Silence is Golden.

Scripture: "Be still and know that I am God."

Years ago when I was growing up, I remember my family telling me things like, "silence is golden" and "children should be seen and not heard." This always bothered me because I have always thought I had something to contribute even at an early age. Then, years later I learned "people don't care what you know until they know that you care." This was also hard for me because I know that I care but am usually not perceived as caring until someoe gets to know me.

When I was in Bible college 30 years ago, I was in the college choir and when we performed we always had a time to give our testimonies. A number of times I gave my testimony and sited "Be still and know that I am God." It got to be a joke in the choir that Bruce was going to give the same testimony again. I liked giving my testimony and it never occurred to me how others in the choir waw perceiving it. I look back on it and it was pretty funny.

Well some silence my be golden, and we do need to still long enough to hear God when He speaks to us, but there comes a time when the voice of silence needs to be broken and I guess that is what I am doing here. ;-)

It has been a while since I have felt the leading of God to share in this blog. I can' really tell you all why, except that somehow the enemy had convinced me that my words had little value. I know that is not true but the business of my life over the past 6 months, buying a house, moving , taking care of "emergencies" have preoccupied me.

The love in the body of Christ always brings one back. That is also the case here. A brother in Christ in our readership loved me enough to encourage me and I thank him for that. I also thank our Lord for the love in the body of Christ that we have here in this blog.

Prayer:
Thank you Lord Jesus for uniting us in this place, giving us a place to encourage one another every day. Continue to bless all our readers and fill them with your grace and peace. Amen.

Prayer Time

Scripture: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, he was there alone …”(Matthew 14:23)

I didn’t have a blog for today.

So I wasn’t going to write one.

But then I remembered at church on Sunday a skit a friend told me about a long time ago on Youtube. The skit was filmed at a church with the song, “Everything” by Lifehouse playing in the background. We sing “Everything” at church, so I am very familiar with the song, it’s one of my favorites. My friend shared how incredibly moving the video was, so I had a moment of time to find it on the internet.

I watched 45 seconds of a 5 minute presentation, and had to hit pause because I was going to start bawling. But it was a good thing. It took me probably 20 to 30 minutes to watch it, because I had to keep hitting “pause” to compose myself. No kidding!

Have you ever found yourself going on with your life, and then something out of the blue hits you, and I mean really strikes a chord in you, where you realize you have this weak spot that only GOD knew about, and He presents it to you in such an undeniable way, you just want to fall to your knees and sob at His feet?

Yeah. Like that. That’s what this presentation did to me. Now, I’m not going to build it up and make it sound like everyone who sees it is going to need a couple boxes of tissue next to them, because it’s probably not going to strike everyone the same way. I think this video will touch people in different ways, on different levels. I won’t tell you much about it, either. I am compelled to share it with you because I believe it’s at least thought provoking, if not deeply touching. I also wanted to write this blog to share with you MY “weak spot”. After all, I believe it’s in the sharing of each others’ weaknesses that we can all grow and mature together as Christians. It’s through others’ struggles we often learn to walk a stronger walk.

It occurred to me today that several of my blogs, lately, surround the topic of “distraction” and “distance”. If there is one battle in my life, it’s fighting for that special, daily time with God. I find it here and there with Him, where I will praise Him, give Him thanks, run over memorized scriptures in my head to Him – but life’s distractions can be so strong and compelling. There are times I will go to bed, roll onto my side and in that quiet, calm moment (if my dog isn’t bouncing around on my bed or trying to lick my face) before I fall asleep, I will talk to God – for the first time in a while. But I am struck by how much I dislike that time between conversations with Him. I don’t want to be that far. I don’t want life to get between me and Him. After all, He is the reason I HAVE life at all!!

I didn’t see this struggle in my life before as strongly as I do now. But it is genuine, and now I see it in “Technicolor”: But He waits for me. He waits for me to talk to Him. Open arms, just waiting for me to dedicate my time to Him. Not in any kind of unhappy, impatient, frustrated, chastising kind of way – but just patiently waiting, just the same. He’s been there the whole time. I know that. He is a loving God, and He wants His children near. But that is the beauty of free will. We must want it, and we must want it bad enough to discipline our own lives around whatever it is we need to do to be closer to Him. And He will meet us there every time.

I can’t help but wonder how much richer my life would be if I didn’t allow time, life and distractions to get between He and I. The Youtube video isn’t so much about distractions like my own – but it is eerily similar. So if you have a little over 5 minutes and are curious as to what I am talking about, watch “Everything”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

Some of you may have already seen it. If it’s new, maybe you can take something away from it. But because of my own life’s struggles, it struck that “chord” in me, and I wanted to share it with you.

Prayer request: For all of us who are carried away by the struggles and busy-ness of life – to find time daily to commune with our Lord.

Prayer: Lord, help each one of us to seek you out on a daily basis. Help us to carve out special “me and You” time to rejuvenate our spirits, strengthen our walk, do battle against the forces of the day, and to build a much stronger relationship with You. Help each of us to attain this goal. Amen

All for The Glory of God

Scriptures: “by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” (Colossian 1:16)

Someone planted a lot of camellias in his backyard. Whenever the season came, these camellias would blossom. There were so many of them that the branches were hanging low because of their weight. But, once the season was over, they would fell to the ground and be out of sight in no time.

A lot of these camellias were hiding beneath leaves and branches. For fear that they would ever go un-noticed, this man would cut them off and placed them in vases so they could be seen and appreciated. He considered it a pity that flowers should blossom without being appreciated. If these flowers were ever appreciated, he thought, they did fulfill their purposes.

One day, it dawned on him that, for these flowers in his backyard, he could at least do something about them to make their lives meaningful. But, what about those blossoming in the fields or on the hillsides where few people ever visited? There was nothing he could do to help them achieve the purpose of their existence, at least that’s what he believed.

One day, this man read today’s passage from the scriptures. He suddenly realized that, if the meaning of the existence of flowers in the backyard lies in the appreciation of their owner, wouldn’t the meaning of all creatures’ existence also lies in the appreciation of their Creator? Those flowers in the fields or on the hillsides were not wasted because of their location. They were not wasted because they had their rightful Owner. Their beauty was silent praises to their Creator. All beautiful things, material or spiritual, will never be wasted for they fill this universe with praises to their Creator.

Sometimes we tend to think that only those highly visible ministries are the ones God remembers. We forgot that, even for those un-noticeable ones, they exist for the glory of God and they receive the appreciation of God. We unknowingly and unconsciously created classes of ministries and worse yet, label them with varying degrees of significance. This unconscious set of ministry hierarchy often determines what ministry we choose to serve and how we regard ourselves as well as others.

But Jesus told us that, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciples, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42) It may be a simple act of kindness like giving a cup of water. But, when it’s done for the Lord’s sake, it’s recorded in heaven and remembered by our Lord.

A brother in Christ told me that, after he came to the United States, he met a sister in the church who called him Teacher Shen. He was surprised to hear that and inquired why she called him as such. She replied, “Don’t you remember that naughty girl who always make troubles in your Physics class? That’s me.” Then she went on to tell him how much she appreciated his teaching. He said, “I was only a teacher.” Little did he know that his teaching touched and changed many lives in the process.

Bible says, “all things were created by him and for him.” (Colossian 1:6) All things! That definitely includes things we consider little or insignificant. I pray that our hearts and deeds are like those flowers in the fields and those on the hillsides, willing to blossom, even if only for the eyes of our Lord to appreciate.

Prayer Requests:
For all those feeling insignificant

Prayer:
Father God, sometimes we are blinded by our own twisted sight and fail to see the beauty and praises to and for You through Your creation. Please help us to see all things through Your eyes so we may truly humble ourselves for Your purposes because we pray in the glorious name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!

Taking Time

A friend from Poland sent me the following story:

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes, a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes: The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised: In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ....

How many other things are we missing?

There are those who claim that miracles don't happen any more. Because they don't see people walking on water like Jesus did, or experience radical moments of conversion like St. Paul, or part the sea like Moses, they say God has abandoned us or, worse, that He never existed and that those of us who are believers are wasting our time.

I think the real problem is that we simply don't stop long enough to consider that every breath we take is a miracle. That we can see, walk, smell, taste to any degree at all is a gift from God. Every one of us is a miracle and a gift. Let's be sure we take time to recognize that and give thanks to the Giver.

Lessons from the Grape Vine

Scripture: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful …”

While gardening recently, I had had to cut back a plant that was very “viney”. I don’t remember what my cousin told me the name of the plant was, but during the 6 months the house had been vacant, this plant cascaded down the wall, streamed across the patio left, right and center, and begin swallowing up a good portion of the ground.
It took several days, but I had to trim back this out of control vine plant. As I trimmed and discarded the vine from the patio area, I noticed how strong the vines were, how they had wrapped themselves around a wrought iron gate, streamed towards the water hose, and began taking over the back yard. I imagine that if there had been a time lapse film of this plant growing, it would be the inspiration for a horror movie. In fact, I told my friend, “I can see why they make scary movies about vines grabbing people!” A tendril would get stuck in my hair while I was working underneath, and as I pulled away, the vine would follow me for a little bit before it released my hair. I’d grab a pile of clippings to put in the trashcan, but there would be one vine I had forgotten to clip, and it wouldn’t snap with a tug – I had to take my shears to it.

Further reflection continued when after a single day, the vines, once clipped, died within 24 hours. I was surprised at the rapidity of deterioration after a single day of being clipped from the main vine.

This all reminded me of John 15, and I couldn’t help but think about how Jesus used a vine as an analogy of Himself and towards us as believers.

Far distant from being a vineyard keeper or farmer, I decided to do a little research about grape vines, and the information I found was very interesting!

Part of my research revealed the following: “In order to produce fruit, grape vines need sunlight. Grape vines will certainly grow in shaded areas but sunlight is the catalyst for fruit bearing vines! Shade limits a vine's ability to formate buds and cause flowering buds to simply drop to the ground.”

So we learn that in order to produce fruit, grape vines (which is very likely the word picture Christ used) need sunlight .. or, in our case, Son Light to bear fruit. Shade (distance from the Son) limits a vine’s ability to grow fruit!

And then check out this compelling fact: “Nearby trees can produce bothersome shade along with a host of other problems. Birds, deer, rodents, rabbits and raccoons all pose a threat to your vines. Nearby trees can also rob soil of needed moisture. Neighboring trees and woods may contain wild grape vines that have diseases and detrimental insects.”

So not only do vines grow heartily in Son Light, but other plant life (people) can create shade (distance from the Son) for the vine (believers). So vines must be protected! I believe the birds, deer and rodents mentioned all represent “distractions” in our lives that keep us from being all we can be, and prevent us from bearing the best fruit possible. Other trees (people) “can rob soil of needed moisture”. Ever had someone come into your life that just drained you of all emotional resources? Sometimes people will cross our paths that exude nothing but negativity, and no matter what positive way you speak to them, they resist any other perspective. After a while, our own faith begins to wilt unless we create distance for ourselves in order to protect ourselves.

So we learn that not only do grape vines grow well in sunlight, must be protected from shade and predators, but furthermore, “Grapevines need proper training and pruning during the first three years. Once they start producing fruit, annual pruning is needed to maintain the balance between vegetative growth and fruit production. If grapevines produce too much fruit in one year, they will not produce a good crop next year and could suffer winter damage. If grapevines produce too little fruit one year, they will produce too many shoots and leaves that year.”

What an excellent example of the Christian life. Once we accept Christ into our lives, it is always important to be planted in a church community in order for our knowledge and faith to grow regarding who Christ is, and what is expected of us as newborn Christians. This is the “proper training and pruning” mentioned above. The more we stay planted, the stronger our faith grows and strengthens. Another point I discovered is that “grapevines need a trellis or some other support to help them grow.” We also need a community of believers around us to help us continue walking the straight and narrow. Otherwise, like my unchecked vine plant, we as believers will end up going in every direction except for the PROPER direction God meant for us.
There is also a lesson about balance here. Some Christians go all out in their faith all at once, but sometimes, some find themselves giving too much of themselves without restraint and consequently, burn themselves out. Remember, even Jesus pulled away from the crowds to commune with His Father alone, (Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12) as well should we.
So take it from the grape vine: Stay in the Son, don’t allow yourself to get distracted, trust the Gardener to protect you, stay accountable to others within your church community group and grow, grow grow!!

Prayer: Lord, we ask You to help us all to take the lessons from the grape vine, and remain close to You at all times, keep us from the distractions of our daily lives, and protect us from elements that threaten to harm our strong faith in You. Help each of us to take comfort in our church community in times of need, and help each of us to continue to grow spiritually in You every day. Amen

A Red Umbrella

Scriptures: “Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 1:1)

A mid-west farming community was suffering from a drought. As the drought lingered on, the quality of life in this community worsened. Not only did they need water for their fields, but also for their daily personal needs. The situation became so bad that the church there decided to have a prayer meeting for rain.

The time for the prayer meeting came and lots of people showed up. They were all concerned with such a severe and personal problem. The pastor got there early and, as he moved his way through the crowds to the front, he could feel the anxiety and helplessness as he greeted people.

When he got to the front, just as he was about to tell everyone that the prayer meeting was about to begin, he noticed that there was an eleven-year-old girl sitting on the first row, with her face shining with excitement and a red umbrella next to her. When the pastor saw her, he couldn’t help smiling because, even though many people came to the meeting to pray for rain, only this girl expected to see the response from God.

We Christians have been taught and encouraged to pray. We believe that prayers will enhance our relationships with God. We believe that God actually hears our prayers. We believe that God cares enough about us that He does intervene in our lives. But, how often do we pray with the conviction that God will respond?

This eleven-year-old girl reminds me of the importance and the reality of a personal relationship with God. She went to that prayer meeting with excitement. Why? Was it simply because it’s a church activity where she was going to meet a lot of people? Or was it because she was expecting to meet with God through prayers? The presence of the red umbrella said so much about how she looked at the God she put faith in. She might have been too young to really understand all the economic implications of the drought. But she knew God enough to know that He cared, He’s willing, and He was more than capable of delivering them out of that drought. More than knowing, she actually expected God to respond to their prayers right there by sending rain to them.

Who said faith is separable from deeds? They are two sides of the same thing called the new life from God. Bible is very clear on this issue. Apostle Paul asked the all Christians that they were “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3) Apostle John taught that “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (I John 2:6) Apostle James was also very clear on this for he said, “As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26)

My dad was recently admitted to a hospital because he fainted when he was walking on the road. When the doctor came in to check on him, the first thing he asked the nurse was, “How’s the vital signs?” These vital signs included his heart rate, blood oxygen contents, blood pressure reading, body temperature, and a few others. These were key readings that doctors use to make the initial determination the physical condition of my dad.

Likewise, there are important signs we can use to assess the maturity of our spiritual lives. The most of important sign of these, to me, is how real God is to us. Is He real to us as you and me to each other? Do we actually believe that when we call Him we can actually hear his voice? Do we actually believe that He cares enough for us that He actually checks in on us often to see how we are doing? Have we experienced enough of His love that we actually expect Him to help us in the dilemmas where we can’t do anything about? When we hear a voice in our hearts, can we tell if that’s the voice of God?

In addition to the knowledge about God, as taught by the Bible, how real and how personable God is to you? Given the current economy, this may not be an easy question to answer. But, with all the promises He has given us in the Bible, I think this should not have been a question. Instead, this should have been an opportunity for testimonies, right? May God help us all that, every time we come to Him, we come with a heart ready to jump into action with Him!

Prayer Requests:
For all those facing difficult economic challenges

Prayer:

Our Lord God, the outlook for our material well-being may be bad. But we are convinced that You are in control of our lives, yesterday, today and tomorrows. Help our faith so we may come to You with hearts of obedience, ready to go the direction you have for us so that our lives may be testimonies of Your love and faithfulness. We pray in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!

Keepers

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thes. 5:11).

Some months ago, I got involved with an organization called 40 Days for Life (http://www.40daysforlife.com). It is essentially a pro life group that holds campaigns twice a year, each 40 days long. Groups of people will gather outside abortion clinics and pray, counsel those who are willing to talk to them, and just quietly witness to life. While there is a definite political facet to the organization, i.e., working to overturn Roe v. Wade, the greater concern is for those who have bought into the lies promulgated by the pro choice movement, by encouraging women (and men too) to avoid falling into the quagmire that is abortion, and to offer a means to God’s mercy and healing for those who have already taken that fateful step.

My involvement with this group has given me pause to reflect on what it means to be truly pro life. In the book of Genesis, Cain poses the question: Am I my brother’s keeper? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” In our society that has taken political correctness to a level of absurdity, people have been brainwashed into essentially washing their hands of each other’s well being. The common excuse is, “Well, I’m personally opposed to ‘X’ but it’s not my place to tell someone else what to do.” How uncharitable would it be to tell someone, “Well, I’m personally opposed to the idea of going to hell, but it’s not my business what you do.” Jesus warned us that we will not only answer for what we did in this life, but also for what we failed to do (cf. Matt. 25:45).

When St. Paul tells us in Romans 12:5 that we, though many, are the one body of Christ, he implies a shared responsibility that we all have for one another, including and perhaps most especially for those who are not believers. The great Spanish mystic, Teresa of Avila, wrote that our true level of charity is measured by our concern for one another’s salvation. That means that we not only have a right to stick our noses into someone else’s business, we have a duty to do so if we see another doing something that might threaten his or her eternal salvation.

The key, of course, is that we examine our motivation to be sure we are acting out of heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another…. And over all these, put on love, that is the bond of perfection (Col. 3:12-14). After all, Jesus said that He did not come into the world to condemn it, but rather to redeem it. Thanks be to God that He calls us to be instruments of that redemption to one another!

The House that God Built

Scripture: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

I have had an amazing couple of weeks. I have seen God truly in action over the past 3 months, but during the past two weeks He has made His precious presence ever known through my church family in ways I never expected. I sense that as I write this, it’s going to be hard for me to not tear up, because what I have experienced has left me feeling overwhelmed with the Father’s love as shown through my sisters and brothers in Christ in ways unimaginable.

My best friend and I recently pooled our finances and purchased a home in the town I grew up in, a town that carries many, many childhood memories for me. It’s the city that has always enveloped me when I visit, and no matter how much it changes and grows, it will always be “home” to me. I have bounced around Ventura County since I moved out of my mom's house, but no place is like my hometown, Camarillo.

Through our wonderful realtor friend from church, we purchased a home that was solid, but needed a lot of cosmetic work: paint, minor repairs, screen doors, a good lawn mowing, tree trimming, did I mention paint? I knew it was quite a bit of work, but once we rolled up our sleeves and really dug in, it was a LOT more work than I ever expected!! I had no regrets, but rather, it was just a bigger challenge than I had anticipated.

Have you ever dug into a project with one result in mind and discover a whole NEW project underneath? The kind of project you step back from to assess and go, “Uh oh, this is a little more than just …. “

There was a lot of that.

But over the past two weeks, we were on a deadline, as escrow closed unexpectedly late, and we needed to be out of our apartment or pay rent AND mortgage. My friend and I were running on 4 or 5 hours sleep and a lot of Starbucks drinks to keep us going, all the while, going to work 8-5. By the grace of God we didn’t get sick from running ourselves down so bad.

But my amazement comes from our friends who not only offered their time, but for two weeks, they pretty much gave up their normal, daily routines of LIFE just to help us out with a laundry list of things that needed to be done, even as the list unexpectedly grew. Every night, I went to bed, feeling not only good that a lot had been accomplished, but that we had friends who were showing up day after day and DEVOTING time to our little home to get it up and running.

I am proud to say that ours is The House that God Built. I say that, because if it wasn’t for our church family, our job would have been much, much harder. Not only with the furniture coming in, but also, we didn't have all the skills needed for some of the repairs. Mind you, we are two hearty, can-do women, not afraid to learn how to operate a table saw, willing to work a drill and caulk our own bathtubs and showers (no more calling the apartment repairmen for this stuff!!).

But God brought around us people of different skill levels and abilities, and some who couldn’t do repairs, came over and fed us and our little “crew”. Some people were able to show up a lot, others came over once or twice .. but every moment was precious to us. As the two weeks came to a close, and the house was transforming into a beautiful home in record time, I couldn’t help but think about how much this house was being built with so much love, not only for my best friend and I, but these people are believers in Christ whom we’ve made connections with within our church, and I felt that God really shined through our friends as they donated so much time to getting our place in shape.

We missed 2 weeks of church in the process, and last Sunday morning, I woke up for the first time in "my house". It felt great. And I don’t think I will ever take for granted the tender work that went into each room, from laying floorboards, to painting walls and ceilings, to replacing faucets and repairing a backed up sink and rebuilding a beat up and broken fence, and even that fan that is twirling in my bedroom and the new locks in every door. I walk through the house, and I know who did what, and they did it out of love; they freely gave their time and energy, and I am overwhelmed.

I sat in church last Sunday, and it was the first time in two weeks I actually RESTED. As the worship music penetrated my soul, and the peaceful feeling of accomplishment and rest washed over me, came a tidal wave of emotion as our helpful friends sat on either side and behind us at church – it all hit me how loved we are. I began sobbing and barely contained myself, because what I felt was the Father’s love through the people I was surrounded by. It was nothing less than overwhelming.

What we experienced was God's love in action. As I explained to one of my dear friends why I was crying so hard, she reached over to me and said, "What you feel is only a fraction of the Father's love for you."

There are no words to describe being the recipient of so much love. How profound that the love that drove me to my knees from those around me is only a fraction of the love God has for me. My mind cannot fathom such love. But I am grateful to be in His kingdom, and for those who shared such love and joy with my best friend and I.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for the love You have demonstrated through Your faithful servants, these friends you have brought into my life. They have shown Your love in such mighty and practical ways. Motivate us to continue helping others in need, and showing Your love in our actions with others. Help us all to continue to be a witness to who You are, and help us to share with others the love you have for them! Amen

THE LORD'S BASEBALL GAME

THE LORD'S BASEBALL GAME

Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team.

The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named 'Love.'

Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because 'Love never fails.'

The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love.

The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch.

Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan throws.

The bases were now loaded.. The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, 'He sure doesn't look like much!'

Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen! But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by..

He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; the roaring crowds went wild as the ball continued over the fence . . for a home run!

The Lord's team w n!

The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love, Faith and Godly Wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game.. Freddy answered that he didn't know why.

The Lord explained, 'If your love , faith and wisdom had won the game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom will get you on base but only My Grace can get you Home:

'For by Grace are you saved, it is a gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.' Ephesians 2:8-9

Psalm 84:11, 'For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.'


'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'
Phil 4:13

A Bit of Time

Scripture: But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:13)

With the advance of technology, I believe many of us have been pulled away from quality time with God. With cell phones, TVs in every room of the house with a choice of 153 channels, a computer parked somewhere in the home, video and computer games going, satellite radio and so on, it's easy to get distracted.

On the other hand, I believe email brings one very good thing: encouraging forwards. I can't tell you how many times I have opened a forward and have been moved to tears and have had to fight off a lump in my throat because someone thought to send me something so deep, meaningful, or something I can either relate to or apply to my own life.

The forward below was sent to me, and I saved it, because I was touched by it. It put a spotlight in my own life on the "drift" I have sometimes felt in my own life at times.

Right now I am in the middle of moving into a new home. It's easy to forget God in the middle of repairs, painting, gardening, getting the place ready for Move Day. But recently, while I worked alone, I talked to God while I was pulling weeds and traipsing in and out of the house. For once I didn't feel like turning on the radio. I chose silence and although I was busy, I had quiet time with the Lord, as I dedicated my new home to Him, asked Him to bless me and my household, as well as all those who come through the front door. I prayed for protection and safety and for blessings upon us and all those helping us working to made this house a "home". It felt so good to have a "running conversation" with Him.

I hope you enjoy the poem below as much as I did.

"Checking In Today"

A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn't shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head, Then rose and walked away.
In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment, A lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister's suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him, 'What are you doing here?'
The old man said, he worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour.

Lunchtime was his prayer time, For finding strength and power.
'I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord, This is kinda what I say:

'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY.'

The minister feeling foolish, told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome To come and pray just anytime
Time to go, Jim smiled, said 'Thanks.' He hurried to the door.

The minister knelt at the altar, he'd never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love, and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart, he repeated old Jim's prayer:

'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY.'

Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn't come.
As more than 20 days passed without Jim, he began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him, learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried, But he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them, Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious. Changed people, were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came, Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed, He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared. He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile;

'the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, that he's in here all the while
everyday at noon He's here, a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand, Leans over and says to me:

'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP, AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY, I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY.'

Prayer request: For all those who need alone time with God to find it in the middle of whatever they are doing.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we run dry, and we forget Who you are, and where You are. Help each of us to take a bit of time each day to praise You and acknowledge Your blessings upon us.

Love Never Fails

Scriptures: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ” (I Corinthians 13:4-8)

Many years ago, I saw a movie that left a great impression on me. It was about a couple in their fifties. The husband owned a small business and the wife was taking care of their home. They had a couple of children, with the elder one going to college and the younger one still in high school.

Their lives were moving along pretty good until one day the wife noticed that she was becoming forgetful of things or directions. So they went for a check up and discovered that she had Alzheimer. From that time on, her condition deteriorated quickly. Very soon, she was not able to know her way around, even her home and was not able even to recognize her family members, including her husband. Worse than that, she became unresponsive to them most of the time. This made everyone sad and was especially hard for her husband who loved her so dearly.

One day, in his daily jogging across the park, he met a woman whose gentle and caring spirit touched him. Out of his loneliness and hopelessness, he began to see this woman until one day he realized his caring for this woman seemed to have gone beyond a friend. This disturbed him a lot because, as helpless and hopeless he felt for his relationship with his wife, he still cared a lot about her. So he went to talk to his friend about the struggles he had.

In addition to counseling, his friend prayed for him and invited him to a evangelistic crusade where, for the first time, he heard about the love of God, the sacrificial and unwaveringly committed love. Reflecting on his relationships with the woman he met in the park and with his wife, he knew what he needed to do.

That night, after the crusade event, he went to talk to that woman and told her that he could not see her any more because he was still committed to his wife. Then, he went home to see his wife. Sitting at her side as she was lying in bed and not being able to recognize who he was, he took out their marriage certificate and recite his marriage vow with her, saying “I, ( ) , take you, ( ) , to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”

This movie touched me deeply, not just because of the struggles he went through, but rather, because of his dedicated love to his wife which reminds me of the love of God. So often we act like someone who has a spiritual Alzheimer, disoriented and not being able to recognize our Lord, our God. Yet, time and again, in His words and deeds, He reiterated His love for us and recommitted Himself to this relationship we have with Him.

In our marriage vows, we can only commit “until death do us part.” But, with God, His commitment goes way beyond death. His love is good till eternity. As many people are renewing their marriage vows today, I wonder how many of us ever think about renewing our commitment to our Lord Jesus. He’s the One from whom we receive God’s love and learn to love the godly way.

Paul said in the book of Romans, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? …For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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 8:35, 38-39)

Thank you, Jesus!

Prayer Requests:
For those feeling strained or tension in marriage

Prayer:
Father, we know how to love because You first loved us. Help us to remain committed to Your love and truth so we can continue to show to this depraved world Your love they desperately need by the guidance of Your Spirit. In the glorious name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!