All in Challenge
Several months ago, a broken sprinkler head under high pressure sent muddy water spraying across the front of our home. The deep front porch took the brunt of the filth, with windows, shudders and our pretty red door dirtied. Though it was cleaned up promptly, it wasn’t until this week that I noticed the porch lights that flank our doorway. Stepping out one evening, I wondered why the light was so muted, and noticed that the glass in the lamps was dingy and smeared with the muck.
I am so thankful that God called Jeremiah and not me to be His voice to His people. Jeremiah, at God’s behest, preached gloom and doom to the people of Israel and Judah because of their sin and rebellion.
“But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols”, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 2:11). How could they? God had done so much for them. He had showed Himself Great and Glorious in their presence. He had been faithful, patient, loving. Yet His people had embraced idolatry of every form. Just a few verses later, God says, “They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:13). His beloved was looking elsewhere for satisfaction and sustenance and didn’t even realize that the hunt was futile. What a sad commentary on God’s chosen ones.
Do you know someone who doesn’t know how to listen? I became acquainted with a kind man who worked at a grocery store I frequented. Every time he saw me, he would stop what he was doing and head my way. For the next ten minutes (at least) he would tell me all about what he had been doing, about his family, or about anything that came to mind. He loved to talk, but he didn’t know how to listen. I once told my husband, “I know a lot about that man, but he knows nothing about me.”
I love this action verb “walk.” In fact, I love a good walk…..one that awakens my senses and gets my blood pumping. I love a walk in the early morning hours when darkness becomes light and I can think through the day ahead. But the best kind of walks are those sweet evening walks with my beloved better half….how I love him and enjoy every moment in his presence.
One of the joys of working in college ministry at church is seeing two young people fall in love and get married right out of college. Their wedding day is such a joyful occasion; it is filled with laughter, hope, excitement and lots of dancing.
Israel was faced with impossible odds when they looked at what was before them in the land of Cannan. God promised them the land and Caleb and Joshua saw the great potential it had for their families.
One of the fun adventures I get to do with my daughters as a Girl Scout is camping. We have had the opportunity to camp in a scouts’ backyard, camp by the lake and even camp at SeaWorld in San Antonio. One of the most important items that is listed for our camping trip is a flashlight.
My girls love playing hide and seek. The thrill of finding the perfect hiding spot with the hope of outsmarting the seeker creates a fun game for the whole family. Hide and Seek may be a fun family game for us but we can never play it with God.
My Grandmother had a funny way with words in order to get her point across. Some of her favorite sayings were: “This is how the cow ate the corn” as she grabbed your knee to get your attention, “Well, shoot a monkey” when things did not go her way and “A little bird told me” when she was curious about something she had heard.
I pulled into the rest area and looked around. The people I observed were as varied as the vehicles. Where were they all going? The adventurist in me began to imagine several possible scenarios. For some reason we had all converged in that one location at precisely the same time. Momentarily, we each would continue on our individual routes.
I pulled into the rest area and looked around. The people I observed were as varied as the vehicles. Where were they all going? The adventurist in me began to imagine several possible scenarios.
I am so intrigued with the character of Joshua in the Old Testament. There is much about him that I can relate to! He must have taken the reins of leading the people from Moses’ hands as a total basket case! In the first nine verses of the book of Joshua, God had to tell Joshua three times to be strong and courageous even though he had been Moses’ aide for many years. I can relate to his roadblock of fear and his need for ongoing encouragement!
I can do the math! The Bible says that Enoch lived 65 years, then became a father and walked with God 300 years. Altogether Enoch lived 365 years (Genesis 5:21-23). Like Enoch, raising wee ones certainly drove me to my knees and necessitated a daily walk with Him. The Bible has so little to say about Enoch, but we can see from his place in history that he lacked many faith-building benefits that we enjoy.
I do not have one creative bone in my body. When I walk into an arts and crafts fair, or worse yet, a craft store, I feel like I am going to hyperventilate. I am gifted in other areas, but somebody else got my portion of creativity.
Have you ever been in a tight spot…a place of restriction and confinement? Perhaps circumstances have narrowed your world.
I was up in the wee hours last night. Now that my babies are teenagers, my mid-night awakenings are my own fault and not their hunger or restlessness.
