Encouragement Post #41 (Saturday) After a wonderful morning at our
church's Annual Conference, I am looking forward to worship with our
church family tomorrow morning. Our message will be on the holiness of
God. Did you know that Hebrews 12:14 says, "Pursue peace with all
people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." Holiness
is pretty important to our great God, and we cannot manufacture it on
our own. We have to trust Him to give it to us. Our Holy God wants
to give us His holiness, and He can only do this when we accept the
willing sacrifice of Jesus as payment for our unrighteousness.
Only a Holy God
by City Alight
"Who else commands all the hosts of heaven
Who else could make every king bow down
Who else can whisper and darkness trembles
Only a Holy God
What other beauty demands such praises
What other splendour outshines the sun
What other majesty rules with justice
Only a Holy God
Come and behold Him
The One and the Only
Cry out, sing holy
Forever a Holy God
Come and worship the Holy God
What other glory consumes like fire
What other power can raise the dead
What other name remains undefeated
Only a Holy God
Who else could rescue me from my failing
Who else would offer His only Son
Who else invites me to call Him Father
Only a Holy God
Only my Holy God!"
Encouragement
Post – Day #35 (Sunday) Another Sunday… the fifth Sunday with our faith
community not meeting in person. It’s still so good to be able to meet
through Zoom and SEE faces, have a few minutes to chat and catch up, and
check in and really see how everyone is doing. And, we heard a
wonderful message of the HOPE of our Savior! There is hope in no one but
Jesus. This isn’t a hope that is like a wish, this is a SURE and
STEADFAST hope. A LIVING hope!
Hebrews 6:16-20 “For men swear
by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as
confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring
even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of
His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge
would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and
steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered
as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to
the order of Melchizedek.”
1 Peter 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has
caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven
for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Living Hope By Phil Wickham
How great the chasm that lay between us How high the mountain I could not climb In desperation, I turned to heaven And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness, Your loving-kindness Tore through the shadows of my soul The work is finished, the end is written Jesus Christ, my living hope
Who could imagine so great a mercy? What heart could fathom such boundless grace? The God of ages stepped down from glory To wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken, I am forgiven The King of kings calls me His own Beautiful Savior, I'm Yours forever Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There's salvation in Your name Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There's salvation in Your name Jesus Christ, my living hope
Then came the morning that sealed the promise Your buried body began to breathe Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion Declared the grave has no claim on me Then came the morning that sealed the promise Your buried body began to breathe Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion Declared the grave has no claim on me Jesus, Yours is the victory, whoa!
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There's salvation in Your name Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There's salvation in Your name Jesus Christ, my living hope
Jesus Christ, my living hope Oh God, You are my living hope
Encouragement Post – Day #32 (Thursday) My God is the Ancient of
Days… the lyrics (listed for you below) are rich and filled with the
truth of the Word about who God is, and they are really just so perfect
for the moments we are living right now.
Ancient of Days by City Alight
Though the nations rage Kingdoms rise and fall There is still one King Reigning over all So I will not fear for this truth remains: That my God is the Ancient of Days
Chorus None above Him, none before Him All of time in His hands For His throne it shall remain and ever stand All the power, all the glory I will trust in His name For my God is the Ancient of Days
Though the dread of night Overwhelms my soul He is here with me I am not alone O His love is sure and He knows my name For my God is the Ancient of Days
Chorus
Though I may not see What the future brings I will watch and wait For the Saviour King Then my joy complete standing face to face In the presence of the Ancient of Days
Encouragement Post #11: (Thursday) Today I am thankful …for sunshine! Doctors tell us that the sun has a powerful effect on ourimmune systems. I am no doctor, but I am buying into that one hook, line, and sinker. We need it, whether it’s getting out for a walk, gardening, doing some outdoor sporting activity, or just walking around our house/apartment building/dwelling a couple of times. God made us to need vitamin D, and the sun automatically replenishes it, boosts endorphins
(natural pain killers in the body), and boosts serotonin (naturally occurring substance in our body that makes us feel good) for us.
“…seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertainingto life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3) This current quarantine, on the heels of what seemed like a gazillion days of rain, could be really impacting our moods and hence impacting our ability to fight off …whatever. 😉 So, getting out and getting just some sun each day is one cost-free way of doing that.
While I am writing this (having just come back inside from a little time outdoors in this brilliantly sunny and feels-like-summer day), I dropped my new tablet (purchased just after Christmas) and the screen shattered. I purchased it from Costco and am hoping it’s under warranty. I got online to chat about it, and when I started I was number 723 in the queue 😳… it’s now down to 437 after 15 minutes. :D So, I am taking this time to post here. I am also taking this time to pray for all those in places of service, answering phones with people on the other end who are frazzled, frayed, and maybe at their wit’s end. I am praying for you, too. I would love the privilege of praying for
you.... what is something I can pray for you about? “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
Above are a few happy pictures from my yard, and I also wanted to share this song with you… a fun song that puts a spring in my step and fills my spirit with hope, thankfulness, and freedom.
Encouragement Post #10: (Wednesday) Today I am encouraging us to lift up the name of Jesus. Did you know that the Bible tells us that if we lift up His name, that He will draw all men to Himself? (John 12:32) Especially when things seem out of control and people feel caught in a spiral of uncertainty, we want all people to know that the only place TRUE peace is found is in knowing the Prince of peace.
Our ability to be at peace is strongly connected to who has the authority in our lives. When we sit on the throne of our own lives and grasp every bit of control we can, we know that things can spiral out of control very quickly. It doesn't take us long to figure out we don't really have much control at all (see coronavirus, cancer, 911, infertility, death, etc.) That is distinctly NOT peace. But, when we put our lives in the hands of the King of kings, Lord of lords, and Prince of peace, we can trust that HE has the ultimate authority to guide it just where He knows it should go and to work things together for our good and for His glory. Though for now He is allowing wars, famines, trials, plagues, dangers, sicknesses, etc. to take place on earth, we know that one day those things will cease. And whether or not people choose to bow to His authority now, it is a certainty that one day EVERY knee will bow and every tongue will proclaim that He is Lord:
"For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
He is giving us an amazing opportunity right now to lift up His Name. Today is the time to turn over the authority of our lives to Him. There is nowhere else to go… "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
Excerpt from the song "What a Beautiful Name" by Brook Fraser Ligertwood and Ben Fielding "You have no rival, you have no equal; now and forever God You reign. Yours is the kingdom, yours is the glory; Yours is the name above all names."
Encouragement Post #9: (Tuesday) Finding myself THANKFUL today… for music. This is not unique to this particular situation, as DAILY I find myself thankful for the music that brings me such joy. In fact, for those of you who know me well, you know that I am pretty much constantly listening to it. In high school, I was always the one bringing the “boom box” to everything so that there would be music. I am pretty sure I drove my college roommates crazy playing my faves. My kids make fun of me because I have more music on my phone than they do (and because I have a song ready with a lyric to fit nearly every life situation). Isn’t it wonderful with new technology to be able to find almost any piece of music you want right at your fingertips? (My teenage self would have been crazy over the moon about that!!)
Music truly does permeate our soul… as you probably know, it is a most effective method for learning words, phrases, and things you need to know. Try to memorize something from rote and it can be a challenge, but set it to music and it's a piece of cake after a little rehearsing (thank you, School House Rock!!) Which makes it all the more important WHAT we are basically “cementing” into our minds. I can remember nearly every lyric to all those amazing pop songs from the 70s and 80s all these years later! It’s powerful. And these past days I have seen people posting all kinds of music, not a lot of secular music really, but mostly hymns and worship songs. It’s interesting to me… I love hymns so much because they are rich in truth about our God, but I also love the new hymns and worship music being written every day. As I have grown in my walk with the Lord, though, the most important part of any song is the lyric. I want to have an arsenal in my head, so that if I should ever not have the electronic means to listen I will have them at the ready. Did you know that for most dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, when they cannot remember anything else they can remember music. Amazing!
So, that’s why on each of my encouragement posts I have been including a song. It’s a command in scripture, right? “…speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19) Today I am sharing one that is newer, but it is SO unique (a question and answer format) and SO filled with truth straight from God’s word. I am not sure there could be a MORE fitting song for this time.
Do you feel the world is broken? (We do) Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do) But do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through? (We do) Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)
Is all creation groaning? (It is) Is a new creation coming? (It is) Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is) Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll? The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
Is He worthy? Is He worthy Of all blessing and honor and glory? Is He worthy of this? He is
Does the Father truly love us? (He does) Does the Spirit move among us? (He does) And does Jesus, our Messiah, hold forever those He loves? (He does) Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll? The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe (People and tribe) Every nation and tongue (Every nation and tongue) He has made us a kingdom and priests to God To reign with the Son
Is He worthy? Is He worthy Of all blessing and honor and glory? Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Is He worthy of this?
He is, He is Is He worthy? Is He worthy? He is, He is He is worthy, He is worthy He is
Encouragement Post #8: (Monday) How are YOU doing? What has God been teaching YOU in this present situation? For me, I think more than anything He is teaching me that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No matter how everything around me changes, He does not. No matter how I have failed Him, He continues to love me... HIS mercies are new every morning, every hour, every second. And His faithfulness is beyond our ability to comprehend it. The One who is all righteousness and complete justice is also completely merciful. So I am "chewing on that" for the next little while. Would you take refuge with me under the shadow of His great wings?
Lamentations 3:21-25 "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him."
Psalm 36:5-7 "Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings."
Encouragement Post #6: (Saturday) Even though we are physically separated for the most part, this is the time for the church to find a way to unify. If you aren't feeling this yet, at some point you will: We aren't meant to live in isolation (yes, I am talking to the introverts in the bunch, too). We are meant to live in community, and this means finding ways to love each other well while doing the whole "social distancing" thing. How encouraging that Jesus prayed for us in the hours before He went to the cross that we would be one even as He and the Father are one. When we as His church are one, then the world will believe that He was sent by the Father (John 17:21). I pray that the Lord would reveal to each one of us who are His just what He would have us do, as we creatively look for ways to come together in His name and love one another in a time of severe social restraints.
John 17:13-21 "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."
Encouragement Post #3: Let's have BIG FAITH! He IS ABLE! Matthew 8:24-27 "And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" ------ He Will Hold Me Fast by Keith & Kristyn Getty
When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast
Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast Precious in His holy sight, He will hold me fast He'll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast
For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast 'Til our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast For my Savior loves me so For my Savior loves me so He will hold me fast
"encourage" - to draw alongside someone else and give or infuse into them some of your courage.
"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." - Hebrews 3:13
Let's encourage one another... I hope this song will be an encouragement to you!
Riley is healed and whole, safe in the arms of Jesus and greeted by his earthly father and a grandmother he never met. Just five days ago we celebrated Riley's life with a beautiful memorial service. Those of you who have prayed for our family may wish to view the short video his mom made with pictures and hear the message given by his dad's brother.
We are just beginning to fully realize all that has happened, and yet the peace of God truly does pass all understanding. We have not "lost" Riley, for we know exactly where he is! For Riley's mom, the days ahead will be difficult. . . no husband, no eldest son. Thankfully, she is surrounded by loved ones and an amazing community of faith. Their church has gathered around them like nothing I have ever seen. Though they don't have their dad, the little brothers have men who really, really love them. For me. . . I have to think that the boys may be wondering, "First my dad, then my brother. . . am I next?" They will really need those in the family and the faith community to come around them and hold them up. God has a much bigger plan than we can possibly know. As incredibly hard as this road has been, it has not been without purpose. Thousands have been touched by Jonathan's and Riley's testimonies of faith and assurance that the Lord of all the universe had them in the palm of His hand.
While giong through this devastation/rejoicing, we are of course witnessing the devastation in our country from hurricane Harvey. It is almost impossible to get my mind around that much water... it is utterly heartbreaking. It is also heartening to see people working and helping and loving their neighbors. God has a plan even in those situations. We may not know what it is until we see Jesus face to face... but then we will know fully.
"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12
(Photo above taken just after Hurricane Katrina in Pascagoula, MS)
These days you can never tell which way the wind will blow. It may just bring a tornado to your doorstep. People in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia found this out the hard way on April 27th. People in Joplin, Missouri, found this out the hard way on May 22nd. And in last week’s latest round of tornadic activity even the people in Springfield, Massachusetts, where tornadoes are fairly rare, got a taste of their fury. Then there is the outbreak in California, also historically a fairly tornado-free area.
So, what is really going on here? Some would say that it is caused by “global warming” … I wonder if that is why we had the coldest winter on record in quite a while this past year. Maybe Cheryl ( >>wink<< with her vast study of and fascination with the weather) could help us understand better. Earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, tornadoes… just what does it all add up to?
(Photo above taken after April 27th tornadoes in Alabama)
If you are like I am, you have been thinking about and pondering what all this strange weather activity really means. I think of Jesus’ words when He told us in Matthew 24, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Birth pangs slowly and increasingly get harder and closer together; and so it seems these strange weather patterns are doing. It is a constant reminder that this earth is not only an unpredictable place and one we will never be able to control with our man-made schemes, neither is it our permanent home. No matter how hard we try to stay here or how much effort we put into living longer, one fact remains: no one gets out of this life alive. And these recent storms are such a vivid reminder that we don’t get to choose when our final day will be.
(Photo above taken after AL tornadoes shot a splintered two-by-four through a picture in a child’s bedroom)
So what can we do with this knowledge? Well, there are really only two options… we can live with the conviction that Jesus is Lord, that He paid the penalty for our sin, and that He will come back and redeem all those who truly know and love Him. Or we can choose to ignore Him, living exactly as we please, without regard for His love or sacrifice. We really must choose, and ignoring His love and sacrifice is really a choice against Him.
I just can’t buy the fact that this world just “happened” as an accident of the cosmos. It would take much more of a leap of faith to believe that, than it does for me to look at the magnificently crafted human body, see its intricate design of systems and organs, and believe it must have had an awesome Creator.
(I mean seriously, can you look at that precious face and think it was an accident of nature? I don’t actually know this little fellow, but a friend of mine snapped his picture while on vacation.)
To use a quote that I hear frequently, “I would rather live like there is a God only to find out that there is not, than to live like there is no God only to find that there is (and, I might add, that He is truly not only Creator, but Judge of the universe.)”
Storms will come… so what will you do when they come? As for me, I will lift my eyes to the hills and realize again just where my help comes from: my help comes from the Lord, Creator of heaven and earth.
And as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
So, night before last on a very routine trip to the library, we were caught in one of the most intense summer storms I have seen in a while. The wind was blowing the rain sideways, and things began to blow all over the place. The good news was I had taken my umbrella into the library with me. The bad news was the rain was blowing so hard and horizontally that my umbrella did absolutely no good. As we drove along the lightning became frightening! We were trying to pull out from a traffic light and all of a sudden we saw a transformer blow and blue sparks sprayed everywhere. Fortunately, it was raining cats and dogs so nothing caught on fire.
When we arrived home, we realized our power was off. We couldn't raise the garage door to get our car inside nor could we enter by the regular door as the handle was locked and we had no key for it. This meant someone would have to make the 50 yard dash to go and unlock the front door. So hubby volunteered (bless him) and all the while my DD and I waited in the car watching the trees whipping to and fro in the wind. Hubby finally came down and raised the garage door manually so that I could pull the car in. We were very thankful to be in out of the storm.
My lovely DD11 came to me a little later and told me she had already talked to the Lord about this, but she just wanted me to know that she had taken her eyes off Him for a few minutes during the storm. She had become frightened and just wanted me to know that she was sorry for not trusting Him. It was the sweetest thing, and I honestly didn't quite know what to say. I told her that she can always be honest with God and because He made her, He knows her fears. He gave us these kinds of instincts for our protection. But in our hearts we do trust that whatever happens, our lives are in His hands.
And that is where the peaceful calm comes in... whether in times of complete peace and contentment, or whether in the worst of storms, our lives are in His hands. And there really is no better place to be.
