Ears First?

This caused me a little chuckle. It concerns me that someone would bite the bum of the bunny first. Whatever!

My children are getting older and I think that this is the last year that I am buying chocolate bunnies. First of all, this is not what Easter is about. I will address that in tomorrow's blog. Secondly, I can't believe how much we actually get suckered into spending on this chocolate stupidity. It is not just chocolate bunnies now you can buy chocolate anything. It's ridiculous. Chocolate Spiderman? Thirdly, who needs this much chocolate. It goes straight to the body parts that do not need any enhancing. And no teenager needs more sugar. At least not my children.

So good-bye chocolate bunnies. Good-bye Easter baskets. No more Easter egg hunts................What am I saying? I will be a grandmother someday however, until that glorious day. I am boycotting chocolate Easter confectioneries. That includes those addicting jelly beans and malted milk eggs too. Bah humbug!!!!!!

Quiet Please!!!!!

I love reading the bible from the Message, a contemporary language version. It is real, sometimes it is so honest that it approaches raw. It is fresh and thought provoking. This morning I was reading and I came upon these verses.

When besieged,
I'm calm like a baby.
When all hell breaks loose,
I'm collected and cool.

I'm asking God for one thing,
only one thing,
To live with Him in His house
my whole life long.
I'll contemplate His beauty;
I'll study at His feet.

That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world.
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.

Psalms 27: 3-5


I can't say that I am as calm as a baby when I am besieged. But boy, would like to. Speaking as a witness to a recent outburst from hell, I have to admit that I wanted to just curl up and disappear. I was paralyzed, in the grip of intense fear. Wondering where God was in all of this.

After the first paralyzing shock wave passed I began looking at His word. Most of the time through tears and slowly I began to hear whispers of hope. Words of love and encouragement. Promises of the good life to come. His face became the source of beauty that was missing. The healing has been slow but each step complete before moving to the next.

How do we as Christ followers stay calm and cool when the forces of hell come against us. I think that the above verses answer that question.

By living a lifestyle of worship, by gazing (mediating) upon the beauty of his face and seeking what He is saying to us in His Word. A quiet time with God. It is the only secure place away from the chaos of the enemy's attacks.

We will all face mishaps in life, after all "life happens", and sometimes there are deliberate frontal attacks by the enemy. From whichever source it comes we can be equipped to stand tall and victorious by taking these words to heart and modeling our life after them.

I don't want to live in ear shot of the buzz of traffic. I want to live in the presence of God.

Light, space, zest-
that's God!
So, with Him by my side I'm fearless,
afraid of no one and nothing.

Psalms 27:1 (The Message)

Do you know Micki like I know Micki?

It all started four years ago. Micki (name changed to protect the guilty) is the pet of one of my clients. He is a Chiquaqua. He thinks he is human. The first time I met Micki and his master it was to look at houses. I picked up my client at the hotel and much to my chagrin she had her tiny Chiquaua under her arm. "I couldn't possibly leave him alone in the hotel," she said. I was speechless. When we arrived at the first home we got out, Micki included. "Ah, I don't think that it a good idea. He'll have to stay in the car", I said. Micki was not pleased. I was not pleased either. What would I find when I came out? "Lord, please protect my car from dog doodoo," I prayed. I spent many evenings looking at homes with a possessed dog glaring at me and bearing his teeth from under the arm of my client. Thankfully he never left me a present.

On the day of her house closing my husband and I dropped by with pizza and pop for her family. Garry met Micki for the first time. Micki promptly attached himself to Garry's pant leg with his teeth when Garry reached out to shake my client's hand. You see Micki is in love with my client and will attempt to kill you if you even acknowledged her presence. I will never forget the look on Garry's face. I seriously feared that Micki might have to die.

Several years passed and my client called me and asked me to list her house. I arrived at her home dressed to the nines in suit and pumps. I was sitting at the kitchen table while my client was signing the paperwork when I began to feel pain in my foot. The pain-o-meter went from 0 to 1000 in about 2 seconds. I glanced under the table to find Micki attached to my foot. As our eyes met he clamped down and I screamed. Much to my terror he bit down harder in response to my fear. By this time my client is beginning to clue in to the situation and starts screaming at Micki. At last the stupid dog let go and ran off. I gathered my paperwork saying, "oh, don't worry I'm fine". She apologized profusely and assured me that he had his shots (nice). As I put on my shoes at the front door I saw blood running down my foot and into my shoe. GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!

Last Sunday I went to do an open house at Micki's place. I was standing in the entry way waiting for the family to leave when I had a strange sense that I was being watched. At the top of the stairs was my nemesis Micki. Our eyes met. He showed me his teeth. I showed him mine. He ran down the steps and latched onto my shoe. It was a leather boot (thank you Jesus for your protection). It became apparent that he had no intention of releasing and no one was around so.............I sent him flying across the entry way. The dog was actually airborne. It was a sight of absolute beauty. He landed with a thud and slid across the ceramic tile. When he recovered he came at me with intent to kill. Thankfully my client came around the corner and chased the dog into the laundry room. With heart pounding I said goodbye to the family as they left for the two hour open house.

I went into the kitchen to put out my cards and other marketing materials when I heard some distant barking and looked up. I was instantly filled with complete joy as I saw Micki on the deck outside looking at me through the glass door. There was no way I was letting him in. He was so mad. He was charging the door and giving me the what for. I just smiled at him. No that's not true.................................I mocked him. For two hours he stalked me through the door with murder in his eyes.

How can a tiny little dog be so evil? Why does he like my feet? How bad is the next confrontation going to be? Maybe I'll just grab the little stink and bite his foot right off.

That reminds me of a joke.

Did you here about the three legged dog who walked into the bar to find out who shot his pa (paw)? Hey, maybe the dogs name was Micki.

I don't know how this story with Micki will end but thankfully it will. And I will be left with a teeny tiny scar to remember him by.

So Why am I writing this you may ask? Well confession is good for the soul. (Just so you know I have two dogs of my own who I love very much. I am not a dog hater at heart.) Sometimes you just have to get things off your chest.

It's A Keeper!!!!!!

I have a hiding place for all my special things; my favorite pair of earrings, a hand written note from a friend, pictures drawn by my children when they were much younger or a ticket stub from a memorable night. When I receive something special I will say, “This is a keeper”! And it goes right in my………..underwear drawer. OK, now it is not a secret but I still feel relatively confident that my treasures are safe. Oh, I could have some fun with this but I won’t. Any hoo……..

While I was having my quiet time this morning I read Psalms 119:11 “Your Word I have laid up in my heart that I might not sin against you”. I thought of my secret hiding place where I store my earthly treasures. Then my mind went to my heart where I store my spiritual treasures. God’s Word is a keeper and I should hide it in my heart. Why? So that I might not sin against God. It is hard to sin when your heart is full of God’s Word.

I can memorize a song after hearing it only two or three times. I can remember a recipe without a problem. I can remember the title and author of a book I want to read. I can remember where I saw that great pair of shoes I want to buy. But somehow when I try to remember scripture I become memory impaired. Memorizing scripture takes effort (for me, lots of effort). But I can’t think of any more valuable way to spend my time. I am convicted to make this a priority. Two verses a week = 104 verses per year. 104 verses x 10 years= 1040 verses. WOW!!!! Now that would be an accomplishment. How do you “sin proof” your life? Make regular deposits of God’s Word in your heart.

God’s Word is a keeper! Don’t get confused and store your Bible in your underwear drawer, please store it in your heart.

On Guard!!!!

I love to sword fight. My weapon of choice is a cardboard tube leftover from the Christmas wrapping paper. I don't know what happens to me but when I see one I have to play with it. I just have to bonk someone on the head or poke someone in the belly. It is really fun when there are two of us play sword fighting (yes, this is weird).

Several years ago I was preparing my message for the spring retreat on the armor of God. I decided that I needed some props. So I made girl armor, mainly because I am a girl. I used lots of jewels on the Breastplate of Righteousness and the Shield of Faith. The Shoes of Peace were the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz (I am from Kansas you know). The Helmet of salvation was my famous wedding hat (the one mentioned in a previous blog). The Belt of Truth was a flowing piece of gold lame. The handle of the Sword of the Spirit was dazzling with jewels and you guessed it, there in the privacy of my living room I had to play sword fight. I was jumping around and thrusting it in the air and giggling and shouting "On Guard" when the seriousness of this piece of armor sunk in. This is no joke! I have a real enemy and my ability to stand victorious over him depends on how well I know and handle the Word of God.

As Christ followers we are often guilty of neglecting the Word. Knowing His Word is fundamental to the success of our walk. James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." How do we resist the devil? By following the example of Christ when He was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Satan would spew temptation and Jesus would answer him with scripture. When Satan saw He couldn't get to Him he left Him until a more opportune time to try his tricks. Likewise when we quote scripture to the enemy it is like smacking him with a holy muzzle. He has nothing to say in response to the Word of God. Satan will flee as fast and far as He can.

We must know the Word of God and so stand on it that when the enemy makes a move we can deflect his every shot. I can almost hear the sound of metal clashing and see the sparks flying as we raise the Word of God in response to the lies of the enemy. The Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) is the only offensive weapon we have. When you hear the roar of our lying enemy, respond boldly with the truth of scripture. We do not have to cower at his advances. He is a loser, we are the winners. Christ has already won the victory for us when He shamed Satan at the cross when He paid for our sins and when He rose again on the third day defeating the wages of sin, which is death. We have much to celebrate as believers. Satan is nothing more than a powerless showoff whose days are numbered. Stand up! Raise the Sword. Walk in Victory!

A Tiny Little Finger

Today in church I sat beside the cutest three year old you ever saw. He had big eyes, a mop of brown hair and a smile that could stop traffic. It was during the message that I noticed the little guy looking at my extremely large bible sitting on my lap. He looked up and smiled at me and I gently picked up my bible and sat it on his lap. He was quite the sight, this little disciple with the large study bible covering his lower body in its entirety. I watched him as he gently began turning the pages. Then I saw him stretch out his precious little pointer finger and begin running it along the lines of text. The look on his face showed that he was pretending to understand what he was seeing. He did this on several pages and then folded his hands to pray.

I was moved and inspired by the little boy's reverence for the Word of God. I was compelled to pray for him and his equally precious brother, that they would always be in awe of God's Word. That is my prayer for us all , that we would be in absolute awe of His Word and that we would have an insatiable hunger for it. That we would get out our pointer fingers everyday and touch the pages of our Bibles. Treating the truths there as valuable as a treasure chest of rare gems. Meditating on them until they move the twelve inches from our heads to our hearts where God plants them and uses them to change our lives. To conform us into the image of His Son Jesus.

So my friends....................Get out your pointer fingers and run them long the lines of text written to you from the God who loves you and has so much to say to you.

Follow the example of a child.... read in awe and bow for prayer.

What am I made for?

I received a card this week that had this quote on the front, "A ship is safe in the harbor...but that's not what ships were made for". The word RISK is over the quote. The picture on this card is a beautiful sailboat sailing on the open water.

It caused me to do some deep thinking. What am I made for? Man, would I like to play it safe in life. I would like to park on some deserted island and hide. But, I am not made for that. I know that I am made for the open water which may at times get rough. I don't say that because I am complaining or having a pity party. I WANT adventure. That is what I signed on for. Life with Christ is not supposed to be boring so why I am surprised when it becomes a heart stopping ride?

The great thing about this ride called life is that although we may feel like we are in danger we really aren't in danger at all if we are in Christ. We are completely secure. It is like being on a huge roller coaster. Sometimes you are just positive that you are gonna die but in reality you are being held in place by the shoulder harnesses. Sometimes when you do the loop to loop you even feel your backside come off the seat. I want to get to the point in my spiritual walk that when I see the big hills coming I raise my hands as I zoom through the scary parts because I know who hold me securely in the seat.

As a kid I loved watching the roller coaster and seeing passengers raising their hands squealing with excitement over the absolute thrill of the ride. It terrified me actually. Oh Jesus, may that be me as I ride this life with you. I praise you that it is never boring and that you have already won the victory. When life gets scary help me to raise my hands above my head and lift my voice in a shout of praise even if I find my backside coming off the seat being assured that when this ride comes to and end I will have arrived safe.