Showers of Blessings

God just keeps providing for us and blessing us. Our church has a women’s retreat in April that I want to go to, but with our financial situation, I can’t afford it. I signed up to work at the Rummage Sale so that I can earn at least part of my way there. I got a note handed to me at church this morning that someone anonymously paid my way to retreat! I am still going to work that Rummage Sale and ask that the money goes to someone else who can’t afford it. God is a BIG God!!!

Exodus 23:20-33 Devotional

This is another devotional written for my church’s Read-Through-The-Bible blog. There were more scriptures for today’s reading, but this devotional only focuses on one section.

In Exodus 23:20-33 God gives the Children of Israel some commands and some promises. He starts by sending an angel before them to protect them on their journey to the Promised Land, but he admonishes the Israelites to pay attention and obey the instructions given to them. God wants to go before us and protect us. He longs to bring us victory, but he asks for our attention and obedience along the way. He gives us great promises, but also commands great respect.

 God has a place promised for each of us; a God-direction for our lives. We can choose to walk in it, or we can choose self-direction. With God-direction, come blessings. In verses 25 and 26, God lists them: food and water which means we can trust him to meet our daily needs, protection from illness, no miscarriages or infertility, and long, full, lives. Wait a minute! What about those we see who are poor, what about the sick, what about those longing for children? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I do know this: there are blessings in serving God.

 I live with a spouse who has chronic health issues. In the 14 years since his illness began, God has not chosen to heal him. But I still live with hope in knowing that my God goes before us; that there is a God-direction for me and my family. I have the hope of eternity with Christ where there will be no more sickness, no more tears, no more pain – all of it will be gone. And, I experience the blessings of walking in that God-direction even in the midst of great struggle and pain.

 After God lists the blessings in verses 25 and 26, he goes on to tell them that he will drive their enemies out of the Promised Land. But did you notice verse 29? God tells them that he won’t drive their enemies out all at once, but it will be a gradual process. Sometimes God doesn’t bring victory in one smashing blow. Oftentimes it’s a process.

 Perhaps you’ve witnessed the following scenario. A believer is struggling to get victory in some area of their life and along comes John Doe: “You’ve got to pray more, Brother.” Or Sister Saint: “Have you tried fasting?” Or Judging Judy: “Is there unconfessed sin in your life?” Meanwhile, the poor struggling believer walks away feeling beat down and wondering if they should just give up the fight because they must not be righteous enough for God to move on their behalf.

 So, what do we do when we find ourselves longing for victory and crying out, “Where is your victory Lord?” We know we’ve heard his promises. We read them in his word, we memorize them, we cling to them, and yet complete victory eludes us. Look at verses 24, 25, 32, and 33. They tell us to not get cozy with the world. Keep living for Christ. Keep serving him. Become like Job who said, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in him…” (Job 13:5 a NIV).

The longer I live for Christ, the less clear life becomes because God just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He is more complex than we can ever understand. But answers do not come in understanding God, but in trusting him even when things don’t make sense. Victory may be a process for you. Stay faithful as God moves in his time, not ours.

Cough Remedies Anyone?

We’ve had so much sickness in this house that I feel like a nurse at an infirmary. My husband lives with chronic illness, but has also been battling a cough which started as a cold, but won’t let go. It’s been going on for weeks now. Fortunately he has a doctor’s appointment soon.

Friday night both of my daughters ended up with fevers. The younger one was over it by Sunday. My oldest is still sick. When a severe sore throat was added to the mix, off to the doctor we went. Sure enough, she has strep throat. She’s had 3 doses of antibiotics thus far, so I’m hoping she’ll feel better today. The most irritating of things with all of it, is the coughing. She can’t stop and coughs so hard that she throws up. We’ve tried over-the-counter stuff and it doesn’t work. The doctor prescribed one that he says will work, but the government has regulated cough medicines to the point that drug companies are not making the precription strength ones that will actually stop a cough. We can’t track down the one that her doctor prescribed.

Cough drops sometimes help, but you can’t sleep with a cough drop in your mouth. Warm de-caf tea with honey helps some of the time, but it’s inconsistent. Someone once emailed me that you can put vapor rub on your feet and cover then with socks, and this will stop a cough. I don’t know about that one. It sounds outrageous, but at this point, I’m willing to try almost anything. Any ideas anyone?

It’s a God Thing!

God is so totally awesome! He never ceases to amaze me. A week ago I was asked to write a devotional for my church one day a week. This was the first time for me to ever write a devotional and it was a struggle. I prayed before starting and asked the Lord to help me write what He had in mind. Our community life pastor is the one posting the devotionals on the church website. He posted the one I wrote and put the following note at the end:

(Ed. note:  Lisha’s Devotional correlates directly with Pastor Wil Hobbs sermon of this Sunday- “Searching for Buried Treasure; God, the Talent Scout”.)

Is that cool or what? I didn’t know what Pastor Wil was going to preach on today. This was totally the hand of God. I am overcome with emotion that God would use me in this way. Wow!!!

 

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Devotional Reading

This is my first shot at a devotional writing for my church’s webpage. The church has a blog page for daily readings (read through the Bible in a year)and a brief devotional to go with each one. This is a new kind of writing for me and was a bit of a struggle, but I’m hoping that someone is encouraged or experiences a nudge from the Holy Spirit through this piece.

Thoughts on Matthew 20:1-16; 20-24. Psalm 25:1-15. (also included with the read through the Bible scriptures for today was Exodus 10 – 12:13)

Today’s passages speak to the idea of servant-hood. Moses served God and his fellow Israelites. Through his obedience and service, God set the stage for the coming of Christ thousands of years before his birth. Passover laid the foundation for man to understand and know Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus teaches us about his kingdom and serving others – sacrificing all for the sake of many.

We read in Matthew the words of Jesus as he prods us on to servant-hood. He tells the parable of the vineyard workers and concludes with these words, “The last will be first, and the first will be last (New International Version). Just a few verses later we see James and John, wanting to be first and sit on the right and left of Christ; places held in high honor.

 They didn’t get it. Didn’t Jesus just get through explaining to them that his grace is for all and is not measured based on seniority or rank? Some of us are also like James and John at times. We strive for recognition and long for an esteemed position. We look up to those in leadership and think, “Wow! I wish I could do that.” We read books like How to Win Friends and Influence People in an effort to gain power and strive to the top.

But Jesus teaches something different. He calls his disciples together and says, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant…This is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served – and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage” (The Message). True greatness comes through a servant’s heart. It doesn’t come through being on stage, being on the church board, being the pastor, or teaching a Sunday School class. Those are all vital positions in the body of Christ, but it doesn’t take a leadership position to do great things for God.

Martin Luther King Jr. said it well: “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” (Martin Luther King Jr. as quoted in Even Eagles Need a Push p. 109). You  may be a cashier at the corner market, a waitress at the local Dennys, a mechanic, or a housewife. If you adopt the heart and mindset of a servant, God can use you to accomplish great things.

I am reminded of the principal at the school where I work. She is known throughout the district as a great leader. Everywhere I go, I meet others who know her and often exclaim, “I’ve heard great things about her.” Or, “Oh, she’s a great principal!” What makes her so great? Why does she have a staff with high morale and a strong work ethic who often teach struggling students after hours, give up their prep period to lead extra-curricular activities, and return to school a week or two before contract days begin to prepare for their incoming classes?

She’s known as a great leader because she lives what she believes. Go through the cafeteria before school and you’ll find her opening milk cartons for little hands that can’t, wiping tables clean, and taking the time to voice positive encouragement to staff members. She leads through example and servant-hood, not through power and dictatorship. She listens to others and shows compassion to the hurting; staff and students alike. She gets it. It’s not through her position that she acquires greatness. It’s through her servant’s heart.

What are you doing to serve? Are you rolling up your sleeves and using your God-given talents for him? If not, ask the Lord to lead you as David said in today’s reading: “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow” (New Living Translation).

Another Writing Opportunity

At church yesterday a member of our pastoral staff approached me. He shook my hand in greeting and asked how I was doing. I gave him a quick answer and then he turned to go, but suddenly paused and turned back toward me. “I hear you’re a good writer,” he said. “Would you like to write one day a week for the church?”

I didn’t even hesitate. “Yes! I would.” I said. “What do you have in mind?”

He went on to explain that there’s a group of people signed up to read through the Bible in a year. He has been writing devotionals 7 days a week to go with each day’s readings. He said it’s too much for him so he’s recruiting others to help out. He’ll email the scriptures and assign a day to me. My job will be to read through them, study them, pray about it, and then write a 400-600 word devotional to go with that day’s scripture.

I am excited about this assignment for a few reasons. First, it will hold me accountable for digging into the word. I’ll have to do more than just read it. I need to go deeper so this will help me spiritually. Secondly, God can use me and the talents he’s given me to carry out his purpose. How cool is that? This process will also challenge me and help me grow as a writer, and I think it’s something that I will enjoy.

I am so thankful that God has chosen to use me in this way. I am a bit nervous because I’ve never written devotionals, but I think it will be a good growth experience.

They’re Growing Up

This morning my girls made waffles on their own with absolutely no help from me. I was in the shower and stepped out to the smell of waffles wafting down the hall. Now I can check that off of my list of things I have to do for them. Next time they want waffles, I can just tell them, “Have at it!”

Celebrating!

I am so excited! I am a new member of Faithwriters. Those of you who follow my blog may remember my discussion about the link to Faithwriters, etc. Each week they have a writing challenge. They post a topic and you have one week to write to the prompt. Then all the entries are posted for a week. During that week, they are read by others and commented on. Two weeks after the start of the challenge, the winners are announced. Today was the drumroll day for me on my first entry. I am in the beginner level and my first entry earned “Highly Commended”. Basically, it’s like getting 4th or 5th place, but I figured it’s not bad for my first shot at something like this. I know I won’t place every week, but my first goal is to get a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in the beginner level so it’s hit-the-keyboard time for me. I’d like to share my “Highly Commended” piece with you. Hope you enjoy!!!

The Science Lesson

It was the summer of 1980 and my family and I had the wonderful privilege of living in the country. Life in the country can be carefree for a kid. Summer days are spent getting muddy, exploring nature, and having picnic lunches. It was on such a day that my brother had a memorable, electrifying experience.

My brother was always the court jester of the family. He didn’t wear those funny hats or jingle-bell shoes, but he was always up to some trick and sometimes succeeded at getting the best of us. I remember the time he casually meandered into the kitchen. “Hey Lisha, Mom wants you to fix her a glass of iced-tea,” he said.

“What happened? I just made her a glass of tea,” I said.

 ”One of the chickens knocked it over and it broke,” he answered.

 ”I’m never going to get my chores done,” I sighed as I jerked open the refrigerator and grabbed the pitcher of ice tea. My brother just stood there. 

 ”Ugh! This is irritating,” I said as I reached for a new glass and filled it with tea. “Here!” I said, shoving the glass at my brother.

“Where’s the Equal?” he asked.

 ”What do ya mean? Mom doesn’t sweeten her tea.”

 ”I don’t know. She just said she wanted some.”

 ”Give me the glass!” I demanded and grudgingly stirred in a packet of Equal and returned it to him.

He gave me a menacing smile and took a nice long gulp of the freshly made tea. “Aaah,” he sighed. “Thanks Lish.”

 ”Oh, you are so irritating!” I yelped and wondered how I fell for something so stupid.

It wasn’t often, but occasionally my brother’s antics would backfire. The best backfire happened on a warm summer day. My brother and sister were out enjoying the country life. They had been all over that day building forts, chasing chickens, and finding dusty treasures in the barn.

Eventually they became Amazon explorers and headed off through the dense growth to conquer new horizons. They trudged through the trees, following the creek that ran through the property. The sun flickered through the leaves and cast sparkles across the muddy waters. Occasional crawdads dashed under rocks to avoid the prodding of sticks. Soon, the two explorers reached the end of the trail. An electric fence stood between them and their continued quest.

It was at this moment that Michael felt the call of nature. He knew that it would take entirely too long to reach the pink tiled bathroom in time. Being the boy that he was, he didn’t view this as a dilemma, but rather a golden opportunity. His eye got that familiar gleam as he imagined my sister’s disgusted response to his plan. No longer would he ignore the call, but first he needed a target. It would put a glorious finish to his plan. He spied the electric fence and took aim having confidence that he couldn’t miss. He had plenty of practice over the years: Cheerios in the toilet, ant hills, and writing his name in yellow across frozen snow. What was one little ol’ wire compared to all of that?

His aim was sure and he didn’t miss. “Aaaaaaaaaaggggghhhh!” he screeched. Now that was something he hadn’t expected; a science lesson in the middle of summer! Liquid does conduct electricity.

My sister doubled over; clutching her sides in breathless laughter. Tears rolled down her face. What joy to see the family court jester finally getting what he had coming to him.

Fortunately the only damage done was to his ego, but that didn’t last long. The next day he was back to his old shenanigans, but we all still remember that fateful day when he got the zap of his life. We relive it at family gatherings relishing in the laughter that he left stamped on our hearts.

Showers of Blessings

Even more blessings are coming our way. I came home from a brief errand last night and saw a pile of stuff in the kitchen. “Where did all of this stuff come from?” I asked.

My husband said a friend dropped it by. She had just taken a trip to Costco and she picked up a few things for me. I didn’t ask her for these things, but here’s the run down: 1. a HUGE package of toilet paper (refer to my Shopping Challenges post) 2. a HUGE package of paper plates (we were almost out) 3. a box of laundry detergent (we can always use that) 4. TWO large boxes of fabric softener sheets (I’m down to just a few in the current box) 5. a HUGE package of paper towels (believe me, we go through them and when things get tight financially, paper plates and paper towels become a luxury).

Ron called AT&T today to have some “extras” removed from our phone line. We need to cut expenses. They removed the extras as we requested, but  also gave us a $10 discount on our 2nd line for the next 24 months, and another $10 off our monthly internet. Can you believe it?

I may have mentioned this before, but I’m not sure, so I’ll add it here. At work they are offering 3 days of teacher training on separate Saturdays. I’ve had one day of the training at the beginning of the year and have asked if I can somehow get the other days. The district is offering 3 of the remaining 4 days and get this, they are paying us $100.00 stipend per day for attending. I can’t beat that. Go to training that I want and that is fun, AND get paid for it!! God just keeps providing for us and I’m confident that even though we are having to tighten our belts, we’re going to be okay. God is good!!!

Current Blessings

God has poured out his blessings on us lately. I think it’s appropriate to share with you the good that He has done.

I live with a chronically ill spouse. Fatigue is one of his many ailments and he is NOT a morning person at all. His health has taken its toll and we’ve quit planning any morning activities. He no longer attends Sunday morning worship with me and the girls. I’ve discovered through an online support group that I’m a member of,  that this is very common with chronically ill husbands. Many other women sit alone on the church pew on any given Sunday while their ill spouse is at home. Sometimes they are in chronic pain and can’t deal with the sitting. Sometimes they just don’t feel well and do not have enough energy. And, other times, they struggle to emotionally deal with people.

I quit badgering my husband about Sunday morning a long while back. I figured if he felt like going he’d get up on his own. He still attends the men’s Bible study on Tuesday nights and Wednesday night worship service. I’ve prayed about this issue, knowing that it’s important for us to be in church together. Recently, we discovered a Saturday night service at another church in town. We’ve attended the last two weekends, and have absolutely loved it. It feels so good to be in church together as a family. What a blessing!

I have an AWESOME student teacher working in my room from now through April. She’s there 2 1/2 – 3 days a week and so far has been fantastic! It’s a God-send to have some help in the classroom, and she’s a Christian which is even that much better. What a blessing!

We are facing some financial challenges in February as we’ll go from two incomes to one. We have to reduce our budget by $1300 a month. That’s a big challenge. Well, God is already meeting our needs. I get to attend 3 Saturday workshops for some training that I’ve wanted to attend anyway, and will get paid $100 each Saturday. That’s $300 to do something I want to do! You can’t beat that!

My car had a hole in the radiator and we were seeing dollar signs add up wondering how we were going to fix it. God came through again. Someone sent us $200 to pay for the car repairs.

Another person called and said that they had taken on a new cleaning  job and plan on sending us the money they make from it each month until we’re out of the woods on this financial stuff. Then, yesterday after Sunday School, some short, gray-haired, lady came up and shook my hand, placing a folded up bill in it. Tears sprang to my eyes. I have her a hug and said thank you and she walked away. Later I looked down to see that it was $100 bill! I don’t even know this lady’s name.

It’s humbling to receive such gifts. I suppose that’s why God says it’s more blessed to give than to receive. To receive means you have to humble yourself before others and that is hard to do.  I am thankful for God’s provision and blessings in our lives.