Category: Uncategorized

Learning to Read

When I was twelve my family moved to Greenbrier, Arkansas. I left a very small country school with 10 to 12 students per grade and enrolled in a much larger school with three classrooms full of of sixth graders that changed classes per subject. It was traumatic because I had a secret……….I could not read. Not a word and no one knew. It never occurred to me that I had been clever to cover-up or disguise my crisis, I was just deeply aware that everyone around me could decipher the mystery of written language except me. So I discerned that I was horribly, irreparably stupid. At my old school I had means of surviving. If there was a reading assignment I asked a friend to tell me the story. I was proficient in creating diversions and excuses.……and then I lost it all!!!!

Somehow I survived and completed the sixth grade. I joined band, continued with piano lessons and moved across campus to junior high school. I made a friend who asked me to attend a sleepover at her house. Her parents had purchased a video playing machine (a very rare item) and we got to watch Gone With the Wind. This civil war era story is epic in length and depth, but that didn’t prevent me from falling asleep half way through the four hour film. Shortly after I awoke the next morning my mom arrived to take me home and there I was, mentally anxious over the outcome of Scarlett O’Hara’s quest to survive against the odds. When I arrived home I found mom’s copy of the 1200+ page novel, started on page one and began teaching myself to read.

That year our school was getting a track installed around our existing football field and our math teacher used this as an opportunity to encourage a little critical thinking. She gave us formulas for circumference, perimeter and area along with the measurements of the field, the anticipated width of the new track and the cost per square foot. Our task was to find the exact area and calculate the taxpayers contribution to our new physical fitness opportunities. After instructing us she left the room and went to the teacher’s lounge for a cigarette. (Yes really!)

Mrs. Math returned and collected our work. Shortly she announced that only one student got the correct answer, ME!!!!! No one was more surprised than that teacher and myself. Then a beautiful, wonderful thing happened. She asked me to share how I arrived at my conclusions. On this day, seventh grade year, Greenbrier Junior High, I stopped being stupid. It took me twelve months to finish the first book I ever read, but I did, with comprehension. Soon I was reading everything. I continued to excelled at math and began to love school.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault I made it all the way to seventh grade as a non reader. I could play a Mozart piano sonata, I functioned well socially, became a cheerleader and hid my secret well. The curriculum of that era, used to its greatest effectiveness, would not have detected my delays or helped me overcome them. But God had a plan. He took away all my life preservers and threw me in the deep end of the pool.

Psalms 139 says, “You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me.” Yes indeed. God knew what was best. He didn’t toss me into the water to drown, but to swim and swim I did. He created me, knows me best and I can trust because He is good!

No Floaties for Me!

Gretchen

For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. II Corinthians 6:2

Salvation is available by God’s favor. His grace and mercy are gifts born of His love and the sacrifice of His one and only Son. Salvation is simple, but as a sinner saved by grace there is more work to do. A world is lost, hurting and seeking something they think is illusive and mystical. It is God’s favor, miraculous, not mystical, easy to acquire not illusive.

Christ did not give His life in vain.  When we bring the Gospel and His love to others we show great and reverent acknowledgement of God’s favor bestowed on you and me.

Love,

Gretchen

The LORD has said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1

Abram was called by God to leave his home, all that he knew and set out into the great unknown. There was no GPS, or travel show to prepare him for what was ahead, but that didn’t deter Abram’s faithful obedience. God called and Abram headed toward a destination to be named later.

A divine promise followed Abram’s call. Childless, 75 year old Abram was told his descendants would become a great nation, a blessing to ALL people. The gospel, long before Bethlehem or the cross, was told by God to Abram in Genesis 12. The Good News and God’s love are for all. It is not exclusive.

Obedience powered by faith becomes a blessing far beyond the boundary of human imagination.

Love,

Gretchen

 

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. I Corinthians 15:1

The Jews and Greeks were struggling with conflicting ideas of resurrection regardless of religion. The Jews believed the original you became the eternal you. (NO Thanks!) In contrast, the Greeks knew only of an immortal soul. What is the true Gospel? The resurrection of the Christ!!

We can get very bogged down in insignificant details and miss the big picture. The Gospel is about a death that has been defeated, sin’s prison bars opened and satan’s threat forever silenced. All because God loves us.

The people of Corinth took the step of faith and believed. Their sins were washed away, and then…..cultural and traditional questions minimized their spiritual victory. Get the big picture! When we stand in the presence of the LORD, we will be like Him: Eternal, immortal and free.

Love,

Gretchen

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” Genesis 9:1

In the beginning of time God made order out of chaos. He separated the water from land. As a result of man’s sin, the forces of destruction are let loose and water completely covers the earth destroying all life except…..…

The big picture of Noah’s story is God’s saving power. Against the backdrop of judgement, God provides a place of safety and refuge.

Noah knows and trusts God. Through obedience God prepares him for this moment in time. A man that never saw an ocean, never heard thunder or saw a raindrop, faithfully followed. His blind faith led to blessings. It would have been hard to see success while building a boat on dry ground. The logic of loading smelling, hungry beasts was lost all while Noah’s family stands loyally beside him expecting his leadership to amount to a life worth living.

Faith begets obedience, obedience begets blessing. That’s all!

Happy Half Way to the Weekend!

Gretchen

And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet. II Samuel 9:13

David and Mephibosheth’s story is one of my favorite. It is the story of grace and mercy lived out in living color between two men who had every right to fear each other and do whatever was necessary to survive. King David choose mercy and grace, and Mephibosheth returned to his original state, the child of a king.

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, David’s best friend, and the grandson of Saul, David’s foe. It was customary for new kings to seal their throne by annihilating the former king’s family. David, in honor of his loyalty to Jonathan, found Mephibosheth who had been crippled on the very day his father and grandfather died as his nurse ran from invaders and dropped him.

Hiding in a dry and barren place, fear was all this former prince knew. It was magnified when David’s emissaries arrived. But instead of the dreaded judgement and death, this crippled, orphaned young man returned to a place he had lost, a home he believed was forever out of reach. He always ate at the king’s table!

The feast is waiting for you too!!

Pass the Butter Please,

Gretchen

Today is the one year anniversary of my blog. Thank you for reading and leaving encouragement and comments. It has been an amazing year and I have been blessed by you.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24

Sleep is something the human body cannot do without. It restores the physical body and allows our minds to process and reset so our mental state can remain healthy too. For many, sleep is elusive. Bad things happen in the night, or dreaded things await when we awaken. The wise writer knows this and has probably experienced a worry and exhaustion that goes beyond reason and rest.

I find it interesting that just a few verses above you find the words, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart.” 5a. I know this isn’t a simple sleeping pill, but if you read verses 23-26 you have the knowledge that God is taking care of the universe while we slumber. From the huge picture of world affairs to the most minute details of our personal life, God’s got this.

Seek God’s wisdom because it offers the things money cannot give us: Peace, happiness and security. Remember, He is never wrong so everything is going to be alright.

Love,

Gretchen

The Uncharted Path

I am a creature of plans, agendas, roadmaps and lists. Mostly lists. Long ago I began treating myself to special rewards when all my itemized objectives were met, with ensuing wailing and gnashing of teeth when victory was thwarted. (Messy closets are my nemesis). The problem is, there is no known living thing, human or otherwise that respects my perfectly ordered schedule or program. After years of conflict and frustration, the God who knows me best, loves me beyond measure and longs for me to respond with joy to the life He gave me, revealed that my little docket, while necessary to keeping me focused and motivated, had become a prison, where friends and family came to visit, stayed a few minutes, then backed gently away hoping no one got hurt.

What was God’s big reveal? Nothing, it was gentle, kind and beautiful. When my youngest child left for college I noticed a subtle change in my overall approach to life. I call it ‘grandma mode’. It is similar to ‘mommy mode’ but characterized by greater flexibility and grace. Remaining connected to a world that once left muddy footprints on the floor meant turning loose of my controlling instincts and saying, “Nothing matters but walking with God today. He knows where I’m needed and my energies won’t be waisted or exploited.” This ‘uncharted path’ is the definition of livin’ the dream.’

My daughters are now adults. They have lives I see less frequently but I long for them to succeed beyond my hopes and theirs. They are on paths my best efforts cannot control. My clean toilets don’t increase their quality of life any longer, if they ever did to begin with, but my presence and availability are as important today as it has ever been. The same applies to the world at large. The angle of earth’s axis didn’t change because I failed to fold laundry and instead, went to see a child play ball.

Satan does his best work when individuals feel isolated, alone and totally hopeless. A good life does not come from the things money can buy, it originates and remains in the relationships we build and hold dear. God promises to never leave us alone (Deuteronomy 31:8). The great miracle is that His assurance is carried out human to human. An obstacle exists though. My plans, agendas, roadmaps and lists. To connect means stepping out into uncharted territory. Releasing my plans for the weekend because someone needs me, or losing a night’s sleep to wipe tears is not a burden when God’s voice asks you to be the difference between hope and despair.

I still make lists. They are rigid and I hold them close to my heart with ambition and determination, but I have an alternative list that begins with a phrase I heard an evangelist, Nathan Covington, state during a revival when I was a teenager. He said, “I hope the devil groans when I get out of bed and my feet hit the floor.” Make someone smile, be someone’s blessing, love my neighbor and leave the world better than I found it, are the things I endeavor to achieve each and every day. The road less traveled has no GPS other than faith, but there is a Light unto my pathway and I’m finding the absence of dust bunny distractions an incredibly lovely thing.

Wasting Less Paper,

Gretchen

Nevertheless, those who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. Galatians 6:6

All of Galatians chapter 6 discusses the church’s care toward one another. This verse in particular makes known that there is no culture of exclusivity. Spiritual insight and testimony are to be shared. God doesn’t speak to a few, expecting them to share while the rest remain hushed. God speaks to all who seek and listen.

Sharing is a two way street in which all are held accountable to personal discipleship and leaders are held to a high standard of Biblical truth. The community of believers is important and the celebration/testimony of spiritual victories is one of the greatest joys of the Body of Christ.

Happy Saturday,

Gretchen

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.” Isaiah 42:1

Isaiah, referred to as the sixth Gospel, is prophesying about Jesus, the servant, the One who will die so that we can all be found NOT GUILTY.

Isaiah’s words to the nation of Israel 700 years before the virgin birth, give undeniable proof that God has always loved the creation on which He bestowed His own likeness and He has always had a plan of redemption, salvation and restoration for everyone. There is hope for the sinner and comfort that all can be forgiven and the image of God restored once again, on earth as it is in Heaven.

The people of Isaiah’s day had to confront many false God’s. Isaiah reminds them and us that none but God alone has the power to save and create a new creature from grace and mercy.

Happy Weekend Eve,

Gretchen