Thanksgiving is coming.  It seems like the merchants cannot even let one holiday get close before they are putting out their wares for the next Holiday.  Nonetheless, it pushes our minds to think toward that time of year when traditions with family and food fill our minds.  One of the most potent “memory evokers” is our sense of smell.  Connected to the limbic system, certain smells can elicit strong memories.  Maybe you too have memories associated with Thanksgiving, of walking into a house where cooking was going on and experiencing the wonderful scents from the food being prepared.  The aroma would fill the house, and even now, at times, I experience a smell that takes me back to the warmth and security of those times.

In John 12, a picture is painted of Jesus having supper with Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  Mary and Martha were there, Martha serving the food in her characteristic way.  Mary, however, did something quite unusual.  She anointed Jesus’ feet with an expensive perfume and then wiped his feet with her hair.  In verse three it says, “…and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”  This perfume was a sacrifice.  In fact, in the same passage, Judas, who would later betray Jesus, feigns concern that the perfume was used in this way, stating that it could have been sold “for 300 denarii and given to the poor.” (However, his motivation was not really concern for the poor but for the treasury he often pilfered.)  We are told that this perfume might have been a whole year’s wages, yet Mary chose to spend it on Jesus, and the fragrance filled the whole house.  Her gift was a reflection of her thankfulness for the miracle Jesus had performed in raising her brother from the dead. 

What are we sacrificing that creates a sweet fragrance in our houses, so that the atmosphere is permeated with the love and devotion that is pleasing to God?  Do we give to our churches with an attitude of thanksgiving, pouring out the sacrifice of praise?

Let us choose to be thankful.  Let us daily bring to Him our sacrifice, and may all our spaces be filled with the fragrance of it.    

People today seem to be more contentious and polarized than I can remember in my lifetime around a variety of issues.  Families are found at odds with one other, often divided along generational lines.  It seems people “hold the line” and are unwilling to budge, unwilling to listen to reason or another point of view in many cases.  How then can we disagree “agreeably” with someone?  Perhaps we could start with being more concerned about demonstrating love to people than about being right.  In this same vein of self-reflection, we might determine if our argument with another is truly to enlighten the other person for their good or just to be right for its own sake.  By looking at the way Jesus interacted with others, we realize that grace and truth can exist together.  He didn’t condemn the woman caught in adultery; he forgave her but told her to go and sin no more.  Justice met Mercy.

Proverbs 18:21 says “Death and Life” are in the power the tongue.  James compares the tongue to a rudder that moves a large ship, or a bit in a horse’s mouth; by it the whole thing is led or turned any direction the person wishes.  He also likens the tongue to a fire, able to set aflame a whole forest with just a spark (James 3:3-5).  Our words are powerful, but every word we speak begins with a thought, a motivation of the heart.  Jesus said it is not just what we do, but what we think that matters.  “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)      Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”  Your thought life is so important, because from it, everything else – words and actions – follows. 

Paul encourages us in Colossians 4:5-6, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  Think of how much richer our conversations would be if this was our goal, rather than simply to prove our point.  So, with Holidays coming, when there is an opportunity to be “testy” with some family member or friend (or stranger on social media) about issues of the day, choose instead to season your words with grace.  You will be happier and the world will be a little kinder because of it. 

Grace and Peace to You,

Michelle

Isn’t it interesting how the Bible never teaches us, in the Old or New Testament, to seek after material possessions or wealth?  Jesus’s message could have been, “Store up for yourselves plenty of treasure, so you will have a good retirement.” No, his message was always to seek things that are above, to seek first the Kingdom of God, and all the other things you need will follow. (Matthew 6:33) He promises that he will give us things more valuable than gold, both in the here and now, and for eternity.  Over and over in Scripture, we are taught that things to be highly valued in life are wisdom, peace, joy, contentment, and hope.  

The apostle Paul, writing to the church at Philippi, said he learned to be content, no matter the situation in which he found himself.  In Philippians 4:12-13, he says, “I know how to be brought low, and how to abound. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” 

I have known quite a few people in my life with material wealth.  For some, their money, and keeping and attaining more, seems to be the focus of their lives.  Some are hoarders, miserly to the point of making a “god” of their money, just as others seek after money to live extravagant lives, and money then too becomes a “god” of sorts.  Some live with hands closed, fists tightly clenched, not inclined to notice needs around them or seek to make life better for another.  Others, however, live life with open hands and arms, always on the lookout for ways they might bless others and make another’s burden a little easier to bear.  It occurs to me that with open hands, one is in a position to both give and receive.  With closed hands, however, one can do neither.

Whether we have little or great means, we all have a choice in how we will live our lives – with open hands and hearts, or with closed ones.  How we choose to give of ourselves, both of our time, and our resources, seems to be directly related to our own level of happiness.  Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:58 that we should be “abounding in the work of the Lord.” In Philippians 1:9 he prays that “your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.”  God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that we may have abundance for every good deed (2 Corinthians 9:8).  

I want my life to abound in the things that matter.  I hope you do too.  “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13. 

Amen

It’s good to have deep roots – in a tree, in a family, in a community, in our faith.  When roots grow down deep from years of good soil, nourishment, sunshine and rain, there is health for the tree.  Our lives and our faith need the same things.  We must feed our faith and allow ourselves to grow and learn from the good times and the hard times that every life inevitably encounters.

I often think about the large trees around my house when storms rage, and wonder if they will topple over with the strong winds and the ground saturated with water.  If you have ever seen a downed tree after a storm with its roots exposed, you know that the tree was not strong enough to withstand the external forces which came against it.  Maybe its root system was pretty good, but the rain came too hard and fast, and the winds were too strong, the weight too heavy, for it to stand.  It could have even been a beautiful tree, full of life and bearing fruit. 

People are often like that.  We may have a good support system, and a faith that has sustained us in times past.  But then the flood comes, hard and fast, and the wind blows with a ferocity we have not known before.  Are we able to stand, or do we topple?  Is our “root system” able to hold us, or do we allow circumstances to pull us up and blow us over? 

The Bible says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

Psalm 1 tells us that if a person meditates in God’s word day and night, he will be like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields it fruit in its season.

In Colossians 2 (5-7) Paul and Timothy write to the church at Colossae that they are, “…rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.”  They urge the Church, “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”  

We need to be rooted deep, stable in the knowledge of who we are in Christ.  His Word is the foundation that holds us firm.  Plant yourself in it daily.  Also look around at the people who love you, for their devotion and support are a part of the root system as well.  We can’t control the storms that come or how hard the wind will blow, but we can make sure our roots are growing down into the deep goodness of his Word, and intertwining around those we love, giving us strength to stand.   

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.  So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and  high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19.

It seems that every facet of life continues to be permeated by the fact that we are still fighting this horrible virus, and things have not yet returned to “normal.”  For many, though, normal will be different, because they have suffered the greatest loss during this time and will never again hear their loved one’s voice or feel the touch of their hand.  With the pandemic comes an increased focus on suffering and death.   But, if we live long enough, we all encounter great loss.  A wife loses a husband, parents lose a child, or perhaps our own bodies and minds undergo disease and stress, testing our faith.  We struggle with the question, “Where is God in all the suffering?”

And so, we come to God with our requests, begging him to intervene and turn situations around, to heal bodies, to allow people to live, believing He has the power to change things if He chooses.  I have prayed this so many times in recent days, for those suffering from Covid but also for those with cancer or other dire situations.  I have come to God with my own desires, my plan for how He could make it all better.   Maybe you have too. 

He wants us to come to him with our needs (Phil. 4:6), but I have found a change has been necessary in my thinking and praying, as I have navigated through these trying times.  The Scripture tells us God is Sovereign and that our days are known by him and are numbered (Psalm 139:16).  Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done.”  From this, we can infer that we are to submit to his plans, his will, his purposes on the earth.  I have had to ask myself, do I pray in this way, or do I in essence pray, “MY will be done”? Do I want His will to be done, His Kingdom plans to be accomplished, or do I think I know best?   

 Of course, God cares about our desires and longings, but we must be sure our desires and longings align with His, and we must ultimately submit our will to His.  The Bible tells us that He made us and has the very hairs of our heads numbered.  In the same passage we are reminded that we are much more valuable than the sparrows, and yet not even one of them falls without His notice (Matthew 10:29-31). Each and every life is precious to him.   You are precious to Him, and your loved ones are precious to Him.  He is not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  That is His will, for each one to come to Him, and live for Him, until the day He calls us home. 

May we say like Paul, “Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21). 

My mother always wore lipstick. She was from the era where you put your best foot forward when you stepped out of the house, and you rarely stepped out without being dressed accordingly and having “fixed your face.” Even in retirement, when she relaxed her standards just a bit, one thing that never changed was that she always put on lipstick, at the very least, when going anywhere, even to a drive-through window! Her lipstick of choice was Revlon, and I think the color was “Classic Red.”

I love this memory of my mother, but there was something much more important that she taught me about what was on her lips. She daily showed me by her words the meaning of grace, which she seemed to pour out on everyone. She taught me by example to speak with gentleness and compassion, and to always give people the benefit of the doubt. She would see a friend in a store and might stand and talk for an hour. She was genuinely interested in and concerned for people and the things that were going on in their lives.

When we study the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31, we see that “she opens her mouth in wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue.” So I ask again with that in mind – What is on your lips? What are you speaking into others? Is kindness there? Is compassion? Is wisdom? Is love? Are we speaking life giving words into our children, our husbands, to those we have influence with each day? Is the Law of Kindness there, or do we adhere to some other “Law” of our own making?

Scripture, especially Proverbs, is full of references which speak to the importance of our words. Proverbs 18:4 tells us, “A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.” Proverbs 15:23 says, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply – and how good is a timely word.” In Proverbs 25:11 we learn, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Our health can even be affected by the words we speak and those that are spoken to us, as Proverbs 16:24 tells us, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

I need to be reminded of these truths every day, and strive to put on kindness with that Revlon Classic Red!

I am continually amazed at the richness of Scripture and how we can discern different meanings from it with different readings, as the Holy Spirit guides us into all Truth (John 16:13).  Within one story, there can be so many lessons and ways God might speak to us corporately or personally.  In John 2, we see the miracle at Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine, his first and perhaps most well-known miracle.  As I was reading this account recently, I noticed something I had not focused in on before – the pots he instructed the servants to put the water in, which would then become the wine.  The Bible tells us these pots were used in Old Testament times for ceremonial washing and purification, common objects associated with “The Law.” 

Jesus used those common vessels, representing the rules and regulations of the law, and he did a new thing with them.  Once filled with water, they were now filled with new wine, a wine which could even represent his Blood, foreshadowing the Passover meal and the sacrifice to come.  Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Mark 5:17).  Perhaps this miracle is the visual representation of this very fulfillment of the Law.  The pots, the Law, would be the container for what was to come.  His “new wine” represents the new covenant, the shedding of his precious blood and therefore the forgiveness of sins through his infinite grace and mercy.  The law would be the foundation on which the miracle of the redemption of man would stand. 

The clay pots might also represent you and me– common, earthen vessels made of ordinary substance, but used by Jesus in the miracle.  He takes the ordinary, and fills it with himself, so that the ordinary becomes a totally new thing, a new creation (2^nd Corinthians 5:17, If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation).  How often he uses the ordinary, the least likely, the weak, to accomplish his purposes, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2^nd Corinthians 12:8-10).  In the story of the miracle at Cana, Jesus instructs the servant to dip out some wine and take it to the master of ceremonies, who was amazed that the hosts had “kept the good wine” until now. If those old pots were filled with new wine, it was to be enjoyed, to be useful, to bless others.  If the “new wine” just sat in the pot, it would have still been new wine, but would not have fulfilled the purpose for which it was created.

Perhaps there’s yet another lesson here: If you have experienced the miracle, dip into the vessel, and share with others, because the world sure needs the miracle inside. 

I was reading through the Gospel of Matthew this week and was struck by something I had never noticed before.    As I read the account of the feeding of over 5,000 people in Matthew 14, I wondered why Jesus told the crowd to sit down before he multiplied the food that was given.  As I was reading today in Matthew 15 about the miracle for over 4,000, I noticed the same instruction.   Why did he tell them to sit down, and why was it important for the writer to mention it?  Then it hit me – maybe they had to be in a position to receive, in a position of readiness, in a position of expectation.  In other words, he wanted them to be ready for what they were about to receive, to be ready for the miracle.  

For those who regularly read my blog, you may remember that I have shared how I believe God has taught me or worked with me along particular themes during different seasons of my life (The Theme of Thankful – Life By The Way.)  Some of these themes have been – Create in me the Heart of a Worshipper – Sow Generously – Be a Servant.  I believe for this season, the theme is “Be Ready.”  The scripture tells us to always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope that is in us (1^st Peter 3:15).  I believe “Be Ready” has meaning in several areas – be ready to speak with kindness and truth, be ready to serve, be ready to pray, be ready to give and to receive, and finally be ready for his return. 

Another striking thing about both stories in Matthew is that Jesus asks the disciples for what they have, which in both cases was something so very small compared to the need – 5 loaves and 2 small fish in the first case, and 7 loaves and a few small fish in the second story.  What we have may seem like nothing, or may seem like everything, but he can take what we are ready and willing to give and make something beautiful out of it.  In His hands the weak are made strong, the sick are healed and the broken are made whole.   

Lord, we are waiting with expectation.  We are ready.

Amen

Some of my best ideas seem to come when I am out in nature, walking the dog and looking at my surroundings.  Not sure if my mind is more free from distractions during those times, but I find it is a good time to think and pray.  On my walks for the last few days, I have been eyeing small pinecones on the ground from a couple of trees on our property.  I have collected one or two here or there to take inside to use when I put up the garland on the mantel during Christmas time.  Most of the pinecones I’ve found on the ground are small, and there are a lot of cores of pinecones present, where the squirrels have made a good meal of them.  For several days I have noticed a larger, fuller pinecone still attached to a branch, but the branch is no longer attached to the tree.  I reached and tugged at the pinecone a few different times, but it was not ready to come off.  This morning I tried again, but it was just as stubborn, not any looser than before.  I thought, “It’s not ready to surrender just yet.” 

Then it hit me – we are often like that – unwilling to surrender.  Unwilling to surrender to God, to God’s purpose for our lives.  How often do we “hang on” to the old, even though we’re hanging onto a dead, dry branch?  Dead things will never bring us life.  How often do we cling to the familiar, not realizing that surrender could mean being a part of something new, something even more beautiful?  That pine cone will “let go” one day soon, and it will come inside my house to be a part of something beautiful. 

Our lives are much the same.  The beauty and fullest meaning come in the surrender.  The surrender of our will to His, of our lives to His purpose, of our dreams to His imaginings for us.  He is good, His love endures forever, and we can trust him with our Surrender. 

Hello Friends, I thought I would share a few thoughts as we are still sheltering in place, learning to adjust to our “new normal.”  I have been pondering how crisis pushes some people deeper into their faith and causes others to dig in deeper in their unbelief.  Could it be that crisis magnifies our true beliefs and clarifies our priorities, exposing what was there all along? 

But even if we want to trust God, we may have had moments of questioning our current situation.  I think we all seek to understand where God is and what he is doing in these circumstances.  Maybe we have said something like, “God, GET US OUT of this!!” But maybe, we should ask, “God, what do you want me TO GET OUT of this?”  What do you want me to learn and how can I more closely align my priorities with yours during this time of being sidelined? What can I take with me from this time, so that when things return to normal, I don’t simply return to the default of busyness and noise.

There are many needs during this time, but ultimately, I wonder if our needs are really so much different than they were 2 months ago.  Is God’s ability to meet our need any different than it was before the pandemic?  Has he changed, or been caught off guard by what is happening in the world?  No, he is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  We are promised his love, his peace, his strength, his presence, his provision, his mercy.

This is a time for us to lean in to his promises…The Lord is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace (Psalm 29:11).  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27). I believe the thing needed most during this time, is what we need all the time – his presence, his peace.  We can ask for the situation causing us pain to be taken away, but the real miracle is that he is with us and promises to be with us always. 

Hebrews 11:6 says God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.  He says in seeking, we will find.  As we ask, it will be given.  If we knock, the Door will be opened.  He is ready and waiting, with the gift of his presence, and it is everything we need.