He makes all things New

Ever feel tired and worn out? 

Wish you had a new body or brain?

Want to start over?

There are days when I wish I could just start over. 

Spring has arrived and it is chock full of excitement. Everywhere I look, trees are budding, flowers are blooming, plants are growing. Everything seems new. Everything except me!

I will be turning 50 this year and my body is working a little slower than I think it should.  How I wish that it would act a little younger.   

There are days that I wish that I could turn back the clock and have my girls be small again. There is so much that I would do differently, and be more intentional about. How I wish that I could cuddle with them again!

Reminiscing about the past leaves me with some thoughts of things that I wish I could do over, or just plain not do! How I wish that I had the knowledge I have now back then!

I am so grateful that Jesus has the power to change, rearrange and restore us!On days like today I cling to this promise, 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”  Revelation 21:5

Corn Starch or Baking Powder?

In a fury to whip together something delicious and sweet, I reached up into the cabinent to grab the baking powder. Did you know that baking powder  and corn starch come in similar plastic containers now?

 

The sweet treat was made and placed into the oven. It was in that moment of closing the oven door that the thought occurred to me that there were not two boxes of baking powder. 

Ever get that gnawing feeling that something is wrong? Deep within I knew it.

Flashbacks to the bread not rising, and now what about the dessert cooking in the oven? There in the cabinet, right in front of me was the answer. Turning the container around my nagging feeling was correct, corn starch. 

Ingredients do matter! Without baking powder, my bread and my brownies did not rise. They taste great, just don't have the usual pizazz.

Our lives are not the same when crucial ingredients are missing.

Many are trying to live a life absent of one essential ingredient, Jesus, He does matter!

Living without Him is like trying to live without oxygen or sunshine or rain. He makes a difference in the way that we view life, people and circumstances, He is the ingredient in our life that causes us to be able to rise up and stand strong because He gives us strength. He is the ingredient that binds everything together. Without Him the recipe does not work!



The Son shows the glory of God. He is a perfect copy of God’s nature, and he holds everything together by his powerful command. Hebrews 1:3

Where are you trying to do life without Him?

Out of the Pit

Expectations not met, 

Disappointment after Disappointment, 

Unfulfilled dreams.....

After a while you begin to lose Hope,

You stop dreaming, stop hoping,  

and just Exist, day after day.

I can't tell you how often I have fallen into this pit of disappointment. Fortunately, there is someone who can pull you out of this pit.

He hears our cries-When we feel so alone.

In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears 2 Samuel 22:7

He lifts us up - When there seems to be no way out!

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2

He teaches and directs us-When we have lost our way.

This is what the LORD says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

He is trustworthy to put our hope in-His love is unfailing

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Choose today to trust Him, hope in Him, rest in Him.

Being a Servant

What does it mean to be a Servant of God?

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-25

There are 3 parts of the Hebrew word -servant

Servant
•Ayin-Looks like an eye
•Bet-The floorplan of a house
•Dalet-door

Our job as a servant is to be looking around God's kingdom (his house)
to see how we might serve Him.

That leaves Dalet which means door. 

These servants were marked!

then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant. 

Deuteronomy 15:17

Servants had an awl pushed through their ear and into the door post.
Ouch that would really hurt!

We too are marked! And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13

Jesus is called the door! We must enter through Him to have the privilege of serving.

Once we enter His door we are His servants. 

Look around and see-

Where can you serve?
Who can you serve?
How can you serve?

Show Me Your Ways

There are days that I just want God to reveal His plan, show me the right direction , lead me and guide me.

Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow.

 Psalm 25:4 (NLT)

This video comes straight from my heart!

Show me Your ways, That I may walk with You

Show me Your ways, I put my hope in You

The cry of my heart is to love You more

To live with the touch of Your hand

Stronger each day, Show me Your ways 

He doesn't always tell us His plan nor is He obligated to do so!  He is God, after all! 

This curious girl just wants to have a heads up now and then.

In the midst of not knowing His plan or His timing- we wait.

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8

Psalm 33:20

Romans 15:4

While you wait, may you put your hope and trust in Him who is faithful.

The Lord remembers you.

Have you ever felt forgotten?

Maybe 

You were not asked

Your birthday was forgotten

Your contribution was not acknowledged

You were left behind 

You feel invisible, cast aside

 Isaiah 49:14b-16a, "...“The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.” “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.... 

Luke 12:6-7 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgottenbefore God.  In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.


You are never forgotten! You are important to God. Not forgotten, rejected or cast aside. Every hair on your head is important to Him. Every detail of your life is known by Him.

When He looks at the palms of His hands He sees your name.

 He has not forgotten you and He never will. 

Crossword puzzle

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Every Sunday Morning I sit next to my mother in church.  Recently I noticed a quirky behavior that she has. Upon receiving the bulletin she gets out her pen and begins to fill in the empty spaces in her notes.  I was surprised that she so quickly could figure out what our pastor was teaching about. There were many times that she began filling in the words before anything was projected on the screen.  After a few weeks of this I asked her why she does it. I will never forget her response to me.

"Filling in the blanks is just like completing a crossword puzzle, I like the challenge of it!"

I must admit it was a novel approach to listening to the sermon.  We do this often in our relationship with God. Trying to out guess him. I am so guilty of trying to figure out God's plan for my life.  Sometimes I even make things fit into the puzzle that maybe don't fit but I want them so I push them in.


Have you been here?


Jeremiah 29:11 says that God knows the plans he has for us.  Not that we know His plans.


If you struggle with letting God direct your steps, here are some verses that may help you to trust Him more.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5

Thus says the Lord, Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8

For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death. Psalm 48:14

The Lord will guide you continually  Isaiah 58:11

Take delight in the LORD, 

   and he will give you the desires of your heart.

  Commit your way to the LORD; 

   trust in him and he will do this: 

 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, 

   your vindication like the noonday sun.

 Be still before the LORD 

   and wait patiently for him; 

Psalm 37:4-7

Snow Blower

This winter I asked my husband to show me how to use the snow blower.

 He demonstrated the process step by step.

1. Fill with Gas

2. Turn the throttle

3. Press the priming pump 10 times

4. Pull the cord

5. Adjust throttle

6. Adjust snow blower 

It looked so easy and it started right away for my husband.

Yesterday it snowed about 5 inches and my husband was out of town. So I dressed in warm clothing and proceeded out to the garage to give it a try.

I peeked into the gas tank, full.

Turned the throttle, pushed the primer 10 times.

Pulled the cord-nothing!

Pulled the cord again, nothing!

Pulled the cord a third time, nothing!

I looked at the snow blower to make sure that I hadn't forgotten anything! 

Defeated, I put the machine back into the corner, grabbed the snow shovel and proceeded to clear the driveway!

Honestly, I don't know what I did wrong, except that I didn't have enough strength to do it on my own!

There are many things that I try to do on my own strength and most often I fail. 

Forgiving others

Breaking a habit

Being humble

Holding my tongue

Changing my thoughts

Behaving kindly when I want to behave badly!

Showing love when I have been wronged

I know that I can not do it on my own strength and I must rely on the strength that Jesus gives if I ever expect to change.  

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. II Corinthians 12:9

God's strength is also mentioned in these verses;

Philippians 4:13
Psalm 18:32-34
1 Corinthians 10:13
2 Peter 1:3

I can do nothing on my own that will last, that will cause a permanent change.
There is no power to change, to save, to recreate except that of the resurrected Jesus!

The Joy of the Lord

Simple, happy, glowing,

Glistening eyes, upward gazing, child like

Pure, content, unpretentious

Praising, exalting, worship!

I witnessed a blessing today. A young woman who stood before our congregation worshipping the Lord. By wordly means she has very little, yet when I watched her my heart exploded with the joy of the Lord. 


She chose to worship!  
She chose to give it all she had,
 even though she didn't know all of the words,
 even though she couldn't hold the notes
 even though she had difficulty keeping up with the rest of the choir,
 she worshipped!


I was humbled by her act of service, of worship, of adoration. 

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. I Corinthians 1:27 

Father, May I learn from this precious child how to wonder in your holy name. To enjoy you and all that you have given with thanksgiving and gratefulness. I am humbled that you have chosen us to serve you.

Square dance culprit

It is 1980 on a beautiful warm Thursday evening in Garden Grove California. Hundreds of High school students are circling up for an outdoor square dance. In the air was the sound of excitement, giggling girls laughing, hundreds of overalls and red bandannas blanket the lawn.

Soon square dance music was playing and the old, well fed caller, climbed up to the stage! "Y'all ready for some square dancin?" Students eagerly lined up for the Virgina Reel and the music played, "Honor your partner"...... and the music played on, until it didn't. What happened to the music we all wondered.

Part of my job was to assist the staff and make sure that everything ran smoothly. Frantically, I searched for the plug that must have come undone. Within a few minutes the sound was back on and everything was dancing right along!

Until..............

The sound stops again, this time the culprit was also seen. A disheveled neighbor who was not happy with the loud raucous square dancing music, had calmly walked over and unplugged the extension cord.

Being the mild mannered woman that I am, I demanded, "Hey what do you think you are doing?" This tired looking man told me that he worked the late shift and needed his sleep. We worked together to turn the sound down I promised that we would be finished before 9pm and off he went.

I will always remember the night the music stopped, mostly because I had a choice when I conversed with this man. 

We had every right to play our music, I could have just told him, too bad, so sad for you. What kind of witness would that have been? I had to think about the reputation of Christ. What if this moment had eternal significance?

Every day we have a choice,

A choice to be a witness of Christ and His love and grace

or

A choice to negatively effect the reputation of Christ.

Matthew 28:19

Spin Class

Much like my new found love for the step class is my excitement for spinning. It is crazy that I should love such a tortuous workout. There is more sweat going on in this workout room than water in a pool. I love the way it makes me feel when I have completed a class. During the class I am not always convinced that it was such a good idea.

From the start of the class the instructor encourages us to give it all that we have. "no regrets", she shouts to us. "Another half turn, push and pull, push and pull". After wiping the sweat from my face, I glance up at the clock and it has only been fifteen minutes! Seriously? How am I going to make it for another thirty minutes, I desperately ask myself.

Just then the instructor chides us to adjust our tension another half turn, and get up out of our saddle. For the next 6 minutes as my thighs burned with intense pain, we stood up, sat down, bent forward, and just kept going.

After a few moments of a recovery ride, we entered into the last hill of the class. Realizing that for the next 10 minutes we were going to be working harder, and harder, I started to have a conversation with myself.

I could get down and go to the bathroom, then I wouldn't have to come back! Maybe no-one would notice if I just stopped pedaling! Why would I ever do this class, this is pure torture!

As if the instructor could read my mind, she asked us how we would like to finish the race. "Don't quit now, you are almost there, I can see the finish line, you can do it!" Right then, on the spin bike, I had a moment with God.

He told me, Jann, you do this in your life too. 

Sometimes you quit before I can show you the blessing.

 I want you to fight through till the end!

 Don't give up,

 I will see you through. 

I will be your strength, 

I will be with you. 

I finished the ride, tired and sore, but glad that I wasn't alone and never will be.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Stake your Claim!

The people of Israel, after being led out of Egypt by Moses have been wandering in the desert for 40 years! In this passage we find them camped next to the Jordan River. They are so close to having what God has promised them 4 decades earlier, a land flowing with "milk and honey". Joshua their new leader is preparing them to take the land that God has promised them.

Joshua 1:1-5

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

There are some amazing truths here!

To receive what God has planned for us we must:


1. Begin the Journey! Joshua 1:1-2

This means that we must get ready! Be prepared for the task at hand. To move on we must let go of the past!. It's time to move on.

The greatest hindrance to experiencing the richness of God in your life is your reluctance to let go of yesterday. Sooner or later, you've got to let go of the past if you want to stop wandering and cross into the future that God has planned for you.






2. Stake your claim! Joshua 1:3

God has promised to give you every place that you set your foot.

I believe that God wants you to have victory in every area of your life. Don't be afraid to step into all that He has promised you! Review all of the areas of your life and decide to believe God wants to give you more than you can imagine in ministry, school, work, relationships, health and home.

What do I mean by stake your claim? 

Believe that what God has said is true and then live it! Live like you believe it!

for example:

• when you open the fridge you expect it to be cold.
• when you turn the key in the car you expect it to start.
• when you turn on a a light-switch you expect it to turn on.

When we live what we believe we take action because we expect that God's promises are true!

3. Focus on His promises! Joshua 1:5

Just as He was with Moses and Joshua, He will be with you!
I know of no greater promise than this! It is repeated throughout scripture.
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Remember that God has plans for you. Plans for a hope and a future.  Our part in this is to let go of the past, stake a claim in every area of our life and then to focus on His promises.

Go ahead, step into the water!

Tuskegee Airmen-Red Tails

Red Tails tells the story of the Tuskegee airman during World War II.These pilots had fought discrimination at home so that they could get into the air to protect the United States. This true story of the continued hardships that African Americans had to face astounds me. How could people ever have been so nearsighted and cruel to fellow human beings? 

From the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you to these men who fought for us.

Tuskegee facts

• The all-Black, 332nd Fighter Group consisted originally of four fighter squadrons, the 99th, the 100th, the 301st and the 302nd.
• From 1941-1946, some 1,000 Black pilots were trained at Tuskegee.
• The Airmen's success in escorting bombers during World War II – having one of the lowest loss records of all the escort fighter groups, and being in constant demand for their services by the allied bomber units.- is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.
• The 332nd Fighter group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its' longest bomber escort mission to Berlin, Germany on March 24, 1945. During this mission, the Tuskegee Airmen (then known as the 'Red Tails') destroyed three German ME-262 jet fighters and damaged five additional jet fighters.
• The 332nd Fighter Group had also distinguished itself in June 1944 when two of its pilots flying P-47 Thunderbolts discovered a German destroyer in the harbor of Trieste, Italy.
• The tenacious bomber escort cover provided by the 332nd "Red Tail" fighters often discouraged enemy fighter pilots from attacking bombers escorted by the 332nd Fighter Group. Tuskegee airmen facts

Within the movie there was a funny moment for me. One of the pilots had a picture of Jesus that he would pray to before a flight. The funny part was that he called it "Black Jesus". I don't have a problem with whatever color Jesus was, most likely he was not blonde, blue eyed, white Jesus. I don't pray to Jewish Jesus, or Middle Eastern Jesus. Or to reminisce Talladega nights, "baby Jesus in the manger".

I do pray to; 

Jesus, 

The Son of God, 

My Redeemer, 

Savior, 

and 

Lord.

It does not matter to me what color of skin he had because that was only His earthly body. Surely in heaven there is neither black or white or any other skin tone. Only eternity to worship the King.

Where's my coffee?

When I get up in the morning one of the first things I look for is piping hot, strong black coffee! A good cup of it is such a wonderful gift each morning. 

After pouring a cup, I begin my morning make-up routine while sipping away at this incredible nectar! Yes I am slightly addicted to it!

On this morning, forgetting that I had moved my coffee, I turned around to grab my cup and it was gone. Somewhat confused by this, I walked into the kitchen looking for my cup, not there! Retracing my steps also had a negative result. The getting ready clock was running out, so I left for work without finishing or even finding my coffee.


That is until yesterday!

I stood there laughing at myself because as I opened the cabinet in my bathroom it revealed the hidden location of one, cup of coffee.

God whispered to me in the midst of my laughing at myself,

"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:13 NLT

Father, help me to desire you more than anything. Thank you for the reminder to seek you and the promise that I will find you when my whole heart is in it.