when God says your name twice...

It's always interesting to me that when I write about something, God has a way of reinforcing it in my life.

Here's an example...

Just last week I posted a blog about Mary and Martha, and I know the message was for my heart... 'Mary & Martha' always hits close to home!

But... He wasn't finished...

Today as I was thinking of Mary & Martha, I went back to the way Jesus said "Martha, Martha", and a whole new thought was formed...

I knew right away that He could just as well have been saying "Sonja, Sonja"...

And what was Jesus feeling as he said her name... twice?

I'm pretty sure he was feeling a little less than thrilled that Martha didn't 'get it' in the way she should have. I feel like it was a patient but deep "Jesus sigh'... one of those that we have all given one of our much loved children, when they are somehow missing the mark on behavior that we have corrected many times before!

So now it is getting really personal. How many times has He said my name... twice?... A lot...

I want to up my learning curve, to be more in tune with Him more quickly in areas where I am too slow to respond ...

I don't really want Jesus to have to say 'Sonja, Sonja' in that way!

I have no doubt that Martha learned something important that day, as her sister chose to sit & listen to Jesus. The lesson for Martha is just as relevant for Sonja today!

hurting but trusting...

As I was looking through some blogs today, I was reading from some very special bloggers who are in the midst of real trials.
We all have them, some of us aren't there right now, but we have been and we will be again.

What speaks to my heart is that these friends are trusting God, praising God, and walking through these times by faith... in the midst of uncertainties, frustrations, heart aches and sorrows.

The hurts of life have landed in their laps, and while they are experiencing all the things that trials bring, they are doing exactly what God has asked us to do... trust Him!

My words today are to tell each one of them... THANK YOU... thank you for the example of how we are to live 'in the midst of'... because we know Jesus!

It's when the rubber hits the road that we find out...

who we really are...
what our faith is...
who God is...

We also find out that He was already there, before we arrived at this place, and that He is not going anywhere... He will see us through to the other side.

For each of them, and for all of us... keep trusting God, there is no safer place to be!

"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God."... (Isa.43:2+ The Message)

Distraction...

The old "Mary & Martha" message hits me every time!

Our pastor used this passage in the message this morning:

Luke 10:38-42 (NAS)

"Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the the Lord's feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Our pastor talked about Martha rushing around preparing special foods and table settings and as she peeked around the door, there sits her sister Mary, listening to Jesus speak, and feeding her soul! Martha was ticked off... she TELLS Jesus to tell Mary to get back in the kitchen and help her!

"Martha had God at her house for lunch, and she was worried about cucumbers!"...

Jesus said "Martha, Martha", and went on to gently correct her...

What was Martha's problem?? She was distracted by all of her preparations. She wanted everything to be perfect and the meal to be beautiful for Jesus. I have to admit, I would want that too if Jesus was sitting in my living room!

What Jesus said to Martha was... "Only ONE thing is necessary"... so the thing He really WANTS for me, is to put aside the things that distract me, even the good things... for the BEST!

To learn to "live for an audience of one"...

The ordinary days...

"Not fears I need deliverance from today-

but nothingness;

inertia,

skies gray and windless;

no sun,

no rain,

no stab of joy or pain.

no strong regret,

no reaching after,

no tears,

no laughter

no black despair

no bliss.

deliver me today... from this."

Ruth Bell Graham
"Sitting By My Laughing Fire"

The ordinary days... these are the days that make up most of our lives. There are some wonderful highs and lows, and surprises and joys, along with many trials and griefs...

But the 'ordinary days' are where I live, and spend most of my time...

I don't always like that! The highs in life are where I love to be... the valleys, not so much. But the reality is... it's a lot more about the valleys and plains than just the highs... and the truth is that I learn to know Jesus more deeply in the valleys.

The question... Is God sufficient for all of it, the high, the low and the dull and ordinary days?...

The answer... A resounding YES!!!...

"But my God shall supply ALL of your needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus"...

I know in my heart that HE understands those ordinary days, when we keep putting one foot in front of the other and persist... there are so many who are going through very deep valleys and trials, that this may almost seem irrelevant, or even trivial, but... I find that I am living in these days much of my life...

Often when I feel 'ordinary' and not much is on the horizon, satan LOVES to use that to pull me down! I am learning... to STAND IN FAITH on those days, to KNOW that GOD means for all of our days to be lived in the knowledge that He is in control, and that our REAL joy comes from knowing that we are His...

...and the JOY in my ordinary days IS the knowledge that GOD is real and that HE LOVES ME, and that HE is at work in my 'ordinary', to make me shine for Him!

Now THAT is worthy of a blog!!

My favorite daughter...

and yes... she is our only and very precious daughter!... (2 brothers came later...)

Firstborn on August 17 ?? years ago!... (not sure if she wants me to broadcast the number")... :)

or maybe I just don't want to admit to being THAT OLD myself!... :)


bright, articulate and funny...

loves to have fun and is fun to be with...

is an amazing mom to her 3 girls...

is a natural teacher...

a loyal and caring wife and friend...

loves God and cares deeply about her walk with Him...

has a quick and hilarious sense of humor!... LOVES TO LAUGH...

was born with a profound love of chips & hot sauce!...

artistic, with a great sense of color & design...

she is warm, witty, wacky and wise...

and a daughter who makes our hearts proud!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLE...

WE LOVE YOU TONS!!!

Speaking of Moses...

George and Moses...

George W. Bush, in an airport lobby, noticed a man in a long flowing white robe with a long flowing white beard and flowing white hair. The man had a staff in one hand and some stone tablets under the other arm.
George W. approached the man and inquired, "Aren't you Moses?"

The man ignored George W. and stared at the ceiling.
George W. positioned himself more directly in the man's view and asked again, "Aren't you Moses?"
The man continued to peruse the ceiling.
George W. tugged at the man's sleeve and asked once again, "Aren't you Moses?".

The man finally responded in an irritated voice, "Yes I am".
George W. asked him why he was so uppity and the man replied, "The last time a bush spoke to me I ended up spending forty years in the wilderness"...

My mother... myself...

You know how the saying goes... "I am my mother!"...

It is strangely true for me, the older I get, the more I see myself in her, both in the mirror and in my mind and thoughts...

I am a realist, something I never knew about myself during my growing up years...

My mom was also a realist...

...but her reality was always tempered with good humor and the sure sense that God is in control of everything!... I am getting there, but on certain days, I know I'm not there yet...

My mom loved to laugh... I do too! There was never a time when life was too serious to share our laughter, even sometimes through tears...

My mom knew that God was the final answer to all of our life's needs! I do too, and this is something that He is growing in my heart daily...

The greatest thing I can imagine... in this life, is for me to be more like my mother... her life is my best example of a Godly woman!

A book that's close to my heart...

Shortly after my dad went to heaven in 2001, a very dear friend wrote this book, "Everything by Prayer", on dad's life and prayer ministry.

The author is Fred Hartley, he has written quite a few books and pastors a church near Atlanta, as well as teaches College of Prayer to ministers and lay people all over the world. He is a busy guy! My husband always has said ' find the busiest, most productive guy if you want to get a job done'... that is true with Fred.

He and dad were close friends, and he considered my dad his mentor. This book is a joy for me, it captures so much of my dad. I'm just high-lighting some of the one-liners Fred includes... my dad loved one liners, so it's no surprise that I do too!

Here are a few of dad's one-liners...

"If we do what God tells us to do, He will do what He says He will do"...

"God never made anyone who couldn't pray... including you"...

"In the Book of Acts they are praying in every chapter except two; and in those chapters they are in trouble"...

"What we often call weakness, God calls wickedness"...

"There is not a scripture that says 'Be sad'. I looked for one but I couldnt find one"...

"The effectiveness of our prayer life is measured by the size of our answers"...

"If you only pray on the run, you run out"...

"On the cross, He died praying. He died as He lived"...

"You can't get a thousand dollar answer for a ten cent prayer"...

"If the Holy Spirit doesn't do it, there's nothing to it"...

"God will not do apart from prayer what He promises to do in asnwer to prayer"...

"Oh to be known at the throne"...

I can see dad right now, he kind of paused after a one-liner, with a quiet smile on his face, waiting to see if it made the point... then he went right on...

I can tell you that I am sure he is busy in heaven, and whatever work he is doing there, prayer is a large part of it!

Old, yet always new...

The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need

He lets me rest in green meadows;

He leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.

As I was reading Psalm 23, I thought it would be good to write a blog about it, but my words added nothing... this familiar and beautiful Psalm is all I wanted to say, it speaks to my heart.

apple or broccoli??...

Of course, the reason this brings a smile is 'as if' it had been broccoli and not an apple... there would have been no temptation or sin...

That does make me smile!

I remember as a child hearing so many things in the Bible and thinking 'I wouldn't have done that"...

That's because I WAS a child! The older I get, the more personal and real each Bible character becomes... I am Eve... she is me...


A small poem formed in my mind this morning...

Eve in the garden, it could have been me, peeking through leaves, the apple I see...

Instructed by God to leave it alone, her mind started playing like a dog with a bone...

What was forbidden became the thing she wanted, the temptation was strong, she would not be daunted...

So she went to the tree, the one tree forbidden, and parted the leaves where the apple was hidden...

It was shiny and big and too good to be true, she called out for Adam, to beckon him too...

together they looked, touched and finally ate, the first picture of the human fate...

But God knew it all, right from the start. He provided a way for the human heart...

No wonder we call it man's good news... still...
the choice is ours, to win or lose...

God has always known that... He created us, and gave us the right to make our own choices. He always knew those choices would be subject to the temptations of life, personality, mood, temperament and on and on. He also knew we could never get it all right... that we needed Him to complete that in us that can't ever be complete apart from personally knowing Him...

As to Eve... before I blame her for the apple... I know in my heart that she is me, and each of us... BUT for the grace of God!!

It never was about the broccoli or the apple, it was always about the human heart... it still is!