Lord, what do you want the world to know today?
Lord, what do you want the world to know today?
A New Day...A New Thought.
There have been many days throughout the years where I would ask God this question…
”Lord, what do You want me to know today?”
The replies have always been insightful, but rarely do I grasp the meaning behind it entirely when I first hear the statement.
Well, today I decided to ask this question…
”Lord, what do You want the world to know today?”
The response…
”Be true to You while upholding ME.”
…and as usual, I believe there is a much greater meaning in this statement than I can currently comprehend.
I think moving forward I am going to ask this question more often and post it for us all to ponder the response. It should be interesting at the very least.
When it’s in your ability...
When it’s in your ability to do more...do more.
This phrase has popped up in my thoughts much over the past year.
What does that look like? Well here’s one small example.
As a family we donated groceries for Thanksgiving for Union Gospel Mission. Then we picked up some Samaritans Purse Christmas Child boxes to get gifts for those less fortunate. Those boxes sat in my car for weeks. Then our niece and nephew were sending Christmas care packages to military personnel overseas and we decided to do that too. Then I wanted to encourage 20 different college students by sending care packages to them for finals.
After all that I looked in my car and saw the empty Samaritans Purse Christmas Child boxes and thought...”personally we’ve sent out and given a bunch this season. I’m not going to do these this year.”
A few more days go by and I think to myself...”when it’s in your ability to do more...do more.”
That’s right...I headed to the store to fill those boxes too:)
I’m not writing this to say hey look at us and what we’ve done...I’m putting this out there to encourage everyone...everyday...When it’s in your ability to Do More...Do More!!
Bad Apples
Today as I was going to grab an apple to eat; it’s autumn in Minnesota so that means FABULOUS orchard apples are in abundance! As I grabbed the apple, I noticed it was softer than it should be…sure enough some of the apples I had on the counter had gone bad. I then decided to peel and dice them to make some apple crisp. I’m not one for recipes…I like just ‘winging’ it when it comes to baking (if you have ever enjoyed something I have baked, know you are fortunate…because rarely do I repeat the exact same recipe). So, I grabbed some cinnamon, sugar, lime yogurt (gasp), oatmeal, brown sugar, butter and some caramel.
After I was done mixing and putting it in the pan to bake, it didn’t take long for the house to smell SO gooooooood!! Once the apple crisp came out of the oven I couldn’t wait…I immediately took some of the steaming apple crisp, put it in a small bowl, added some whipped cream and caramel drizzle…and voila...HEAVEN in a bowl!
As I was sitting eating my little scoop of heaven I had an epiphany…What is now tasting Oh SO Good…was once some bad apples. Wow!! That really caught my attention. Sometimes people will just throw out bad apples and not utilize them for another purpose…a yummy other purpose at that:)
That got me thinking about people and how sometimes we will say someone is a ‘bad apple’ because they don’t fit where they are at. They may be making poor decisions or being difficult to deal with. They may not be contributing to the efforts well where they are. Sometimes ‘bad apples’ get fired, sometimes ‘bad apples’ get thrown out of clubs, churches, relationships, schools, etc…
The revelation I had today was that a ‘bad apple’ makes a phenomenal dessert! I think we need to start looking at people differently…don’t toss out the ‘bad apples’ so quickly in our lives. We should look to where that apple would fit better. That ‘bad apple’ may have never meant to be just an ordinary apple…perhaps its destiny was to be a divine dessert and it just needs you to add a few more ingredients to its existence!
A little food for thought today…literally!
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Notice how it says God causes ALL things to work together for good. He did not say…God causes ONLY GOOD things to work together for good.
So…go make something GOOD out of those BAD Apples!!!
I suppose wherever your eyes focus that’s what you will see. I see the dessert:)
Whispered Words of Wisdom...Let It Be.
Sometimes when the Lord whispers words of wisdom...and says...let it be. I know I need to walk away from a situation or conversation.
In this digital world when we attempt to have conversations over text or email eventually we lose. We lose emotion. We lose intent. We lose connotations. We lose meaning. Basically we just lose.
No thing of importance should ever be conveyed over digital format. When it is in our power to have a face-to-face conversation things go better. Maybe I should clarify a bit. Conversations by typing words can go terribly wrong. If you are not able to sit across a table from each other; the next best option is to FaceTime or Skype.
Don’t allow the digital norm to strip away the human connection. Don’t allow digital interpretation to allow a false narrative.
As the Great Book says...we hear in part and see in part. That is not only true with the wisdom God gives us. That is true in day to day life. We rarely, if ever know the whole situation. Sometimes when we get frustrated or worked up about something it is best to walk away and...Let it be:)
Wisdom is not always in what you know, it is many times found most in admitting what you don’t know.
My Thoughts For Today
9/4/17 @9:33am CST
Why is it that the broadcasters of news want us to believe that differences equate to hate? What do they gain by spreading that lie? Well, I suppose for starters they gain more hateful action to report on. I think our world needs to wake up and realize that what we see over the airwaves in no way depicts what life is truly like. We hear hateful things and then we begin to believe hateful things…equally we hear good things and we begin to believe good things. Why have we as a society allowed the opinions of a few to make us believe they are the opinions of all? We seem to believe what we hear and read without any regard to the one speaking or writing it. Angry people tend to spread anger, happy people tend to spread joy and content people tend to spread satisfaction. In all honesty I am tired of hearing about the angry people…it is exhausting.
I would like to challenge all news sources to be the one that sets a new trend. I believe people are very hungry to be heard and if negativity and hate is what gets them noticed that is exactly what they will continue to do to be heard. However, I believe many of those same people would strive to be contributing in good ways and promoting positivity if they believed that would get their voice heard. Perhaps, there is a news outlet that would be brave enough to start focusing on the good in communities, regions, and nations. I understand that there is a thought process of good things aren’t news; however, I would have to disagree with you…good things are news…because we don’t hear about them very often.
I have begun to shut down all the negativity the news is broadcasting. I’ve stopped listening. I’ve stopped allowing that thought process to consume me and my actions.
If we based our knowledge on what the airwaves were producing we would have to come to the conclusion that there is WAY more bad going on around us than good…I DON’T believe that at all! I know there is WAY more good going on in the world than bad. So, let’s start getting a news source that will report on a better percentage of reality! Our world will continue to go down the path of whoa-is-me if we continue to entertain that bad has overtaken good. It HAS NOT!
I would love to see factual reporting…not enquirer type of reporting. I remember decades ago when I was a child my mom, on occasion would pick up The Enquirer at the grocery store. She would say it had entertainment value because there was always a morsel of truth in each story surrounded by lies and fabrication that made it like a fiction novel. I believe that type of ‘reporting’ has become how our main news sources operate today. They provide enough truth to make something believable; however, filling most of what they report with hyperbole.
I want to hear about good things. Instead of the news berating everything our national leaders do; how about we start hearing about the facts of the good things that have transpired? Wow…that would be refreshing. How about we put ‘party’ affiliation to the side and merely broadcast facts with no spin? Hmmm…now there’s an idea. How about we stop blocking traffic to get our voice heard and start blocking bullies from robbing our children of their futures? How about we accept people for where they are at and show compassion even when we disagree with lifestyle?
In our world of news sources bashing people, bashing thoughts, bashing lifestyles, bashing beliefs we have become a world of pettiness. Pettiness leaves when we focus on others and not ourselves. When the eclipse was occurring all we heard about was people gathering to view it all over the world. This event served as an equalizer. It did not matter where you lived, what your religion or political affiliation was, what nationality or race you were, whether you were homosexual, heterosexual or any variation within that, whether you were able bodied or had limitation, whether you were a nuclear physicist or whether you were a street dweller. It didn’t matter…you could experience it. This event did not care if you were living in a mansion on a hill or if you were a squatter in an abandoned cabin. It didn’t matter!
Then shortly after that our nation was hit with Hurricane Harvey…and again we were not separated by our differences, we were united because of our compassion. People didn’t care what creed, sex, color, socioeconomic status or political party you identified with. Every type of person was being affected by the destruction Harvey brought. One group of people was not being chosen over another as to who to rescue first…all rescuers were helping all people. It didn’t matter if you lived in a mansion or on the street…you lost nearly everything you owned. Stuff didn’t matter, people did…no longer were you angry with your neighbor that didn’t see things as you did politically or otherwise. You’re only concern was for the safety of your family and those you love most. You didn’t care that your car was under water, you cared if you saw people going underwater.
Going Under Water…that is how our news sources are broadcasting everyday life…as though we are underwater and there is no hope other than to lash out and highlight our differences. Well, I have NEWS for those sources…Our World Is NOT Under Water! Our World IS Very Much Above Water. So, let’s start hearing about that being broadcast.
Which of the news outlets or reporters are going to choose to rise above the mountains of sensationalism and start broadcasting the truth, the uninhibited, un-sugar coated realness? Who will choose to be the one that will be known for turning the tide of ‘Fake News’ into the tide of ‘Trusted News’? Someone is going to do it and I believe that someone is going to be emerging soon.
It is time we as a people stop listening to the trash that is thrown at us and start looking for the good that surrounds us.
Okay…now I will step down from my soapbox:)
Remember...we have God's Word to stand on...Isaiah 41:10
I have not written here in nearly 10 months. Amazing at how fast that time has gone. I present the below writing to you. Not to argue, but to give a perspective I believe is led by what the Holy Spirit has spoken to me. Lord, direct our steps and give us peace & rest.
If my memory serves me correctly there are around 200 countries in our beautiful world. Of those countries, President Trump has chosen to put a hold on nationals entering the USA from 7 of the nations currently. I believe it is a 90 day wait while things are better put in place to offer the most safety for our nation.
I do not understand the outrage. Change is a process & in the process there are steps that I may not completely agree with; however, I completely agree with the goal...keeping the citizens of our nation safe, allowing them the avenues to provide for their families & offering them opportunities.
Our nation has taken in the poor, the widow, the child, the outcast and I don't see that ending (perhaps a pause from some volatile nations, but not an end). No where have I read that we should open our arms and provide for those that hurt and destroy what our land represents.
There is an old saying..."Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." The issue I think we need to examine is why we seem to want to keep the bathwater with the baby. It's like we fear letting something go when it seems to be part of it. The stench of the water needs to be addressed...if we don't 'filter' the water it will become toxic and will kill versus clean.
I believe President Trump has the best interest of each American Citizen at heart. Sometimes hard decisions need to be made and we may not fully understand those decisions at the moment. We need to remember...not one of us is all knowing at what is occurring behind the scenes of government. We see and hear what the media tells us...which I find, for the most part is an 'Enquirer' approach to communicating news.
Take a deep breath and pray. Pray that those in power are led by God's purpose. Pray they are seeing clearly & are surrounded by upstanding people who are motivated by compassion and love for our nation. Pray God is the driver of all decisions and once you have done that...do it again...then wake the next day and do it again...& again...& again.
Do not perpetuate fear when you have not humbled yourself and prayed. Fear is not heaven sent and promoting fear will certainly give power to who you should be wary of.
I believe in the beauty of God's ways; even when I do not completely see His plans clearly.
Self Imposed Prison
March 30, 2016 6:00AM
This morning as I was having a chat with God…you know the one…thanking him for much and requesting some:)
As I was in this conversation the Lord shared something with me that I thought was worth sharing with you.
I saw a 3 walled prison cell. On each bar words were listed …they weren’t just any words…they were words of bondage…sin.
Behind these 3 barred walls was a person. This person was holding onto the bars and shaking them in distress. Then…all of a sudden…the person appears to repent of their sin and turns slightly to the left…only to be met with more bars with words of bondage on them. Again the person appears to repent and turns to the right…and turns further than they did when they turned to the left. In this act the person is yet again met with more bars and bondage. Feeling distraught the person turns again to the center wall of bars and merely hangs their head.
At that point is when God spoke something profound to me.
Repentance without turning away from the sin and bondage will only leave us facing different sin and bondage. We must repent and COMPLETELY turn away from those things and when we do that we will notice that there is NO 4th wall! What should have been a 4th wall of bars that would have completely closed us in is gone. Why is it gone? It is gone because the blood of Jesus covers it. Jesus paid the price so we would not have to remain prisoners. He paid the price so we could have freedom. All we need to do is….
Repent from our sin and COMPLETELY turn from those things that bind us. When we do that we can walk like a free person and experience Peace, Contentment, Joy and Calmness in our lives.
As it states in Acts 3:19…Repent, then, and turn to God, so that refreshing may come from the Lord.
(I did my ‘primitive’ attempt at illustrating what I saw. It isn’t pretty…but I think it still speaks volumes.)
