Category: Faith Lived Out

If you're like me, you long to hear someone in the media look on the bright side of life.

You know, spend more time on what is good and right and true, if just for the novelty effect.

Since that seems unlikely, let's help ourselves. It's still good advice to once in awhile stop and take a slow, deep breath, then exhale. Do it again. Feel your shoulders drop and your spirit rise? Good.

Now take another deep breath and thank God for something or someone in your life that gives you joy. From now on, keep your mind tuned to what is right in your life, rather than what's wrong.

Past generations managed to get through hard times, whether national or personal–without falling apart, even when life was hard. How? Part of the credit goes to entertainers of the time. They kept everyone's morale up.

Here's one example from 1944, when it seemed World War II would never end

Bing Crosby croons a song that caught on instantly–and still carries a useful message for us today.

Johnny Mercer wrote "Accentuate the Positive" in 1944, when Americans were bone-weary of World War II. With its upbeat rhythms and happy lyrics, this tune quickly proved to be a morale-booster.

The song's instructions lay down a good track to follow

Accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Spread joy up to the maximum

Bring gloom down to the minimum

Perhaps this sounds like too much. Besides, where are we supposed to find the energy?

I've only found one Source that never lets me down and that's God. He won't let you down, either.

The One who knows us best and even numbers the hairs on our heads is always there, waiting for us to turn to Him and ask for what we need.

How would "accentuate the positive" play out in everyday life?

Here are some starters:

Give up keeping track of what's missing in your husband or wife, or your children or employer. (Or anyone else, for that matter.) Instead, look for what is worthwhile in them and what they do right, then talk about that.

Let go of nagging kids over poor grades or annoying habits. Instead, point out to them their good temperament qualities–like kindness–and evidences of strong character, like follow-through and keeping promises.

Stop replaying how tight finances are and bemoaning all the restrictions and things you can't afford. Instead, remind yourself what you are able to do and thank God for that.

At first it may seem no one notices, but don't quit. Little by little, your deliberate new outlook will catch on with the people in your life, especially your family.

Think what a difference that could make inside your own four walls.

Always, we decide what we will emphasize

"Accentuate the positive" means we focus on what's good and right and true in people and in our world.

For example, if everyone depends on us and it weighs us down, how will we view it? We can call it a burden. Or we can regard it as the privilege it is.

Privilege? Yes, especially for parents. Moms and dads set the tone for their families. Children constantly listen and learn, wanting to know how they are to look at life and people. Happy parents make for happy kids who feel confident about life–and themselves.

Wives and husbands probably won't label it as such, but each one supports their spouse emotionally, remembering it is who they are, not what they do. Every time they smile and hug–the more, the better–each one feels appreciated. Somehow that lessens the weight of worries and problems for each of them.

Good friends can do that, too, because we are meant to encourage each other.

Even if we live alone, we set the tone for our lives. We can start our mornings by thanking God for another day. Or we can fixate on the constant news broadcasts and talk shows. When we choose the latter, it's easy to get caught up in thinking and talking about the evil in the world and in people.

As usual and as always, it's our choice.

Before that song came the Apostle Paul

I have no proof, but it may seem logical to think Johnny Mercer took his inspiration from Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers–and sisters–whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Doesn't that sound a lot like "Accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative"?

Doubts and fears still may surface now and then

I've found it helps to go back to God's promises, for example:

By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8 ESV

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2 ESV

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. –Psalm 4:8 ESV

Over the years I've learned I need to be watchful over my moods and to deliberately pick out what's good in life and to thank God for it.

The ancient wisdom still holds: A thankful heart is good medicine.

Wishing you joy!

Lenore
Find a Lift for Your Day–and Your Heart–Here

March 1, 2024
When Nick Vujicic speaks–and he does, all over the world–people hang on every word. They can't quite believe that this man is saying what he's saying.

Certainly I found that to be true.

Some years ago my husband and I heard Nick speak and afterward joined the crowd around the stage. His smile lit up the room.

Since then I've seen him on television and just recently on YouTube.

Always, I marvel how every day he triumphs over challenges that would drive many of us to curl up in the corner and wail.

And then there are his remarkable parents. Three sonograms gave them no warning their child would be born with problems.

Imagine their shock to find their newborn son possessed no arms and no legs, only a sort of a "foot flipper" at the bottom left of his torso.

What would you do?

No doubt many well-meaning people told Nick's parents that raising their severely handicapped child would be too much for them and they should turn him over to the professionals.

They paid no attention.

That plucky pair took their baby son home and somehow loved him into a remarkable wholeness of spirit.

They did more than love him absolutely. They gave Nick a lifetime gift.

They instilled in him the sense that he was bigger than the obstacles he faced.

They assured their son he could trust God to make a way for him and use him. Somehow. Somewhere. Some way.

Still, it was years before Nick believed it wholeheartedly for himself.

The boy with the hard name and the weird body

Nick Vujicic (VOO-yee-cheech) was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1982. As you would guess, being taunted and bullied were everyday occurrences.

He says, "I often came home crying and told my parents, 'I hate school! The kids make fun of me!'

"My parents always said, 'Don't pay any attention. You're God's creation, fearfully and wonderfully made, and we love you. You just smile back and talk to them and play with them as much as you can.' After awhile things got better, but I often felt depressed.

"I accepted myself after I read about the blind man in John 9.  I read how Jesus said the blind man was born that way so that the works of God would be revealed through him. I said to God that if He had a plan for that man I certainly believed that He had one for me.

"That's when I totally surrendered the idea of ‘needing to know the plan’ and trusted in Him one day at a time."

Would you describe Nick as "disabled?"

Most people would. Here's what he says about disability: "We all have brokenness. Mine just shows more than most people's.

"Fear is the biggest disability of all. Fear is simply False Evidence Appearing Real. Courage is doing what's in front of us, even when we're afraid."

Asked how he finds courage to keep going every day, Nick smiled. "I thank God for what I have instead of complaining about what I don't have.

Nick says, “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then certainly He will use any willing heart!”

God answers Nick's heartfelt prayers

For years Nick wondered whether any woman ever could or ever would love him. Then God answered his lifelong prayers for a godly wife and a family of his own.

He and Kanae fell in love and then married on February 12, 2012.

And now they have four beautiful children.

(To read more of his story, go to his website: www.lifewithoutlimbs.org or Google his name.)

Nick Vujicic often quotes a favorite verse.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."                                  Jeremiah 29:11

Dear reader friends, that same promise applies to you and to me, every bit as much as it does to Nick. If we compare our problems to Nick's we may feel we have no right to complain, but we are human. Inevitably, we will have times when we feel broken and downhearted. Even then, in Jesus Christ our hope and our future is secure.

Let's resolve to live our lives, too, by the sure and certain promises we find in God's Word.

Lenore

You Can Soar Above Your Challenges

October 26, 2023
Every one of us may answer that differently but still, we would prefer our lives to run along smoothly.

Please raise your hand if that describes your life. Hmm.

Okay then, let's consider the question from a different angle. Did you ever consider what your tough times taught you? Or watch that play out for someone else?

I learned a big life lesson from our long-ago friend Bill. He and his wife were part of a small group of friends who got together every couple of weeks. We often talked about our lives, our problems and how we as Christians could deal with them.

Whatever the situation, Bill's opinion seldom wavered. He believed the trials that test our will and our strength created a situation where our faith could shine through.

Plain-spoken Bill always managed to insert his favorite truth:

"When the rubber meets the road, what's inside us will show up."

Then a huge pothole opened up in front of Bill

When our group met that week Bill seemed distracted. Finally he said, "This has been one tough week and I'm glad it's over!"

Then Bill spelled it out for us:

As a building contractor, he had survived more than one economic challenge by barely hanging on. Then demand picked up, so he hired a few sub-contractors. Two of them never showed up and the third guy did shoddy work.

Then building materials were delivered to his warehouse and on inspection turned out to be sub-standard.

In one of his buildings careless renters set their apartment on fire, which spread to adjoining units in another building he managed.

"All this in one week?" I asked.

"Yeah. Problems are nothing new, but usually I have some breathing space."

Somebody asked how he managed to keep going and keep on trusting, even when it seemed everything had turned sour.

Bill thought a bit, then said, "Guess I have enough smarts to learn from life and trust God to get me through."

Then the rubber hit Bill's road, big time

His doctor delivered a shock. Results of recent tests showed that Bill's "little problem" was a life-threatening health crisis.

He sought out the best medical treatment he could afford. Extensive surgery and arduous treatments followed, but Bill followed instructions precisely. He and his wife came to church as often as he was able, Bill walking slowly and leaning on a cane. His face looked pale and drawn, but still he smiled.

Still spoke faith and encouragement to the rest of us.

Again and again my husband and I watched this one man lift the spirits of everyone who glimpsed him or who was within range of his voice.

"Hey, it's just life," Bill would say. "God is in charge and I am at peace. I'm keeping my eyes on Him. However He works it out, I win."

That's true for the rest of us, too

We moved several months later but the last I heard, Bill had recovered his health and energy.

I think of him when I read again what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13:

… I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. NIV

Paul's "circumstances" were no slice of angel food cake. Just read 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 to read of Paul's floggings, beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks and being left for dead many times.

Was that how Paul learned to be content?

Surely Paul must have had times of feeling alone and abandoned

That's when he clung to Jesus, as he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. NIV

Are you wondering about the "jars of clay?" Paul knew Scripture backwards and forwards and was referring to Genesis 2.

That's where God created the first human being (Adam) out of the dust of the earth, remember?

Our friend Bill lived the truth of Paul's words

Even on his worst days, this down-to-earth guy presented a ready smile to the world. We Christian friends knew what kept Bill going. He drew on the light of Jesus and the strength of Jesus within him.

Like the Apostle Paul, Bill kept his eyes on Jesus rather than on himself and what was going on in his life. When he slipped up–and he did, of course, being human–he went back to what he believed, asked God's help and began again.

With evidently no self-pride or aim to impress, Bill simply lived his life as a man who depended on Jesus living within him to get him through his days.

You know that saying that we believers are to be "little Christs" in the world we live in?

Bill just being Bill lived out that truth and everyone around him wanted what he had.

He believed the truth of Ephesians 2:10 every day

It's all ours for the taking, if we, like Bill, keep our eyes on the One who promises to enable us and be our strength:

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Psalm 73:26 NLT

He depended on God and His power, not on his own–and said so. He left everyone who knew him an unforgettable model for living.

Simply said, Bill chose to have the best of times–even in his worst of times.

I pray your life is good, my friend, and your heart is at peace,

Lenore

Best of Times or Worst of Times? It’s Your Call

October 23, 2023
No matter who we are, whatever our age or life situation, the unpredictability of life can get us down.

The truth is that sometimes life is hard.

That's true even for those of us who are Christians. I am and I trust God's many promises to be with us and to be our strength. Perhaps you do, too.

When trouble comes knocking we cling to these Bible promises as a drowning person to a lifeline. We long to take God at his word and yet … sometimes we feel very alone and headed for disaster.

Our desire is to be strong and immovable but we feel tossed around like driftwood.

That's the time to turn to God's promises in the Bible. For example, one that's cherished by many believers is God's promise to the Israelites after they had been exiled in Babylon. It's from Jeremiah, Chapter 29:11 (NLT):

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

To find our footing, grab onto these truths and refuse to let go

Life often feels like too much to handle on our own. That's when it helps so much to share the load with our best Friend, Jesus, and turn over our fears and doubts to him. Prayer is nothing more than talking to him as we would to a friend we can trust.

It's good to remind ourselves that all through life our attitude–our mindset–determines how we react and how we deal with whatever life hands out.

It's exactly as the writer of Proverbs said in 23:7a:

As he thinks in his heart, so is he. –NKJV

This verse applies to every one of us: As we think in our minds, so we are. When we truly absorb that into our minds and hearts it's not long before we become more aware of how consistently that principle works.

Is this easy to do? No. We first need to set aside our "logical thinking" and acquired theories and be ready to trust as simply as small children do. Only then will we be ready to put our hand into our loving Heavenly Father's hand and walk in faith.

It's often helpful to make lists and write down what we know is true with a pen and paper. There's something about the act of writing our thoughts down on paper that helps us clarify patterns and shows us when we're chasing our tail rather than getting closer to finding answers.

The bottom line: How we react to what comes can strengthen us in our struggles or ramp up our fears.

No one can take away our power to choose how we think

That's been true from the beginning because God creates only one-of-a-kind human beings. No one else makes us think a certain way. That freedom belongs to each of us alone.

Chuck Swindoll, well-known Christian pastor and writer, wrote a lot about attitude in one of his most-loved books, Strengthening Your Grip.

Here are some quotes–and paraphrases–taken from that book:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past. More important than education."

More important than how much money we have–or don't have.

More important than failures or successes.

More important than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than our age or the state of our health.

Attitude will make or break a company. A church. A marriage. A family.

I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.

Every day we choose the outlook we will put on for the day

Chuck's conclusions are true for you and me. Every day of our lives we choose our attitude and then our attitudes rule our lives.

Our perspective on any situation rules how we think about it.

If you doubt that, consider a common "for instance" like this. Picture yourself dragging around and feeling depressed–and maybe not knowing why. Then comes an unexpected phone call, a text or an email that lifts your heart. In an instant your gloom and sadness turn into smiles.

Often nothing has changed except the way we look at our life.

Putting it into practice day by day

Over the years I've learned that what I say to myself just after I wake up makes a difference all day long. Those first thoughts set the tone for my waking hours.

During those waking-up moments I often take a mental inventory. I can say to myself, Oh, I wish I could stay in bed all day! I am not looking forward to the same old, same old of my life. I need a break!

Or I can think, This is the day the Lord has given me as a gift. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)

Thanking God for being able to breathe and walk and talk doesn't take away any aches or morning stiffness I might experience. What it does is shift my perspective just a little bit. It reminds me that every day of my life is God's gift and in Him I live and move and have my being. (Acts 17:28)

This slight twist to how I start off my day shifts my thoughts to a more positive track and makes the whole day better.

Moment-by-moment, we choose where we park our minds

I don't know about you, but this is the lesson I seem to need to relearn, over and over.

As I think in my heart, so I am–and so is my life.

Here's to all of us being teachable. All. Our. Days.

Lenore

Is it time to do an attitude adjustment?

May 15, 2023
A lot of people do. How about you?

The other day a friend told of not being able to find her cell phone charger. "I took my house apart. I went through every place I could think of, but I absolutely could not find it.

"Finally I remembered to ask God for help. About two minutes later I realized I hadn't checked the wooden box on my counter. I checked the box and there it was. I think God was just waiting for me to ask so He could answer my prayer."

Is it really that simple?

Not quite. That would be a sort of "push-button God," wouldn't it?

Some of us have learned over the years that yes, God does hear our prayers. We may not always get the answer we prayed for, but one way or another, He will give what we truly need. Or we get a "wait" and feel forgotten. Only later will we understand that God did answer our prayers–and in the best way possible. We just hadn't recognized it at the time.

We can be certain of this: God does want to hear what's on our hearts:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. -Philippians 4:6

Do we pray only about the Big Things? Or everything?

Another time I was with a group of friends and one who lives alone told about trying to change a light bulb that refused to budge. "I was about ready to give up," she said.

"Finally I just said, 'Lord, I don't want to have to call someone to come for such a little job. Please help me!'

"Then I decided to give it one more try. A couple of twists and that silly bulb came right out. I know it was just a light bulb, but that day it seemed proof that God was watching over me."

People standing around her soon chimed in with their own stories of how they saw God's hand in their own challenges and also in various situations, past and present. Some were accounts of real crises and others of small, everyday things. In every case God brought the teller through the tough times.

It didn't matter. We listened and rejoiced together that God is faithful and He really cares about each one of us.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. -1 John 5:14

The truth is God really works

He can bless us with or without our prayers. It seems to me the value of us praying for everything that's on our hearts is twofold. First, it keeps us focused on our gracious Giver. Second, when we pray and things seem to "work out," it strengthens our faith because we know it's God answering our prayers and that reminds us that He loves us.

To put it another way, when we pray we look for His hand in our lives. We see Him already to work in our lives and therefore, we thank Him.

We know because we know that it is God blessing us. Not luck and not coincidence.

As for whether to pray only for Big Things or for everything, I vote for the latter. Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Every moment of our lives it is as the song says: "He's got the whole wide world … in His hands."

That includes you and me. God is with us and He is for us and He always, always hears our prayers.

May you know this and may His peace fill your heart!

Lenore

Are You Wondering Whether Prayer Works?

March 25, 2023
What do you need to give you a brighter outlook on life?

That's not a trick question, just something to consider. The answer may be closer than you think.

Sometimes we need eyes to see, said she who often failed to do that.

What did that lead to? Mostly a feeling of powerlessness. I let anything from a gray day to someone else's bad mood "make" me feel angry or turn my day sour.

Or when my sweet husband and I were on different tracks I might say, "You just don't understand me."

When our lovely but noisy children were being themselves too often I thought and sometimes said (yelled?) to them, "You're driving me crazy!"

Oh sure, I apologized. Profusely. Love covered over the moment and peace reigned again.

All the while I wished I had clamped my lips shut tight because my words caused pain in those I loved.

A random two-line quote opened my eyes

I don't know the source, but these simple words startled my thinking and spoke to my heart:

Two men looked out through prison bars. One saw the mud. The other saw stars.

At first I read that as a writer and thought, What eloquent writing! So much wisdom in so few words.

Before long the deeper meaning hit me in the gut. Every one of us, whatever our age or life situation, constantly makes choices. We–and we alone–decide that something or someone lifts us up or drags us down.

Turning that truth over in my mind made me cringe–and then pray. At long last (and about time!) I faced the fact: No one else makes me feel anything. Then and now my words and my moods are a do-it-yourself job.

What's more, whenever I tell myself that a situation or the words of another person "make" me mad, sad or depressed I surrender control over my emotions.

You might say that I put myself behind bars.

Can it be that simple?

Certainly it varies from person to person, but one thing is true for all of us:

Where we look and what we think colors every facet of our lives

Whether we see the best in life or the worst in life–and people–stems from where we fasten our attention and how we frame our thoughts. For example, do we believe (and say) that our marriage relationship is strong? Do we think (and say) that we have "good kids?" Do we customarily think that others treat us kindly?

Everything hinges on what we choose to see and how we choose to think. Will it be stars or mud?

Don't forget the sound track in your mind

We all have one and it plays continuously. Pay attention and be on the alert for echoes like these:

Why doesn't he … ?

Why won't she … ?

Why must he always … ?

Will she ever get it through her head that …

Take it from me, if that plays in our mind for long it spawns thoughts like these:

If he loved me he would …

If she cared she wouldn't …

He knows that drives me crazy!

She did that on purpose, like she always does …

This attitude spreads to how we view our jobs, our bosses and co-workers, our neighbors, our child's teachers and everyone else.

My grandmother would have said,

"You're thinking yourself into a tizzy. Thoughts like that never lead to anything good."

Fine, but how do we make a new start?

Just resolving to do so won't change us because our usual ways of thinking are as comfortable as an old pair of slippers.

In effect, we need to "rewrite our software," that is, lay down new habits and hardest of all, stick with them.

The place to start is with the Manufacturer's Handbook, the Bible. (If it's new to you, start with one of the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament.) Reading the Bible and talking to God in prayer helps us grow strong from within and implants new background music in our minds.

Any time is a good time to open up with God in prayer, no special script required. It's just being honest with him about what's in your heart. Some people prefer a set time of day while many of us carry on a running conversation throughout the day.

Always, God hears us. Why? Because Jesus came to earth and set us right with God.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he [or she] is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Day to day

When we're changed from the inside out the way we talk and relate to the people in our lives changes, too. We naturally start looking for strengths instead of reasons to complain and our outlook on life gets sunnier.

Here's a Bible verse that lays it out plainly:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Philippians 4:8 NIV

One thing we know for sure: We find what we look for.

Let's make this the time in our lives when we latch onto more reasons to smile and be thankful for the life we are living.

I'm praying for you–and for myself, as well,

Lenore
How do you see your life?

January 5, 2023
Are you thinking Christmas won't be the same this year? Feeling a bit rushed?

It's time for a break. Sit for a moment and catch the joy of these children–and adults–as you watch and listen to this YouTube of some years ago.

First, a bit of background

It all started when James Barthelman and his wife moved from Nebraska to the tiny village of Quinhagak, Alaska, to teach. Quinhagak is a (mostly) Yup'ik Eskimo village, 400 miles west of Anchorage, with no roads to the outside world. At the last census the population numbered 699 residents.

James was to teach in the village school, Kuinerramiut Elitnarviat School.

During the school year he and his fifth-graders came up with making this YouTube video as a school computer project that would involve both children and villagers. Barthelman filmed it, intending that this YouTube would go only to other Yup'ik villages in the area.

But it caught on and went viral

By now well over 1.8 million people have viewed this lively performance, all of it synced with the recording of the Robert Shaw Chorale singing the "Hallelujah" chorus from Handel's Messiah.

That one teacher in one small school never imagined how many people would be entranced by this video.

Quinhagak is a long way from Dublin, Ireland, where George Frideric Handel composed Messiah in 1741. At the time he considered himself something of a failure. Then during a 24-day period he composed the entire score of Messiah, for both choir and orchestra. He said he felt God gave him the music.

Handel never could have foreseen how his music would endure.

Nor that centuries later a teacher and a group of Inuit children would come up with such a creative performance, all of it synced with a recorded choir singing Handel's "Hallelujah" chorus.

Consider this another reminder what God can do with the work of one individual

Although Handel composed many other musical works, only his "Hallelujah" chorus is sung and hummed all over the world. His Messiah is performed every Christmas season by choruses and choirs in huge cities and in tiny villages on every continent.

There's a lesson here for you and me

As individuals and as moms and dads we cannot know what God will do with our work.

Or the work of our children.

I can't help thinking of this Bible verse.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV

That verse wasn't aimed only at Handel and other famous people. It speaks to you and me, too.

Think you're on a treadmill and going nowhere?

Perhaps today you question the value of your life. Maybe you're facing your first Christmas alone after losing a loved one.

Maybe you're a mom and your family most often notices what you do when you don't do it.

Put a positive spin on that. Being taken for granted also means your family knows they can count on you.

What's more, the family life you create and the love you pour into your days will live on in your children.

Joy comes from giving ourselves fully, knowing that what we do matters, whether we see the end result or not.

God is faithful. What we do in love will live on

Believe it. Let that truth put fresh energy in your tired body.

Someone needs us, needs our kind words, needs our encouragement. Whether we realize it or not, those are gifts, too.

This Christ-mas season let's put aside our usual thoughts of hurry and pressure and think on the greatest Gift.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV

Hallelujah!

Lenore

Here comes a Christmas heart-lift and a smile

December 7, 2022
After all, it dates back over centuries. How could the Bible still be relevant today?

This may sound like a logical question to many. I got a lesson in the "how" of it when my husband got a job promotion that kept the man I loved smiling from morning to night. Why wouldn't he? For years he had studied and taken extra training to move him toward that goal.

I rejoiced for him, truly I did, but I loved the place we were living. The place where I had established an identity and enjoyed interacting with other writers in the area.

We talked but managed to skirt around this touchy subject. I asked myself what would it accomplish to complain and rob him of his joy? I knew the answer: Nothing good.

Somehow, some way I would learn to love this new place.

Once we moved into our new digs my husband settled into his position as if it were tailored just for him. Morning to evening he was engrossed and energized.

Each day I watched his car fade from sight, then asked myself, Now what?

No answers came, but I clung to what I knew: Our loving God would not bless my husband and leave me, his wife, abandoned. I would wait.

"Be still and know that I am God …" Psalm 46:10 NIV

Finding my place

A month or two later I learned of the local chapter of the same Bible study a friend "back home" had often praised. Because I always wished I had her excitement about the Bible I decided to give it a try.

The next week I went to orientation and signed up. The teaching leader addressed the large audience of class members and us newbies, explaining the day's lesson based on Exodus, including Chapters 13 to 16.

She began with how God delivered the children of Israel from slavery

He parted the Red Sea and brought them across on dry land, a miracle for sure. Freedom! Yet soon they grumbled and complained against God's provision for them as they wandered in the wilderness.

Then she looked out at us and it seemed she looked directly at me. "Are you wandering around in a dry, dusty wilderness of your own making?"

At once I knew that I was! I was!

Then she moved on to how the children of Israel yearned for the abundant meats and fresh produce back in Egypt–where they had been slaves. Our merciful God provided fresh, bountiful supplies of Manna and quail for each day, yet in no time they started griping about being tired of the same old, same old.

With her next question once again it seemed the leader fixed her gaze on me. "Are you murmuring against God's provision for you because it doesn't live up to your specifications?"

My heart started pounding. Immediately I knew the Holy Spirit had just spoken truth to my heart and mind through that stranger. I saw clearly that God moved us to that place for my husband, yes, but also for me.

Don't ask me how I knew. I just did.

I drove home asking God to forgive me for my weeks of self-centeredness. When my husband came home I asked his forgiveness, too, but that darling man shushed me and folded me into his love. Finally, he had his wife back.

From then on I read the Bible with new eyes

Now I knew firsthand the truth of Hebrews 4:12: "The word of God is living and active …" God's living Word spoke to me and changed me. For life.

Since then whenever I read the Bible I look for:

What do these verses say? What do they say to me?

What can I learn from this account, from these individuals, on ways to live–or not live?

What principles can I use in my life? Right now?

What's my takeaway?

Often these truths pop out at me. Other times I need to be quiet and ponder awhile, waiting for what comes to mind.

Or I think I know what a verse means and then find some new facet that's useful for my life.

One thing is sure. I never come away empty. God's Holy Spirit makes sure of that.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.   Romans 8:26 ESV

No worries about "doing it right"

It's no more complicated than this: Relax and be still.

All it takes is that we make the time and ask God the Holy Spirit to give us teachable hearts, to open the Word to our understanding and to reveal his Truth. Take a few notes–or don't. Then chew on what you've read throughout the day.

As for being in a Bible study group what's good is that we all learn from each other as we share how the Lord works in our lives. It can be the setting for sharing prayer needs and growing friendships, as well.

All Scripture is inspired by God is and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

Always, always, always, it helps to remind ourselves that as God's children through faith in Jesus, HE is with us and guiding us.

The surprise at the end

God did have a purpose for me in that move. I stayed in the Bible study and became a group leader, where I found new meaning and made friends. Two and one-half years later my husband received another promotion. Once again I knew it fit him exactly right and once again, I regretted leaving behind what I had grown to love.

This time I knew from experience that whatever God provided for my husband would also turn out to be right for me.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV

Still learning,

Lenore
Does the Bible still matter in our time?

October 25, 2022
We seldom think about the messages we send the world, but we should.

I got a shocking reminder of that truth one day when I was out shopping. A smiling white-haired lady who looked a bit like my late grandmother put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Aw, Honey, it can't be that bad."

I stared at her in confusion and said, "Excuse me? I don't know what you mean."

Eyes twinkling, she smiled and said, "Well, I noticed you look like you lost your last friend. I just want you to know whatever the trouble is, you'll get through it and it helps to smile. That's all.

"Now you take care of yourself, Sweetie. Whatever's going on with you, it's just life. Sometimes life is hard, but you can do hard, I know you can. You'll be okay."

I thanked her for caring, still mystified.

Then I passed a mirror–and stopped short. She was right. I did look grim.

Do you ever do that?

That day I realized I probably wore that face more often than I knew. Whether I label it "concentration" or "preoccupied," that face was not a good idea.

First, because pinching up one's face leads to (gasp!) wrinkles.

Second, because what people read on our faces affects their moods.

Third, because if we say we have the joy and peace of Jesus, we'd better look as if we do. Otherwise our words of faith sound empty.

Fourth–and just as important–it's not fair to the people in our world.

As someone said, we owe the world a happy face

Why? Because you and I affect the people around us. Our families. Our co-workers. Strangers in stores.

Each of them is walking around and dealing with their lives and their problems, which may be all they can manage at the moment. Why should they have to dredge up strength to keep from "catching" our bad moods?

If you're a mom or dad you probably know that when we parents crackle with tension our kids walk on tiptoe around us.

And if we live in Tension City our children pattern the behavior as the way to live. Our uptight way of coping with life becomes their "normal."

Yes, but "Nobody knows the trouble I seen . . . "

That old spiritual speaks truth, doesn't it? No one can know or feel exactly what another person is living with. As the song says, nobody knows our hurt and pain but Jesus, who says:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 ESV

"Heavy laden." Don't we feel that way sometimes?

The NIV translates that verse:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Whether we're feeling overworked and over-stressed, weighed down by cares or stuck in a situation we cannot change, He can give us rest.

It's the only rest that lasts.

Eight hours of sleep or a nap refreshes temporarily, but deep-down rest for our hearts can be found only one place. In Jesus.

Life. It will wear us down, but Jesus lifts us up. Always.

The key is to turn our thoughts and our hearts to Him instead of getting mired in the problem-of-the-moment.

He's the One who carries us through each day on His shoulders, who turns our mourning into dancing.

(Jesus said) "I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 ESV

If we keep our eyes on Him we can be at peace, even during the hard times–and our faces will show it.

As that kindly lady in the store put it, "Whatever's going on with you, it's just life. Sometimes life is hard, but you can do hard, I know you can."

My friend, you can do hard, I know you can.

I wish you peace and joy in Jesus, today and every day,

Lenore
Be careful what your facial expression broadcasts

October 17, 2022
Sometimes God chooses unlikely ways to remind us we have a lot to be thankful for, doesn't He?

I won't forget the day I learned a lot by eavesdropping on someone else's conversation.

Let me explain.

One morning I stopped a local coffee shop and soon got jolted out of my private little pity party. (It wasn't much fun, anyway.)

The hostess seated me in a booth close to a table where two men seemed really intent on their conversation.

One man had a radio-announcer voice that carried, even though he spoke softly. I couldn't help overhearing and once he started talking I didn't want to miss a word. Besides, I wanted to finish my coffee and snack. I grabbed my trusty note pad and jotted down his key points.

Here's my best recap of his story

"I have one brother, the only family I have left. We've never been close, but we talked by phone once in awhile. We lived a couple hundred miles apart, so we didn't know much about each other's lives, but that was okay with both of us.

"One day I got a call from a Child Welfare worker in his city. She told me the police arrested my brother and his wife for dealing drugs. They took his three children out of the house and turned them over to Child Welfare.

"The social worker told me my brother's kids would go into foster care unless my wife and I took them. We were their only hope and she wanted an answer by the next day. I was speechless and my wife even more so. We talked and talked and cried and prayed half the night. At last we said Yes, thinking it would be short-term.

"Not so. Eventually my brother and his wife were convicted of running a drug ring and both got long prison sentences.

"It's been hard, hard, hard, even though we've talked to our pastor and friends many times and we've had family counseling. My 9-year old nephew adapted pretty well. My 11-year old niece keeps it all inside, but those two both call us Mom and Dad and really, that's what we are. We're the ones who are there and who will be there, and we love them. They all know that, even the 15-year old.

"She still has nightmares. She rebels in just about every way she can dream up, no matter what we do. We're coming to think perhaps what she needs most is beyond our ability, maybe some kind of special mental-health treatment for awhile, to help her heal.

"We've prayed and tried to pour out love, but we've also failed in a lot of ways. I think I didn't really know much about talking to God before this upheaval in our lives. One thing I know, we wouldn't have made it without God giving us strength, minute-by-minute. Sometimes we've thought we couldn't keep on, but God has brought us this far, so we trust Him for the future.

"Here's the wonderful surprise and extra blessing in all this. We missed seeing it for quite awhile. Then recently we thought back to the early days of our marriage when the doctors told us we never would have children of our own and we were crushed. Now here we are with three kids, two of them doing very well. Now we are at peace. In spite of all the pain, we have joy and we know we did the right thing."

As I rose to leave I glanced at the men and saw they both had tears in their eyes. They matched my own.

A change of heart

You won't be surprised to hear I walked out with a new perspective on challenges in my life, my heart brimming with thanks and praise.

Thanks for that man and his wife who opened their home and their hearts and changed the lives–and the future–of three hurting youngsters. (And their own.)

Thanks to God for supplying the love and strength they needed to give of themselves, day by day, and not count the cost.

Thanks that they can see the blessings and joy hidden within their daily sacrifices.

That conversation refocused my thinking in how to look at challenges in my life.

Like that couple, let's open our eyes to the joy!

The Apostle Paul well knew personal suffering but he also knew how to find joy. I love the way he sums up his secret in Philippians 4:

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! … Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers (and sisters) whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things . . . And the God of peace will be with you. (Selected from Phil. 4:4-9 NIV)

"Rejoice!" It's not a suggestion, it's more like a must. An attitude we choose.

"If anything is excellent or praiseworthy … " Paul is telling us that whatever comes we can search out some bit of excellence or cause for praise. IF we wear that mindset as we look for it rather than getting stuck in our problems and disappointments. IF we remind ourselves that our loving God never leaves us on our own.

We will find the good, not because we're so great, but because God is faithful to those who trust in Him.

Trusting, too,

Lenore
Why it helps us to remember what’s good and right and true

June 25, 2022