What started out as an email to my mama and ended up as this rambling...

The snow has been falling since early morning and it is windy.... I'm glad that I don't have any need to go outside today. Just one room rented last night and they are supposed to hit the road sometime today. Wonder if they'll end up staying for another night? Hmmm... guess we'll see. There is room at the inn. :) Thankful that I'm warm and cozy and just now thought about those who are not so blessed. There was a fire in Nicholasville earlier this week that totally destroyed an apartment complex. No lives lost, but people lost everything and I wonder if the cause of the fire was someone trying to stay warm in the midst of this bitter cold and using the wrong means to do so? The kids didn't have school at all last week and many people were complaining about that... But I think of all the families in Jessamine County alone who don't have the means to stay warm in their own home, let alone outside in this bitter weather waiting for a bus to come. There are many, I suspect, who would be much warmer and better off inside the schools... if they could survive long enough to get there. What do we do to help the ones who are cold both in the streets and in their own homes? Do we wish them to be "warm and well fed" but do nothing to help them to work towards those means? Oh, Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see the ways that you would work through us in this way and so many others.... let us not forget the many overflowing blessings in our lives and discover a way to splash them onto the people around us... you bless us, Lord, that we may be a blessing.

Naked and unashamed

This week I attended the funeral for a man who died much too young. His service was a beautiful celebration of his life and, I suspect, many people walked away learning many new things about his character. Hearing more about him made me wish I had taken the time to know him better.

One story that was shared seemed, at first, "inappropriate." His dearest friend from college days shared a story of  a wild adventure the two of them had together (some number of years after college). In the middle of a cold winter night, the two of them stripped down to nothing but their shoes and ran around the apartment complex. Naked. It was a story that, perhaps, felt awkward and uncomfortable at times. Yet, in the end this friend also talked about the many conversations that the two of them often had about deeper matters.

These two had become friends who were able to "get naked" in front of each other, in every sense of the word. They were comfortable in their own skin when they shared together. Ideas and feelings that most would hide deep inside were able to come to the surface and be shared.

We all need a friend like that. Someone with whom we can be vulnerable. Someone  to whom we can tell the naked truth and who can do the same with us. We need that person who will tell it to us straight, who will trust us with the deepest matters of their hearts.

Do you have that someone? I pray you do. In the Flesh. And if you don't, be reassured that Jesus can be that person for you and, if you ask, perhaps He'll help you find HIM in a fleshy form through someone here on earth. Be encouraged by these words from Psalm 139:

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

Light

I woke up early this morning and I must confess my first thought was this:

"Oh, if only it were light outside. I miss the sun."

Thankfully, my second thought was this:

"But the days are now getting longer, soon it will be light at this hour. And one day perhaps I'll live in a place where the sun shines all the time... Ah, that would be heaven!"

And then the most wonderful thought of all...

"Yes, in fact, it will be heaven!"

Technically, according to scripture it won't be the sun, but it will be a light more pure and brilliant than sun or moon or stars!

 "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." ~ Revelation 21:23

Praying you'll get just a piece of heaven here on earth today. May His light shine in your heart and may you reflect that light to others throughout the day.

Peace & Joy,
Julie

Reflective verses for 2014

I've not been writing lately and decided that the beginning of a new year was a good time to dive back in... Thought I'd start by sharing some Bible verses that I plan to reflect on in the year ahead and to allow them to serve as a jump off point for discovering more meaningful ways to serve Christ in 2014. 

I decided to take the challenge of choosing a few specific verses for reflection after a friend posted a facebook status asking what verses various people were choosing as a focus for 2014. I hadn’t thought about it much, but her question compelled me to do so -- here’s what I’ve been lead to: 

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
 See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

Isaiah 60:1-6

”When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 

 I’ll be using these verses as a beginning place to consider these things:

1. What does it mean for Jesus to be “the light of the world”?
2. If Jesus is the light of the world, how is it that I, too, am the light of the world?
3. What role can I play in bringing the light of Jesus to a dark world? 

 I hope to write about my experience, so maybe you'll see more here soon.

Blessed 2014 to you!

1.  

S/he will not return to me

Over that past few years, I have walked the journey of watching a friendship that had lasted nearly three decades fall to pieces. It has been a difficult journey, bringing a great deal of grief and pain. 

Recently, I was reminded of the story of King David and the death of his first-born son with Bathsheba. The son was conceived in the midst of David's sin when he took Bathsheba away from Uriah and had Uriah killed. Nathan, the prophet, let David know that the consequence of his sin would be the death of the child. When the child became ill David lamented for many days fasting and neglecting all personal care as he focused on the healing of his son. The child still died and when David heard that his son was dead, he ceased fasting, picked himself up from his bed of sorrows, cleaned up and carried on as leader of his people. When challenged as to his seemingly strange behavior, David said this: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” (See 2 Samuel 12 for the whole story.) 

Hearing this story of David anew, I see my own situation more clearly. I spent many months praying and lamenting the loss of this friendship. A friendship that was broken, in part, by my own sins. I pleaded for reconciliation; yet, I only met with silence. I begged God for an answer.  The turmoil of an unresolved situation was bringing sorrow upon sorrow and I didn't know which way to turn. 

At last, I received a letter from my friend.  The letter was in many ways painful as it pointed out half-truths that caused our relationship to break beyond repair. I finally had my answer. There was to be no reconciliation this side of heaven. I have mourned this loss for many months. 

Recent conversation with a pastor and God speaking to me through this story of David have helped me to be ready to move forward. Now that I know this relationship is dead, why should I go on grieving the loss? I have been tempted in the last few months to continue fighting for the relationship, yet I have my friend's answer that tells me it is not possible. 

Like David, who was given another son after the first died, I must look towards the future instead of mourning the past. The lost relationship is out of my hands, dead, and it is time to move on and nurture the relationships that God is now giving me. 
 

In the Potter's hands

 

 "Remember," the Potter cautioned his students, "you must bring the clay up before you move it out. Otherwise, it will collapse." 

These words, shared with me by a friend taking a pottery class, intrigued me. I had to find out more. I asked my friend, Rudy, if he could expand upon the idea for me. Rudy, considered by many to be a master potter, shared some stimulating information.

"The first and most important thing, when working with clay, is to be sure it is centered. Then you want to bring it up before you start stretching it to make it into a vessel."

I smiled as I marveled at the newest details acquired in my quest towards understanding what it means when the scriptures refer to God as the Potter (e.g. Isaiah 64:8). I've been working to put together the pieces of this puzzle; here is what I know so far:         

The clay must be centered. If we remember that we are the clay, then we understand that we must be centered. The place we begin mandates where we will go and how our lives are shaped. God, our potter, molds us starting with a center that focuses on Him. If we move off center, we are going to affect the way we develop.

Once centered and focused on God, it is time to move upward with Him. We allow God to shape us by raising us up towards Himself. As we remain in His hands, we grow in faith and understanding. Rising up towards Him strengthens us and prepares us for the next step.

As we move upward with God, He will begin to stretch us. He molds us and moves us to begin to take shape in the ways He chooses. Like the clay pot, we can collapse if we begin to stretch out before we have moved up. We may be excited to become what God has planned for us to be. Yet if we move too quickly out without taking the time to center and move upward with God, then we are susceptible to collapsing. Our ministries overwhelm and become too much for us. We burn out. We become frustrated. We collapse.

Another element taken into consideration as the potter crafts his piece is the clay itself. The wise potter knows that the clay has a mind of its own. The clay will sometimes push back as the potter molds and shapes it. What the potter intends to be a pitcher may end up a bowl if the clay is uncooperative.  Yet, when the clay remains in the potter's hands, it still becomes something beautiful. 

So it is with us. We too have minds of our own. God has a plan for us. He starts out molding us with a specific shape in mind. Still we have our own ideas and make our own decisions. This means that our lives may take a different shape than what God first planned for us. The good news is that, as long as we remain in the Potter's hands, we may not become what He originally intended, but we will become something beautiful.

Cracked pots and wilted flowers

I walked into the flower shop carrying the pottery vase with its large cracks on either side. Placing the vase on the counter, I waited patiently for Rosie to finish her phone conversation.

"Rosie, I want you to use this vase and make a beautiful arrangement for me. My only request is that you select flowers that you would not normally use." I smiled at her confusion.

"What do you mean?" she inquired.

"I want you to choose flowers that are flawed, ones that you would normally throw away... Oh, and I do plan to pay for them, I'm not looking for something free." Her puzzled look told me that further explanation was necessary.

"The flower arrangement is to be a visual representation of the God who loves us."

"You see this vase? It is evident, looking at the pot, that it certainly collapsed sometime during the curing process, resulting in the two large tears on either side.  Most of us would have been inclined to toss the pot aside and start over. However, the potter did not. He chose to take the flaws and work them into his creation."

"I want you to do the same with your creation. Take that which would normally be discarded and make it beautiful... imperfect, but beautiful."

Rosie, an artist who is determined to give only her very best, reluctantly agreed to my request. I left her to ponder the challenge, anxious to see what she might create for me. 

When I returned several hours later, Rosie presented me with her offering. Many would notice where she had trimmed away dead leaves and petals from some flowers and had sculpted others with just a small trim around the edges.  Some would find the wire and glue where she had mended some of the stems and petals. All would see the beauty.

Looking at the arrangement, which is sitting on my table, I reflect upon the God who inspired me to request such a creation. He is a God who will take me just as I am, flaws and all. In His gentle hands, He takes me and molds me. He shapes me into something beautiful. He uses my flaws and weaknesses and melds them, with His strength, into something beautiful.