think...think...think....

   All right, for those of you who do not like to think of the future, and who live happily that way, this post then, is not for you.
   This week I have some serious topics on my mind and my heart and I wanted to share them with you.
   For many years I struggled with being captured by fear in every circumstance--fear of people (what they thought of what I was doing), fear of circumstances (the BIG what-ifs), and a million other nameless fears that the enemy had me captured by.
   I want you know today that I am mostly free of it, as much as the normal Christian who looks forward to every day with zest and enthusiasm about what God is going to be doing in my life those precious moments. So please do not think this post is about fear--either in my thought process, or to instill that same thing into yours.
   But this morning, a few things have been slowly mulled over in my mind, and I would like to share my thoughts with you.
   When I read my Bible, I am drawn to the prophets in the Old testament who cried out to the people of Israel that judgement was coming. They were stoned, imprisoned, beheaded...whatever it took so that the people could continue to do what they wanted to do without thinking of the consequences. I sometimes imagine the agony in their voices as they cried to the people, having seen visions of what God was going to allow to happen to their beloved people and country, and knowing that there was no one (or few) who heard and repented.
   Now this is not going to be a post about the judgement of the US, please dont think that. I am not sure how I feel about that one, and besides, we are all under judgement until we are set free by the love and grace of Christ when we accept His lordship over our lives.
                               What this post is about is being prepared.
   My parents taught us to THINK at an early age. More often than not our questions were answered with another question even when we were young, in an effort for us to find the solution to our own issue.
   I look at our nation today, and after "thinking", am greatly concerned.
   Either the state of our nation is going to lead to an amazing resurgence of repentance and setting things right spiritually, or it is going to lead to a decline that we have never experienced before in our nation as far as rights of the people, and rights of free speech and religion.
   The physical atmosphere of our country (and in some ways of the world) is one of brokeness and divison. People set against people, governments against governments. Too many people looking for work to feed their families and not finding it. Too many people walking away from or losing their homes because they are worth less than what people owe on them. Instability financially and big projects that we have borrowed money from other nations to make them happen--making us pass the buck of astronomical debt not only to our children, but generations far beyond them.
   "Home-grown" terrorists looking to start in our country what has been happening in the Middle East for a generation or more.
                                   I could go on and on..and so could you.
   It can make a person just a tad bit nervous....(and more secure in their decision to never want to visit New York City--sorry guys!)
   I am thankful every moment that my eternal home and person are secure in the hands of God, and sad that others I know and love choose to reject it;  I am also resting in the knowledge that there is Truth that does not change with who and what can spin it to reflect their personal agenda.
Because if I have those things rock solid in my head and my heart, I can confront anything that this world throws at me, unto death for my faith.
                                              Scary thought, I know.
   But we would not be the first...and according to the book of Revelation in the Word, we would most certainly not be the last until the very end.
    If you, like me, are a believer, then this is a time you need to remember that we are meant to be in this world, not OF it. That we are to be as wise as serpents, and yet gentle as doves. That we are to live our lives waiting expectantly and eagerly for the return of the One whom we long to see and Who directs our lives here on Earth.
             In a time of instability and insecurity, where is your faith placed?
*Do not put your faith in man, because he will fail you every time.
*Do not put your faith in a government, because those rise and fall with the times.
*Do not put your faith in yourself, because you alone know how fallible you truly are, no matter what mask you put on for the world.
   "At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise however, took oil in their jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
   At midnight the cry rang out: "Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!" Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out'. "No" they replied, "there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourself." But while the foolish ones were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the others also came "Sir! Sir!" they said "Open the door for us!" But He replied, "I tell you the truth, I do not know you."
   Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Mt. 25:1-13)
   Let me share with you some practical applications.
Spiritually: BE PREPARED. Soak in the Word. If you have not started to memorize Scripture, now is the time to do so. Many cultures have banned the word of God and the people of God have encouraged one another and passed on parts of Scripture through repeating what they have memorized. Instill this in your children, for they are like sponges, and once that Scripture is in their hearts, God will never allow it to leave their minds no matter the situation. Stand up and be counted. Pretend there never was the word "tolerance" in your vocabulary when it comes to your faith. Now that is going to make some people mad, but if I offend someone by using the opinion of God and what He has set in His word, then their beef is with Him, and not with me. Our culture, and our churches are where they are today all because as Christians we are afraid to say what we really think and believe is true according to the Word of God. There is a war on for the hearts and minds of not just our children, but those we love and care about that do not know Jesus as their Savior. Be a warrior and stand strong for  what you believe. Put in your mind the picture of Jesus in the temple with the money changers. I am pretty sure the word "tolerance" never crossed his mind. It was that exact attitude that brought those retailers there in the first place! :)
Physically: BE PREPARED: Now this is my opinion and conviction, but when I read that passage above, I am struck by the fact that these women were prepared in more ways than just anticipation. They took care of things they MIGHT need in the future, not knowing when the bridegroom was coming, and, as the passage points out, some were wise and some were foolish. The wise ones had oil, the foolish didn't. I guess I am a practical kind of girl. What do I have in my home that is my "oil in jars", physically speaking, against some tough times ahead? A couple years ago, I told Kurt I could not get out of my head and my heart that for some reason I felt I needed to really put some food aside, grow a larger garden, can more, store more. This year the urge is even greater, and it is something that has bothered my mind and heart more than once. I have prayed continually about it, and decided since the Lord has not removed it, and instead it is stronger, perhaps it just might be from Him, or at the very least allowed by Him. Talking to other Christians I am amazed to find I am not alone of the many I talk to, not some weirdo. (Although that happens enough!)
    My husband works in the retail grocery business, and he told me once that there is enough food in his store to feed 100 people for two weeks. That is how much the average store holds. How long would that last in a real crisis? And the average American has one week of food stored in his home, and relies on the grocery store? This may seem silly to some of you who have more than enough finances to live like this, but we have chosen to live debt free on a small income. These have been lifesavers for us before, but now, as I see the economy change and things grow darker, I am thanking the Lord for the training He has been giving me in those areas. Even if it is only to share it with others in need here in my community, I am a better person for having that knowledge! And know my kids will not go hungry.... What skills do you have or need to develop to be a little more self-sufficient in a society where everything is handed to us or readily available? More and more you hear of natural disasters where people are losing their power, losing their heat, etc etc etc. If that were to happen to you, depending on where you live, what would you be able to do for your family? Do you have a Plan B if Plan A were to come crashing down around your ears? I grew up in the high mountains in CO, and I can remember many a time where the heat went out, and we sat around the old woodstove in our living room, even slept around it, cooked on it, heated water on, whatever. Those memories are coming back more and more as the times change. My parents had a large pantry, because there were times, where we lived, that getting to a grocery store was impossible for a time. So perhaps I was brought up to think this way and that is what makes me a little edgy during these times. But another thing I think of (in fact hear in my mind) is my dear mother saying to us time and time again: "Better to be safe than sorry." Hmmm. Good thought for the days we are in.
Emotionally: take heart. "God will never leave you or forsake you."(Jos.1:5) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition, present your requests to God with thanksgiving, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7) "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory and honor and power forevermore:(Eph. 3:20) "Do not let your hearts be troubled.Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so , I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."(Jn. 14:1-4) "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." (Jer. 29:11)
These are verses that God has branded on my heart time and time again over the last few years. I hope they encourage you.
                                               But let me end with this verse.
"SO YOU ALSO MUST BE READY, BECAUSE THE SON OF MAN WILL COME AT AN HOUR YOU DO NOT EXPECT HIM" (MT 24:44)
Amen, come Lord Jesus, come!
Here is to hoping this makes you..."think...think....think".

Out of One Small Seed

   Yesterday I stood in the "door" of my garden, breathing in the fresh air, smiling, and looking at the perfect plot of ground that every year holds so much joy and anticipation for me. My dear husband has tilled it multiple times, the weed matting is spread, and it is just waiting for my footsteps and my tending to make it into something amazing and delightful.
   You see, when the snow is melting off the ground every spring I am already eagerly looking down the hill from my kitchen window to see what the ground looks like and how much time I have to plan, and purchase seeds. Some days I can even feel my feet itching to get out there. Many a long winter afternoon, especially in January, (when I am locked inside with nasty weather howling around my home) is spent perusing gardening catalogs and dreaming.
   I look forward to this every year. No matter how hard the harvest time was with the canning and time-consuming storing, it always seems to just fade and then leave only anticipation for the next year in its wake.
   It didnt take long for me to put in the plants, or the seeds.
   I am often reminded of how Anne Shirley, of Green Gables, when told to pray before bed by Marilla, says if she were to pray she would go into the widest meadow she could find, throw her arms back and speak to the sky. I have done that, and find that she is right. There is nothing like walking and talking with the Lord outside, and especially, in a garden.
   And now, it is almost completely planted. I enjoyed every minute of it (with the exception of the second that a very small snake slithered under my feet and out of the garden---yuck). I was on my knees, pushing in one white green bean seed after another....push into the earth, move a few inches, push another one in...and admiring the look of the white seeds against the rich darkness of the earth, when a thought came to me.
                             I am only the seed planter.
   That made me sit back and think, seeds forgotten, and the cool beauty of the early morning went on by unnoticed as I thought about this. It is not a new thought, in fact one that comes every year, but one that I forget until this time rolls around once again every Spring. Some years it is when I am in my garden lamenting that I have not done enough in others' lives to point to Christ, or had a rough winter with a lot of pain and mental struggles. I feel I am not doing enough, or being enough, trying to make it as if all of the world's salvation is up to Heather Estey and her works. (give me a break right? "There is none righteous, no not one...")
   The lessons He teaches me in my garden may fade from year to year, but He is faithful. Because every year those lessons are always, always, whispered to my heart.
   I will plant the seeds, but God is responsible for the germinating. He is the Master of the sun, and the rain, and the wind. He created the richness of the soil the seeds are planted in, or lack thereof. All I have to do is be faithful to go where He sends me, and do as He asks me.
   The rest is up to Him.
   Out of one small seed that I pushed into that soil yesterday will sprout a beautiful plant. Green beans are my favorite to plant for many reasons, but one of the main ones is that they are beautiful all growing in a row, leaves waving gently in the wind, hiding their harvest beneath. That one plant can feed my family for one meal (or more) from a tiny seed I pushed into the earth? Never ceases to amaze me, or make me more thankful for the Creator who came up with the idea in the first place!
   The concept is the same when it comes to pouring into others' lives. Who am I to know what God has planned for another person's life? If He calls me to walk with them for a while, and love them, and point them to Him, that is ALL that He is asking me to do. And that plant will grow, perhaps hiding the harvest beneath for the entire time that I am with them. But I am not the one who sends the sun, rain, or wind of circumstances into their life to bring that seed to harvest.
                          I am only the seed planter.
   And so when I get discouraged this summer, or fall, or winter...until next Spring...I will think of the lessons that the Lord teaches me in my garden. I drop the seeds, and He is the one who makes them grow. Be it rich, mellow soil, or tough weedy ground...be it a heart open to receive Him, or one that ridicules my faith, I just need to drop the seeds.
   Then stand back and watch what He does with it.

On The Other Side of the Storm

This morning as I was reading through my links on FB, I realized it had been quite a while since I had posted on my blog. There is always something I am forgetting to do with two adorable (and needy) twins in my life now. I think it comes with the lack of sleep territory. :) Anyhow, so this morning, I would like to share some thoughts with you that have been stirring in my heart the last couple of days.
   It has been raining here now for two days. No sun, just cold, wet, windy, and as dear Piglet would have said in our classic Winnie the Pooh stories: "Oh d-d-d-d-d-dear! It's a blustery day in the Hundred Acre Woods!" (or Plains)
   But I have always enjoyed the rain, the sound of it pattering (or roaring) on the roof, the wind blowing the wet tree branches, sending showers of water everywhere. I have been well known many times in my life to go running out into the yard just to get that moment of standing in the rain.
   It symbolizes for me a total refreshing of our lives. No matter how tough the winter, how barren the landscape, when a really rough time in my life in over, God will always send the rain. And it will soften the memories of those difficult moments just like the rain does to the edges of the chalk drawings my 10 year old still graces our sidewalk with. First with a few drops, then a steady downpour, the blessings that come after a time of trial have always outweighed the pain, not just a silver lining on a cloud, but more like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...time and time again.
   It was a tough winter down here on the prairie. Record snow falls, blistering winds, plants and animals dying as they could not find the shelter they needed from the cold. When I was able to finally bring the twins home, most of those 10 ft drifts had melted away, but it seemed the memory in my heart was planted there to stay. I have never seen a winter like this one in my lifetime.
   And more than that, the circumstances in our family, while we knew a time of blessing was coming, still were harsh, and demanding...drawing every last drop of strength and faith we had to face the oncoming storm and make it through it.
We would not have done it without the prayers of the saints holding us up and covering us with their love.
   But I watch the drops run down the windowpanes this morning, and a new sound is in my home. It is not the sound of the winter winds howling around the eaves and tearing at the roof to come in.
   It is the sound of a child reading about the blustery day in the Hundred Acre woods to the two newest children in our family, who gently coo and smile at the face of their big sister.
   "All the rain brings a soaking to the earth that produces fruit in good time..."
   The chalk drawings of this winter that reside in my heart are blurring. The blessings of the Lord are blotting all of that out, slowly replacing those cold, hard times with a good strong soaking of His faithfulness and mercy. I can watch my small plants out my kitchen window grow with the rain, knowing I am also growing in faith as God has been so incredibly faithful to me after years of winter.
"This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it..."
Amen, Lord.
Bring on the rain....