An Open Letter to My Children

I have written this post for my children and for all those in the generations to come.

Whenever elections come around I think of my mom.  Whenever there is an opportunity to exercise my right to vote it is a given that I will get a call from my mom. Since my college days she calls me before the election to ensure that I know where to vote and then afterwards to confirm that I have voted.  So this Sunday afternoon I took advantage of early voting and made my way to the closest voting location.  There were only a few cars in the parking lot and no line inside the building.  I asked if they had had many voters and they said it had been steady.  My observation of the voter turn out was slow and steady.  I voted and left with a sense of patriotic pride, knowing that I had acted on a right to express my opinion, my beliefs, and my values.  But, my pride soon turned to a deep sense of sadness as I thought of that sparse parking lot.  Where were all the people?  Why were they not taking advantage of this great freedom and right to choose our leaders and express our will concerning how our country is governed? Then I realized that this is an indication of a greater problem – an apathy and complacency to be informed of truth and a fear of speaking out the truth we profess to believe. 

Just as my mom was faithful to instruct and encourage me to use my right to vote, I desire to faithfully encourage and instruct my children and future grandchildren to know the truth and then to boldly believe it, live it, and speak it.  Jesus told His disciples, “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.  Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul . . . Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 10:27,28,32)

Just as the mother of King Lemuel taught her son, I proclaim to my children to “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9) My passion is simmering as I write these words – a passion to see my children walk and talk the truth.  In Ecclesiastes it says, “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3:7) In order to speak out concerning your faith, you must first be silent enough to learn what it is you believe!  Silence before the Lord is a necessary discipline if you truly want to know Him and make Him known. 

Paul, as Timothy’s spiritual father, instructed him with these words, “Be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine . . . have nothing to do with worldly fables fit for old women.  On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:6-8) I echo these words to my children and to all those in the generations to come that they would be life long students of the Word of God, who live out what they learn and boldly speak in defense of His truth.  Life really is not about how many causes you can get behind, but it is about hearing His voice, learning His truth and living your life for His cause.  I will have no greater joy and delight than in seeing and hearing you walk in The Truth. 

Time is short, life is brief, live it loudly for the Lord!  I pray that each time you have an opportunity to speak up for the cause of Christ, you will not shrink back, but will speak the truth in love.  I also hope you will think of me and hear my voice saying, “Press on to know Him in silence and speak of Him with boldness.”  

Truth in Love,

Mom

Women and Their Words

The longest recorded conversation that Jesus had was with a woman.  That may not surprise a man, but it may surprise a woman.  I googled “Women and talking” and it quickly brought up over 47 million results!  Some of the titles were very interesting:  “Women Talk Too Much,”  “Women Talk Three Times as Much as Men,” and “How to Talk to Women: 18 Steps (With Pictures).”  In reading these articles I first learned that on an average day a woman speaks 20,000 words, while a man will use only 7,000.   I also discovered that there is a language protein called FOXP2, which involves “vocalization.”  A study of 4 and 5 year old children found that the girls had 30% more of this language protein than the boys.  Of course, that is only one study, but all one has to do is hang out at a Starbucks for a day, and you will observe that women generally are more verbal, yet there are some men who are closing the gap on vocalizing, if you know what I mean?  Obviously Jesus did not need to read an article giving Him 18 steps in how to communicate with a woman.

Jesus not only had the longest conversation with a woman, but He also communicated with more women than anyone else in the New Testament.  The one He spoke with the longest remains nameless.  We only know her as the Samaritan woman who happened upon a thirsty Jesus.  He spoke first, which was scandalous in their day because a Jewish man would never speak to a Samaritan, let alone a Samaritan woman.  When he spoke He didn’t talk about Himself as much as He asked questions about her and her life.  Through the course of their conversation the woman tried to argue, make excuses and even be deceptive.  But in the end, Jesus broke through to the woman’s thirsting heart.  He asked her for water to quench his physical thirst, yet she was the one who had a thirst that only Jesus, the Living Water could satisfy.   Jesus looked past all her words straight into her heart and offered her the refreshing, restoring, and redeeming water of eternal life. 

Jesus not only talked with the chatty Samaritan woman, but He also listened to her as well.  So much of the time, as we listen to someone talk on and on, our eyes glaze over and our minds wander.  But, not so with Jesus!  He reads between the lines of our constant chatter and sees our thirsty condition.  Really no words are needed, Jesus sees the heart of every person and knows their deepest wounds, needs, and joys. He always offers us that which eternally satisfies: Himself. 

I am learning to talk less and listen more when it comes to the Lord.

“Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. 

Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. 

God’s in charge, not you – the less you speak, the better.” (MSG) Ecclesiastes 5:2

I am also trying to listen to those who speak, searching to know what it is they are thirsty for.  This week I participated in a small group retreat and had the opportunity to put this truth into practice.  Taking the time to truly listen to others I discovered that they struggle with some of the same things I struggle with, have some of the same hurts and wounds that I have, and they are seeking to know the Lord’s heart in the midst of all of it.  These retreat conversations increased my love for these women and encouraged me personally in my walk with Christ.  The Samaritan woman went back to her neighborhood to tell everyone she saw about this Jesus who knew all about her, yet listened to her, loved her, and quenched the thirst of her dehydrated heart.  Many believed in Jesus because of the conversation this nameless woman had with Jesus.

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”  John 7:37-38

Tired of the chatter? Then have a conversation with Jesus, allowing Him to ask you some tough, but revealing questions.  Answer Him honestly and then receive from Him the peace that is unexplainable and the love that satisfies like no other.  Then be sure and . . .

Tell somebody,

Nancy    

Weighed Down Women

First let me say that I love women!  Relationships with women can bring great times of laughter, love and comfort.   I am a woman and as a woman I admit that we can also be very difficult to live with, work with and to shepherd.  Many a man has tried to figure out a woman, but as hard as they try it seems an impossible task!  However, the Lord has us women figured out!  Jesus was a friend to women:  the good and the bad, the beautiful and the homely, the strong and the weak. He listened to them, asked them penetrating questions, and accepted them just as they were, but then he showed them a better way to live.  He pointed them to a life of freedom, freedom from shame, worry, and fear.

I have taught a women’s Sunday morning Bible study for almost six years.  I have seen hundreds of women come and go.  A handful of them have stayed and have faithfully come back week after week. I have had the joy of seeing some of these women grow in forgiveness, in faith, in leadership, and in their family relationships.  This teacher’s heart loves to see women who take in the Word and allow it to change them from the inside out!  However, my teacher’s heart is burdened for those who seem to always be learning, yet never able to come to understand the truth that will set them free.  These are faithful to show up, yet they continue to be weighed down with sin and the struggles of life.   

“For among them (men) are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”   2 Timothy 3:6-7

I have been meditating on these two phrases: “Women weighed down with sins,” and “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”   I can see myself in these verses.  I have found myself so overwhelmed with trying to manage an undisciplined area of my life that I have been captivated by a quick and easy approach to victory.  When faced with defeat or discouragement, I have tried to soothe myself with food, shopping, or even a manicure. I am not saying those things are bad things, but if I am trying to use them as solutions to my sin problem things will only go from bad to worse.   

How many verses do we have to memorize on contentment until we come to understand truly how to find it in our own life?  How many times do we have to do Beth Moore’s Bible study, Breaking Free until we break free?  How many retreats do we sign up for until we finally understand how to rest and find refreshment in Christ alone?  What does it take to come to the knowledge of the truth?  A woman who incessantly goes to Bible study and is “never able to come to the knowledge of truth” has no recognition or awareness of the truth when she sees it written out on the pages of Scripture.  So how do we begin to recognize the truth that will set us free? 

Weak women are weak because they choose not to discipline themselves. I am thankful for a personal trainer who introduced me to the world of strength training over 20 years ago.  I had known about strength training, but I had no idea how it would change my life, if only I would practice it.  First I had to admit I was pretty weak and needed some guidance to get started.  Once I began to lift weights on a consistent basis, my arms became firm and my muscles became defined.  I felt stronger physically and was able to do things I had never been able to do before.  I have come to the knowledge of the truth about strength training! 

The same is true spiritually. In Proverbs it says, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a woman who lacks self-control.”   First we must admit our weakness, our sins, our complacency, and our lack of self-control.  Then we must believe the truth of Ephesians 5:22 that tell us that the fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling in every believer is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  If you are weak in your belief of that truth, ask the Lord to strengthen you in your faith.  Read that truth everyday.   Pray that truth every time you are tempted to waiver.  Think on that truth often throughout the day.  Then act on that truth.  Application will result in transformation!  A quote by Zig Zigglar has helped me often in my weak, weighed down moments: “You don’t feel your way into a new way of behaving, you behave your way into a new way of feeling.” Choose to discipline yourself in order to become a strong woman who is no longer led astray by emotional impulses, but captivated by Jesus, the one who loves you and understands you like no other. That is when you will recognize truth when you see it - because you will be living it! 

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 

Then, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."   John 8:32

Captivated by Jesus,

Nancy 

How God Breaks Through

Like a father sends a son off to college, so Isaac blessed his son, Jacob and gave him final instructions before sending him off into the unknown world. For the first time he was leaving his home, his family and his comfort to travel into an unknown future. His first night on the road he set up camp in an unfamiliar place and found a large stone to use as his pillow for the night. Once asleep, Jacob had a dream in which the Lord came to him and blessed him by passing on to him the covenant that He had made with Abraham and Isaac.  He then promised Jacob that He would be with him wherever he would go, provide for his needs and would bring him back to his home. What a comforting dream to have in the middle of nowhere when everything before him seemed so uncertain. I wonder if Jacob recalled the words of his father’s blessing when he awoke from his dream?

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Genesis 28:16-17

Jacob was in a bit of a crisis. He must have been physically exhausted from his first day’s journey, but also emotionally drained after saying goodbye to everything he had ever known.  In the midst of his crisis God broke through with His grace. The Lord always breaks into our lives at the point of our need.  It is only when we recognize our need and are open to His provision that we will experience His awe-inspiring grace.  It was when Jacob was asleep that the Lord came to him and spoke blessings over him.  The Lord, in Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God."  After a night of stillness, the Lord came to Jacob in a dream and when he awoke he declared that the Lord was with him.  It took a crisis and stillness in order to recognize God’s presence. In that moment an unfamiliar place became a very significant place. 

I can so relate to Jacob. I remember several times leaving a place of comfort, all that was familiar to begin a new journey of unknowns.  Going to college as a young woman, moving across the country with my husband and pregnant with my first child, and then recently finding myself in an empty nest in Texas with both children living in California, are just a few of my crisis moments.  Each time though, the Lord showed up!  When the Lord showed up in Jacob’s life, he constructed a memorial, as a way to remember God’s intervention.  His intervention changed an unfamiliar place into a significant place, because the Lord broke through there in his time of need.  I have stacks of journals with memorials written in response to God working in and through a crisis situation.  He has faithfully confirmed to me His presence, His provision, and His knack of turning things around in my life.

It has been in those crisis moments in unfamiliar places where I have been brought to my knees.  Whenever I have cried out to the Lord, He has graciously answered me with His grace.  He has picked me up from huge stumbles, comforted me in my loneliness, and redirected me when I was caught up in self-indulgences.  Whenever I am tempted to go down the path of self-pity and self-condemnation, I look around my house for memorials that remind me of God’s faithfulness to break in to my need. 

There is the printed plaque beside my chair in our sun room that says, “what if we practiced courage every single day?” which reminds me of a crisis moment when the Lord called me to care for my mom as she battled cancer.  God showed up and gave me courage to do things beyond my ability.  There is the nail in one of my journals that is a memorial to when God showed up and rescued my son from a path of deception and untruths.  The nail was found on my son’s bed the day I prayed and asked God to turn him back to truth.  It is a reminder that Jesus was nailed to the Cross so that His truth would reign over and demolish the lies and deception of the evil one. There is also a hammer that sits on my desk with the words of Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not my word like fire, like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.”  This is a memorial to the Lord to remind me of the day I committed to memorize scripture for the rest of my life.  I committed to hide His word in my heart because I realized that I did not have wisdom or strength of my own to make it through times of crisis.  I need God to show up daily to confirm His presence, His provision, and His wonderful way of turning the impossible into the possible.

Thank you Lord for showing up in my times of crisis with your amazing grace. May I ever live to build memorials to you, so that others will ask, “What is that for?”  I will be quick to respond, “That is a reminder of how God broke into my life at my point of need with His grace.” 

Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.  This will be for the Lord’s renown (a memorial), for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed. Isaiah 55:13

Build a memorial today and be reminded of God breaking through in your life.  If you are in a time of desperate need or crisis, then be still before the Lord and anticipate His arrival.  He will show up. 

By His Grace,

Nancy 

In a Fog?

 I have been in a fog lately.  How about you?   There is so much activity, so many decisions, so many demands on my life that a thick fog has formed, diminishing my vision.  This realization came to me as I was walking on the treadmill yesterday morning.  As I was walking and praying I noticed that the window in front of me was so fogged up that it was hard to see the outside playground which the fitness center overlooks.  But the longer I walked on the treadmill, the warmer I got and the warmer I got the warmer the room became.  My eyes were drawn to a single water droplet inching its way down the window causing the fog to part and a thin streak of light appeared,  revealing a little more clearly what the fog had covered from my view. The longer I walked on the treadmill, the more streaks formed giving me a clearer vision of what was outside the window.

The activities of my life have kept me in a virtual fog. A fog so thick I cannot see what is before me.  I have allowed these things to zap my physical discipline, increase my anxiety, clutter my mind and dull my spiritual insight.  I have taken on too much in my life and now the Lord is calling me to say no to some activities and yes to more time to warm up in His presence.  I know from experience that time in His presence will lift the fog and bring clarity once again to my life, allowing me to focus only on those things to which He is calling me.

“So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain; like the spring rain watering the earth.”  Hosea 6:3

The words of Hosea 6:3 came to life as I walked on the treadmill observing the foggy window. I was reminded once again of the true pursuit of life:  Jesus! If I press on in my pursuit of the Lord there is a guaranteed result. I am not talking about the latest life-changing weight-loss plan where infomercials offer money back guarantees if you are not satisfied with the results. I am referring to what the Lord’s fog-lifting plan promises in Hosea 6:3. 

We’re ready to study God, eager for God-knowledge.  As sure as dawn breaks, so sure is his daily arrival.  He comes as rain comes, as spring rain refreshing the ground.”  Hosea 6:3 (MSG)

If I press on with the single focus of knowing the Lord, He promises to faithfully go forth in His pursuit of me.   Then, when He comes to me, He will bring refreshment like a spring rain brings new life to the trees.  This guarantee is as certain as the sun rising in the morning!

If you find yourself in a fog today, spend some time getting to know the Lord.  Open up His life-giving Word and seek to know who this Jesus really is.  I guarantee that if you press on in this pursuit, the Lord will show up in amazing ways, bringing you refreshment and clarity for whatever lies ahead.

Let us press on,

Nancy