Monday Morning Memo: Living to Serve

Do you ever wonder what in the world we ever did before Google & Siri?  Let me say…I’m old enough to know what we did without those search “tools”…we had to rely on good old fashioned research. We used encyclopedias, other books, asked someone who we thought might know the answer, etc.  But now, all I have to do is press a button on my phone…ask my question…and in seconds the answer is on my screen.  Absolutely amazing.

 

It's fun to sometimes try and interact with Siri when she answers me.  I’ve found that if I thank her for giving me an answer or reminding me to do a certain task…she will respond to me with comments such as “Your welcome” or “Just doing my job”.  But one day, her response stopped me in my tracks.  When I (out of habit) answered thank you, she said, “I live to serve”.

 

I stood there staring at my phone looking at those words and wondered if I can say the same thing about my life.  Am I really “living to serve”, or am I “living to BE served”?  Am I spelling the word as “service” or “serve-us”?  Unfortunately, I think our culture screams at us every day that WE should be the focus; WE should demand our rights; WE deserve to be served.  And as a result, we have a rising number of people who are satisfied to let the government and those around them take care of all their needs. 

 

But before I point the finger at “those” people, I need to ask myself about me.  If I know I am supposed to reflect Christ’s image in everything I do and in every action I make, then I need to begin taking Mark 10:45 more seriously, “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.”  Christ did not come so that He could “get”; He came so He could “give”.  And since I am supposed to live as He did, I need to make sure my life is one of service first to Him and then to those around me.

 

As we go throughout our week, let’s make it a priority to serve others with thankful hearts and out of love for our Lord.  If HE is our focus, then it will be much easier to say, “I live to serve”!

Monday Morning Memo: Precious AND a Masterpiece

There is someone who needs to read this today…maybe it is you.  I’ve written about this topic before…but I felt impressed to remind someone again of their worth.  

I’m sure you are all familiar with the song we sung as we were growing up:

Jesus loves the little children

All the children in the world

Red and yellow, black and white

They are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

These words prompt me to ask you a question today.  Do you feel like you are “precious” to God? If you are like me, it’s easy to believe that this word was for when I was much younger and more innocent.   But in reading the Bible, I came across two verses which negate those thoughts.   Psalm 72:14 (NLT) reads, “He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.”  Isaiah 43:4 (NLT) says “Others were given in exchange for you.  I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me.  You are honored, and I love you.”

Me?  Precious?  With all my faults and failures?  Yep, His book doesn’t lie.  And yes, YOU are precious to Him too.  It doesn’t matter what your past has been like, how many times you have made the wrong decision, how inept you may feel at living your life for Him…God loves you more than you can even fathom and YOU are precious in His sight.

Not only are we all precious to God, but we are also His masterpiece!  Isn’t that amazing?  There are times in my life when I don’t feel worthy of being called precious and I sure don’t feel like a masterpiece.  But I am and so are you.  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

I will be the first to admit that I am my own worst critic, and I’m guessing some of you are that way too.  Often wishing we had done something just a little better, wondering why we can’t do things as well as that person we work with, or questioning why in the world our parenting skills often look like a comedy routine.  I’m going to share advice with you which I have often felt God sharing with me:  Ease up on yourself.  Quit knocking yourself down as if you have no worth.  YOU ARE GOD’S PRECIOUS MASTERPIECE BECAUSE HE DOESN’T MAKE NO JUNK!!

What a blessing it is to be the sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  My prayer is that we will go through this week remembering Whose we are and how much we are loved by Him!

Monday Morning Memo: Not My Brightest Moment

I’ve never professed to be a bright person.  Yes, I have some abilities in certain areas…but overall…I’m not exceptionally intelligent.  But some days, more than others…really prove that fact :-) 

My day started with a migraine.  Maybe that should have been my first clue that the day may not go well.  I took some medicine and tried my best to look presentable for a meeting I had that day.  When I left home it was cloudy…and it looked like it might rain…which sort of fit how I was feeling.

As I drove though, the clouds began to part, and the sun eventually came out.  The farther I drove, the worse I was squinting.  Mile after mile, the narrow-er my eyes became and I kept thinking how this was not helping my persistent headache.  Anyone with any brain knows that straining your eyes never helps a throbbing head.

Then it finally happened.  I had a brilliant moment as I remembered that my sunglasses were right next to me.  All I had to do was put them on and the squinting suddenly stopped.  No longer did I have to strain my eyes because I had made the choice to take advantage of something which had been there all along.

As I thought about this later, I realized how often I do the same thing in my walk with Jesus.  A problem arises in my life and I begin to get stressed.  My body tenses and I start to get frustrated.  I’m sure I even squint my eyes in exasperation as I ask God why in the world I’m having to go through this particular “hiccup”.  I’m guessing at this point, He might be shaking His head.

Why?  Because He knows that all I have to do is look to my right, to my left, in front of me and behind me…because He is there, ready and willing to take my hand and walk with me every step of the way.  He tells me in His Word that I don’t even have to handle the problem.  I Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”   Yep, I have the Creator of the universe…the King of Kings and Lord of Lords right beside me at every moment of my day…but I often neglect to reach for His hand.  

I am so thankful that my Jesus is so patient with me.  He lovingly pulls me close to Him and tells me that He’s got this…that nothing I am facing is a surprise to Him and He surely isn’t wringing His hands in despair.  Whatever circumstance I face is nothing He can’t handle and yes, He can do far more than I can even imagine.  Oh, how blessed I am.

And do you know what?  You are that blessed too.  Whatever you are facing today, I urge you to look around, because Jesus is right there.  He can give you whatever you need, exactly when you need it…so you don’t need to go into distress mode.  You just need to make the choice to turn to the One who is waiting and has been there all along.  

So today, let’s focus on looking at Jesus…instead of our problem.  I happen to think that will be a brilliant move for both of us!

Monday Morning Memo: Oh, To Be Like HIM!

It is hard to believe that next month it will be 14 years since my life changed forever.  It was then when my mom took her last breath on earth, and her first breath in heaven.  I just can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to go from lying in a bed, with a very broken body and mind…to suddenly being completely healed, praising and worshipping her Lord and Savior.

What I wouldn’t give to have one more visit with her.  What I wouldn’t give to have her fix me a bowl of her tapioca pudding, because even though I follow her recipe to a “T” …it is never quite as good as hers.  How wonderful it would be to laugh and joke together while watching her do her Barney Fife impression.  She had a sense of humor that many never saw…but she could sure make us chuckle with her antics. 

Of course, we also loved to get her laughing.  There were many times when my siblings and I would “get on a roll” with our strange humor and the outcome was seeing mom laughing so hard she was crying.   It was at that moment, when we saw the tears rolling down her cheeks, that we knew we had been successful.  It was so much fun to see her so completely relaxed…no cares wearing her down…just good old-fashioned fun.

As much as I would love to experience these moments again with her, I do not wish her back on this earth.  How could I?  How could I want her to leave perfection…to return to this broken world we live in?   How could I want her back to suffer physical and mental pain…when those words aren’t even in her vocabulary anymore?  No, I love her way too much to wish her back.

But I also love her way too much to let her legacy die.  My mom was such an amazing woman who didn’t just cook for me and laugh with me, but more importantly showed me her Jesus day in and day out.  She loved her Lord more than anyone else I have ever known and was willing to do whatever He asked of her…even when the road wasn’t easy.  She often showed me by the choices she made and the example she set, that life wasn’t about her…it was about HIM…the One who had died for her sins.

It’s easy to become discouraged, feeling like I fall so short of being the woman that my mom was, but it is at those moments when I often sense her whispering in my ear; “LuAnn, quit trying to be like me…just keep striving to be like HIM.”  Yes, that’s the legacy I want to carry on.  Striving to be like my Jesus.  I happen to think that would make my mama proud.

Have you been blessed with people in your life who have pointed you towards Jesus?  Be thankful and then get busy…not trying to be like them…but striving to be like HIM.  I happen to think that would make them proud!

 “Whoever claims to live in him 

must live as Jesus did.”  

1 John 2:6

Monday Morning Memo: All Is Not Lost!

I have shared before that being a grandma is one of the most fulfilling “roles” with which I have been blessed.  To see their eyes light up as they run in our door…just fills me to the brim and overflowing.

But that of course makes me a “sucker” for taking care of them when I’m asked by my children…even when there is a “caveat” attached.  Let me explain.  Our son came to Dan and me a few weeks ago and asked if we could watch their three children this past week.  He and our daughter-in-law were going out of town on business, so they needed us to care for the kids during that time.  Then our son said, “But there’s something else (insert caveat).  The girls (ages four & six) are signed up for Vacation Bible School that week at our church…so you would need to take them there for the two mornings you have them”.  Their church is 30 minutes away from our home…which meant I would need to have them, along with their 19-month-old brother, up, dressed, fed and out the door by 8:00 am.  Of course we said “Yes” and believe it or not…we actually arrived early both mornings.

This Vacation Bible School was amazing.  You may want to make sure you are sitting down for these next statistics…but there were 450 children who attended and some 300 volunteers!  I stayed for a while the first morning and trust me…it was a well-oiled machine.  Everyone knew their responsibilities and their organization was top notch.  I was so impressed with the number of youth who were also volunteering.  I loved watching them interact with the younger children.  One young man was walking along the long line of parents and children who were waiting to sign in…and fist bumping all the kids and showing them tricks with his hula hoop.  The excitement on the kids’ faces was contagious!

Why am I sharing these details with you?  Because we are constantly bombarded with negative news.  Even some of my recent blog posts have been disheartening…and it is so easy to become discouraged and feel like there isn’t any hope.  I’m here to tell you that ALL IS NOT LOST!  There are positive things happening all around us and God continues to work in a mighty way.  There are still churches who have a heart for kids.  There are still youth and adults who are willing to give of their precious time to teach and love children.  And there are still parents who want their children to learn Biblical truths which will last a lifetime.  

So, I want to give a shout-out today to Emmanuel Community Church for seeing the importance of pouring into the lives of our children.  Did it take many, many hours of preparation?  Yes.  Did it probably mess up their building with so many children running the halls?  Yes.  Did it take time away from their staff as they also helped teach the children?  Yes.  Was it worth all of this? YES.  As a grandparent who saw the faces of five of my grandchildren (three more of my grandchildren also attended) as they came running out afterwards…it was definitely worth it.

I also want to give a shout-out to the parents who saw the importance of having their children attend a VBS.  I understand that there were probably parents who saw this as a babysitting time…but I can’t imagine a better place to take them!  I’m confident that the children learned things that will come back to their minds for many years to come.  As we read in Proverbs 22:6, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older they will not leave it.”  Children have minds like sponges and it is so important to make sure they are “absorbing” truths each and every day.  So parents…I urge you to find a church home and take your kids with you.  There are many churches (mine included!) who have a heart for kids and I can’t think of any better place to have them involved than a Bible believing, Christ-centered church!

Was I tired after my adorable, precious children went home?  Yep, sure was.  But it was worth every minute of getting up early and taking them to Vacation Bible School because I know they had a blast and learned Biblical truths…and to be honest…I needed to be reminded that All Is Not Lost!

Monday Morning Memo: In An Instant

Last week I shared with you what we did the first week of our recent vacation, which was spent in Tennessee with our daughter and her three sons. We stayed at a resort which had an indoor/outdoor water park…so that, along with a place nearby which had lots of amusement park type rides…kept us very busy.

We made the arrangements for that trip quite a few months ago and had planned to return home at the end of the week.  That is, until our granddaughter from North Carolina contacted us and asked if there was any way possible we could come to her graduation.  She told us the date was June 14^th which was the Wednesday after our trip.  The timing couldn’t be more perfect.  Since we would already be in Tennessee, we could just leave from there and go to our other daughter’s home.  That gave us a few days to spend with them before the much-awaited graduation.

We had a great first week and woke up on Friday, ready to pack up the car to head to North Carolina.  As we were getting ready, a text came in from our daughter informing us that our granddaughter’s boyfriend (who was also graduating this year), along with a 16-year-old friend, had died in a car accident the night before.  We couldn’t believe it.  Two young men with their whole life in front of them, taken in an instant.  

Life doesn’t always go as planned, does it.  It doesn’t always follow our neat and tidy arrangements.   James 4:13-16 tells us, “Look here you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.’  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog – It’s here and a little while, then it’s gone.  What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.  Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans and all such boasting is evil.’”   Of course we have to make plans, but there are times when those plans are turned upside down…and we are left reeling.  

In an instant…we are reminded that life, as this scripture says, is like the morning fog…it’s here a little while and then gone and none of us are promised tomorrow.  Yet, how often do we live as if our final day on this earth will never come?  We live as if we have all the time in the world to make things right with those around us.  Oh, we plan to reconcile with estranged family members…but just not now. We also plan to make things right with God…to accept Him as our Lord and Savior…but just not now.  We have other things we want to do today…so we put those decisions on the back burner until we’ve done everything that we want to do.  

Friend, I hope you and I have many more days on this earth…but the truth of the matter is that we may not.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news on this Monday morning…but we may never get to do everything that we have so meticulously planned, because in an instant, we might be taken.  In an instant, we could be standing before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and the opportunity to make things right, will be gone.

I have no idea what your plans are for tomorrow…but if I may suggest something for today…make a point to set things right.  Do you have family or friends who you aren’t speaking to?  Make it right with them today.  Don’t delay.  Make the first move and be willing to reconcile.  Life is too short to spend it apart from those we love.

If you are waiting to accept Christ…I want to urge you to not wait any longer.   What is holding you back?  Christ died on the cross and rose again….for YOU!  He loves you that much and wants to walk with you on your life journey.  Honestly, I can’t imagine going through my life without Jesus by my side.  

All you need to do is ask Him to forgive you of your sins and He will make you clean.  Then, when in an instant you are taken from this earth and stand before His throne…you will get to spend eternity with Him.  Trust me…it’s a win-win!   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Monday Morning Memo: Adventure Living

We just returned from a two week “vacation”.  I put quotation marks around that word…because as often happens…I felt like I needed a vacation when we returned home to rest from our “vacation”!  But it was a wonderful 14 days.

The first week we travelled to Tennessee with our daughter and her three sons and stayed at a resort which had an indoor/outdoor water park. There was also a place nearby that had lots of amusement park type rides…so two days were spent conquering every opportunity to be whipped around on a track…dropped from high heights…or spun around and around.  My husband and daughter deserve an award for doing things at both places that pushed them to their limits…so that our precious grandsons, who have no fear of new experiences…had the time of their lives.

The frustrating thing for me was that I had to be a spectator, not a participant, in most of these experiences.  After five back surgeries and a disorder that greatly limits me…I could only be an observer.  I knew going into this vacation that I could either make that truth be something that irritated me and made me not a fun person to be around…or I could be intentional in making sure I was a part of the experience, without being able to partake in these activities.

Enter the phrase, “Adventure Living”.  I decided that throughout the week, I would use this phrase with my grandsons.  As we took them to various places…I would tell the boys that this was “adventure living” because it was an opportunity to do something they had never done before.  When they got tired and wondered “how much farther” our 4+ mile hike in the Smoky Mountains would last…I told them that this was adventure living and we were there to enjoy the experience. When I wanted to show them one of my favorite places in the area where there is a fountain that is set to run to music (not something they thought sounded too exciting) …I told them that it would be awesome because it was adventure living (and yes, they ended up loving it!).  Over and over again…they heard me say the phrase “adventure living”.

Finally, after several days, one of my grandsons said, “Grandma, why do you keep saying that everything is ‘adventure living’?” My response was, “Because someday, when you have kids of your own, I hope you will say to them ‘I sure wish you could have known my crazy grandma.  She was always pushing us to do new things because she said that was adventure living’.”  They then said that maybe I will still be alive when they have kids and I can tell them myself.  While we know that is possible…I’m not banking on it 

Confession time.  In my own life, the words “Adventure Living” haven’t been my main motto.  My idea of adventure living is not using a measuring spoon when a recipe calls for a teaspoon of oregano…and I just throw caution to the wind and throw some in.  So, it doesn’t come natural for me to then want to do adventure living with my grandchildren.  In fact, just putting a bathing suit on AND wearing it in public was almost more than I could handle on our vacation.  But I remembered that when my first grandchild was born…I decided I would do everything in my power to be “in the moment” with this cherished young life and any other precious grandchildren of whom we would be blessed…and if that meant I needed to wear a bathing suit…I would do it.  Little did we know that we would end up with seven amazing grandchildren and number eight will join us in September!  What a blessing!

I want my grandchildren to really know me…with all my faults and failures…but that will never happen if I don’t do life with them.  They need to see how I approach life…how I act and react to life’s detours…and where my focus is and that isn’t going to happen if I’m just sitting on the sidelines.  God is impressing on me that because I have been blessed to have these young lives in our family…I have a responsibility to not just have fun with them…but to pour Jesus into them at every opportunity.

You see, I not only want my grandchildren to be able to tell their kids about our adventure living experiences…I also want them to be able to say that their grandma loved her Jesus with every fiber of her being.  That she was always pointing them to her Savior and He directed her every step.  That is such a tall order and I feel like I fail more than I succeed…but by doing life together…I’m praying they will also see that God’s grace is readily available when we fall short.

Who has God put in your path that you can influence?  Maybe it’s your children…not your grandchildren.  Or, if you don’t have children or grandchildren…maybe it’s a family who doesn’t have any grandparents in the area who really wish they did.  Or, maybe it’s someone who works next to you every day.  Whoever it is…ask God to give you the opportunity to come alongside them and then be intentional on “Adventure Living” together.  Who knows…you may realize that you needed them even more than they needed you 