Float Like a Butterfly

My dear friends had a new baby last week.  I’m funny about new babies – a little afraid of them.  So when new parents ask if I want to hold the baby, an honor, I’m always a little hesitant.  But I asked if I could sit first and they very kindly made sure I was “established” before they laid that sweet bundle in my arms.  And once again, home crept up on me and I was blessed.

Every once in a while (and more often when I slow down enough to watch and listen), God touches my life in small and unexpected ways.  That same day as I was parking on the Walmart lot, a butterfly came from nowhere; it didn’t fly into my line of sight.  It was as if it simply floated down from high up.

And I wish there were a way that I could remember, and pass along to you as well, to keep my senses open.  One of my dogs will get up off the couch unexpectedly and come over to sniff at my hair and give me a lick.  A gust of wind will cause the leaves to catch the sun so that they glitter.

I was doing the laundry a day or two after we had attended a sweet wedding.  And there was a handkerchief among my husband’s things.  You see, here’s the thing.  He never carries nor uses one.  We have Kleenex all over the house and in the car – there’s no need.  And yet, he stuck one in his pocket that day to catch my expected tears.  

Our car has heated seats.  The buttons for them are on the console.  I cannot tell you how many times I have been riding with Steve to Sumter or to church on a chilly day and have become aware that I feel snug and warm.  I always look over to thank him and he’s usually smiling because he knows he’s caught me again, anticipated a comfort and provided it.

My God loves me so and He finds so many ways to show me.  I pray that I, too, will be open to His leading.  I’d love to be someone else’s butterfly!

John 1:16
From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another.

Working for Whom?

We’re going to a wedding this afternoon.  It’s a beautiful day for it, but aren’t they all?  The first really chilly day of this fall, this one started out gray and rainy but now the sun is shining and the wind is blowing flocks of birds back and forth in the sky.

I always try to make sure that things are really good between Steve and me on the day of a wedding.  They usually are anyway, but I never want to hear the vows again and the message and have even one particle of my being that doesn’t say, “I agree with this!  I would marry this man again right this minute.”

So today, when he showed up with a bag of shrimp and plopped it into my newly scrubbed and polished sink, I smiled on the outside and struggled with a smile on the inside.  And when he offered me some shrimp scampi, I tried to ignore that he’d be cooking it on the cooktop I just scrubbed and concentrated on the sweet gesture.

It’s a struggle picking up and cleaning up after our spouses and little ones sometimes, isn’t it?  And I often grumble, “Yeah, I know.  I’m submitting.  I’m a servant.  I’m being cheerful.  Right.” while huffing and puffing and frowning on the outside. 

But here’s the beauty of that.  I’m not really serving my family!  I’m serving God.  And somehow, I don’t mind doing pretty much anything for Him.  So when I carry yet one more load of dirty clothes to the laundry room, I try to remember to tell myself, “Give thanks!  God’s given you another opportunity to serve.”  Puts sock balls on a whole new level!

Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.

All in God's Time

I don’t have much luck with Christmas cactus.  So when my friend gave me one at a Christmas party two years ago, I smiled and made a mental note to try extra hard.  I put the pot on a shelf in the den where it would get indirect light and watered it tentatively. It lived. Barely.  Occasionally it would drop a little branch and I would fuss over it when I watered.  We coexisted as wary friends, a little afraid of each other. 

In early spring I move my plants outside to do their spring and summer growing.  They get strong and healthy enough to survive the dryness of the winter and my apathetic attitude that sets in about mid-January.  This year I put the little cactus outside.  It thrived and grew to twice its size.  When I brought my plants inside this fall, I looked for a special place for the cactus.  I put it in the kitchen window to make me smile as I cleaned up supper dishes.

It has been enjoying its new inside spot for almost three weeks now.  For some, a blooming Christmas cactus is no big deal.  For me, a living Christmas cactus is something.  A blooming one is a blessing indeed.  Imagine my surprise when I saw little flowers at the end of every single branch!  I thought, “Why now?”  It’s been outside all summer with loads of sunshine and rain and fresh air. 

How many times have I gone through spiritual renewal with prayer and Bible study taking new priority?   Faithful for a few weeks, when my life didn’t seem to be getting better, I would give it up.  I didn’t give God the time to draw me close, to allow me to get to know Him through his Word.  Occasionally He allows us to see a great change immediately or in a very short time.  But sometimes, He wants to see our commitment.  Are we willing to hang in there with Him over the rough and the good times?  Are we willing to commit the time it takes to bloom?

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.                                                                                            

Sighs

I noticed it that time.  I was brushing my hair and out came this long sigh.  It was a combination of “I have so much to do today”, “I wish I could sleep for a couple of hours” and a little bit of “I feel fairly content.”  

They’re usually a mixture, aren’t they?  And for every one of them that I hear, probably eight or ten slip by unnoticed.

So many kinds.  There are the joints aching, muscle-deep tired sighs.  I have to laugh.  I’m writing this and my coonhound just exhaled one long, deep sigh.  I’m pretty sure hers was an “I’m glad you’re back from Virginia” and “I’m planning to sleep for the next six hours” combo.

There are the deeply unhappy, not-even-enough-energy-to-cry sighs.  Some sighs are purely frustrated ones.  Often we hear those because we’re doing them out loud so someone else will hear.  The “you didn’t do that job as well as I was hoping you would” or the “do I have to tell you to clean your room again?” sighs.  

But then there are the good ones – those that would equate to cats’ purrs.  The first fire in the fireplace this fall sigh.  The “I love Mexican food” sigh.  And the “how is it possible to be this happy?” sighs.

And wouldn’t it be great if they were all like that?

For those of us who believe in Jesus’ name, who trust that He died for our sin and rose again, who live like we believe that, there will be a forever of very few sighs.  But you can trust that the few that escape our lips will be a beautiful combination of pure bliss, contentment, joy and “I could never have imagined anything this wonderful.”  (sigh)

2 Corinthians 5:4; Psalms 38:8,9: Isaiah 51:11
For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life…I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you…And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

No Fair!

It’s the time of year parents breathe that sigh of relief – the kids are settled back into a school routine!  And no sooner are the kids established into class than the recess bell rings and a well-known phrase is heard from schoolyard to gymnasium.  No fair!

The kid who doesn’t get picked for dodge ball thinks it.  The little girl who has been waiting for a swing gets pushed aside by a bigger older fourth-grader.  “No fair.”  The hard-working introverted young man is denied a promotion given instead to the bright, outgoing young woman.  His insides yell it.  Our neighbor drives by in yet another new car while we’re patting the dashboard of our old clunker begging it to just start today, please.  This is so unfair.

We heard the answer throughout our growing up.  We got tired of hearing it.  Yet when we became parents and our children ranted against the unfairness of it all, it came so easily to our lips.  “Life isn’t fair.”

The only thing that makes us more furious than injustice is our inability to fix it.  We stress over unfairness in the workplace, our relationships, possessions and the directions our lives are going.  Do we have any hope of ever seeing it made right?

Proverbs 29:26 says, “…but it is from the Lord that man gets justice.”  So what are our options?  When that driver cuts us off on the interstate, do we chase him down and get him told?  Do we instead pray that God will take care of him, make sure he gets a ticket? Is there any way other than stress and worry?

Why not approach life’s little injustices and indignities with God’s help?  Is the problem something we can fix by working harder or by dealing sensitively with another person?  If not, perhaps the best approach would be to know that God will make it right.

Know that, if He’s not willing to change circumstances this moment, in our next lives He will give us something better.  Or we will be so happy we simply won’t care anymore!

Is anger over some injustice done to you at work or to one of your children eating you up inside?  Are you dealing with envy over something someone has that you believe you deserve instead?  Has the unfairness of this life become a burden that you pick up and carry with you every morning?  Lay it down!  God knows you better than you know yourself.  He will make it right.  He’s aware of circumstances you can’t possibly know.  He may be protecting you.  Trust Him to do what He does.  What is in your bag of injustice that you are willing to lay at His feet?

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

A Fistful of Diamonds

I considered whether to turn on the air conditioner or just simply roll the windows down.  As I left the grocery store to pop into the cleaners, I marveled at the beauty of the day.  Second day of fall, brilliant blue sky, not a cloud to be seen.
It was just after noon when I finally pulled into my driveway.  Feeling muggy, I argued with myself – needing to put on some cool summer clothes, wanting to enjoy “feeling fallish” in my long pants.  I was tired and looking forward to lunch.  Summer was definitely holding on and not wanting to let go.

I opened my car door and that’s when I saw them.  I was so struck by their beauty that I climbed out of the car in slow motion, afraid the breeze from the movement might disturb them.  There on top of the grass, lay forty or fifty dazzling diamonds in a small circle of about eight inches.  As the sun continued to shine directly on them, I stood very still, not willing to interrupt the moment. 

You see, they had been left there for me by my loving Father.  Just to see the delight in my eyes and the surprise in my smile, my Lord scooped up a handful of diamonds and left them lying on top of the grass.  He positioned the sun just so in order that they would catch the light and dazzle my eyes. 

Oh sure, I could look for a more suitable explanation if I wanted to.  But it was too late in the morning for the dew.  And even a light feathery spider web on the top of the grass would have dried by the noon hour.  There was no other water in the area. 

Besides, I don’t want to know how He did it.  I just know that my Holy gift-giver, left jewels to make me smile.  Somehow, He managed a small circle of water droplets lying on top of the grass to catch the sun and bless my day. 

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Letting Go

Every season has its firsts, but fall has my favorites – the first fire in the fireplace, first hot cider, first frost, turning on the heat in the house and pulling out my favorite sweaters from the storage container.  I wait until I’m sure the weather has turned, that it’s not going to trick me with another few days of leftover summer heat. 

Unpacking winter clothes is no chore for me.  That wool, chenille and snuggly velour promise days to come of seeing my breath on the air, snowy meetings with grandchildren, and decorations of holly and pine.  

Sometimes I’m surprised with some piece of clothing that I picked up in spring on “super sale” so late in the season I never wore it.  It’s fresh and vibrant and makes me feel good when I put it on.  While that’s a delight for me, I keep digging until I come to my old friends.  I have a couple of sweaters that I always go back to.  They gave up their shape seasons ago and they have pulls and fuzzy balls.  I look pretty sloppy and careless when I’m wearing them.  But they’re my old favorites and I have a hard time giving them up.

Isn’t that the way with our old habits and tendencies?  We like to gossip, just can’t help it.  The shopping channels and catalogs lure us in just one more time. Our minds wander back to that person we tend to criticize and we mentally tell them just what we think.

We know what God knows – we cannot do this on our own.  He has said “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” (Ezekiel 36:26a)  We need this fresh start, not once or twice, but continually and consistently.  We need to go to God as many times a day as it takes to restore our sinful nature with a clean one.  He’s pleased to help us get rid of the old misshapen, fuzzy inclinations.  But I’m keeping the sweaters.

Psalms 51:10\

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Time to Rest

It moved in at about 5:45 on Friday morning.  The big open house we had rented for the retreat was swaying on its stilts even more than it had been the night before, when we all wandered around a little unsteady and disoriented.  I lay in bed for several minutes wondering if the roaring I heard was really the wind.  Too good to be true!  I got up and pulled my long-sleeved velour jacket on and grabbed a blanket from the closet.  When I stepped out onto the big porch, all the rockers were rocking in the wind.  I felt air on my face that was some twenty or thirty degrees cooler.  The trees were whipping back and forth and I grinned in quiet thanks for that first true moment of fall that always takes my breath away.  

Our first visit to Edisto Island was back in May.  Steve and I love to explore new places and this one completely caught my imagination.  No over-developed, fast-food, arcade noisy beach shopping strips here – just simply beautiful sunsets, happy families on wide deserted beaches, water birds, and occasional drop-ins by dolphin families.

That week-end sparked the idea for the women’s retreat that just wound down on Sunday.  I had been so caught up in planning that I had let the season sneak up on me. 

Now that we’re back, I wanted to capture what I could for memory’s sake.  We were so blessed through each other’s company and God’s direction.  There were eleven of us, a beautiful mixture of moms with young children, middle-aged with college kids and older ladies with grands.  Though disparate in age, we are alike in temperament, consideration, and of utmost importance, faith.  There was no bickering or complaining, only much laughter, quiet contemplation, and many tears.  It sounds like a Hallmark card, doesn’t it?  Way too idyllic to be real.  Yet it was; and we left closer to God and to each other.

Thursday afternoon, the four oldest ladies moved into the house and unloaded, promising ourselves one with an elevator next year.  We had a wonderful cold supper of ham, cold slaw, potato salad and home-made wheat bread.  (I won’t be describing all the food because there was so very much of it.  I’m simply opening the “food door.”)  When the tide began to come back in and the sun was ready to drop, we drove down to the “sound-end” of the island to watch sunset and look for dolphins.  Standing in the water and holding the delicate balance between watching the horizon for the sun that was playing behind the clouds and scanning the water for fins, we were mostly silent.  We were finally where we had wanted to be for several weeks. 

When the sun finally slipped behind the last bank of clouds, we realized that we would not be seeing a sunset on the edge of the horizon.  There were several men dragging nets for the bait fish that had come close in to shore.  The squawking diving birds and the men with nets should have alerted us.  We saw the first dolphin and began jumping around and slapping each other on the back.  Then our eyes began to adjust to the pods of three and four that were hovering in the area of the bait fish.  We left with the sense of self-satisfied accomplishment that you feel when you get off a roller coaster and the only thing you really did was to hang in for the whole ride.  We were pumped and ready for the rest of our group to arrive so we could crow!

We sat in rockers watching for our group and the first car load of four finally arrived laughing about being temporarily stuck in a gravel pit on the way.  We helped them bring their bags in and claim beds and rooms.  By now it was dark and I was waiting for 9:00 PM – we were supposed to see an almost full moon rise over the ocean.  Just as the next group of women pulled up, we commandeered their truck and set off for the opposite end of the island.  We calculated where we thought due east was and sat on pilings and waited for what was surely a gamble on this very cloudy night.  After about fifteen minutes and just before we gave up, someone pointed and said, “Is that it?”  We all gasped as we looked at a dark red moon hovering just over the water – mind you, not a harvest moon, not a bright yellow, orange or red moon, but one that was more brick red or burgundy.  We strained our eyes to make sure we were seeing what we thought we were seeing.  As the clouds moved, it finally floated away.

I’m not going to write about every single moment but simply try to capture the precious time I spent with these women.  We had wonderful, sharing sessions on prayer.  The weather may have let everyone else down, but it was so perfect for me – cloudy, gray, windy, with the promise of fall.  Food.  Can I just say that Baptist women, southern women know how to pamper each other?  We brought home-baked cookies and cakes and breakfast bread and coffee cake.  We had bowls of chocolate and other candy.  And these same women love to serve and wait on each other.  I’m pretty sure each one of us felt completely indulged.

We walked on the beach and waited for sunsets.  The dolphin came in close and played for us.  The birds dipped and squawked and honked.  The ocean dropped a supply of shells and even a starfish as a result of an offshore storm. 

And through it all, there was a sense of rest.   I was amazed that, even though I had provided lists of sightseeing tours and shops along with plenty of free time, none of us decided to leave the house, except to walk on the beach.  We napped, watched movies, played games and just enjoyed each other. 

And God was there.  In every activity, at every meal, with every prayer and for every study session.  We felt His presence in our thoughts and through each other.

As we gathered for one last prayer on the beach, I realized it.  I’ve often left a retreat with a sense of a “mountaintop” experience.  This one was different for me.  It was just an abiding sense of peace and love.  I’m hoping to carry it with me for a very long time.  God blessed us all this week-end and I’m grateful.

And I came home to red berries on my dogwoods and cooler breezes at night!

The Biggest Rock

Our church in Virginia was experiencing growing pains.  We had sold our building and were in the process of building a larger sanctuary and classrooms.  The process ended up taking a few years.  


Our pastor likened it to the wilderness travels of the Israelites.  Each Sunday two big trucks would pull up to the local high school and a team of “Levites” would transform the building from a school to a church complete with Sunday school rooms.  As a backdrop for the series of wilderness wandering sermons, we had replicas of articles the Hebrews used in the tabernacle.


Toward the end of our “journey”, we built an altar to celebrate crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land.  As we came into the auditorium, there were big bins filled with stones and we were each to take one to participate in the ceremony.  I shopped for a second and then chose the biggest one I could see.

Steve and I found a place to sit and I looked down at the sizeable rock in my lap.  I was overcome with a sense of shame.  Why did (do?) I need to have the biggest, the best, the first?  That rock became my symbol of my pride.  I participated in the ceremony, but I placed my rock with the others in some shame.

I have since learned that this rock, my pride, is the boulder I carry around my neck.  It is the thing that God most wants me to overcome.  And with His minute-by-minute help, I will do it.  My hope is that my “rock” will become smaller and smaller until one day, I won’t be able to find it!  I know that day is coming when Jesus returns, but what a goal to work toward in the meantime!

John 3:30; Romans 12:10; Mark 10:43-45

He must become greater; I must become less…Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Pulpy Blueberries

Cereal excites me.  And nope, it’s not a sugar high.  I just like good cereal – especially those kinds that come with nuts, or “clusters”, or whole grains.  The other day I was more thrilled about a bowl of cereal than I probably should be.  Because I had fresh blueberries – big, plump, juicy ones – to put into the bowl.  That’s a whole other level of cereal right there.

So I pulled out the package and rinsed them off.  I popped a few into my mouth straight out of the strainer.  And I must have had the strangest look on my face.  Sure, a couple of them were perfect – tasty, a little tart and a little sweet – just what I was expecting.  But a couple of them might as well have been pencil erasers.  I don’t chew many pencil erasers but I’m assuming they don’t have much flavor. 

So I faced a dilemma.  Obviously I couldn’t test the whole batch.  Should I just throw a bunch in and hope that enough of them were tasty to overshadow the pulpy ones?  Should I just give up on the whole container?  What kind of an impact would they make on my cereal?

These questions all posed more thought that I was willing to process on an early morning before my second cup of coffee.  So I went for it!  I sprinkled about a half cup of blueberries on the cereal and poured the milk.  And you know what?  It was good!   Sure there were a few bites with more mush than taste.  But on the whole the other berries worked extra hard and had so much flavor that I had a delightful, tasty breakfast.

If you were to look in the church door at “us” on a Sunday morning, you’d find a lot of differences in believers.  But you’d find a lot of similarities too.  We’d all be singing, bowing our heads during prayer, listening to the message and smiling at one another.  

If you followed us home and throughout our week, the resemblance would continue.  You’d see us hold the door open for the person behind us, smile at strangers, yield at stop signs. But on closer inspection, you would notice some of us laughing, hugging, listening, crying…living!  Enjoying life moment-by-moment and making it interesting and appealing, too.  

Because shouldn’t other people want what we have?  Matthew tells us we are to be salt and light.  But could we please just not be pulpy?

Matthew 5:13,14; Colossians 4:6
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no er good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

In the Headlights

We usually finished our evening sessions around 10:00.  I was enjoying my first youth camp with the teens and pastor from our church.

(Let me just pause for a quick moment and explain something to you.  Everyone worries about getting old – doesn’t want to do it.  Let me tell you, there is nothing like it!  It’s liberating, and not only do you not worry about embarrassing yourself, you actually thrive on it!  But best of all, on your sixtieth birthday, you receive a “get out of jail free” card.  More to the point, an old lady card.  This card has gotten me out of moving furniture, helping with any chore that involves actually sitting on the floor, and pretty much anything else I choose to use it for.)

So for the four nights of youth camp, I played the old lady card and insisted on preferring my nice pillowy mattress at home to the perfectly lovely, hard and noisy ones at the camp.  

Every night found me driving eight or so miles to my house in the country from the camp even deeper in the country.  There were no neon signs and no street lights to clarify what I was seeing in the rear-view mirror.  In fact, what I mostly saw – or didn’t see – was pitch black nothingness.  So after I passed the occasional car or country store, the lights in the mirror seemed distorted – too high, too low, never completely reliable.

When I remember things that have happened in my past, I’m pretty sure my view is distorted there too.  Some details delight me because I idealize some memory and block out any unpleasantness or stress.  Not a good thing if that becomes a model by which I’ll judge future occurrences like holiday celebrations or goals set.

Or I become depressed remembering only the bad.  I can become consumed with guilt over things I said and shouldn’t have, things I didn’t do but should have, hurt over some slight that I’ve blown out of proportion – you get the idea. 

Paul gave us some good advice in Philippians 3:12-14:  “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

When my eyes are on God, doing whatever it is that He has asked for that day or even for the next ten minutes, I am focused on Him – I am living in the moment, but working toward the prize.  And that’s something I can depend on.  My headlights are stronger than my taillights, anyway.

Hardhats on the Porch

Close your eyes for a moment and think back to the first time you saw Star Wars in the theater.  (You babies born after 1973 will just have to remember when you rented the DVD.)  It was the first science fiction/space movie with amazing visual effects and it took my breath away. Remember the final showdown in the sky above the death star?   I loved so much about the movie, especially the sounds.  I can still recall the sound the light sabers made in battle.

If you had been sitting on my porch with me yesterday, you’d have needed a battle helmet.  My windows were open and my first clue was a tiny, relentless chatter from more than one bird.  Have you ever actually heard a hummingbird?  When they get upset, they can be pretty intense.

But the second sound was music to my ears.  The sound of light sabers in my holly tree!  Those little wings beating about 53 times per second multiplied by three birds equals major battle noise, light saber music.

Four hummingbirds come regularly to our feeders – I have two outside my porch window.  And depending on who is the strongest one day to the next, he and his buddy or mate feed on those sources.  The others live and feed out in the live oak at the back corner of the yard.

Yesterday though, apparently three of them were feeling strong and cranky at the same time.  And none was willing to yield.  So I had a battle on my hands.

Exciting isn’t word enough to do that scene justice.  At one point all three birds had chosen branches in the holly and sat facing each other.  Then one would literally try to knock the other off the branch.  They were fighting in mid-air, swooping and diving through the holly and stopping to catch a sip of sugar water when the others were busy with each other.  I kept listening for Obi Wan to whisper, “Use the force, little bird.”

The feeders hang still this morning.  Who knows.  There may be some little hummingbird doctor working away up in the live oak, repairing torn wings and trying to talk some sense into the battle-crazed little birds.  Hello!  As I type, my feeder just had the first morning visitor.  I need to go get my toothpicks - they may need crutches.

Looking for the Right Piece

Because I am an only child, I grew up hanging out with my cousins for company. We spent many summer days sitting around a card table with jigsaw puzzle pieces spread out in front of us. We would spend hours in complete silence as we concentrated on whatever section of the puzzle captured our interest (translate “seemed easiest”).

Somehow the puzzles got put up on the shelf when I began to raise my own family. We moved around a lot while Steve was in the army and, when he retired and started another career in northern Virginia, the kids were older and our lives were just too busy and full to take on a hobby that could eat up hours of time. I still took puzzles when we went on vacation and I had time to sit and enjoy them.

Imagine my delight when I was last in northern Virginia and I discovered my son’s family sitting around a puzzle table! This week they are all here in South Carolina and we are celebrating the “August girls” birthdays – my son’s fiancé Erika, her daughter Eliza, Claire, Maggie and I all share August birthdays. We opened a table full of presents and one of mine was a puzzle with a picture of, how fitting, a beagle puppy, daisies and a basketful of green apples.

So we’ve spent hours together working this puzzle. And this morning, while the other adults were playing golf and the kids were still sleeping, I came out to work on it a little while I watched for hummingbirds.

This puzzle has 1500 pieces. I was putting apples together and, as I picked up the box to plow through the pieces, it occurred to me that there were probably 200 pieces, of which many were apple ones, already lain out on the table.

We love God and we want to serve Him. So we go searching for just the right place and opportunity. Don’t get me wrong. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” And I believe He has done just that. So I do pray hard about what it is that He wants me to do.

But I also believe that I spend a lot of time “looking in the box for the right piece”, when there are “pieces” all around me that I could work with – and that would serve God.

Tasty, Refreshing, and Totally Unsatisfying

I stood at the pump and looked at the sign and got thirsty. I’ve grown accustomed to ignoring advertising that waves, yells, and flashes at me. Yet on this very hot summer day as I was pumping gas, the picture promising “Any drink only 69¢” was very appealing. The glass was tall and filled with ice. There was a strong gush of cola dropping into an already filled glass and splashing over the sides. Even the sign itself had what looked like condensed drops of water on it. I wanted a coke! (I’ll wait while you go to the kitchen.)

I stood there for a minute and thought about Weight Watchers (because at this point I’m considering that only a full-fledged, sugar-loaded, caffeine-packed glassful will do) and I thought about the fact that I would drink it down and still be thirsty. Because when you’re really thirsty only water does the trick. (I’m so pleased that you’re thinking ahead of me.)

And so yes, I considered that our attention is constantly receiving messages from this world that say, “Take what I have to offer. It’s the only thing that can satisfy that want, thirst, hunger.” When the Truth says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14), all the advertising spin in the world isn’t going to make the other stuff look better.

But let’s take this thing just a step further. Sometimes, I know I need to drink more water, but I really want other sugary substitutes. I have to make myself go for the healthy choice. It works like this – once I start drinking the water, I can’t seem to get enough of it! I thirst for more.

I was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (Did you know it is the smallest national park?) It was known for the warm therapeutic waters and “Bath House Row”. And, still, there are several places in town where there are no signs, no advertising. Just a small stone facing surrounding a tap from which pure, spring water continually flows. Cars line up filled with empty, plastic jugs waiting to be filled.

Isn’t it reassuring knowing that the well won’t run dry and we will never have to be thirsty?

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.

Waving at Me!

For those of you who do not believe that God wants to communicate with us, for those who don’t believe God is whimsical and fun-loving, let me tell you a little story.

 If you visit my house during the months of frosty weather (my favorite) when plants have to be protected, you had best bring a machete and a pith helmet. Because, my friend, you are walking into a jungle. I bring all my house plants, palms and ferns into the warm – they’re like snow birds heading for Florida.

 I nurse them through the winter sweeping up fronds and other sheddings and wait to usher them back into the warmth of spring. I try to keep just a very few in the house during the summer months so that it will seem homey.

My Chinese fan palm was one of those. (Fan palms are beautiful plants with hand-like palms at the end of long stems.) And apparently the others gave her the word during the winter because she has been pining away this summer in the house while the others are out throwing parties under the live oak. In fact I found some pictures of beautiful, lush fan palms, but the one you see in this picture is more like my own.

So I finally gave in to her and let her join the others at the back of the garden under the oak.

Yesterday while I was having my quiet time with God, I happened to look up and there was a giant hand waving madly back and forth at me. I fell out laughing! And God and I had a moment. I thanked Him and we laughed together. And after a minute or so, the hand stopped waving. Today I looked for it and it wasn’t there. I was afraid the plant had blown over with last night’s wind; but I went out to look and there it stood, blended in with all the other plants.

 Listen for His voice. But also keep your eyes open! God longs to reach out and touch you.

Captive? No, Captivated

Think of the best speaker or teacher you know. Would you be willing to sit in the middle of a crowd of 4,000 to listen to them? Probably, right? Would you be willing to sit on the ground in the middle of a crowd to listen? On the ground? Yeah, without stadium seats. Okay, if they were really good, possibly. How about for three days? What? Without food.  Um, no!  I thought so.

I’m talking about Mark 8:1-10, when Jesus fed a hungry crowd, a crowd who hadn’t eaten for three days. A crowd so hungry that He was afraid to send them home (some of them lived a distance) for fear that they would faint along the way. We don’t know the particulars. He may have just taught; or He may have performed signs and miracles. Some may have believed He was the Son of God; some may have thought he was a prophet or a really good teacher. Some may have just been curious to see what He would do. One thing we do know is that He had developed a reputation at this point.

Even so, we can assume He didn’t teach all night. Can you just imagine the conversations?

“James, are we going to stay? All night without food?”
"Well He’s pretty good. And we have cloaks for pallets. I had a big meal before we came. I think I’m good to go for tomorrow, for a while at least. Maybe we’ll leave at noon, beat the traffic.”

And then the next night, “Wow, He was good. What He says is pretty revolutionary. I’m not sure I can do the things He asks. But I can’t stop listening.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I guess when I stop and think about it, yeah. But who cares? I’m staying another night.”

 I read these scenes of Jesus in the Gospels and it’s so easy to just skim right over the details. To forget that these were real times and real people. Jesus is easier for me to imagine because I think about Him a lot. But I don’t often stop to put myself in the field with the crowd. I so love the details Mark includes; because there are lessons here:

 • What Jesus has to offer is so intriguing, so compelling that sometimes the world, the physical, the stuff just doesn’t matter. Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

• Jesus had compassion; no one asked. With only 7 loaves and a few fish, He fed a multitude. He can also take what very little we have to offer and multiply it and use it to feed His Kingdom. 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

• Jesus fills our needs lavishly, abundantly. The 7 baskets that were left over after the crowd was fed were not the same kind of baskets described earlier in Mark when Jesus fed another multitude. These were rope or mat baskets and some were big enough to carry a man (Acts 9:25).

More than we ask for; more than we need. More than we have to offer; more than we can ask or imagine.

The Voice

I think we have established in previous posts that I have cardinal issues. No I’m not saying my issues are more important than yours; nor am I saying that I have a problem with blushing. I simply adore redbirds.

Cardinals point me to God. When I first began to notice them in Virginia, it was their color and their unique heads that caught my eye. But I began to see them every day during my prayer time. More than once, not only there but in South Carolina as well, I’ve been deep in a painful or pleading prayer and opened my eyes or turned my head to see one sitting only a few feet away looking at me. I’ll be honest; it’s a little unnerving.

Once I established my little prayer corner on the back porch, I began to watch more than just birds. Rabbits and squirrels came to visit and hang out with the mourning doves munching on seeds. I became acquainted with a cardinal couple and their three little ones this spring. I have come to believe that this couple has been with us since we moved here over two years ago. (If you know different, don’t tell me.) They have become so accustomed to us that, if they are feeding and we open the shade or the door, they just look up and then continue eating. The female sometimes sits on my shepherd’s hook just outside the window and I talk to her very softly. She sits and listens.

Their unique one-note chirp has become so familiar to me that I will always stop what I’m doing and look around until I see them. Today I opened the back door and I heard one of them. They were not on the feeder, the ground below or in the live oak that I could see. But the voice was distinct. I watched the holly tree for several minutes and finally I saw the male jump on an outside branch from deep in the tree.

How many times have I desperately searched for signs of God in a decision I needed to make or a path I was about to walk? How often have I stalled, wanting to see a sign of God’s presence to make me more comfortable?

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah’s faith failed him and he fled from Jezebel’s threats. He left his servant at Beersheba and went a days journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed to die. A gracious God sent an angel to take care of him. Then he traveled 40 days and nights to Horeb. There God told him to wait for Him on the mountain. In verses 11-12, “…behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” And God was in the still small voice.

I need to remember that, while it’s great to see God in the big things, to see a path laid clear and straight and to know that it’s the way I’m supposed to walk, sometimes I need to just listen for the voice – the voice that assures me that I’m not alone, that I will be taken care of and shown the way when the time is right.

Not a Pebble After All

My backyard birds are gluttons. That’s the only explanation I can come up with. Well, that and those pesky squirrels. Our bird feeder stays empty because I can’t keep up with them.

This morning I started out with a fresh bag of seed and nuts and the various tools I needed to do some other morning garden work. One mental eye watched the clock because my goal was to be back in the house before the thermometer hit 125 degrees.

As I worked quickly as possible, I noticed a little something under my foot on my flip flops. But I was in a hurry and didn’t want to stop and deal with it. I can hear you; and once again, I have to ask you to make allowances for me. I know it was just a flip flop but I had a lot to do in little time.

I found that if I limped a bit it wasn’t quite so bothersome. Then I started to wince because my foot was beginning to hurt. Finally I stopped to do what I should have done all along – deal with a small situation when it happened. What I thought was a pebble was only a tiny leaf with a stiff stem. It would have taken no trouble to brush it away when I started. At this point it was wet and hard to get off and my foot was tender.

Hard to believe, huh? But entirely true and so indicative of the way I often approach those little things that take up way too much space in my mind. Someone says something that doesn’t sit quite right with me. And rather than figure out why I’m reacting to the remark or forgiving the person if it was truly hurtful, I shove it into my mind and say, “Doesn’t matter.” Later I find myself limping through my day with a dark cloud overhead and the nagging suspicion there is something terribly wrong. When I stop to figure out what it is, I realize it’s that little something that bothered me earlier. I have let an entire day be ruined by nothing!

A small chore that needs doing can mentally cripple my day. I will spend hours brooding over something that will take me ten minutes to complete.

If Jesus promises me peace, I have two choices. I can believe He is faithful and address the little nuisances in my life as they occur. Or I can take them in, give them real estate in my mind, and let them ruin my day. Either way, what He offers doesn’t change. How I accept it will make the difference between a joyful day and a cloudy one.

Matthew 6:34; Romans 8:6
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own…The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace….

Hang On...

I’m still reading my way through Mark. And I read yesterday about Jesus feeding the 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44). But this post is not about the miracle itself. These past several weeks, the message for me in God’s Word seems to be, “Look at the details I’ve included in here.”

Verse 37 struck me. “But he answered, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?’” Jesus had just been teaching a crowd of 5,000 men, not counting women and children. It was getting late and the disciples began to worry because no one had eaten. And they would have to go into the surrounding villages to find food.

So they approached Jesus and suggested that He “wind down the sermon” so the crowd could go and get food. And Jesus told them to feed the crowd! I can understand why the disciples got a little feisty with Him sometimes. They were looking at the impossibility of a task they were unprepared for.

Once again, I’m looking at the story through hindsight glasses. And I see Jesus manage to feed probably at least 8,000 people including the women and children with 5 loaves and 2 fish – we don’t know how, but it’s conceivable that the food multiplied right in His hands! So it’s easy for me to get impatient with the apostles failure to trust Him.

But I also have to think, what was Jesus going for here? What did He really want them to do? Is it possible that they missed out on participating in a miracle themselves because they lacked faith?

There’s a bumper sticker than says, “Hang on…I’m going to try something.” Truth is, that could be the slogan for every one of us as believers. Because we have the power at our disposal. We should all be going through life with crash helmets and seat belts!

So what exactly did Jesus expect from them? They could certainly have immediately asked God to provide for the people. Who knows how He would have answered that prayer!

We get all hung up on feeling powerless and unable to help.  I have a bad habit of saying, “I can’t do anything to help but I can pray.” I’ve got it backwards. I can pray and then everything becomes possible!

What Do You Do with a General...

When my friend heard about my fascination with Hank Azaria, she told me about a strange and funny movie, “Mystery Men”, where everyday men use everyday objects to become like superheroes. Although with a different slant, “The Incredibles”, offers the same take on the desire to rid the world of evil. They are superheroes who are past their prime, unappreciated and misrepresented. They lurk around at night listening to the police scanners in the hope that they can still sneak in and fight crime.

 Even the sweet general in White Christmas faced the same issues. He was trying to get back into service. The song said, “What do you do with a general when he stops being a general?” He found himself spending the days waiting for the mailman and wishing to be useful.

Though we’ll never stop being parents, we do lose the “superpowers” we had when our children were babies and toddlers. At one point we made the world all right - better than all right - with a bottle, a trip to Chuck E Cheese or an ice cream cone. We had all the right answers and we were watched and copied by our little ones.

Somehow as the years pass, we lose our edge. Bullying at school becomes an issue that we can’t fix with a band-aid. We have an uneasy feeling about our teenager’s friends but we can’t follow them around constantly. Our adult children become strangers and we are no longer the people whose opinions they seek.

Inside we still yearn to help, to guide, to make it all right. Of course prayer is the answer. It always is. But when our kids are grown and we are out-of-work “superheroes”, must we just accept that it was fun and fulfilling while it lasted? Is it possible that maybe we can start the whole process over? You’ll be so relieved to learn that it doesn’t involve having another whole set of kids!

All we have to do is get involved in another life, be available to listen, to comfort and to share ourselves. Develop a level of trust and watch a super-friendship grow. Now if they’ll just quit using spandex in the uniform!

Steady in the Heights

My iGoogle pops up every morning with three headline tabs – World News, National News, and the all-important Entertainment News. I also have weather for Manning, South Carolina and Woodbridge, Virginia. At the bottom, fish and turtles swim around waiting for food and a little hamster runs on his wheel when I’m not feeding him.

 

And I have Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day to assuage any guilt I have about checking on news before having my quiet time with God. I do have to expand the box to see the scripture. Today I was sitting down to do my Bible study and I ran a quick check to see how the world was doing. I noticed the verse was Habakkuk 3:19, which rang a bell with me. I thought I should really just go ahead and look it up in my Bible; but in the time it would take for me to actually find Habakkuk, I could click on the plus sign and have the verse read. So I did.

And I was right – it is a favorite of mine. “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Because who doesn’t want to scale the heights?

So I thought, great idea for a blog! I’ll just google and find out some cool stuff about deer who live on the heights. To begin with, be careful what you google because you can get some pretty gross deer-hunting pictures. And finding deer who actually live on the heights was a challenge! There were plenty of sheep and goats, but the Word said “deer.”

Then I stumbled across the Siberian Musk Deer. Because it eats vegetation, it primarily lives in the forests of Russian Siberia. However, when it is in danger, it runs to rock outcrops.

It’s great to be in the forest and feeling comfortable and nourished, content and safe, isn’t it? But we seem to spend so much of our time on the ledges and rocks!

What a comfort that God clears our path, steadies our feet and makes us safe. How amazing that we feel secure in the heights where it’s thrilling and dangerous at the same time!

Psalms 27:5

For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Sometimes a Snake Is Just a Snake

In case you’re curious about this one, where it came from, I just saw a stick out of my peripheral vision. Not to sound overly paranoid, a stick is something you pay attention to if it appears on your patio in the heat of a South Carolina summer. However, it still has not moved and appears to have bark, so I’m safe for now.


It must be a sign! How many times do I say that in a week? Jumping onto the supernatural bandwagon and overanalyzing are two of my worst habits. Perhaps the combination is a good one. I usually read way too much into things that happen; but the overanalyzing brings me back into focus.

If I see two deer on the side of the road (and manage not to hit one of them), I assume it’s God sending me a hug. (Actually, I still believe that is usually the case.) But if I’m on a highway and they’re on a corner, do I really need to question whether that’s a turn God wants me to make, that there’s something waiting for me to do down that road? Probably not.

Steve and I were looking for a house in Virginia. I became convinced that we belonged in a particular house simply because there was a copy of “Pride and Prejudice” lying on an upstairs hall table. Never mind that Steve just didn’t like the house. I loved the book and so it must be our house.

So when I saw a snake on the day Mom died, I knew there was some deep, dark message involved.

In order not to sound at all callous about my mother whom I dearly love, let me preface with some information. She had a wicked sense of humor – dry, to the point, and in your face brutal. I loved it. So when she died on a Halloween morning, I called it her last joke. Her saying to me, “Just try to forget me now!” We were so close and yet, my grieving for her didn’t start for a few weeks because I was filled with peace that passes all understanding. I was excited for what she was now experiencing and who she was now spending time with.

After my aunt called and told me, I made my phone calls while walking around my deck and my stone patio. As I walked across the flagstone, I looked down to see a very small snake wiggling his way across the gray.

I’ve told the story since, because it sounds so dramatic. My mom was gone; I’ve been quite open about feeling the need to pick up and carry on her ministry. And there was a snake! In cold weather, almost-November northern Virginia! This must mean something completely ominous.

In truth, the little fella just wandered out from some warm leaves and under the edge of my hoe. (I would feel a little sorry for him…but he was a snake.) Sometimes, my day is brutal because I’m starting a new ministry and Satan is throwing up roadblocks to try to stop it. Sometimes, my day is bad because I’m cranky.

How do I tell the difference? How do I know the source of all these good and bad “signs?” If I’m staying close to God, reading His Word, communicating with Him deeply, honestly and often, I usually know when the Holy Spirit is trying to get my attention.

The other stuff? The bad? I look inside. If it’s my attitude, I concentrate on changing it. If it seems okay in my heart, then it really doesn’t matter the source. I just keep my attention where it belongs and enjoy the deer sightings.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Tunnel Vision

When my kids were little and watching TV, in order to get their attention I would go over and take their face in my hands and say, “Look at me in my eyes.” It sounds pretty mean, now that I say it, but I was very gentle and they understood. Because they had tunnel vision. They were so fixed on whatever they were watching, my words fell on deaf ears unless I could divert their attention.


I’ve been reading in Mark this morning about Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:22-24, 35-42). Jesus was with His disciples and a crowd of people. Jairus was a synagogue ruler, someone who would have been responsible for the physical management of the synagogue building and the worship services; and, therefore, someone who also would have been respected in the community. He came to Jesus, fell at His feet, and told Him that his little daughter was dying. Would He come and heal her?

Jesus began to walk with him, but was distracted by someone else who needed healing. By the time He had taken care of the situation, people came from Jairus’ house and told him that it was now too late, that his daughter was dead. From everything Jairus had seen and heard, his was a hopeless situation and he might as well have just gone on home in sorrow.

But Jesus had overheard. And he turned to Jairus and did the equivalent of taking Jairus’ face in His hands and saying, “Pay attention!” He said, “Do not be afraid; only believe” (verse 36).

These stories are great and all, but it’s easy to read them and say, “that’s nice” and just keep rolling. Truth is, I don’t know that I would have had the faith! Would I just have hung my head and said, “it’s too late”?

We all have areas in our lives where we have tunnel vision, where we just can’t see the thing turning out well. We go to church and hear it; we read it in God’s Word. "He’s in control and He has a plan." But when we rely only on what we can see and hear - our small slice of the picture - our faith skitters away.

The complete, trusting faith of a child requires that we listen to Jesus when He says, “Look at Me in My eyes. Do not be afraid; only believe.” Then, eyes on Him and not our circumstances, we can go our way in peace and confidence that He truly is in control and has a plan.

Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Not Just for Mothers, Part 3

(If you’ve stumbled in on Part 3, please seek out Parts 1 and 2 posted earlier today and read those in order first. Then this will make much more sense to you.)


Last piece. But this one fits pretty much everyone. I have only one scripture to pray for this group but it’s such a good one! Is there disharmony somewhere in your life? Are there believers who should be getting along but aren’t? Perhaps it’s a family group, sisters, or maybe a father and daughter. Maybe it’s a situation of divorce where current spouses and exes are battling. Do you leave a family gathering feeling like you’ve walked through a field of land mines? Does someone (or a bunch of someones) need to forgive one another?

Listen to what James 4:2, 3 has to say: “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Sit down with God and the names and pray this one:

(Romans 15:5-7, 13) Father, as You give endurance and encouragement, please give ________, ______ and _______ a spirit of unity among themselves as they follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth they may glorify You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let them accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted them, in order to bring praise to You. May You fill them with all joy and peace as they trust in You, so that they may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray….

I would love to think you’re as excited about the possibility of tapping into God’s power through prayer as I am. In closing…

Ephesians 3:20, 21
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Not Just for Mothers, Part 2

(Perhaps you’ve wandered in without reading Part 1. You’ll be a little lost as to what I’m doing; so you might want to read that one first.)

Just to reiterate what God expects when we ask: (John 15:7, 16) “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

So now let’s consider praying for our daughters, nieces, wives, mothers and sisters. The prayers below are the same as the “boy prayers” but adapted with feminine pronouns – so all you need do is insert the name of the person on your heart.

Prayers for _______ (girl)

(Ephesians 1:16-19) I give thanks for ________ and I ask You, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give her the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that she may know You better. I pray also that the eyes of _______’s heart may be enlightened in order that she may know the hope to which You have called her, the riches of Jesus’ glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. In Jesus’ name I pray….

(Jeremiah 29:11-13) For I know the plans You have for ________, LORD, plans to prosper her and not to harm her, plans to give her hope and a future. Then she will call upon You and come and pray to You, and You will listen to her. She will seek You and find You when she seeks You with all her heart. In Jesus’ name I pray….

(1Corinthians 1:4-8) I always thank You for ___________ because of Your grace given her in Christ Jesus. For in Him she has been enriched in every way—in all her speaking and in all her knowledge — because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in her. Therefore she does not lack any spiritual gift as she eagerly waits for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. You will keep her strong to the end, so that she will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray….

(1Corinthians 2:12) ___________ has not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that she may understand what God has freely given her.

(Corinthians 1:19-22) For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was taught to ___________ was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is You, Father who makes ___________ stand firm in Christ. You anointed her, set Your seal of ownership on her, and put Your Spirit in her heart as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

(Ephesians 1:15-20) Ever since I heard about ___________’s faith in the Lord Jesus and her love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for her, remembering her in my prayers. Dear God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Glorious Father, please give her the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that she may know You better. I pray also that the eyes of her heart may be enlightened in order that she may know the hope to which You have called her, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and Your incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of Your mighty strength, which You exerted in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly realm….

(Ephesians 3:14-21) Father, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen ___________ with power through Your Spirit in her inner being, so that Christ may dwell in her heart through faith. And I pray that ___________, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that she may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God I know you are able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within ___________, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

(Ephesians 6:2, 3), Father, I ask that ___________ would honor her father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise— that it may go well with her and that she may enjoy long life on the earth.

(Ephesians 6:13-17) Father I ask that you put on the full armor of God on ___________, so that when the day of evil comes, she may be able to stand her ground, and after she has done everything, to stand. She will stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around her waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with her feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, let her take up the shield of faith, with which she can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

(Romans 8:28) Father, I claim your promise that in all things You will work for the good of ___________, who loves You and has been called according to Your purpose.

(Philippians 1:8, 9) Father, I pray that ___________’s love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that she may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ….

(Philippians 4:13,19) Father, ___________ can do everything through Jesus who gives her strength…And You will meet all her needs according to Your glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

(Colossians 1:9-14) Father, I ask You to fill ___________ with the knowledge of Your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And I pray this in order that she may live a life worthy of You and may please You in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might so that she may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to You, Lord, who has qualified her to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For You have rescued her from the dominion of darkness and brought her into the kingdom of the Son You love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

(1Thessalonians 5:23) Dear Lord, God of peace, I ask you to sanctify ___________ through and through. May her whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2Thessalonians 2:15-17) Father, I pray that ___________ will stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to her. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved her and by His grace gave her eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage her heart and strengthen her in every good deed and word.

(Hebrews 13:20, 21) Dear God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, I ask you to equip ___________ with everything good for doing Your will, and may You work in her what is pleasing to You, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

(2Peter 1:2-7) Grace and peace be ___________’s in abundance through the knowledge of You, Dear Lord, and of Jesus our Lord. Your divine power has given her everything she needs for life and godliness through her knowledge of You who called her by Your own glory and goodness. Through these You have given her Your very great and precious promises, so that through them ___________ may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, help her make every effort to add to her faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.