Alignment

Every January, the women’s minister in my church encourages us to pray and choose a word for the year that would serve as a personal principle or motivator for the coming year. The word I chose in January 2020 was forward. I also wrote a devotional, which was published in February on this website. Today I share an excerpt with you, friend, to show you about God’s power, love and mercy. My God supplied my needs now by giving me these words then. I am invariably humbled by his foresight, love and care.

Baffled

At first, the quarantine was not so bad. I had diligently stocked our pantry while often having flashbacks of my childhood. My grandmother’s kitchen was the center of family life, and she knew how to skillfully prepare meals on a limited budget. It’s funny that my newly acquired habit of carefully selecting organic fresh meats and produce flew out the window when I found myself feeling a sense of security with rice, beans, pasta, canned and frozen foods. Old recipes came to my mind, which brought comfort and I’m sure a few pounds!

If I Must Boast

The effects of the Pandemic of 2020 will be shared in every family. Sadly, those who contracted and survived the virus will describe their suffering and even sadder, the families who suffered loss will memorialize their loved one for generations.list

God’s Goodness

For some reason, God prepared my heart last year about the seriousness of living with an epidemic. I was viewing websites of colleges our granddaughter was considering attending in the fall, which included Abilene Christian University. It was there I read the featured story of Alumnae Kent and Amber Brantly.

What’s a Mom to do?

I’m not the family historian. Fortunately, other members have faithfully gathered helpful information and ancestral stories. I have two amazing grandmothers who lived through the Great Depression and World War II. Their faith that God would care for them remained strong. I also discovered a circuit riding pastor in my lineage, multiple church deacons, a cowboy who drove cattle to feed the confederate army, farmers, school teachers, a whaler, a constable and a physician.

Cows in the Pasture!

“They’re back! I see four cows and a calf from the neighbor’s west pasture! I can’t tell where they came through!” yelled my husband. We donned our boots and gloves to search the fence line. Sure enough, broken wires and a rotten fence post solved the mystery. Time for repairs.

Majestic!

“Majestic” was the only word that came to mind as we texted our sightings to one another. Imagine our excitement discovering eagles had chosen a tall pine tree on our family’s ranch for building their nest! Week by week, the busy parents brought sticks to slowly increase the dimension of what would eventually become a six-foot treetop castle. We waited while the female eagle patiently incubated her eggs. The proud pair now spend their day hunting for food and perching protectively near the nest. They seem proud of their accomplishment! This weekend we finally saw the eaglets! One hopped up onto the side of the nest when a parent arrived with supper dangling from its talons. A second one popped up to vie for its portion.

Beloved

The word caught me by surprise and enthralled my heart. I guess it’s something every little girl wants to feel, “beloved by her father.” I remember a tender moment while visiting my grandmother’s home. For some reason, I saw my father standing with hands in pant pockets, and head tilted back studying the 8 X 10 groupings of Granny’s nine infant grandchildren. I heard him ask my mother, “Are those our babies?” I realized he was trying to identify the faces of his own babies among the display. As a young adult, I suddenly realized I had once been his baby. I do have pictures of him peering proudly into the bassinet at little, swaddled “me.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to continue communicating that adoration throughout the rest of my life—but tender expressions are absolutely no problem for God!

When It All Comes Together

I’m practicing deep breathing as part of daily relaxation disciplines. In my morning devotions I discovered a reason I actually can relax because it’s all going to come together—all this craziness that surrounds me. I feel relief just imagining this new reality.

Transforming Lives: stepping up!

Truth is ladies, we cannot transform lives; only the Spirit can. As promised, Jesus sent the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17) to His bewildered band of followers at Pentecost, resulting in 3000 plus conversions that day (Acts 2:41). The spiritual regeneration of Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19) was astonishing. We read of many others living by the Spirit from the moment of their transformation. Apparently though, the Galatians had started along that path but were now out of step with Him.

Transforming Lives: a labor of love

Ladies, until Christ is formed in you is such a formidable thought to me. That Paul, a man, should wrap it in childbirth is quite intriguing. And yet Jesus Himself introduced the image of spiritual rebirth into Scripture: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). Certainly, on his initial visit to Galatia Paul labored to rebirth his friends into God’s family. He is now, again, in the pains of making sure these children of his grow up in the faith.

Transforming Lives: living for God

So, why was Paul so astonished (1:6) as to call his friends in Galatia foolish (3:1)? Not wasting words he jumped right in: you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all (1:6-7). He was adamant they understand the monumental personal transformation each had undergone, not by the law but by faith.

Transforming Lives: Jesus revealed in me

What a crazy year this has been. Like you I have floundered in the unknowns. But in the midst of sheltering-in-place like you, the redefined vision statement at GABC has rattled around in my brain: Transforming Lives with the Truth of Jesus. The downtime has been invaluable to chew on its singleness of purpose. Are we not, in today’s vernacular, looking at the great commission delivered by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20?

Jars of Clay…peace

2020 has certainly thrown the world a curveball. Normalcy, where did you go? All you moms with kids at home, are you wondering what to do next? You working women, is virtual meeting all it was cracked up to be? I prune the azaleas in front of the house and neighbors from far and wide walk by. A man on a bike way-too-small pops a wheelie and impresses his son. Do you wish it would end, or are you loving the change of pace?

Jars of Clay…relief from our enemies

Esther is another example of a woman in crisis, albeit of a different kind. More precisely, all the Jews in the vast Medo-Persian kingdom ruled by Xerxes were in dire straits and Esther was the only one who had any hope of getting the ear of the king. You see, Haman held a grudge against Mordecai, Esther’s adopted caregiver, because he refused to bow down and honor him (Esther 3:2). So Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes (3:6). He persuaded Xerxes: “They do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them” (3:8). The date was set to annihilate all…on a single day (3:13).

Jars of Clay…redemption

And so, somewhere between bargaining and acceptance (Kubler-Ross yesterday) I got to thinking: how in the world did the folks of yesteryear handle their crises?

The story of Ruth and Naomi is a classic. It all began in the days when the judges ruled (Ruth 1:1), a dark time for Israel. Eugene Peterson (introduction to Judges, MSG) calls it “nearly unrelieved mayhem”: Everyone did as he saw fit (Judges 17:6, 21:25).

Jars of Clay…hope when perplexed

2020 is definitely one for the history books. What details will you cling to? For instance, where were you when JFK was shot? I was on my way with my mom to have my prom dress altered. On 9/11 I had turned on Fox News as I dressed for Tuesday morning Bible study, in time to see the second tower fall. My husband, September 1945, vividly remembers his mom propelling his terrified 4-year-old self past the barricade at the Vancouver (BC) train station to meet this uniformed stranger who tossed him in the air asking, “Where did you get that red hair?”

Think About It

What thoughts run through our minds during this time of a pandemic! Whoever would have dreamed something like this virus would happen during our lifetimes? We can so easily sink into a state of depression.