Monday Morning Memo: That's a Scary Thought 😳

Restless.  This isn’t a word that usually has a positive connotation.  Other words which can be used in place of it are uneasy, ill at ease, fidgety, edgy, on edge, tense, nervous, agitated, anxious, keyed up, apprehensive, unquiet, impatient, sleepless, wakeful, insomniac, fitful, broken, disturbed, troubled, unsettled, uncomfortable, watchful, worked up, tossing and turning.  None of these words paint a picture of something that is pleasant.

But there have been times in my life when some of these words describe how I feel because there are periods when my spirit just isn’t settled.  Times when I feel like God is preparing me for something new, but since I have no clue what that “new” is…I become restless.  And, unfortunately, during those times I often hear these words from God, “Not yet LuAnn.  Wait.” UGH.

How do you react when the Lord’s answer is “wait”?  Hopefully you are better than me because I wouldn’t win an award for waiting patiently.  I always feel like action is necessary to follow His will and so patiently waiting is just a huge waste of time.  I often feel like the Lord needs my help to get something accomplished and I’m probably mistaken about that.  He needs my obedience…He doesn’t really need my help.  But He does allow me the privilege of having a role in seeing something come to fruition…because He loves me that much.  

It’s similar to how it was when our children were growing up.  There were many tasks around the house which could be accomplished easier and much quicker if I just did them myself.  I didn’t need any help from them to get certain jobs done, but because I loved them and wanted a closer relationship with them, I would sometimes ask them to help me.  Those times brought us closer as we worked side by side to see our task completed.  It’s the same way with our Jesus.  He is more than capable of doing everything himself, but because He wants a closer relationship with us, He offers us opportunities to work side by side with Him.  What a privilege!

I once read these words, “We must be willing at every moment to surrender to His will. The Father is at work, through the Spirit, to bring the completed work of Christ to the world. He knows where workers are needed and sends them to these places. Even though it may seem that going there will lead to financial loss or greater family struggles, we are to rejoice because we have confidence in what the Father is doing. With all humility, we should accept the portion which God has prepared for us. Glorify His name by believing His promises for your spouse and children. No matter what happens, we can have complete confidence that the Father is directing our lives, and great joy can be found in submitting to His will. Nothing else will ever bring the true satisfaction that our souls are longing for” (from Appointed to Bear Fruit).

Yes, it comes down to surrendering to His will in every moment and I’m pretty sure that means every moment of waiting and feeling restless.  Maybe during this time, He has more pruning to do in me so that I am prepared for whatever lies ahead.  Ouch.  That’s a scary thought 😳

“But me, I’m not giving up.
I’m sticking around to see what God will do.
I’m waiting for God to make things right.
I’m counting on God to listen to me.”

Micah 7:7 (The Message)

Monday Morning Memo: NEVER Say Never!

I had said more than once, “Never again”.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love animals.  In fact, growing up I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized how much math was involved in accomplishing that profession 😊

We’ve had numerous cats and dogs in our home over the years, but when my beloved pug passed away in 2018, I decided that was it.  No more dogs for us.  At this stage of our lives…being semi-retired…owning a pet just wasn’t something I wanted to “deal” with.  We like to be free to travel and do what we want to do and not have to figure out what to do with a dog.  So, while there have been times when I’ve missed having a pet…I was firm on my decision to keep our home free of animals.

Well, let me introduce you to Truman…the dog that made me eat those words when he recently became the newest member of our family.  I wasn’t even looking for a pet…but made the mistake of scrolling through the animals which were up for adoption at our local shelter.  That wasn’t an uncommon thing for me to do, because I love animals and enjoy seeing the different breeds.  I had done this numerous times since 2018, but never once had one tug at my heart…until Truman.  When I first saw him…there was something about him that made me take a second look. 

Several days later…I scrolled through the available pets again and yes, once again…I stopped at this canine.  Honestly, I didn’t want to love this dog because I was so adamant about not having another one...especially a shedding dog! But,  over the next month…Truman kept showing up in my Facebook feed and it was as if he was staring right at me.  I felt a connection to this dog whom I had never met…but just kept reminding myself that he just wouldn’t fit into our current stage of life.

As February came to a close…I still couldn’t get Truman off my mind.  Figuring he had probably been adopted…I checked the shelter’s website and there he was…still speaking to me through his eyes.  So, I did what I do in many situations…I began praying about this mutt.  I told the Lord that I didn’t want to make a mistake…so He was going to have to make it crystal clear to me if I was to adopt him.  I threw out several fleeces (I believe in using those!) and was very specific as to how I needed them answered so I would know.  Every single fleece was answered down to the last detail.

Then, on March 1st…the Lord threw in an extra sign which I didn’t expect.  The shelter posted that they were running a special and all adoption fees were being greatly reduced.  I felt like it was now or never…and I went to meet this dog.  As I expected…I knew when I saw him that he was mine.

Truman entered our home and acted like he had always lived here.  There wasn’t any adjustment period…he was home and he knew it.  We have a connection that really can’t be described or understood…we just know it’s there.

If you are waiting for a big theological lesson in this story…you will be very disappointed.  I just wanted to remind you today that the Lord cares about every aspect of your life.  There is nothing too small to pray about.  I think we often have the misconception that He is only concerned about the big issues in our life and doesn’t want to be bothered about life’s everyday decisions.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  He loves you so much and wants to be the One you turn to when you need guidance…no matter how trivial it may seem.

Yes, Truman is now a part of our family and I’m not entirely sure what the Lord’s plans are for us.  All I know is that for some reason…I was meant to love this goofy, shedding, thankfully well-behaved dog.  Maybe, just maybe…he was brought into my life to remind me once again…just how much my Jesus loves and cares about every aspect of my life.  And the cool thing is…He cares that much about you too ❤️

Monday Morning Memo: Oh, What a Day!

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. 

I love different types of music.  I really enjoy the contemporary songs and choruses…but I also like the old hymns.  I feel I can worship Jesus with either…because if He is my focus and the One who deserves my praise…the song isn’t as important as where my heart is.  

As I get older…the songs that speak of heaven often bring tears to my eyes.  The reason is that as I have more and more loved ones and friends who have already left this earth…heaven gets a little sweeter.  The tug is just a little stronger to want to see my Jesus face to face.  I can’t imagine how wonderful it will be to be called “Home”.  As one of my favorite hymns says: 

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

 

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 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 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 need to do is say a prayer such as this one:

“Dear Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for my sins, were resurrected and are alive and well today.  I believe 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 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 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: What's Your Nickname?

A couple weeks ago I confessed that I had been reading in Numbers and wasn’t thrilled to be enduring a bunch of statistics…but there are even some sections in the New Testament where I can easily find myself skimming the details.  One of those places is in Mark 3, where the names of the twelve disciples are listed.  I’ve heard their names many, many times and to be honest, I often rush through them because I never really thought their names were that big of a deal.  But when I read them one day, one of the verses really stood out to me.  It was verse 17 where it says, “James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them ‘Sons of Thunder’).”  I don’t know about you…but I think it would have been awesome to have Jesus give me a nickname.  I mean, how cool would that be?

That is, as long as it referred to a positive attribute of mine.  I would have been thrilled if scripture would have listed my name, and then clarified that Jesus nicknamed me “Patient LuAnn” or “Daughter of Peace” or even the title of my first devotional book, Image Seeker.  Any of those would have been amazing.

Unfortunately, many of my attributes aren’t so positive.  If you have read Image Seeker, you may remember that growing up my nickname was Walter Cronkite…yeah…not really what a young girl wanted to be called.  But the name was fitting…because I did talk a lot and I always wanted to beat my siblings in telling news to the world.  In other words…I received the nickname because I was a blabber-mouth!

That “label” is probably ok when you are 10, but it’s not so pretty at the age I am now.  My lack of patience probably isn’t something I would want Jesus to refer to either if He gave me a nickname.  Moreover, neither is my sometimes cynical attitude very becoming.  What if scripture referred to me as “Impatient LuAnn” or “One Who Blabs” or “Skeptical One”.  Maybe I should be thankful that Jesus didn’t list a nickname for me in scripture.

Of course, those around me probably have nicknames for me and I’m confident some of those aren’t really flattering either.  The sobering fact is that the world is watching me…and you…and will label us by what they see us doing and saying.   Will they see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?  Or will they hear us saying one thing…but living out something entirely different?

Now we know that we won’t always make others happy and our ultimate goal should be to please our Savior.  Each of us is a work in progress, and fortunately, Jesus loves us enough to keep chiseling away at those attributes which aren’t very pleasing to Him.  I think as we look more and more like Him, others are bound to see His reflection in us and will hopefully want what we have.  Maybe then they will give you and me the nickname which we all should be striving to receive, “Christ-Follower”.

“Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, 

because my servants must be where I am. 

And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

John 12:26

Monday Morning Memo: Living With Expectation

The word that has been rolling around in my head the last few days is “expectation”.  It seems to me that we spend much of our life in “expectation”.  When we are growing up, we live in expectation of becoming a teenager, of being able to drive, of graduating high school, and then going to college.

Many of us then live in expectation of finding a good job, finding a mate, getting married, having children, and then being blessed with grandchildren.  We now have seven, amazing, adorable, multi-talented grandchildren and believe me…we waited in expectation for their births!  

Is there anything wrong with living with expectations?  Of course not.  I think it is good for us to have events to look forward to.  Sometimes it is those anticipated happenings that give us hope and a bright outlook and so it is often good for us to look forward.

But, and you knew there would be a “but”, the problem occurs when we are only living for future times and wasting today.  We can become so focused on our future “possibilities” that we miss the certainties of the present.  How many parents spend years just waiting with expectation for the day when their kids will be in school, only to miss the precious moments of today?   How many people can’t wait until they get that perfect job, and neglect the opportunities they have today to make a difference in the lives of others?  How many adults wait with expectation for the day when they can retire, grudgingly enduring today and making everyone around them miserable in the meantime?

I think we need to remember that there are short-term times that we should approach with expectation.  If I truly want to be more like Christ, I should begin each day in expectation of spending time with Him.  I should be excited.  I should be hungry to learn what He has to teach me.  And believe it or not…I should even have more expectations to meet with Him than I do to see what is posted on Facebook!  

If I desire to look more like Christ, I should also wait with expectation for the times when I gather in His house and hear from one of His messengers.  I believe I should anticipate and look forward every day of the week to what He will teach me during the next time of worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  That means that on Monday morning, I should already be praying for and looking forward to the next Sunday.  Now some of you may be thinking…are you crazy LuAnn?  I should spend the next 6 days in expectation of next Sunday…just because I’m going to church?  Well, if we can wait with expectation for months and even years for events which have no eternal significance...I happen to believe we can do it for six days 😊

I have a challenge for you this week.  Every morning when you wake up, approach your quiet time with the Lord with expectation.  Enter into His presence expecting Him to work within you and through you.  Then, each day, tell the Lord that you are already looking forward to next Sunday. Begin praying for your Pastor that the Lord would work in him or her throughout the week as he or she prepares their sermon.  Begin praying that during your time of worship, you will hear Him whispering in your ear and then be open to His leading.

I believe if we live today with expectation…God will begin to work within us in a mighty way.  I’m excited to hear how He is speaking to each of you and how your life is changing because of listening to Him.  He is expecting to meet with you today…will you be there? 

“I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.”

Psalm 119:147-148

Monday Morning Memo: A Desert of Excruciating Detail

It wasn’t a stellar morning.  I woke up with a headache and just wanted to pull the covers over my head.  But I had to get up to take medicine so the pounding in my head would go away…so I decided to proceed to my library to attempt my devotions.

What a sight I was.  Puffy eyes from my headache…no makeup…hair a mess…and in my PJ’s.  I opened my Bible and my reading for the day was in Numbers.  If you know anything about that book…it’s not what I would call an exciting read.   It contains many statistics, population counts, tribal and priestly figures, and other numerical data.  I read where Numbers takes the reader on a “long and winding path through a desert of excruciating detail”...and that pretty much sums it up.  It can be rather boring to say the least.

So, I’m sure I didn’t approach my reading with an open heart and listening ear that morning…I just wanted to be able to mark off that my reading was done for the day.  I began reading in Numbers 28:

“The Lord said to Moses, “Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions.

“Say to the people: This is the special gift you must present to the Lord as your daily burnt offering. You must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. Sacrifice one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening. With each lamb you must offer a grain offering of two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives. This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Along with it you must present the proper liquid offering of one quart of alcoholic drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the Lord.  Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It, too, is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”

That’s as far as I got in my reading…before my eyes filled with tears.  I felt so overwhelmed that I couldn’t go on.  Why?  Because it hit me how blessed I am.  Because of my Jesus, who was willing to be beat…spit on…laughed at…tortured…and then hung on a tree and crucified….I don’t have to do all those things that were required back in Moses’ day.  Jesus became my sacrifice for my sins…so I don’t have to bring a lamb…or a grain offering…or pure oil…to be in His presence.  I could come to Him just like I was…with a headache…puffy eyes and no makeup…hair a mess…and yes, even in my PJ’s.  

This time in Numbers also made me ask myself if my time spent with Him was a “pleasing aroma”.  Did it please Him that my goal was just to mark off that day’s assigned reading?  Did it smell good to Him that I approached His Word rather grudgingly…just wanting to skim through the “desert of excruciating detail”?  I knew what His answer would be…and I felt so ashamed.

Fast forward a couple of days and I attended a basketball game for our 6-year-old grandson.  I walked over to hang up my coat and as I looked down the hallway, our 4-year-old grandson was running as fast as he could towards me and I heard him yell, “Grandma…I missed you!”  Oh, what joy that brought my heart and I felt so loved.  

As I thought about this later…this devotional time came flooding back to my mind.  Am I as eager to spend time with my Jesus…as my grandson was to spend time with me?  Do I look forward to reading His Word…spending time in prayer…listening for His direction in my life?  Do I run to Him with eager anticipation of basking in His presence?  Does my attitude bring joy to His heart and make Him feel loved?

I should have been the one on that tree instead of Jesus.  I am the one who has sinned over and over again and has, I’m sure, caused Him so much pain and sorrow.  But He did it anyway because He loves me that much and do you know what?  He loves you that much too.  He loves us so deeply that He was willing to do whatever it took to give us the opportunity for eternal life.  Jesus became our sacrifice so we could walk with Him each and every day and then spend eternity with Him.  That is something I can’t even fathom or comprehend.

If you aren’t spending time with Jesus every day…I want to urge you to begin doing so.  Trust me…you don’t have to clean yourself up inside or outside beforehand…He wants you to come as you are…and allow Him to speak to you.  You just never know what He will use to fill you to the brim and overflowing.  If He can use a “long and winding path through a desert of excruciating detail” to speak to me…I know He can speak to you too 😊

Monday Morning Memo: BINGO

Have you ever noticed how often we tend to use the word “but” in our day?  I know it’s time to get up…but I’m just too tired.  I love my job…but my boss is just too hard on me.  I’m so thankful for my kids…but they sure drive me crazy sometimes.  I know the person who works next to me needs the Lord…but I’m sure I’m not the one to tell him.  We say one thing…but we often feel the need to clarify what we said.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the word “but”.  The reason is I’ve heard myself say it over and over again.  I know I just need to trust…but…and then I give an excuse as to why it’s too hard.  I know I need to trust God for my loved one’s health or life situation…but…I love them so much and I want to “fix” them.  I know I need to trust God with my health…but…I’ve been through so much and what if I get worse?    I know I need to trust God for whatever happens today and tomorrow…but…I’m so scared of what might occur that will be out of my control.

BINGO.  I have a hard time trusting God…because I want to be in control.  To completely trust Him, means that I take my hands off any situation I am facing, and allow Him to be the One with the steering wheel.  It means that I don’t just say that I trust Him, and then keep taking the reins back over, trying to manipulate Him to do what I think is best.  It means I trust Him to work out every detail…in His timing…and for His honor and glory.

When I look at this logically, I have to ask myself, Why?

1.      Why wouldn’t I trust Him with my health, since He is the One who “made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  (Psalm 139:13)

  

2.    Why wouldn’t I trust Him with my loved ones since He, believe it or not, loves them even more than I do.  Not only did He create me, He created them too, and knows everything about them and nothing that happens to them is a surprise to my Jesus.

 

3.    Why wouldn’t I trust Him with my today and my tomorrow, since His Word tells me to,“Trust in the Lord with all my heart; do not depend on my own understanding.  Seek his will in all I do, and he will show me which path to take.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

So today… I. Will. Trust. God.  Period.  No ands, ifs or buts.  No excuses, no rationalizations, no manipulation.  He alone is worthy of my complete trust, and honestly, He really doesn’t need any help from me 😊

What about you?  Do you find yourself saying that you trust God…but…your actions show something entirely different?  Why not leave the driving to Him today.  Your path may not take you where you think you should go…but…I’m confident your destination will put you exactly where He wants you to be.