Tag Archives: following Jesus

by

Brokenhearted

 Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times

How do I respond to the horrific, senseless violence that is sweeping the world?

Is it getting worse, or do I just hear about it more frequently because of the 24/7 media coverage that sends an unending stream of information and images from throughout the world?

How do I help my children and grandchildren process these events without causing them to live crippled by fear?

  • the killing of police officers in Dallas
  • the shooting of unarmed black youth in several US cities
  • the massacre of 41 innocent civilians in Turkey
  • the gunning down of 49 people in a night club in Orlando
  • 14 are shot dead in San Bernardino, California

and yet more personal …

  • the senseless murder of a dear young mother’s husband in Atlanta

This lovely young woman, a long time friend of our family, has been working tirelessly to eradicate human trafficking as an Assistant to the Attorney General of Georgia. She is now faced with raising her precious little girl without the loving support of a father.

I must respond with genuine concern and compassion to all those involved.

Jesus did that.

Right before he was crucified, on the Mount of Olives, Roman soldiers (the despised oppressors of the Jews in Jerusalem) approached Jesus to arrest him. Peter responded with violence – cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s servant.

Mark 22:51 – But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

NO MORE OF THIS!

Our response to the violence and suffering around us must be an example to our children and grandchildren.

No more of this. We are brokenhearted.

If we  – for one moment – we think “maybe they deserved this” we are WRONG!

We MUST respond with compassion. If we do not feel compassion for the those shot and their suffering loved ones, regardless of the situation, we must repent.

Psalm 34:18-19 (NLT)

18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19 The righteous person faces many troubles,
but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

Our children and grandchildren will form their understanding of suffering from the way they hear and see us respond.

  • if we express fear – they will fear
  • if we express hatred – they will learn to hate
  • if we seek revenge – they will seek revenge
  • if we express compassion – they will learn compassion
  • if we trust God for justice – they will learn to trust God

I heard an inspiring message Sunday from Rev. Reggie Screen of Atlanta. This Godly black man challenged us to have compassionate hearts in light of the violence all around us. He challenged us to be like Jesus. Reggie encouraged us that as things are darkest – the light of Jesus shines brightest.

We must be brokenhearted like Jesus.

We must have compassion.

We must love others and demonstrate that love at every opportunity.

We must seek justice and love mercy.

Oh, God, heal our land….

 

 

 

by

My Father’s Daughter

DSC_3658

“I’ve walked with God my whole life, I’m ready to go be with Him.”

These were the words my father spoke when the oncologist asked Dad if he knew what he was facing.

Three days later, my father passed on into the presence of the Lord. It seemed to go so fast for us, his loved ones. Dad died on February 10th and at Christmas, just two months before, he had been his vigorous self. He was turning wooden bowls, playing ping-pong, checking his plants in the hallway sunroom.

He was 91.

Dad walked with God.

I miss him most when I walk around our yard now. His handiwork is everywhere. The calla lilies Dad planted are blooming in their pure white glory. The butterfly weeds he started from seeds have spread and are full of orange tipped butterflies, just like the blooms.

“Gayle, you have to come see this.”

“Dad, you’ve got to come see THIS!”

“We must go get your Mother.”

These were the conversations we would have beginning in spring and continuing until a hard frost. We would walk around the yard, weed, deadhead, and glory in the beauty and handiwork of God’s creation.

Dad and Mom would count the number of different kinds of flowers in bloom at one time. He so enjoyed the variety and unique qualities of the various species.

I miss Dad.

Yet, I am left with wonderful memories and so many beautiful plants.

My father also left me with His greatest influence on my life – his love for his Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Dad quietly, yet openly, lived as a Christian.

He loved God.

He loved his family.

He loved others.

He loved God’s creation and was a steward of all living things.

As I tend the flowers, I am reminded of the lessons Dad taught me about life –  botanic life, and more importantly, life everlasting.

I am my father’s daughter and I am so blessed that Dad led me to follow Jesus, just as he did.

May we leave this same legacy for our children and grandchildren.

by

From the Inside Out

buffet

“Two coats of paint and that pink mess is still showing through!”

I was talking to myself in a VERY disgusted tone of voice. I was working on a “refinishing” project that I had GREAT plans for.

Does that ever happen to you?

We usually stoop to this behavior when we are frustrated that:

  • our work is not progressing as we planned
  • we are forced to repeat a task we already thought was finished
  • we have to repeat instructions ONE MORE TIME! (moms? teachers?)
  • things are not turning out as we planned

Pretty much everyday occurrences, yet we allow frustration to take over.

It started like this….

I bought an old buffet at a yard sale. It was in rough condition  – which made it affordable for me. It had a veneer surface, which I knew would be a challenge to repair, but the claw feet were so impressive. So, I got out the trusty stripper.

ok… VARNISH STRIPPER, old rags, and set to work. I realized very soon that this piece, because of its age, had old varnish that was not responding to my efforts.

I was undeterred. I kept at it. I had to justify this purchase as a hidden treasure – NO MATTER WHAT!

I finally removed all the old varnish that I could and it looked…well….terrible. Parts of the veneer were gone or loose, so I pulled them off. Now I REALLY had a mess.

So I did the next best thing. If refinishing fails, paint the wood.

I painted the wood, except for the top piece, because that wood was a solid piece of beautiful oak.

But the parts I painted antique white looked pink!

I painted on another coat – it still looked pink!

I let it dry…still pink.

Phil noticed my frustration and asked, “Why did you paint it?”

NOT what I needed to hear at this point….

But he did offer some good advice. He said I should get some KILZ paint which is made to cover mistakes. This project was turning out to be a BIG mistake, so I did as he suggested.

It worked.

After painting, I sanded some of the edges to give the piece an aged, distressed look. (It was aged after all and had caused me distress!)

Then I added some tiles I had purchased at a yard sale 3 years earlier, just because I liked the way they looked. They fit perfectly where I had pulled off some of the veneer.

tile backsplash

I spray painted the handles to look like hammered pewter and I was done.

handles

I actually liked the finished results. The white paint ended up fitting in with the white cupboards in our kitchen so much better than a totally wood piece would have done.

We are studying the book of Colossians and the following verses made me recall my “refinishing” project.

Colossians 3:8-10 (NLT)

8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Just as I had to strip off the old varnish, God wants me to strip away my old sinful nature.

But that is not all – “put on the NEW nature.” I had to put on three coats of white paint to avoid having the old varnish show through as a pink tint.

As a Christian, I must get rid of the old nature and allow God’s Holy Spirit to renew me from the inside out. Then my new nature will be what shines through so others see Jesus as I am renewed to become more like Him.

May Jesus renew each of us from the inside out!