Category: A Christian life

2 Kings 20:5b-6a

“…I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: …And I will add unto thy days 15 years….”

Malachi 3:6 tells us a wonderful promise from God, “For I am the Lord, I change not.” God is. We can hold fast to everything He has ever promised. Hebrews 6:18 tells us it is impossible for God to lie. God fulfills His every promise through His son, Jesus.

Upon stating this truth that God does not change, I would build your confidence and faith by telling you that God can and does change His mind. Never confuse these two statements. James 5:16b: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” You are not stuck in your present situation. Destiny has not dealt you an evil hand. Stop moping and start praying!

Hezekiah turn to God and God answered! Your prayers matter; my prayers matter; our prayers make a difference to God.

Hebrews 4:14-16

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is past into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly into the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Pray with boldness and faith today. Seek the face of God. He will hear. He will answer. God is good. God is love. His character never changes, yet His mercies are new every morning.

Expectations often differ from reality. My thoughts run wild imagining a life with no electricity, cell phones, or automobiles. When I hear the term Amish, I conjure a picture of pioneer days with log homes and rustic homesteads. I imagine life is an everyday reenactment of days gone by, but much to my surprise, my Amish ideas are far from reality.

As we drive the country route from Philadelphia to Denver, PA, the landscapes amaze me. Fields of crops such as corn, soybean, and alfalfa separate the rolling hills into picturesque views. Immaculate homesteads, complete with barn and silo, set the stage for the avid farming commerce of this lush state.

Anticipation builds as we pass farm, garden, and buggy. I’m eager to learn more about this set apart community. The towering multi-level homes, complete with stonework, shutters, and gorgeous, blooming flower beds, surpass any vision I had for the Amish country.

You can easily spot the Amish homes because there are no electric wires attached to the houses. Most have buggies parked tidily in the drive or the barn. Full size horses, tiny horses, donkeys, mules, cows, sheep, goats, and pigs pepper the pasture land, and beautiful personal gardens accompany each plot. On occasion you see a woman adorned in her full length dress, apron, and bonnet mowing the lawn or tending the garden. You might pass men and boys with teams of horses working the fields. There are gasoline powered combines to cut the corn and shoot it into the adjacent wagon, yet no motor for the vehicle itself, only actual horsepower.

You learn that although the homes have no electricity, they do use propane and solar panels to light, heat, cool, and operate household devices. Each home does have running water; and, although they must hang their clothes out to dry, the clothes line runs directly into the house using a pulley system. Quite impressive indeed.

Out by the road you find a small building which serves as the phone booth. Amish are allowed use of a phone for business and medical reasons. Only, it cannot be inside the home. Some even use cell phones that can be recharged using solar panels. This practice differs from district to district.

About 25 families make up a district. These families attend a private Amish school and worship together. Amish families are large, and their homes not only must house the immediate family but have a space for around 150 people to gather for church service. Most families only host church services once a year due taking turns. A usual service consists of two hymns, one 30 minute sermon, one 90 minute sermon, and a light lunch. There are storage buggies located in each district that house the benches needed to accommodate the services. Drawn by horse, these extended length buggies arrive at the host home a couple of days early, so the family has time to set up. The Amish have been worshiping in homes for hundreds of years due to the persecution of their faith. Fear of radical prejudices kept them from building church buildings.

One bishop is in charge of two districts, so they can only meet every other week to accommodate the availability of the preacher. Services are spoken in German. All Amish speak three languages: Pennsylvania Dutch, German, and English. However, Amish children only receive an education for first through eighth grades.

On the off-church Sundays, the families spend the day “frolicking”. They play games, visit with friends, and fellowship with the community. No work is done on Sunday. You will see people out on leisurely buggy rides, playing volleyball, riding scooters (for bicycles are not allowed), and spending time with neighbors.

Many of the practices seem contrary to one another, but the elders greatly consider all the effects of their decisions upon the individual family lifestyle. For example, the use of electricity might lead to television which would rob them of their family time. In many ways it’s a hard life working the farm, but the balance comes with the simplicity of family time.

When an Amish teen turns 16, they enter a season called Rumspringa, in which they are allowed certain worldly experiences. They must choose to be baptized into the Amish faith or not. Contrary to popular believe, they are not shunned because of their decision. The teens remain in their household, and if they leave, they are welcome to visit their family. Amazingly, there is an 85 to 90% rate of people who decide to be baptized and live the Amish lifestyle. Many give back cars, cell phones, and other “English” practices to return to the Amish way of life. Once baptized, however, if you decide to leave the Amish way, then you are not allowed back in and that is when you are shunned.

Philippians 2:12

“… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Experiencing a taste of the Amish ways has taught me not to judge. They are a happy, resilient, and faithful people. I hope they trust Jesus and call Him Lord. There are some ways I envy the Amish, and I pray they follow Christ whole heartedly as they live by their convictions.

Acts 20:24

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

Luke 9:24

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”

Whatever you choose to give up for Christ’s sake is not done in vain.

(Left top: figurine from Aruba, top right: print from Philadelphia, middle: wall hanging from Costa Maya Mexico, bottom left: love in Hebrew from Israel, bottom right: handmade hearts from Jamaica)

I Corinthians 13:1-13

Please take time to read the entire chapter.

I love “love”. I am the romantic. My choice will be romance over thriller, action, sci-fi, etc. Every time! As we travel, I look for souvenirs that say “love” in any language or form. It’s my thing; my calling card; it makes me smile. Love ❤️ 😊

So, I must include the “love” chapter of the Bible in my blog. What exactly is love? How should the action verb “love” look? All you need to know can be found in I Corinthian’s 13.

This is my paraphrase:

Without love, I would be nothing. (Vs 2)

Without love, my works are worthless. (Vs 3)

When I practice patience, kindness, and humility, that’s love. (Vs 4)

When I prefer others, give of myself, control my attitude, and forgive others, that’s love. (Vs 5)

When I tell the truth and stand up for truth, that’s love. (Vs 6)

When I fall but try again; when I continue living even in pain; when I expect the best even when I see the worst, that’s love. (Vs 7)

Even when all else crumbles, love remains. (Vs 8)

I don’t understand my circumstances, but as a child of God, I endure, knowing God’s got me. (Vs 9-12)

You just can’t beat love. (Vs 13)

Mark 8:4
And his disciples answered him, from whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

To claim to be believers, we claim to know the truth of who God is, yet still, we walk in confusion and want. What's it going to take to remember who Jesus is? Jesus is not simply a man!

As I was reading this story of Jesus miraculously feeding the 4000, I was reminded of God's provision of manna. Millions were fed for years in the wilderness by God's hand. Is it so hard to think that Jesus could multiply seven loaves to feed 4000?

It seems as if the disciples were continuously amazed by Jesus' miracles. They recognized Jesus as God's son, but they still lacked understanding of his power. Jesus even asked them, "How is it that you do not understand?" Mark 8:21

Genesis 1:2: "And God said, Let there be light and there was light."

Ezekiel 37:1-10
Read the entire passage.
"…in the midst of the valley which was full of bones…they were very dry…I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, and exceeding great army."

God is the creator. He creates something from nothing! We cannot figure it out because it's impossible to us, but God can just speak the word and create.

Can you understand? Jesus is God!! He is not only able to speak into your current impossible situation, but He is willing. Call upon Jesus today.

One of the hardest things about a pity party must be the loneliness, but that's the criteria for a pity party. It's a party for one. No invitations are sent. There's no RSVP policy. As a matter of fact, there's usually no planning involved at all.
Example #1: The gym
How is it the place where you go to feel better about yourself can be the most discouraging of all?
5AM: the alarm sounds. Groggily you make your way out of bed and don your workout clothes, grab your water bottle, and walk out the door by 5:30. "Yes!", you think, "I'm doing this!" It's leg day, and as daunting as that sounds, you're up for it. As a matter of fact, your legs are pretty strong. Mentally, you've got this. Then, it happens: you stand facing the mirror to begin your squats. Did I mention the mirror? The room sized mirror lines the entire back wall as an evil reminder of why you come to the gym. Oh sure, there are "no judgement" placards hung probably around the gym. If only they could stamp that into your brain because it's far from a no judgment zone. You squat, bar heavy on your neck, your knee panging, you look into the mirror, and you see it. Your reflection staring back at you, and not just looking at you, but judging you for the bulge in the middle that pokes and squishes with each successive squat.
So it begins. The elation, satisfaction, and self-worth you felt as you pulled out of your driveway to exercise are quickly replaced by disgust, anxiety, and self-loathing. Everyone around you continues to lift, talk, and laugh. You hold back your tears, paste on a smile, and begin an inward debate much like the cartoons of old with an angel character on one shoulder and a devil on the other. The angel speaks reason, "You are here. You are doing good. It's something! Keep going. You can do it."

The devil counters, "You don't fit in here. Everyone else is already fit. They look at you and laugh. You'll never conquer this. It hurts. It's no fun. You're weak."
Each consecutive exercise seems heavier and more difficult than normal. You forget to count your reps because the conversation inside your head dominates your concentration. You stand back from the crowd, attempt to hide from others, and fight back the urge to cry because that would look even more ridiculous. You finish the day on the treadmill. People on either side of you are running in place as you breathe heavily and lower your pace to that of a turtle. You feel inept, sub par, and so alone. How can others understand? They are running, for goodness sake! All you can do is put one foot in front of the other and hold your head high as you walk out of the gym accomplished, yet defeated.
Example 2: The workplace
You've been hurt. A coworker, friend, or patron has left you and gone to another. Swirls of doubt and what if's plague your mind. But, you have a job to do, so you plaster on a fake smirk and push through.
The effort it takes to complete your ordinary, perhaps even mundane, tasks weighs heavily upon you. You feel inept at your job. You begin to doubt you're even in the right career.
At home your attitude worsens. You don't feel the need to hide your emotions from your family, so you mope around the house. Not willing to share too much, you prefer to sulk and withdraw. Your family sees you smile at work and faithfully complete work obligations, but at home your despondency sends a mixed message. Your family feels as if they are the cause for this mood change because you never want to talk about work. Sometimes days pass, sometimes longer, before you decide to let your guard down and let people love you again because the reality is: you feel unlovable.
Example 3: Family drama
The ones who you love the most hurt you the most. Unconditional love may be required within family circles, but what of unconditional respect, acceptance, and forgiveness? That's another story.
Maintaining close family relations requires work. Unfortunately equal distribution of labor is difficult. Seems as if everyone waits for someone else to plan. Feelings of loneliness creep in creating false scenarios in your head.
It's funny how you can be in a room filled with people and still feel alone. Families morph over time. Change is inevitable. Children grow and encounter different friends through the years. Some you learn to love, and others you may never meet. They are a chapter or line in the life of a family member but not grafted in. Time continues to pass until "the one" comes along, and spouses, in-laws, enter the mix.
With each new addition, you might encounter growing pains. You learn the personalities, likes, and dislikes of your new family. Sometimes compromises must be made, old traditions changed, and new traditions emerge.
Families experience loss, heart ache, and tribulation together. Each member processing differently. Many times we lash out at each other instead of seeking comfort, thus, causing sorrow upon sorrow.
As family units grow, so grows the extended family. Dynamics change drastically when children become adults and grandchildren enter the picture. As the outer circle enlarges encompassing the new addition, the concentric circle focuses on the bull's-eye, so to speak. You recognize you are a part of something big, but each individual family gets caught up in their own world. Each family unit might carry on the tradition of the past; however, independently from the group, therefore division, loneliness, and uncertainty creep in.
Preconceived ideas of what others must be doing or thinking lead to a lack of patience and quick temper. Words are exchanged, people are hurt, and again, you are left lonely.
Reckless thoughts in your head leaving a wake of casualties along your path.
2 Corinthians 10:5b (NLT)
We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
Philippians 3:2 (NLT)
I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
Mind games: not for fun, but to be overcome. A battle rages daily inside of you. It is high time you rise up, kick the devil off of your shoulder, and stomp him underground. Hearken unto the voice of the Lord and recognize:
You are loved!
You are enough!
You are family!
This pity party is over!

Tile from Herod’s Palace in Cesarea on the Mediterranean where the apostle Paul spent two years in prison. 

Pastor Samuel preaching on the square in Tyler TX.

Acts 16:23-25

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

I’m going to share a story that’s not mine, but it’s too good not to repeat.  We had a visiting evangelist this past Sunday, Luke Sasser, and he told the story of a preacher friend of his.  The preacher was driving down the road and was pulled over by a highway patrolman.  The officer asked him to please exit the automobile.  The preacher confusingly asked why.  The officer said he would explain when he exits the car.

As soon as the preacher gets out, the officer turns him and cuffs him explaining their is a warrant for his arrest.  The preacher, shocked, questions the officer, but no answers are given.

A few hours after being arrested, booked, and put into a cell, the preacher finds out there was indeed a warrant out for his arrest for failure to pay a seat belt ticket that he completely forgot about.  The preacher was sentenced to three days in jail.

Later that evening, in his cell, with his many cell mates, the preacher lay on his bunk feeling sorry for his predicament and thought, “This must be how Paul and Silas felt.”

The Lord quickly impressed upon the preacher, “If you were like Paul and Silas, you would be worshiping me instead of sulking in this bunk.”

Wow! The preacher was pricked at the heart, got out of his bunk, asked around for a Bible, and started a devotion with the other inmates.  Before the preacher was released from the jail cell, three men gave their lives to the Lord.

This story touched me.  We are so quick to fall into “woe is me” mode that we miss the opportunity to minister where we are.  Everyday presents a new challenge.  Everyday we must choose to worship God rather than blame God.  If we choose worship, the windows of heaven will open and pour blessings upon our lives and the lives of others.  Sometimes the windows of heaven may look like a jail cell.  God’s ways don’t always look like our ways.  We must trust Him in all things.

 

Matthew 23:12 (MSG)

If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

Lesson #1

It’s ok to be yourself. Just have fun. We heard many songs, in many languages, and many different talent levels. Singing brings joy and comfort acting as a therapeutic mantra. Oftentimes, we seem to hold back due to some misguided thought of what other people “might think”.

I hang out with a former student sometimes. She is a wonderful person, but her cognitive skills are below level. I don’t know exactly, but I would guess she’s about like a 13 year old in a 30 year old body. We go out and shop, eat, see a movie, get pedicures, etc. She is always laughing, joking, & cutting up. More than once, she has told me, “Amy, I need to teach you to have fun!” There is so much truth in her simplistic observations. For some reason, we grow up and put on a solemn mask. Certainly, my ideas of fun may differ from hers or yours, but the premise remains true:

Be yourself; have fun; sing, even if it’s off-key!

Lesson #2

As I sat and listened to the karaoke singers, the words to many songs leapt off the screen like never before. Many times I hear things differently than they are being sung. As a child, I would loudly sing along with Kenny Rogers,

“You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille.

400 children and a crop in the field….”

Surprisingly, my mom let me know the actual words to the song are “four hungry children”. Certainly that is a more reasonable lyric.

Being a teen of the 80s era, I consider myself familiar with the music of Michael Jackson. One of the karaokiers chose to sing, “The Man in the Mirror”, Friday night. The words to that song struck a chord inside me. Even Sunday morning, I still found myself singing over and over:

I’m starting with the man in the mirror.

I’m asking him to change his ways.

And no message could have been any clearer.

If you wanna make the world a better place,

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.

Na na na na na na na na na na….

Truly, this is all we can do. I cannot control you. I cannot control the government. Ultimately, I can only control me. So, if I focus on making myself better, then my world will be better. You, make yourself better, and so on, and so on, and “being better” will become contagious and spread to others, and effect the world!

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Matthew 26:42

…thy will be done.

If you haven’t heard it yet, go to YouTube and listen to Hillary Scott’s song, Thy Will Be Done. The message of her lyrics mimics Jesus just before He goes to the cross to take away the sins of the world. He struggles with the pain and suffering He soon will experience, but nevertheless, He accepts the will of the Father. 

Similarly, as circumstances of life overwhelm us, we are faced with difficult decisions and unanswerable questions. With each new tragic incident, I hear people exclaim, “why would God allow this to happen?” I cannot answer the whys.

What I do know is that God is real. God does hear our prayer. God is just. God loves you. God loves me.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:45, “…for He maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Life happens to us all. Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s bad. We must choose to praise God through the victories and defeats. If we concede to allow His will to be fulfilled in our lives, then we are guaranteed a resurrection after each death experience. 

It’s not all rainbows and puppies serving the Lord. But, the benefits are out of this world. Trust Him today. 

Ecclesiastes 7:3

Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. 

Sadness can weigh heavily upon a person. The past couple of weeks have been sad. One of my close relatives has found himself in a dire predicament; one of my dear friends has had serious family issues; another of my friends has been suffering from bouts of depression; one of my husband’s aunts, who I consider my own aunt, passed away; and today one of my close high school friends went to be with the Lord. I feel sad. 

Sadness is a difficult emotion. Oftentimes we tend to hide our feelings of sadness. We go on with our life; we work; we smile: we answer “fine” when asked our well-being, when in reality, we are anything but fine. This is the problem with sadness.

How can this scripture be true? How can sadness, that terrible feeling, be better than laughter? 

I learned this life lesson from the movie, Inside Out. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. The premise of the movie is that the main characters are the emotions inside the teenage girl’s head. Sadness seems to be blamed for the chaos that ensues. Just when we think all hope is lost, Joy has the realization that when Sadness is present, the family rallies together.

In times of sadness, if we confide in those close to us, then we find support and love. Joy overcomes sadness when we are transparent about our feelings and allow others to comfort our hearts. And, we have the promise of the Lord. He will turn our sorrows into joy. 

Psalm 30:5b

…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Acts 12:5

But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

There are many different kinds of prisons in this life. There is the actual physical building with cells and bars where many are contained. There is a prison of your mind where your thoughts control you, and therefore you feel trapped rather than free. If you ask a teenager, he might proclaim school is a prison because he is required to attend. Some suffer in a prison of circumstances and feel backed into a corner with no chance of escape. 

Fear not because God still works miracles. “The Lord has sent His angel and saved me….”(Acts 12:11b) Peter thought he was experiencing a vision, but the reality was that God heard the prayers of His people and sent an angel to perform a mighty work, an unexplainable work, a supernatural work. Prayer changes things! 

I encourage you today to join your faith with others and pray together. Philippians 4:6 declares, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.”(NLT) I believe just as God moved on behalf of Peter, God will send His angel to the secret places and supernaturally, unexplainably, and mightily move on your behalf, too!

Be free today. The Lord has sent His angel to rescue you.