Separation Anxiety

My granddaughter Lily is going through some separation anxiety at school and to be honest I never thought she would be that way. I keep wondering what is going through her mind when she gets dropped off at school and what she is afraid of. I told her that we all get scared but we need to remember we aren’t alone, that Jesus is with us. I’m sure this didn’t help as it was the last thing she would think of when her anxiety level is up and the tears are flowing. As adults we are the same way, when we are going through a tough time and the tears are flowing remembering Jesus is with us is hard to hold onto. Just like my daughter who holds her hand out to my granddaughter for her to trust; Jesus does the same for us. He wants our trust. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:4

Casting Your Cares

A few weeks ago I did a sermon about “Blurred Vision” and how certain things can cloud the way we see things. I also know that God is trying to tell me something when I prepare a sermon. This time it took a few weeks to sink in… The other day I was at my doctors office. Most of you know I suffer with a lot of endocrine problems and it was at this doctors office that I was crying my heart out telling her how bad I felt and why couldn’t I just feel better.. The doctor sat there calmly as she listened to me and softly said, “Ephesians 2:14 tells us that Jesus is our peace, and that Psalm 55 tells us to cast our cares unto the Lord.” My 1st thought was wow, I have a doctor that knows scripture and is encouraging me not through medical terms but through the Bible. As soon as I got home I read what she quoted and my blurred vision became clear. What we go through in this life can bring us down– but God is our strength in all situations. I encourage you to read Psalm 55; David is going through some rough spots but towards the end of the Psalm God gives him clear eyes.. Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Just Look Up!

Not sure where this first originated but I thought I would share... THE BUZZARD If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. THE BAT The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash. THE BUMBLEBEE A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself. PEOPLE In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem... just look up! Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up! Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and trust in our Creator, who loves us.

Desperation..Desire..Expectation

Following Jesus-What does that mean to you?    Someone once asked me, “so if I give my life to the Lord does it mean I wake up in the morning changed? Does it mean the desires I have now, will be gone when I wake up?” My reply was no, but God could do that.  The change comes as you grow in the knowledge of God, your old desires don’t seem that important anymore. Your heart begins to change and you begin to want more of what He has instead of what the world has.                                                                                                                                                                                  Following Jesus takes on a whole new meaning, it fills you with compassion, hope and a desire to serve Him. It’s a desperate feeling, like the woman in Matthew 9 who said to herself, “if I only touch his cloak..

Desperation.. Desire.. Expectation                                                                                                                    

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”  22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”  And the woman was healed at that moment. Matthew 9:20-22

If I only touch his cloak!

Wellspring

Myself and a few others went to the WOW Women's Conference in Hilo, and our first evening there was a time of prayer. They did several alter calls for the type of prayer you might be in need of and I remember saying to one of the women who went with us that I felt like I should go down to each alter call as I was dealing with each of the issues they called to pray over. I did go down... twice.

I had two different encounters with two different women praying with me, but what I want to share is this;
I was told by each of them that God was getting ready to pour a wellspring into my life and that I had a multitude of angels encamped about me, there were other things said but what I held onto was the wellspring.
How’s that for a word of encouragement to someone struggling just to put one foot in front of the other? I walked away picturing in my mind all those angels about me, but I started wondering what is a wellspring and what does God mean by that, so I looked it up. Then I received Pastor Frank’s message and his key verse was Proverbs 4:23-
Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.
I felt confirmation when I saw his message.
I guess what I’m trying to say to you today is that no matter what you may be going through, God sees it, and He cares about you and if you are patient He fills you when you least expect it and gives you strength to continue to put one foot in front of the other.

Oh, one more thing:

Wellspring:
the place where something begins, where it springs into being; an abundant source;

God's Love

February 14th, Valentines Day. As I walked into the grocery store the other day my eyes caught the things being sold for Valentine’s Day. There were heart cookies, cupcakes, chocolates, teddy bears, balloons, and flowers and this was right when you walked in the door. I was overwhelmed by the amount of things there. Then the other day came across an article about Valentine’s Day, “that it’s a day reserved for romance and relationships” and it listed all kinds of ideas to make the day perfect.

As I thought about all the ideas they listed I began to think about how God pursues us, how He wants a relationship with us. That He loves us and desires us. What greater love is there? The bible flows with His love and as we read we begin to recognize His love letter to us. I believe until we see our Heavenly Father we will never comprehend all the love that He has for us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

Trusting God

My son and his new wife left on Thursday. The last few days my emotions have been all over the place. The one thing that keeps coming to mind is that I saw a boy 2 weeks ago but when he left I saw a man. The day he left he brought me into his room and asked me to mail certain books and things to him and to throw away other things. While going through the stuff he wanted me to throw away I ventured across some old journals. As I began to flip through them I figured I would read everyday stuff a boy might write, but what I found was something much more than that. What I found was a young man whose heart was being poured out to God. His thoughts were poured into these journals and his love for God flowed through every page I read.
I felt so blessed.

Sometimes we don’t see what God is doing in a persons life, but we trust God knowing that He has their best in mind. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Trust in God—He knows what he's doing.