Sonshine!

She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Acts 16:17

This loud mouthed, fortune-telling young slave girl had become a regular aggravation to Paul as he made his daily trek to a place of prayer. After many days Paul turned and said to the spirit that possessed this woman, “In the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her!”

The story continues that things didn’t go well for Paul and Silas after this act of healing. There is no further record of the young woman that lost the lively hood of her owner and herself. BUT! A few hours later a wrongly flogged and imprisoned Paul and Silas experience the miracle of freedom from bondage and lead their jailer and his household to salvation.

In this narrative, sinful man acts predictably. The slave owner is outraged that his easy money is cut off, shows little respect for any other human and keeps his mouth going about his rights as a Roman citizen until he starts a riot that robs two other Roman citizens of their liberties.

Godly men make beautiful history. They are disciplined to daily prayer, they free a woman from an unwelcome spirit, they respond to their injustice with praise and prayer, when a natural disaster frees them, they remain in place to minister to the frightened, hopeless and lost. Finally, they use their ‘rights as Romans’ to further the gospel, not oppress others.

You get to chose. Which legacy do you want to embrace?

Have a great day!

Gretchen

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. John 17:20

Jesus is within hours of being crucified and He knows it. He also knows that His beloved disciples, the men He spent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with for the last three years have no clue about what is coming down. Yes, Jesus has prepared them, but they cannot comprehend what will prove to be the most mysterious, glorious and victorious event of all time.

So what does Jesus do? He prays. He sets things in perspective in a quiet talk with His dad. The entire seventeenth chapter of John is Jesus praying, first for Himself to focus on the big picture, eternal life. Then He prays for His disciples. Jesus is literally committing His friends into the care of His Father. How beautiful that?! And Then……..drum roll please…….He prayed for you and I. Yes, Jesus has spoken, out loud, a prayer personally for you and for me.

What did Jesus ask the Father to give us? A oneness with Him and each other so that we may know the full extend of the Father’s love.

Oh How He Loves Us!

Gretchen

Three Feet off the Ground

Evan, a fine young man of five years was recently recognized for perfect attendance in Sunday School, ten consecutive Sunday’s. Quite an accomplishment in a world full of excuses and better things to do on a sunny weekend day! But church is very important and when the doors are open, Evan likes to be there.

One Sunday evening I had many little housekeeping and managerial chores to accomplish around the church, so Evan joined in to lighten my burden. His offering was tremendous. What he does, he does with great enthusiasm and to the best of his ability. Evan’s failure to help would not be his lack of willingness, only my inept ability to explain my expectations.

As the two of us got busy I learned much about Evan’s busy young life. For instance, Friday was payday for this miniature entrepreneur. Since I was the grown up in charge I couldn’t model such bad social behavior as to ask how much money Evan made, but my restraint wasn’t strong enough to keep from asking what he did to earn his wages. He answered with great austerity and southern drawl, “I’m the janitor of the whole place, you know, the shop and all.” Evan comes from a long line of farmers and he spends his days with his grandfather, a full time farmer. Evan is responsible for keeping the shop where granddad, uncles and assorted neighbors and friends gather to visit and toil, clean and free of grass, hay and other sundry soil.

I also learned that Evan knew who his kindergarten teacher would be come fall. He didn’t get the one he was hoping for, but he assured me that the one he got was really good, he knew he was going to learn a lot and he couldn’t wait to get started.

As we were making a run to the trash dumpster, Evan expressed his excitement for exiting a door he had never been through. He was impressed with the heating and air units, puddles, electrical boxes and conduits for wires and water. Going through this one door opened a Disney Land for Evan’s inquisitive and imaginative mind. As we were making our return back up the sidewalk, Evan drawled, “Oh, I get to make wishes.” I looked down to see a previously overlooked patch of dandelions that had gone to seed. Before I could spit out my objections concerning his perpetuation of ugly yellow weeds on our carefully groomed church lawn, windy Evan launched a stem full of seeds into the evening breeze. Suddenly his hope and optimism defused my frustration over the unwanted flora that would continue to flourish.

These moments caused me to remember the words of Jesus, “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15 NIV). This evening spent in the presence of a chatty, innocent child brought this verse into living color. Evan brought a body willing to work hard. He brought a fearless spirit willing to walk across an unknown threshold. He brought a mind willing to except a plan other than his own, and finally, he brought a heart that saw beauty and hope in something that we educated, mature folk find ugly and annoying.

I pride myself on maturity, knowledge and insight. Indeed, “I wasn’t born yesterday.” But I need to put the rose colored glasses back on and see the world from three feet off the ground. Evan’s life is good and I need what he’s got: Unlimited willingness, unflinching hope, unbiased expectation and unquestioning faith.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

I know my yard well. The shrubbery is mapped in my head, the water features give themselves away, there are sidewalks to mark common thoroughfares to necessary places. I spend a great deal of daytime and dark in my little paradise. So why would I ever need a flashlight?

For the unexpected, the unforeseen! Dog pooh! A SNAKE!! Rogue patio chairs!

We are a mobile race. Our minds and bodies stay on the go constantly. For the most part we choose our routes, but even so, we know we will encounter the unexpected and we need light to avoid, detour or protect ourselves from the things we do not wish to step in or stumble over. God’s ‘Word’ is our only hope of a safe and secure sojourn.

The Psalmist is praising God for this ‘Word’ that indeed sheds brilliant, shadowless light. Let’s renew this praise also for this wonderful luminary that is our gift.

Gretchen

Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 2 Cor. 8:24

Paul throughout his letters has preached the oneness of Christ across racial divides. Racial tensions between Jews and Gentiles were a reality and very deadly at this time. Paul taught that there was great virtue in doing good for those that persecute you and asked often for Gentile Christians to set aside money for oppressed Jews, They went above and beyond the call. As a result Paul had to delegate Titus and two other associates to manage the churches of Macedonia and their offerings in an ethical and responsible way. This verse is a call to accept these emissaries in a way that will continue the work of the gospel.

However, there’s another subtle message. Paul says, “Love those I love…… If you love me, then love them too.” He is echoing Christ’s call to love one another….If you love Me, love those I love.

We have accepted His grace and we love Christ. So now we are asked to love those He loves. We didn’t earn Christ’s love upon Salvation. We were freely GIVEN salvation because of His love. It is our highest calling to LOVE those that Christ loves, basically…..everyone!

Accepting love is the first step toward salvation, so lets offer it and lead the way!!!!

Gretchen

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. Galatians 1:11

These are the words of Paul to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia.

The early church had no written Gospel, they had the revelations of the Apostles, so they were dependent on word of mouth and letter writing. Many false prophets wanted a piece of the action in this new fad called Christianity. It took very little time for personal agendas and the chance of turning a ‘dollar’ to distract the eager and unsuspecting believer. Hey, it happens today too!

Paul was aggressive in testifying of his encounter with God, his perseverance for the Gospel and his passion that everyone hear and accept the Good News. His message follows and is still the most important thing anyone can hear and accept today:

1. The God of Israel is the true and living God, always has been, always will be.
2. He alone saves people from their sins and is worthy of worship.
3. Jesus, God’s Son is our Savior.
4. This Salvation is free to everyone who will receive it.

Have a Great Thursday!!!

Love

And his affection for you is all the greater when He remembers that you were obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 2 Corinthians 7:15

This seems a strange verse to pull out for a devotional, but as always I encourage you to read the passage in its full context.

Paul is referring to his associate missionary Titus a gentile converted to Christianity who did not observe orthodox Jewish practices, a serious offense to some early church members. Paul was preaching a salvation based on faith rather than works and Jewish law. He sent nontraditional Titus to Corinth to correct some evil behaviors in the new church. This young congregation of believers was so eager to hear the Good News that they willing excepted Titus and his message. Paul is ecstatic that the Gospel is continuing and his brother in Christ was accepted without bigotry.

It is possible for every Christian to be bogged down in the petty things of life. Satan loves it when God’s Word is sifted through prejudices to the point that the message it carries never gets delivered. Live and love as Christ, let the Gospel shine through.

Gretchen

As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allowed inheritance. Daniel 12:13

As a young child I had ‘Early onset leadership skills.’ In other words, I was bossy! Dad ask me often if I thought God took the day off and left me in charge. I can laugh now, but at that time I was intense.

So much of life is spent surviving…… earning money, engineering family life, keeping peace, staying healthy……… In the midst of all this purposeful action it is easy to think we actually have control over things other than the state of our heart in relation to who is God and who is not. This clarification is the mission of the prophet Daniel. The final words of his book tell that no matter what, our earthly end will come. The reality is hope. Our immortal life will just be a continuation of our mortal character.

God’s faithfulness is pure and constant and is not determined by our autonomy or theology. Our inheritance comes by way of our heart and God alone knows if He is our personal One True God.

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen

If I go up to the Heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:8-10

For many, Labor Day is the last hooray of Summer and tomorrow real life will settle into a sedentary routine until we once again begin weaving dreams of sunny days to come. I love traveling. The anticipation of seeing something for the first time is one of my favorite states of being, but I also love returning to places that hold treasured moments. I realize that sometimes I travel to find myself, and other times I travel to escape myself. Oh my what a mess!

But maybe not so much………………

No matter where we are, spiritually or physically God is there. Our minds constantly take us to the outer limits of our comprehension, much further than our physical bodies would ever dare to go, and so the Psalmist who had the same mental, physical and spiritual content as you and I put to words his realization that there is absolutely no where that God is not.

The presence of God is your choice not a state of geography or zen. There are days when our spirits fly high and of course God is there, but when we crawl into our dark place, is He there too? Yes, He is your auto pilot when you are lost and can’t find your way or that firm grip on your hand when you are perilously close to the edge. All is well, He is there.

Gretchen

A Call and an Answer

Since the day I met my parents I have known them to put their heart and soul into every endeavor, and to work tirelessly at whatever they put their hands to, which was mostly raising children and pastoring small churches.

As a youngster I was of the opinion that we should call off church if only ten people showed up for prayer meeting. Dad said that those ten faithful prayer warriors deserved the best of him and as long as there was one faithful person there would be church. Bad news for me because the Jones’ alone made six.

I watched my father exhaust himself for things I thought were in vain. Through the eyes of a self absorbed adolescent it seemed fruitless to spend every waking hour at the church or hospital or in the living room of some dysfunctional family. I can testify to the fact that he wasn’t getting rich. If you put a dollar amount to the hours he spent trying to leave the world better than he found it he may have made a lifetime average of fifty cents an hour. But I knew it was never about the money.

Once in my adult life dad took a leave from ministry. He had just finished two major construction projects at the church he was pastoring, watched all three of his daughters marry, became a grandfather and stood by his parent’s side through his own father’s long illness and passing. Need I even state that he was exhausted? He was. As his child it was tough to watch. I was relieved when he said he was going to pursue a different course of income for a while. Instead, it was only a matter of months before he announced that he was taking another church. A very small country church not far from where they lived needed a pastor and dad heard God’s voice. I begged, “Dad please don’t do this.” Once again he set me straight with his profound response. “Baby doll, when I answered the call to ministry, I answered for a life time and all I want to do is serve the Lord. I’m just not happy or satisfied doing anything else.”

What a legacy for a father to leave his child. Recognizing that my Heavenly Father and my dad share one heart changed me forever. I began to appreciate all my family gained when he served the Lord. We never did without and had more than most. My home was stable, mom and dad were supportive and they loved each other. We had laughter and joy and most of the time we had the world by the tail on a down hill swing.

For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20  It isn’t about a number, it’s about people seeking God. The road traveled before me is one of Worship and Service. I must follow. It’s beautiful and you’re invited too.

Love,

Gretchen