Frequent Failures

Can I confess to you that I fail quite frequently at living like Jesus? I was watching my one-year-old daughter trying to walk and run in a new pair of shoes. She was falling repeatedly, yet each time she would quickly jump up and continue on with the same zeal that she had had before she fell. My own failures often lead me to discouragement and despair. Lord, when I fall help me to get up and get going for Your glory! "Do not gloat over me my enemy. Though I have fallen, I will rise; though I sit in darkness the Lord will be my light." (Micah 7:8)

Sharing Faith

He sat on a barstool behind the counter reading a book. "What are you reading?" I asked. He proceeded to tell me it was a novel a neighbor had loaned him and that it was "hard to get into." I responded by remarking that I liked Christian books. "Do you know anything about Christianity?" I asked. He did. He grew up going to a Pentecostal church. A door opened, and I shared my testimony. I sensed God had His hand on this young man's life, and it took me back to the days that the Lord gave me eyes to see more and more of my Master through the lives of ordinary people who were willing to tell me the Truth. He uses each of us to be His messengers to clerks behind counters and strangers on the street. I gave him a copy of "Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die," and I've been praying for him ever since. Will you join me? "I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ." (Philemon 6)

Good Idea

Two rows of parking. One long line of cars. The guy in front of us pulled out of the line to look for a space in the second row. Good idea. We followed and found a spot in seconds. As we were struggling with the stroller and digging out the diaper bag, an SUV stopped alongside us. "You know, we were all waiting in one line to get parking," exclaimed the lady inside. "We didn't know," my husband calmly remarked. "Do you want this space?" I asked. "Yes!" came the quick reply. We packed up and pulled out. "That was a good idea," my husband said to me just after calling out "God bless you" to the woman. Fifteen years ago it would have been a different day. Where did what I said come from? Grace. Where did what my husband said come from? Grace. Where did what that lady received come from? Grace. It's a good idea every time. "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)

Selfless Serving

Mulling over the ministry reports of the missionaries our church supports helps me to put my life in perspective. As they log their life for accountability, they relay information about their day, and it is evident that these servants stay busy. But it's not the busy we often know best , busy running here and there: shopping, exercising, playing. It's busy self-giving: prayer, teaching, discipling, relationship-building with those who don't know Jesus. So often when someone in America says, "Maybe I should be a missionary," the return comment is "Why, you can be a missionary right where you are." Yes, we can be; but Lord, help us to see we have a long way to go. "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." (Mark 9:35)

Housing Hopes

What began as a home for an aging parent became a home away from home for missionaries. A small house tucked behind another house, barely visible from the road, serves as a place for missionaries who are in the U.S. on furlough or for other reasons to live and rest and restore. A living area, a dining area, kitchen, bed and bath. A plaque hangs on the wall honoring the mother who had lived there, and tucked away in the corner a bookcase holds items from countries all over the world, left behind by the missionaries who have been blessed by this little lighthouse. As I sat on the well-worn sofa and heard the voices of the saints that had prayed in this little place, I dreamed a big dream to have a missionary house someday, a haven that can be a a little slice of heaven to those who are carrying the Gospel to the unreached people groups around the globe. What a beautiful way to serve the feet of those who bring Good News.

Fleeing Football

I recently read about the raunchy ads that were played during the Super Bowl. An urgent plea was sent out to write to the NFL, to the network, and the FCC telling them that we had seen enough of this type of advertisement. I understand the reasoning behind this type of action, and I do think we are to fight against the things that our precious Lord died to save us from. But at the same time, I am not surprised when sinners sin; I am only saved by grace and would have no desire to do right but for the blood of Christ. So, why should I expect the secular to conform to my standards? An alternative to writing and urging them to change is to change ourselves and stop watching. Spend the time seeking the greater joy that's ours in giving. We have found that international students or neighbors have little interest in American sports, but they greatly enjoy dinner and some conversation. Also, single women often find football less appealing than a evening shared with your family. "Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called." (Ephesians 4:1)

Sharpening Another

His small white truck pulled up in front of our house at 7:20 a.m. I was watching from the playroom. My husband had already gone outside to meet this friend who was giving him a ride to a men's breakfast at church. In the past several months I have given thanks for this man who loves my best friend. One night last week, he spent several hours working with him on a project. The end result was my husband securing a landscaping job with potential for more. But, that's not what really fills my heart with gratitude. It's the prayers they pray together, the time they spend studying God's Word, the phone calls for accountability. It's the love. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)