Monday Morning Memo: Our God IS Able

I shared recently that I love to have music blaring as I work.  It never ceases to amaze me how often just the right song will come on that I need to hear at that particular moment.  Many times, when I’m discouraged or afraid, I will hear a song that has just the right words to calm my soul. There are other times when I am feeling so blessed and the only way I know to express my thoughts is to sing the praise songs that I hear to the Lord.

A recent song that spoke to me was “God Is Able” and some of the lyrics are: 

God is able
He will never fail
He is almighty God 

Greater than all we seek 

Greater than all we ask 

He has done great things

Lifted up He defeated the grave 

Raised to life Our God is able 

In His name We overcome

For the Lord Our God is able

God is with us
God is on our side 

He will make a way 

Far above all we know 

Far above all we hope 

He has done great things 

2 Timothy 1:12: “That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (emphasis mine).

Hebrews 2:18: “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested” (emphasis mine).

Hebrews 7:25: “Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf” (emphasis mine).

2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (emphasis mine).

Our God IS able.  He has shown me over and over this year that He is able to do so much more than I ever could have imagined.  I don't know what you are going through today, but if you are struggling or facing something that seems impossible to overcome, you need to hold onto the fact that He IS able.  There is nothing that He can't overcome.  There is nothing that is causing Him to fret or wring His hands.  HE IS ABLE.  As the song tells us "He will make a way, far above all we know, far above all we hope, He has done great things." 

Place your cares in His hands and then relax...because HE IS ABLE!

SPECIAL NOTE:  I will be taking the month of July off from writing my Monday Morning Memos.  I feel like the Lord wants me to spend some time praying for His guidance and direction for the coming months.  Lord willing, I will resume sharing in August with a renewed sense of His presence!

Monday Morning Memo: A Bountiful Harvest

If I had my blood drawn right now…I’m thinking that it may be a darker red than usual.  The reason?  It’s strawberry season!  I love strawberries and the last couple of weeks I have ingested many.  I have eaten them plain…put them in fruit salads…made strawberry shortcake…and of course, I had to make fresh strawberry pies.

The reason I tend to gorge myself on this particular fruit at this time of year, is because that’s when they are ready to be picked in our garden.  Since I am highly allergic to strawberries in the grocery store that have chemicals on them, I can hardly wait each spring to start eating ours since they are completely organic.  It is so nice to be able to eat them on a daily basis, without the concern of having a bad reaction.

This past Saturday I was cleaning strawberries to freeze for this coming year, and to use to make another strawberry pie for Father’s Day.  As I worked, I started thinking about everything that had to be previously done so that I could enjoy this fruit in so many different ways.

First of all, my husband Dan had to build raised garden beds and fill them with soil.  We then had to purchase strawberry plant roots (which someone else had grown so we could buy them), and then those roots needed to be put in the ground.  They then had to be watered when necessary and allowed to grow…sending their runners throughout the raised bed.  Weeds needed to be pulled to make sure they didn’t choke out the plants.

It’s pretty exciting around here when we see the first blossoms of the season, because we know that the fruit will then follow.  The raised bed is checked often as the fruit appears and once they have ripened, we need to get them picked.   They are then brought in to de-stem and wash so they can be used in salads, desserts, etc. 

Gee, wasn’t that riveting? OK, so it may not be real exciting for you…but it is for me because I was involved in those details and I know how far we have come in the process.  And, I also have seen and experienced the rewards for our labor as we have tended to our garden.  But if I took a guess, I’m thinking that the last time a piece of pie was placed in front of you in a restaurant, you probably didn’t give a lot of thought to what transpired in the prior months so you could have that dessert.  At least I’m sure I didn’t.

Isn’t it interesting that we are all intelligent enough to realize that fruit has a history, but we often neglect to realize the people we come in contact with do too?  We meet someone, and we immediately evaluate them on our “scale”, passing judgement without ever taking the time to hear their story. We have no idea what all has transpired in their life and for all we know…they may be lightyears ahead in their Christian growth compared to where they began.  But, unfortunately, we sometimes make a rash assessment and we miss out on coming alongside them as they tend to their “garden” in life.

Do you want to experience great rewards with a bountiful harvest?  Be willing to get involved in the lives of those who come across your path. I figure if I can get excited about seeing strawberry blossoms…I probably should be even more excited to see someone else blossom in their relationship with our Jesus.  And just think…that’s a harvest that affects eternity!

“He said to his disciples, 

‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  

So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; 

ask him to send more workers into his fields.’”

Matthew 9:37-38

Monday Morning Memo: When We All Get to Heaven

I had planned to share on another topic this week…but the Lord laid something else on my heart this weekend…and He won’t let me stop thinking about it.  So, I have learned over the years that I better listen to His promptings and follow His leading.

When I work around our home, it is not uncommon for me to have music blaring…especially if I am home alone. To me, work seems easier if I have great music playing with which I can sing along.  

This past Saturday, many of the songs that were coming through my Alexa, seemed to have the same theme.  Song after song talked about heaven…especially the old classic, When We All Get to Heaven.  I belted out the words:

When we all get to heaven

What a day of rejoicing that will be

When we all see Jesus

We’ll sing and shout the victory

I haven’t been able to shake these words since Saturday.  The day is going to come when I will finally be “home” with the Lord and what an exciting day that will be. I don’t know how you picture your arrival to be in heaven, but I just imagine that as I appear on the streets of gold, my Jesus will grab a hold of me and give me the hug of my life! And yes, I plan to sing and shout the victory!

So, my thoughts for you today are quite simple, with just two questions to ask you. Are you ready? If your time on earth would end today, would you be greeted by your heavenly Father as you arrive home, or will you spend your eternity in the torture of hell? These may seem like heavy thoughts to begin your week with, but none of us are promised tomorrow, so it is important that we answer these questions today. 

I can’t think about the joy of heaven…without thinking about the fact that there are many who aren’t ready. Unfortunately, I’m afraid there are those who think they will spend eternity in heaven because their parents were Christians…or because they have always tried to be good and live by the Golden Rule.  I’m also afraid there are those who sit in a pew every Sunday morning who think that their attendance is their “ticket” in.  None of these thoughts could be further from the truth.  Each person must make the decision for themselves to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and no other good deed or faith-filled heritage will reserve your place in heaven.

The choice is yours to make. I can’t make it for you nor can anyone else. It is completely and entirely up to you, so please don’t delay. Jesus wants nothing more than for you to ask Him into your heart.  You can come to Him just as you are…but I guarantee you that once you have truly met Him…you will never be the same again.  

If you haven’t made this decision yet, all you have to do is say a prayer such as this one:

“Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, were resurrected and are alive and well today. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you deeply love me.  I confess that I am a sinner and I need you to forgive me and cleanse me from my sins. I accept you as my Savior and want you to create a new and clean heart in me.  I now want to live every day for you and I know that I will have eternal life with you because of what you did on Calvary’s cross for me.  Thank you, Jesus.  Amen.”

Many years ago, I realized I was being called into the ministry after my spirit became overwhelmed with the realization that each person I meet will either spend their eternity in heaven or in hell.  So, when my Jesus impresses on me to urge my readers to make a commitment…I will do just that.  Please, make the decision today to live for Him in the days to come.  I sure want you by my side when we all get to heaven, because what a day of rejoicing that will be! 

^“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ 

has become a new person. 

The old life is gone; 

a new life has begun!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

Monday Morning Memo: Step Out and Stand Back!

Most of my readers will probably not understand the significance of this picture of me on our mower.  There are a few who may…because they know me really well.

Let me explain. When Dan and I married almost 38 years ago, I became a country girl.  I had been raised in the city my entire life…so moving out to the “boonies” (as some of our friends say!)…was something entirely different than I was used to.  But it didn’t take me long to fall in love with having open land all around us.  I soon realized that I loved working outside in our garden and flower beds…and most of all I soon discovered the joy of mowing.

Even with three young ones…I would plan their naps at certain times so I could be out on the mower.  As they grew older and naptimes went by the wayside…they knew that their mom’s mowing time was not to be disturbed.  I remember telling them that I was going out to mow and unless there was blood involved…I was not to be summoned to settle their disagreements.  Mowing was a time for me to pray…sing praise songs to my Jesus…and regain any sanity that I may have lost that day J

So, it was devastating to me when I was told some years ago that my days of mowing were over.  With the diagnosis of my Hypermobility Syndrome and the many surgeries that occurred as a result, I was told that mowing was just too jarring on my body and it had to become a thing of the past.  Many won’t understand this…but I have literally grieved over this life detour.  Not only was mowing taken away…working in our garden and flower beds also became very difficult.  Those things that I love to do were being taken away and I felt deep sadness. 

Fast forward to this past January when I felt Jesus impressing on me that I was to claim the word “Power” this year, along with the verse from I Samuel 12:16, “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do!”  He also nudged me to get serious about doing everything I could do to improve my health.  Much of my medical condition is out of my control…but I knew that He was asking me to do what I could do and rely on His power for the rest.

Since January…there have been times when situations have arisen that required me to rely on Jesus’ power and as I have, I have seen Him do amazing things.  I have felt His presence in a new way and He has shown me what can be accomplished when I put my trust entirely in Him and allow Him to work in my life and in the lives of others.  I have ramped up my prayers, stepping out in faith at times, claiming His power to work in mighty ways.

So what does all of this have to do with mowing?  Well, in March, I felt His leading to step out in faith and ask Him to allow me to mow this summer.  I kept sensing these words from Him, “LuAnn, you do your part…and I’ll do mine…and together we will see great things”.  There were days when I felt silly asking for this to happen when I knew there were much more critical issues in this world.  But yet, I just kept sensing that because He loves me so much…He was using this desire of mine to teach me more about His amazing power.

So far this spring, I have mowed twice…with very few ill effects.  In the past, mowing even for a short time would put me in great pain, but this year, I have been able to mow our acreage and still walk afterwards!  I cannot begin to put into words the joy and thankfulness that I have felt as I have been blessed to, once again, enjoy His creation in this way.

Will I continue to be able to mow the rest of the summer?  Only He knows the answer to that…but I am choosing to praise Him for the here and now.  If the time comes when I have to stop mowing again…I will be sad, but I will be so thankful for the time He gave me to enjoy doing something that I love.  

Do you realize how much power Jesus has?  Ephesians 3:20 tells us, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”   He wants to work in a mighty way in and through us…and I think so many times He is just waiting for us to ask.   

Do you sense that Jesus is asking you to do something, or ask Him for something, but fear is keeping you from obeying?  I want to urge you to say yes to Him today.  Put your trust in HIS power and then step out in faith that He will do great and mighty things.  Oh, and then stand back, and see the great things the Lord is about to do!