She said every time a storm comes through she tells her trees to stay put and hold each other up!  She pointed out where an oak had stood before it fell in a storm last year in contrast to the group of several large oaks on the right side of her lot that remained. She added, “These trees are here because they are in a group and held each other up, but that one over there fell because it was by itself.”  What a significant observation.  All of her trees went through the same storms and yet the one on its own fell.

There is probably a logical reason why the one tree fell, but give me a bit of leeway.  Let’s say the soil was not fertile, that it was rocky and the roots of that tree could not go down deep enough and therefore could not withstand the storm, Matt 13.5; 20-21.

Let’s say there were infestations of insects or parasites that found their way into the heart of the tree, eating away and causing the core to grow weak; but for whatever reason, when the storm came, the lone tree fell just like the house built on sand that Jesus spoke of in The Wise and the Foolish Man parable, Lk 6.47-49.

In contrast, the branches of the trees grouped together are entwined and when the wind blows, those trees benefit from their network of branches.  Those branches may toss and the trunks may twist, but they stand a better chance of enduring storms because they have each other to lean upon. A bit more leeway, please, let’s say their ground is richer and their roots able to go down deeper resulting in healthy trees able to better ward off parasites and insects bent on finding a way “in” to bring harm to their core.

How like us people.  We can survive on our own, but it takes good, faithful relationships and fellowship with other believers for us to thrive.  We can just get by or we can let the wind blow our pride away, toss our masks aside and get transplanted into a group of folks filled with love and unique understanding because most of them, at one time, were like that lone tree—weak in their core, shallow in their root system and easy prey for any parasite or storm that might be brewing on the horizon of their lives.  The difference between people and trees, however is that people have a choice.  We can move into relationships with folks whose roots are deeper, leaning on them as our roots grow, as our core become healthier.  None of us have to remain in the darkness of the storms that blow in and often stall over our lives.  And even when we fall, we will find we have fallen in the midst of others who understand and will help us get back up on our feet, stronger and more rooted for the next storm that blows.

Prayer:  Help me, Lord.  Help me to see that I do not have to remain in the corner by myself watching others thrive.  Give me the courage to let You blow away my pride and transplant me into a place of hope, grace and securely with You, the Source of my strength and life. Next storm, I do not want to be on my own.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.

I remember him making a list of several things that had to be done before we could move.  We needed passports for starters, a plan for school for our young children, debts that lingered needed to be paid in full, our house needed to be sold and a means of support needed to be established.  It took a year and a half before we moved, and I saw the wisdom in what had seemed at the time, a dreadful and frustrating delay.

Success in military campaigns depends upon a number of factors to be set in order and it was the same with us. Had we moved when I wanted to, when the opportunity seemed ripe for the taking, we would have been stranded in a foreign country, unable to cope, running out of funds and unable do what God had called us to go, be and do.

Good things happened while we lived overseas, but I believe the most significant impact to the Kingdom came through connections we made before we moved, connections established while we were there and those that came after the fact, but as a result of having lived there.  God had a strategy.  Had we moved when I wanted to, our “wild, thrilling” move would have been “too fast and far for our supply lines.”  We would have found ourselves in a pickle, just like those men in their WW2 “wild, thrilling rampage.”  Taking advantage of an opportunity is important, but getting the timing right is critical.

We were a very tiny clog in the wheel, but we were a clog; had we missed the timing of the Lord, who knows how life would have turned out.  We had to wait for God’s time because our “supply line” needed time to be developed—prayer support, finances, the logistics of the move itself as well as emotional preparation.  There were many things that had to be in place, done in order and none of them could be rushed.

It was a “wild, thrilling adventure.”  At first God’s restraints were hard to bear, but they were a safety net, keeping us in line with His timing so His purposes could be realized to the fullest possible degree.  God wants each of us to GO!  It’s just a matter of where and when.  Like in Goldilock’s Story—“not too soon, not too late, but just right!”

Prayer:  Oh Lord, sometimes I feel like I’m a chicken with its head cut off—darting here and there trying to “make” things happen when I just need to be still, know You are God and that as God, You know when I am to go and when I am to remain—when I am to hurry and when I am to slow down.  Help me as I endeavor to listen and hear Your voice regarding the timing of the moments of my life.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Think about such an encounter in your own life—when you see your child, spouse, parent, grandparent, dearest friend—what is your response when they suddenly walk into the room?  Do lists of their good traits scroll through your mind?  Do their great accomplishments come into view?  Perhaps some past experiences mingle in, but I am betting the dominate thought running through your mind would be pure joy that they had arrived—that they were with you and you with them!  What a priceless relationship that is, not one everyone gets to experience—but when we do—there is nothing like it!

Now, as with the quote from Middlemarch, transfer the above scenario where you come face to face with God Almighty instead of that special person!  The familiar Psalm 100 tells us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (as we approach Him and He us!).  To give thanks to Him and bless His Name because He is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness is to all generations.”  Of course, we do need to believe He is God—that He created and loves us.  Job said this about God, “You will call me and I will answer You; You long for the work of Your hands, (ie:  me)!”  Job 14.15. This Almighty God, Creator of the Universe and us as well, wants that kind of relationship with us . . . one where when we are with Him, nothing can side-track us, nothing can compare, nothing can interrupt the sweetness of us being together—Him with us and us with Him.

Solomon wrote, “Let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your face lovely,” S of S 2.14, what a description of the relationship we can have between us and our God!

But, back to my version of the Middlemarch quote where we are “conscious only of His Presence.”  What an impact on our lives when we are in that place.  Everything else fades into oblivion, the darkness that threatens on all sides is incapable of breaking through the Presence of the Lord.  He encircles us with His love, His protection.  He refreshes us, strengthens us and fortifies our souls for all that lies ahead in our lives.  Our trust in Him develops and we realize that no matter what this world throws at us, there is God Almighty, aware of us, His goodness and mercy following us throughout each day; His faithfulness new for us every morning; and then, of course, there is our “perfect God’s”  amazing love for us!

Prayer:  Father, show each of us how to come into Your Presence, how to be available to encounter You.  Draw us nearer; speak to our hearts and souls about the depth of Your love for us.  And God Almighty—Your attributes as endless and amazing as they are, even so, it’s Your presence we need, having time with You.  Reveal Yourself to each of us so that we don’t miss Your presence in our lives.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What an interesting thing to say about the spoken word!  What a statement about the potential power innate in words.  But think about the impact words have had over time:  The Magna Carta, our own Declaration of Independence, The Geneva Convention, The Gettysburg Address, The English Bill of Rights and so many, many more; declarations of war, peace treaties and so much more.

The Bible has a lot to say about the words we speak.  In Ps 57.4, David writes that “their tongue is a sharp sword.”  In Ps 55.21, he describes the tongue as a “drawn sword.”  Again, Ps 64.3-4, “Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrows to shoot from concealment at the blameless…”

In Prov 12.18, it says, “There is one who speaks rashly like thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Paul wrote in Eph 6.17b, “the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.”  In Heb 4.12, the Bible says, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit . . . able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Sticks and stones can break our bones but words WILL hurt us even more.  There are courses, books written and speeches given that declare the power of the words we speak—inflammatory words, comforting words, words that describe, persuade, connect and discount.  Words are powerful.  According to Pr 18.21, “the power of life and death is in the tongue!”  And that truth is surely played out every day of our lives.

Each one of us is accountable for the words we speak.  As believers, we have THE Word to help us more effectively use our words.  We are to speak life, not death; to speak truth, not lies; to bless, not condemn; to encourage, not accuse.  Our “yes” should be “yes” and our “no” remain “no”.  Not always easy in this world of compromise, envy, selfishness and strife, where truth is no longer absolute but can change at the whim of the speaker.  Nevertheless, we are accountable for what we say, for it is out of our hearts that our mouths speaks—the “real us” is proclaimed through our words—our fears, joys, doubts, hopes, our anger or our contentment.

Prayer:  Father, help me to speak out of respect, compassion and understanding.  Even when I disagree, help me be gracious in how I voice my disagreement.  Set a guard over my mouth so only truth, life and blessings would be heard.  May goodness and kindness be in what I say to and about others.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen

I, as a believer in Christ, have the opportunity to sit with Him in a peaceful place and ask Him the question, “Jesus, what day is it?”  I know His answer—it will always be, “This is the day that I have made!  And so you ought to be glad and rejoicing in it!” Psalm 118.24.  And so I am.

Paul takes it a step further than the psalmist when he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say it!  Rejoice!” Phil 4.4.  And that is followed by the admonition to “be anxious for nothing,” but rather, to turn to the Lord alone for requests of prayer.  Paul also explains one of the results of our decision to do that rejoicing rather than being anxious—in Phil 4.7 he says, “the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!”  That is pretty significant, particularly in view of so much of what is going on in our world today.

There’s something else about Winnie the Pooh—he loved balloons, and there is a red balloon in the movie.  He loves it.  “It makes me happy!” he said, yet a red balloon is such a simple, insignificant thing in this world of technology, social media, speed, reality shows, danger and threats to our well-being from diseases, terror, fear of loss and lack.

How important it is to mind the small things in our lives.  The little, insignificant moments and details that may just be a blip on the screen of our day; but nothing is insignificant to the Lord.  He knows what makes us smile.  He knows what gives us pleasure.  He remembers those little things that thrilled us as a child and still have the power to thrill us again if . . . IF we do not miss them in our haste to meet our schedules, climb our ladders and mark things off of our list of things-to-do or spend time being anxious.

If there were ever people who needed refreshing peace and the strength of joy in their lives—it would be the people who live on the earth today.  As you read this, I ask you Pooh’s question, “What is today?”  I wonder at your answer and at my own.  How many of us would say as Paul did, “It is a day the Lord has made just for me and in and all through it, I will rejoice, because He gave me Today!”  I challenge all of us to not miss the “red balloons” God gives us.  Let us not miss the chance to rejoice because of Him while it is yet called, TODAY.

Prayer:  Oh Lord . . . help us.  We are so in a rush.  Show us how to find that peaceful place, somewhere to sit and just be with You.  To not be so taken up with the events of our day that we miss You taking care of us through them.  Re-open our eyes so we do not miss that balloons full of blessings You have for us.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.

This year more than any other, I am keenly aware that my life (and yours too!) is just a vapor.  James said it well, “What is your life?  For you are a mist, a vapor, that appears for a little time and then vanishes,” Ja 4.14.  I have to ask myself—am I wasting this small bit of Time I have been given?—after all, God was very specific as to how and why He created me. “I am His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which He already prepared for me to do,” Eph 2.10; He created each of us with purpose, for a purpose, “plans with a hope and a future,” Jer 29.11b.

The bulk of my life on earth is over, yet as I look upward and outward, there is so much yet to accomplish; but there is also so much I do not know—so much left to learn.  My husband recently said, “the older I get the more I’m aware of how much I don’t know.”  And so, as I move into the “elderly” range, I am keenly aware there is no retirement plan, no front porch with a rocking chair waiting for me to sit down and stop. I actually feel I’ve only begun to learn, begun to go, be and do!

Looking across the vastness of southern Africa, David Livingstone wrote, “I don’t care where I go, as long as it is forward with the Lord.”  I am not looking at a geographical vastness, but I do look at the vastness of opportunities.  For me, it is still “day” but the “night” is coming and there are things God has planned for me to be and do for Him.

In the northeast of Uganda, there is a small region where the Karamojong people live.  Their name means, “the old man who got tired and sat down”—a people group that over 1,000 years ago may have stopped short of the destination God had for them.  Our times with the Karamojong were anything but “sitting-down” times.  Those who know the Lord have the fire of Life in them.  It stirs them onward, keeps their focus upward as they go out and about sharing the love of Christ with those who have become old before their time, gotten tired with the harshness of their life, given up and sat down.

But no matter where we are in Time, what decade we are in, God has created each of us for a purpose and has a plan through which we can fulfill that purpose.

Prayer:  I pray that as you consider these thoughts, God would move upon your heart to pursue Him and His plan—the only plan that can fulfill any of us.  As Time marches on, may none of us miss those opportunities our Creator sets before us, but rather seek Him out with the question, “what’s next, Lord?” always on our lips.  May Christ dwell in all of our hearts through faith as we choose to always be going forward with Him.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What a dilemma!  How often do we see the way through a circumstance only to discover needed support was not in place, leaving us powerless and full of regrets.   Whether hindsight proves us right or wrong is a moot point.  We cannot control every situation, but when we have the opportunity, clearly the priority is to be fully prepared.

My husband and I have taken many small teams to remote villages in Eastern and Southern Africa.  Each time the two initial points we stress to our teams are to get a prayer team behind them to pray as they prepare, go and return.  Secondly, to get their financial support in place. There are other areas of preparation, but these two are key at the start of a mission.  Prayer is required to open the way forward and guard against the enemy’s schemes.  Funds are required to secure flights.  These supply lines are critical.  Without prayer support in place, the mission is hampered and sometimes nipped in the bud, canceling God’s plan for a life-changing experience for many people.
On our first trip to Uganda, we stopped at a market to purchase food for the team.  My husband wandered around and came upon a young man selling children’s clothes.  All he did was smile and say, “hello.”  The young man responded, “What must I do to be saved?”  My husband was stunned!  He shared a brief Gospel message and the young man eagerly prayed to receive Jesus as Lord!  That had nothing to do with my husband.  Clearly, our prayer support was in place and effective.  My husband’s part was just to say, “hello”!  Nine months later we were back and found that young man. We asked what he’d been doing during that time and he said, “I’ve been preaching and telling people about Jesus!  What else would I be doing?”  Wow!  God made His point.  It was all Him and He used our prayer support to open the way for truth to impact that young man’s life.  We just had to “show up”.  Though the young man only saw my husband, it was the “powerhouse” of pray-ers behind him, praying for things they could not even imagine, that empowered him to speak life into that young man.

And that is why, even in our daily lives, we make certain our supply lines are up and running—knowing those who prayer are with us in the field—each one of us doing our bit, empowered solely by our “Commander-in-Chief,” God.

Prayer:  Father, show me who You want me to ask to pray for me as I go through each day wanting to do all You call me to be and do, and never let me forget to pray either, for myself but also for others who need the support to strengthen them as they go.  Strengthen this work of prayer in me, Lord.  Thank you, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Our daughter was an accomplished gymnast when she was in high school, competing at Nationals in what was then, Level 10.  She had trained from the age of 7 on bars, beam, floor and vault.  In every apparatus she had to be aware of her surroundings in order for her feet to find the beam after a forward flip or her hands to catch the low bar after a blind release from the high bar.  She had to know where her feet would land after a series of flips across the floor as well as being able to stick her landing after the turns, twists and flips over the vault.  To borrow from Wilson’s text, “Perhaps that’s why she made it to Level 10 and Nationals.”

Whether in the military or gymnastics, being aware of what is going on around us is critical.  It was often the key that kept a soldier alive and for our daughter, prevented serious injury.  The same principle applies to believers as we go through life.  We need a keen awareness of our surroundings and everything related to our lives—people, circumstances, our attitudes, what our “coaches/leaders” teach us, what the Word says.  We need the Lord to release wisdom and discernment into our hearts and minds and then yield to His training.

Seasoned believers should have a mental picture of God surrounding, filling and overshadowing them.  For us it comes by training, yes, but like the veterans, it becomes “natural” as we put our training into practice and don’t leave it back at boot-camp!  Like them, we study and train and then find the best training is when we are out there in the trenches of life, cutting through the jungle that complicates so many lives.  We can know about God, like the veterans learned about battle strategy and technique, but like them, it takes living it day in and day out to make it real.  Like those soldiers in WW2, who were “keenly aware of everything near them,” we need to know who we are in Christ, where we are in Him and be aware of the life playing out all around us.  As we walk in the wisdom and truth we’ve gained over time, we live to be veteran believers.

We need to trust God and develop relationships of trust with others so that when we find ourselves at a crossroad or standing on the edge of a cliff, we can hear His plan regarding which direction to turn as well as trusting Him to land us on our feet when it’s time to take that leap of faith off our cliff of decision.

Prayer:  Father, show us with clarity all that is pertinent to our assignment and mission here on earth.  Give us eyes to see circumstances like You see them, to hear with Your sensitivity and to process everything through the lens of Your Word of Truth.  Give us a heart for those who are with us and strength to accomplish all You set in our path to go, be and do.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.

I don’t know whether Bill Donovan was a Christian or not, but he was a man created in the image of God—and God, being the Creator, deposited creativity into his DNA, and so that quote is a great description of God, Donovan’s Creator, as well!

God knows the beginning from the end.  When He made the covenant with Abraham, it was also with his “descendants after him and throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you,” Gen 17.  Referring to the quote, we might see that one believer as complete within himself, but God sees those who will come to know Him because of that one—that “acorn”!

God is the only One who sees beyond our humanity current to the “oaks” we are each destined to become.  His plan for our growth are good and they will be realized in and through us as we pay attention, following His lead like the spies and handlers followed Bill Donovan during WW2.

“For (Donovan) the day was never sufficient unto itself,” but in God each day is sufficient unto itself.  For example, the Hebrews in the wilderness always received sufficient manna each day and God still sets before us all we need for the day we face—not necessarily an abundance, but never less.

Whatever the state of Donovan’s heart, he clearly recognized each day as one that “teemed with the seeds of a boundless future”—potential full of hopes and dreams that would develop into strategic plans determining the course of history from the 1940’s onward.  He took his responsibilities seriously and looked after his people with great care—a way of escape always in place should the need arise. God made the ultimate  way of escape for us—the Cross—through love, repentance, forgiveness and mercy.

For Donovan, “every completed project bred a host of new ones.”  Likewise, God’s Kingdom, often compared to the tiny mustard seed in Mt 12.31-32, bursts with potential and life that grows to “become a tree so large that birds are able to nest in it,”  but it also produces a plethora of seeds that will continually grow into more and more trees!

Everywhere we turn we see examples of God’s care and plan for mankind.  Yes, there is destruction at every turn too, just as it was in WW2, but in the war, there was the OSS and for us, God has His “agents” out there to release truth and point the way to freedom, caring for His people as they prepare and make ready for eternity.

Prayer:  Oh Lord, I want to be fully “employed” by You.  Show me how to sign up for the plans and purposes You have for my life.  Give me eyes to see people like You do, see the oak when only an acorn stands before me.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Recently, a couple in our home group from church shared about the Simplicity of the Gospel, but also spoke about how hard it is to live it out since it so often goes against the grain of our human nature–one of those conundrums Christians face.  Yes it is simple, but sometimes it is hard to live out when in the midst of a difficulty.  So, how do we navigate the simplicity of the Gospel when we face confrontation with people or in situations that intimidate or frighten us.

To live life as a believer, usually does not mesh with what culture or tradition dictates.  We try to figure out how to live in Biblical truth while still wanting to fit in with current trends.  We want to be accepted and for all of us, Christians or not, whatever shouts the loudest usually wins our attention and allegiance.  If what gets our attention isn’t the truth of God’s Word, it won’t be long before the flighty whims of culture change or we get fed up with traditions that no longer have purpose and end up floundering.

So, what do we do?  How do we respond in this conundrum?  Perhaps there’s a solution in A Caribbean Mystery, another Agatha Christie book Miss Marple states, “It is never easy to repeat a conversation and be entirely accurate in what the other party to it has said.  One is always inclined to jump at what you think they meant.  Then afterwards, you put actual words into their mouths.”

Human nature has an amazing talent for re-hearing and re-telling things in a much more palatable way than initially intended.  It is easy for us to over think what we’ve read, heard or seen and in the re-thinking, make modifications so that the result is much more suited to our opinion, one more easily accepted by the proverbial “crowd”.  However, it is only when we stick to the simple truth of God’s Word that we can see the way through the chaos and ever-changing criteria of culture.

In life, things change—traditions and culture go out of fashion and become obsolete.  Something different is always taking the place of what has been.  However, there is that unchanging, ever-truthful standard of God’s Word—the simple Gospel that remains entirely accurate no matter what believers or unbelievers do with it.  As simple and eternal as the Word is, we often run into great personal difficulty in living it out because our human nature inevitably wants its own way which all too often is contrary to Truth—something “so simple we just don’t see it.”  Our only recourse is to be so singularly in the Word of God, not opinions about the Word, but the Word itself, seeing what IT says rather than what we or someone else wants it to say.  Yes, it is simple, we just need to be careful not to put our words and thoughts in place of God’s Word.

Prayer:  Father, give me eyes to see and a mind to understand what You are saying in Your Word.  Reveal truth to me.  Show me how to live it out.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.