FIGHTING?

 As I sit here today I'm trying to gather my words together and compose something that may speak to your heart.  As I try to battle the thoughts going on in my mind, God is trying to get my attention.  You see this is not my blog, it belongs to God.  I'm just the one tying the words and living it out.  Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute and second by second I struggle with what's going on in the world around me.  There is so much division in the world.  There is so much anger.  There is so many people living their lives offended.  There are so many people offering up their opinions.  It's a struggle not only in America but in this world.  The thing I find so funny is that so many of us seem so surprised and frustrated by all of this.

I will admit it...I'm weird.  God has wired my brain differently.  I see all that is happening around us, I hear all the frustration and anger and I actually find it amusing.  I know your probably asking; "How can you find this amusing?"  Well let me explain.  You see I have read the Bible.  I know that through all this confusion and chaos, the enemy (yes I'm talking about Satan himself) is at work.  He's sitting in hell scheming and  strategizing ways to create all of this chaos and confusion.  He's stirring the pot and causing hatred and rage.  He's pitting us against each other and it looks like he's winning the battle, at least that is what he thinks and hopes.

But like I said, I've read the Bible and I know in the end we win!  As believers in Jesus Christ, we have an armor that no power of hell can destroy, that is if we put it on.  That is the key.  We have to daily put on God's armor.  We have the weapons we need and we have the power to defeat the enemy through Jesus.  We cannot fight this battle by ourselves.  We need the power of God at work in us through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Without God, without Jesus and without the Holy Spirit, we cannot battle the enemy and win.  

I find this amusing because we are so busy fighting each other that we've ignore the real culprit...Satan.  Our fight is not against flesh and blood.  To blame each other, to point fingers at each other, to yell and scream at each other, to fight each other is wrong.  This is what the enemy wants.  He is behind all of this chaos and turmoil.  We cannot win this battle if we are fighting each other.  We cannot win this battle without the power of God.  In fact we don't even need to fight because God will fight your battle for you.  As a believer in Jesus Christ, when we are clothed in the armor of God, the battle belongs to God and He always wins.  So let's stop fighting each other and unite in prayer.  Let's concentrate on the real enemy, the real deceiver.  

I am amused and laugh because my confidence is in God.  I look at the world around me and I stand in awe because I know greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.  I get excited when I hear of chaos because my first thought is...Oh boy what's God going to do through all of this?   It's a great way to live because, 

I trust You Jesus!  I know you will work ALL things out for my good . 

ME AND MY TEDDY

 This is my youngest grandchild.  She is so stinkin' fun.  I have a teddy bear I keep in our home that has a very special meaning to it.  My grandpa's name was Theodore.  Everyone called him Ted.  When he died my grandma bought this "Ted-dy bear" to remind her of him.  When she died I wanted this bear.  To some it was a meaningless stuffed animal, but for me it connected me with my grandparents.  Shelby has connected with this bear in an interesting way.  You see when she came to our new home after it was built, the first thing she did was go inside our house and grab this bear.  Funny thing is that she never saw this bear before.  It was packed up and in storage before she was born.  How did she know that was there?  I don't get it but her personality has been making me wonder if has inherited some of my grandma's quirkiness.  Could that be why she is so connected to this bear? 

I absolutely love stuffed animals.  Growing up one of the hardest moments in my life was when we went on a vacation and I lost my favorite stuffed animal in one of the motels we stayed at.  I was traumatized.   This stuffed dog is something I took to bed with me every night.  It was my comfort, my protector, my shield.  It made all my nightmares vanish and made the end of a hard day, better.  I know Jerry probably thought I was a little crazy because I loved buying our children (and now our grandchildren) stuffed animals.  They had numerous stuffed animals.  For me these were more than mere toys, they all had a special meaning.  I know I'm strange, but that's okay.  

Now that I am an adult I still need someone to bring me comfort, peace, security.  I still need a protector and a shield.  I need someone who will be my rock, my fortress, my refuge in a storm.  Yes my Jerry is all that and so much more because he has my heart for life.  But as much as I love Jerry, there has always been an emptiness that no other human love could fill.  We see people all the time struggling with this emptiness.  Some use money, sex, drugs or alcohol to fill the void.  No matter how much they drink, no matter how many drugs they take, no matter how much sex they have, no matter how much money they spend there is still a void that cannot be explained.

Well, let me try to explain it.  There is a God shaped hole in every human beings heart.  If you do not fill the hole with God, nothing else will.  God is the only one who can fill that void and remove that emptiness.  He is the only one who can give you the comfort and peace you're longing for.  Everything is meaningless and empty without God.  There is no peace without God.  There is no hope without God.  There is no grace without God.  He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust.  He is my hope, my peace and my love.  

It is only through the blood of Jesus Christ that I received the grace I needed to have a relationship with my Heavenly Father, my Abba, my God.  There is a popular true saying:

Know Jesus, Know God

No Jesus, No God.

MEMORIES.....

 

When I was out in Arizona this year I finally got a picture of this motel sign.  It's important to me because it is a part of my past.  When I was 3 or 4 years old we traveled out to California.  My mom and dad, my brother, my sister and I went on a month log journey.  This is the same motel we stayed at all those many years ago.  It's still there with the same sign.  It was a blast from the past when I saw this sign.  I remember my mom telling me that a few years ago the motel took the sign down, maybe they were trying to find a new logo, I'm not sure the reasons.  Anyway residents through a fit because this sign with the diving girls, is iconic and a link to the past that needs to be cherished.

I know sometimes I talk about the past as being something to deal with and move on, but then there are times when the past is filled with great memories and cherished times.  This is one of them for me.  This memory is cherished because this is the area where my dad and mom chose to retire and eventually buy a retirement home there.  It's an important memory for me because I was with my family.  I was able to see parts of this beautiful country that I have never seen again.  I was able to touch the red wood trees, see the Grand Canon, go to Crater Lake and visit Yellowstone Park.  For a month I got travel America.  

While I do have some past memories that are painful and hard to think about, I have learned to put those ones away and cherish the good ones.  The past can be very tricky to deal with.  The good, the bad and the ugly all reside in the past.  It can sometimes be hard to let go of the bad and the ugly because it has shaped us into who we are, but in order to move forward with God's plans for our life we have to learn from our past mistakes and hurts and move on.  To dwell is a painful past continues to push us into a victim mentality that does no one any good.  It actually causes more harm than good.  It actually can cripple us mentally and physically.  It can cause undo stress in our lives that no medicine can heal.

Only the healing power of Jesus Christ can heal our past pain and allow us to learn from it and move on.  I couldn't have healed my painful past without Jesus.  I couldn't have learned the lessons I learned without Jesus.  And I couldn't have moved on without Him.  Because of Jesus Christ I can now cherish the good memories from my past.  I can look at this motel sign and remember this vacation with a big smile on my face and a gladdened heart.  So today lets try to connect to Jesus and allow Him to work with you through the memories of the past and learn from the painful ones and cherish the good ones.  

  

WE INTERRUPT YOUR PLANS FOR AN IMPORTANT ....

Quite a few months ago while I was in church I noticed a young lady with her head down.  After service was over I saw the tears in her eyes.  Instead of ignoring her and walking away to mingle with my normal group of friends, God whispered for me to go over to her and see if she was okay.  He interrupted my plans for His plans.  He made me pause and notice someone I was not expecting to notice. Anyway I found out a member of her family was recently diagnosed with the "c" word, (not covid).  So I dropped to my knees and prayed for her and others joined me.  It was an awesome experience but I forgot about it until Sunday, Mother's Day.  This same young lady brought me this single rose to thank me for praying for her.

How interesting and thought provoking this has been for me.  You see I can get so wrapped up in my own world, my own plans that I miss out on the plans God has for me.  It is so easy and comfortable for me to do what I want to do.  We have all experienced those pesky little interruptions, those annoying beeps every time we get a text message, those stupid Facebook messages that can sometimes drive us crazy.  These annoying interruptions in our busy schedule, could they be something more important?  Maybe they are a chance to connect with someone we haven't seen in a long time?  Could they be an opportunity to pray for someone?  I know they could be a chance to change someone's eternity?

Why do these interruptions in our plan frustrate us so much?  Why do these pauses in our day propel us into an angry mood?  Now come on I know it's not just me who feels this way sometimes.   This experience Sunday has changed my mind about these interruptions that maybe they are not as meaningless as we might think.  From this day on I will do my best to cherish every pause, every stop and every interruption God puts in my path.  It won't always be easy but this has taught me a valuable lesson. 

I want to study to stops of Jesus.  Ever notice that He never turned His back on someone who came up to Him.  He cherished ever interruption, every pause, every stop.  Whether it was someone who was sick, someone who had questions, or someone who just needed to see Him.  Even when the disciples tried to get others to leave Him alone, Jesus always stopped.  It didn't matter where He was going or what He was doing, He stopped.  He never got frustrated with the interruptions God has lined up for Him and neither should we.  Interruptions, pauses, stops are one of ways Jesus showed us that we matter to Him.  Whether He was in the temple or walking the streets, He welcomed the stops.

Listen I know interruptions can be challenging to say the least, especially if we're in a hurry to get to an appointment.  But if the Savior of the world, God in human form, if He can stop, why can't we?

RUNNING FREE

 

These are the Salt River wild horses out in Mesa, Arizona.  These creatures are simply amazing and breathtaking to behold.  They run free in the desert, they drink fresh water out of the Salt River.  To see them running free is too hard for me to describe because I get emotional about these amazing horses.  The greatest thing about them is that there is an organization of volunteers who protect these wild horses.  You may ask why they need protection if they are wild?  Well unfortunately there are people who try to shoot these horses.  I don't understand why, I don't get it.  But anyway this organization right now is also feeding them because of the severe drought out there.  Without this food, they would die.  This organization loves these horses, I love these horses.  When I see them running free it makes my heart skip a beat and brings a tear to my eyes.

Why?  Well when I see these amazing animals I think about the creation story.  I think about how God decided to create so many beautiful animals.  (I also wonder who He created mosquito's and spiders and snakes, but that's for another day.)  I love nature.  I love sunsets and sunrises.  I love flowers and mountains.  I love beaches and sunshine.  I love forests and deserts.  I love spring and summer and fall.  (Notice I didn't say winter.)  There is so much beauty in God's creation and I talk a lot about nature and the beauty all around us so today I wanted to discuss these stunningly majestic creatures...the wild horses of Salt River.

Nature at it's finest!  God's glory on display!  I watch these horses and think about how amazing it is to be free, to live free.  For me I live in the freedom that Jesus Christ died to give me.  The freedom that no matter where I am or what I am doing, the Holy Spirit of my Savior is within me.  It is a gift I cherish deeply.  For me when I see these horses running free, it reminds me that I too am free.  I am free to run the race God has given me.  Free to worship God and praise the name of Jesus Christ.  Free to allow the Holy Spirit to teach me and guide me as I run this race called life.

No one's race is exactly the same.  No one's journey is similar.  No one's path is identical.  We are all on aa journey to freedom through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately some of us get lost on our journey.  We forget about the freedom we have, we forget about Jesus' number one rule...LOVE OTHERS.  How many of us have become judgmental with each other?  How many of us get so wrapped up in head knowledge that we lose track of heart knowledge?  How many of us get lost in rules and regulations?   

Freedom to love others is a heart issue and has nothing to do with how much of the bible you have memorized.  Freedom = grace.  God's amazing grace is on display for all to see in these horses and the volunteers.  Serving others, allowing others to have an opinion that's different than yours, sharing God's love with others.  That is my idea of freedom.  So what is your heart saying about you?  Are you truly free?  Freedom. true freedom is only found in Jesus Christ.

     

HOLD ON? WHY?

 

What are you holding onto that you need to let go of?  We all have things that happen to us in our lives that we hold onto.  Maybe someone hurt you, maybe someone offended you, maybe someone stirred up a feeling in you that you didn't expect.  Maybe someone didn't meet our expectations.  Whatever it that is holding you down, it's time to let go.  So many of us become trapped in this world of emotional hurt that we loose sight of what is happening now.  So many us become entangled in a web despair that we don't know how to live without it.  It actually becomes part of our personality.  We become so guarded that we shield ourselves from the here and now because of the hurt we experienced years ago.

I've been there!  I've done that!  I held onto the emotional pain of the past and it almost destroyed me.  I became distant and I hid my heart in a place where no one could find it.  I didn't want to o through that hurt ever again.  The thing is that I missed out on the present. I didn't really enjoy what was happening around me because I was holding onto something I couldn't change.

I'm sure you've all been there at one time or another.  The only thing that got me through times like these was the love of Jesus Christ.  He redeemed my past and erased it.  He taught me many valuable lessons through these times, but His love and grace helped me to forgive and let go.  Only after I was able to forgive and let go, was I able to move on.  

Holding onto past hurts, holding onto past feelings, holding onto past expectations leads no where.  Clinging to what is behind us is meaningless.  The love and grace of Jesus Christ comforts me, heals me and frees me.  God Does not hold onto my past so why should I?  

STORMY WEATHER

 

The sun shines brightest for me after a storm.  Don't ask me why I don't understand myself but this is one of the reasons I love storm clouds, it makes the sun shine so bright and it also makes for spectacular sunsets.  Why does it always seem to take a storm to make us more aware of a God's infinite power?  There is something that happens in all of us when a storm is approaching.  For some of us it's a fear, for some of us it's interesting, then there are those few storm chasers who get an adrenaline rush.  No matter where you are storms are challenging and sometimes frightening.  

While storms can bring much needed rain, they can also bring devastation and chaos.  This is springtime, the time of year when storms are expected.  People that live in the plain states especially are on guard and extra cautious.  Most people in these states make plans ahead of time.  They take precautions ad line up provisions just in case.  Water, candles, canned food, batteries, flash lights, blankets and so on, are on hand just in case.  They plan ahead, just in case.

So what plans are you making just in case of a storm?  I'm not talking about a weather storm with lightning and thunder, I'm talking about well...how about a medical diagnosis that causes a storm in your life?    Or how about a financial storm?   Or how about a spiritual storm?  We have all probably experienced the first 2 storms, but how about the third one?  Have you ever experienced a spiritual storm?  A storm that fills you with doubt and worry?  A storm that maybe even makes you question if God really hears you?     

There is times in everyone's lives when it feels like we are in a storm filled with worry and doubts.  We wouldn't be human if we didn't.  The thing I've learned about these storms is that times like these always means a lesson is coming my way.  You see the enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to steal, kill and destroy you.  He wants these storms to draw you away from God.  He will occasionally use the people closest to you to stir up a storm of biblical proportion.  He wants you to concentrate on the darkness, the thunder, the destruction.  He wants you to be filled with fear and doubt.  He wants you to worry your life away.

But there is always light at the end of a storm.  There is always the sun shining behind those dark clouds.  There is a promise from Almighty God that He will carry you through the storms no matter how dark, no matter how much destruction the enemy causes.  God can and will turn it all around for good.  He always has, always does and always will.  

The storms in my life may distract me and cause me to become distraught, but God has always come through for me.  He has literally reached down and picked me up off the floor.  He has dried many pools of tears from my face.  He has held me as I mourned the loss the storm caused. He continues to guide me through the storms in my life.  Without Him, without His love, without His grace I would not be where I am today.  I have learned many valuable lessons in the storms that I would not have learned otherwise.  So during this stormy season in our lives, let us draw near to God and allow Him to guide us through this time and help us learn a lesson.   

THE 3 LITTLE PIGS

 

 Do you remember the childhood story about the 3 little pigs?  I do.  There was a big bad wolf out to eat the pigs.  He wanted a pork dinner.  So the 3 pigs built 3 different houses.  One was made out of straw, one was made out twigs and sticks, the last one was made out of brick.  The first 2 pigs built their homes fast with cheaper material, they did not give their best effort because they wanted to make sure there was time to play.  The third pig worked hard and used bricks which was more time consuming and much more expensive.  He took his time and thought seriously about what he was doing.  In the end his brothers, who probably thought he was over doing it and laughing behind his back, came to his brick home and asked if they could be in there with him.  You see because they didn't build their homes on a firm foundation and because they used inferior products, the enemy destroyed their homes with a few huffs and puffs.  

How much is our spiritual walk with God this same way?  We do the quick and easy devotionals on our phone, we go to church on Sunday and don't think about God until the next Sunday.  We pray when the storms are raging around us, but when the sun is shining and all is right with our little world, we forget about praying until the next crisis.  We may read our bible at Christmas and Easter, but every other day it sits on our shelf collecting dust.  We whine and complain when things don't go our way.  We worry and fret about things we cannot change. 

Even well meaning Christians deal with God in the same way the 3 little pigs dealt with their enemy.  The foundation of our homes may be built on knowledge of the bible, we may even have the bible memorized.  The foundation of our homes may be built on laws and rules and regulations that are often man made.  The thing is the foundation of our homes need to be built on the amazing grace God has given us through our faith and belief in Jesus Christ.  

I know way too many Christians who know all about God because they have scriptures memorized or maybe the entire bible memorized, but because of this head knowledge instead of heart knowledge and they have become judgmental and critical of others.   I also know many Christians who are legalistic, but because of this they are quick to point fingers and condemn others.  

Grace.....GRACE...through the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ is the solid foundation on which we need to build our homes.  When this is done, the enemy cannot possibly huff and puff and blow our house down.  The wolf is outside the doors or your home right now.  He's huffing and puffing.  He's doing all he can to steal, kill and destroy your home and all it's occupants.  

Grace...heart knowledge...Jesus Christ = firm foundation and a solid home

John 10:10 The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.  I came that you may have life in abundant.