Saturated With God

Unable to sleep last night I spent several hours reading and praying. If I fall sleep before ten o’clock and wake up I might as well get up because I’m wide awake for awhile.

I picked up my Bible to read my daily chapters:

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Isaiah 55:1-2

I read those verses over several times and remembered the rain we had just received the night before, in our neighborhood we had over 7 inches of rain. You could see the puddles in the streets, the standing water in the low lying areas. The weeds and vegetation along the creek banks and ditches had all been flattened down where the water had overflowed their banks. They weren’t kidding when they warned against flash flooding.

The ground in our area is saturated with water so it has no place to go…it just collects and flows over, the volume of water adding speed until it is flowing along overtaking anything in it’s path.

How often have I been thirsty for the One who is the Living Water and I have settled for less? Hungered for more and labored for what does not satisfy? How often have I been content to sit and vegetate in front of the TV and come away dissatisfied with what was offered?

Webster’s defines saturate this way: to satisfy fully; to fill completely with something that permeates or pervades.

God wants to pour out His Holy Spirit into the lives of His people. He wants to fill me with the Living Water that satisfies deep down to my toes. I need to be saturated in His Spirit, filled to over flowing.

I want the Holy Spirit to fill me so completely that the evidence of Him in my life is overflowing and splashing out on those I come into contact with. I want His love, His compassion, His gentleness, His peace to overflow my life into the lives of others. I want to be so completely filled up with Him that there is no room left over for anything else.

That will happen as learn to go to Him with my spiritual thirst and hunger; allowing Him to fill me with the truth of His Word and spend more time with Him in prayer. Only He can satisfy me completely, deep down, full to the top and overflowing.

I’m listening for the voice of the One who wants to fill me from a source that never runs out and is constantly flowing. Be careful, if you hang out with me you just might get wet!



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Photo: from our home in New Mexico looking east to the Sandia Mountains

Severe Weather Warning

“I would hurry to my place of shelter,

far from the tempest and storm."

Psalm 55:8

 

The storms in our area began before the ten o’clock nightly news. In fact the weather forecast was delayed due to lightening knocking out the meteorologist’s computer. She scrambled to reboot and bring up her graphics while the anchor filled time and went to commercial.

Our weather warning radio went off every time they had an advisory, severe thunderstorm watch, severe thunderstorm warning. We went to bed with the lightening flashing and the thunder crashing.

Sometime before 12:00 am the screeching of the radio warned of flash flooding, we listened then rolled over and fell back to sleep. Around 1:00 am the radio woke us up again with tornado warnings, followed by the sirens in town giving more urgency to the weather warning.

We got up and went to the windows, waiting for the flashes of lightening to light up the darkness, as if we could determine for ourselves how serious the conditions were. Rain was coming down in sheets. For the first time in the 2 ½ years we have lived here we heard a new noise, our sump pump kicking on. The Weather Channel showed the line of storms was part of a stationary front, streaming right across our area. Lights flickered and the cable went off. We had already put on our shoes, grabbed cell phones and now made our way to the basement. Once we were down there the electricity went out. The lights came back on and we waited it out until the sirens in town stopped then headed back upstairs. The tornado warning had lifted but the severe storm warning was in affect for several more hours.

Crawling back into my bed I thought of a song my children used to sing:

“Rise and Shine”

The Lord said to Noah

there's gonna be a floody floody

Lord said to Noah

there's gonna be a floody floody

Get my children

out of the muddy muddy

Children of the Lord.

I also thought of the many verses in the Bible that speak of storms, how God gets our attention through the power of storms; he also protects us in the storms. In Mark 4 Jesus calmed the storm.

Sometimes my storms are because of people or events that I have no control over, other times they are a result of my own bad choices. God doesn’t leave me alone even if they are of my own making; He walks me through them.

Through family squabbles, health problems, marriage difficulties, crying toddlers, troubled teenagers, doubts and fears, unemployment, an empty nest, through it all God is my refuge in the storm. Every time I have cried to Him out of the midst of my trouble to please calm the storm, He has answered…usually by calming me not the storm.

No matter what kind of storm it is, a literal storm raging outside or my own personal storm of troubles that no one knows about, God is right in the center of it. He has promised to never leave me no matter what I am facing. There are more storms in our forecast over the next several days…more storms in my future I’m sure. Come what may I’m safe with Him.

Multitude Monday

Continuing the count of things to be grateful for on Multitude Monday...

 

31. Left over chocolate birthday cake.

32. Taking my son and daughter-in-law to see a kid’s movie.

33. That the men in my family are not ashamed to tear up over a kid’s movie about children growing up and outgrowing their toys.

34. Christian radio in the car.

35. A dear elderly couple who always have an encouraging word.

36. Feeling safe during a severe thunderstorm at 5 o’clock in the morning.

37. Sunday afternoon naps.

38. A clean house.

39. The start of a new week…anything is possible.

40. Cumulus clouds – white, towering, puffy like cotton.

41. Peanut butter and plum jelly sandwiches.

42. The words “Thank you”.

43. Photographs that trigger memories of days gone by.

44. Cotton blankets fresh from the dryer.

45. Ceiling fans.

46. Long soaks in the jet tub.

47. Walking barefoot in the grass.

48. Craft stores and the endless possibilities to be creative.

49. Left-overs…no cooking tonight.

50. Mail addressed to me.



Consider joining the Gratitude Community and start counting your own graces.

Sunday's Child

Forty nine years ago somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea a young Marine was called to the bridge of the USS Forrestal and given a message from the Red Cross. He had a new son and a new title...Dad. Congratulations were given and the new dad gave out cigars to celebrate.

It was a Sunday in July in a county hospital that a young mom met her new baby hours after the delivery. I imagine as the fog of the anesthesia wore off she longed to be able to share the joy of introducing that baby to his daddy. I can imagine her as she snuggled her first born close and breathed in the scent of new life. I imagine her touching his tiny hand and marveling at the delicate handiwork of God...this child...this gift...formed in secret. One day in the future she would cuddle his baby brother, more confident and sure of herself. On that Sunday a nineteen year old became a mom for the first time, counting tiny fingers and toes as well as the days until her Marine came home.

This morning I reached across the bed and held one of those same hands that she held when they were new, and marveled at the gift of her child, my husband. He is like his mom in temperament. Both are tenderhearted, loving, cautious, gentle, determined but not demanding. He favors her...he has her eyes. When he calls her on the phone he always says "Hey Lady". He is like his dad as well. Patriotic, generous, protective, resolute when his mind is made up...also defined as stubborn, depending on your point of view.


He kissed me as dropped him off at work, our affection for one another still strong and familiar. I breathed in the smell of shaving cream and toothpaste that mingled with the scent of him and prayed I never take his presence in my life for granted. I have a cake to bake and a birthday dinner to prepare. Our son and daughter-in-law are coming...our first born...turning out to be like his dad in more ways than he ever imagined as he matures. They share the same laugh!

I think of our daughter and wish she were closer so our family could all be together for the celebration. She is very much like him in temperament, like her grandmother before him. She has the same blue eyes...the family resemblance passed down generation to generation.

Don't we all search for the similarities among family members, those features, mannerisms, and character traits that tie us together and denote our kinship? We search for the resemblance that tells the world that we belong to a certain family and gives us a sense of belonging. Today I take a mental inventory of everything about my husband that can be seen in his children. What I see clearer than anything else is the love. Love for one another, love for family, for traditions, love for God and country. The memories that replay through my mind, the laughter and the tears, the holidays, the average days...they are all tied one to the other by love.

Funny, I never imagined him turning 49...I'm only a few months behind him...it seems like it just crept up on us while we weren't looking. It looks good on him...his gray hair, the smile lines on his face. He's still the one for me.

Tonight we will light some candles...not all 49 years will be represented by a candle. He will hear the Happy Birthday song for the 49th time and we will eat some "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake.

It's his birthday and our family is going to celebrate...some of us here with him...one of us in another state. Two will celebrate this day and remember exactly where they were and how they felt on the day God introduced him to the world. We will celebrate the love that brought him to us. Each of us feeling blessed because he fills a place in our hearts and lives.

My Barnabas Box

In my bedroom, in the corner furthest from the door is a tall book shelf. It stands on my side of the bed, stuffed with books, several bibles, bible study workbooks, dictionaries and our weather alert radio. Several pictures sit among the books, a favorite one of my daughter and me, one of my sweetheart and me when we were about sixteen and a small picture of our son when he was two weeks old. On top of the book case where the dust can get so thick it looks more like a layer of gray fur than dust; sits a box. The box is my Barnabas Box.

It's named after Barnabas, a man you can read about in the New Testament in the book of Acts. After his conversion Saul (aka Paul), went to Jerusalem to join the apostles but they were afraid of him and nobody trusted him. Barnabas was the one who stepped up and spoke favorably of Saul and convinced the apostles that Saul was a true believer. His name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement. I named my box after him because it holds things that are an encouragement to me. Notes, mementos, cards, pictures, special things to me, things I treasure. No doubt you have the same kinds of things in a drawer, a tote or box somewhere.

When I open the box it’s kind of like opening a door to my past and taking a walk down memory lane. So many memories are held in that box. Cards and notes from when my sweetheart and I were dating, the receipt and price tag for my prom dress, the schedule for the 1978 football season. Birthday, anniversary and Valentines cards he has given me over the years, the card I got with the flowers he sent on our 21st anniversary.

Cards from my children, store bought and hand made. There’s a bookmark from my son for Mother’s day. One card he really liked, I have two of the same card given different years. He gave me a handmade Valentine in German, part of a German lesson from high school.

Creative artistic child that she is, there’s much more in the box from my daughter. Little notes that fold up and make their own envelope, post-it notes she wrote on, a letter of apology, a tiny paper box she made from an old Christmas card. There’s a drawing she did of my dad, drawn when she was twelve and given to me as a Mother’s day gift. Evidence of a budding artist in our family.  Her “Breakfast-in-a-box” pages…each page with a drawing of a breakfast item, along with some warm fuzzy black house shoes she gave me as a gift one year for Christmas.

I have cards from friends and family over the years, thank you notes, notes to encourage me and some just to make me laugh. There are many notes and cards letting me know that someone is praying for me or my family. One very special to me is from a dear friend who lost her battle with cancer. One day I will get to see Joyce’s face again, until then I reread her card and her sweet words about praying for my daughter while she was on a mission trip.

As I sifted through the items in the box this morning, touching the things that passed through the hands of people I love and care about, I was encouraged. Over the years so many people took the time to buy a card, write a note, or make something for me. Each item is an expression of their love for me. Each item represents a moment in time when they were thinking of me and acted on that thought.

How often does God bring someone to your mind that you haven’t thought about in a long time? Is there someone you know who is dealing with something and could use a word of encouragement today? Is there someone you usually only send a Christmas card to once a year that crossed your mind as you read this? Take a minute and write them a note, send them a card, let them know they were on your heart today. Text messages are great, telephone calls are awesome, emails are convenient, but a personal note or card of encouragement is something you can hold on to. It’s something you can read, tuck away into a box then pull out to read another day.

After you write that note or send that card, go find your treasures and remember the people who have cared about you. If you don’t already have a special place for them, get yourself a Barnabas Box and start filling it with the bits and pieces of love others have sent your way.

Give it a rest.

Some days it's more difficult than others to quiet my mind...today has been one of those days.


We went for our check ups this morning. Nothing bad to report, just the usual admonishments to eat right, exercise and lose weight. I’d managed to lose half a pound in 6 months…the only good thing to say about that is I didn’t gain half a pound. Since my appointment the mental argument has gone back and forth…


~I should have made a serious effort to get fit over the past 6 months.


Fit! Get serious girl…you’ve never been fit and you will never be fit!


~I can count the number of times I’ve exercised on ten fingers and have some left over; I can’t really say I made much of an effort.


Less than 10! That’s laughable…you are soooo lazy!


~My cholesterol and triglycerides remained stable.


Imagine how they would have looked had you tried!


~I am fearfully and wonderfully made?!


Maybe…but look what you’ve done to His masterpiece!


~I’m a mess! I’m so tired of feeling this way.


That’s the truth! And you call yourself a Christian.


The enemy was in rare form. Can anyone relate?


The bible tells us that our enemy wants to devour us—he sure was getting some huge bites out of me. Today it was my body image. Consistency in reading my bible and prayer are one of his favorite topics. Living an authentic life, being real about my struggles and challenges, my failures as a parent, my life compared to the Proverbs 31 woman. Satan has way more material than I have room to list. He’s like the energizer bunny. He can just keep going and going!


If I don’t get my thoughts under control I will become so battered and bruised that I won’t try to stand under the assault. I’ll give up and the enemy has won—my voice is silenced and no one hears about how my life has changed because of a Savior who died for me.


But—if I remember that the enemy is about condemnation, that his words drip with sarcasm and accusation, then I can turn it around. When my Father speaks to me through Holy Spirit there is no condemnation. There may be conviction but not condemnation. When He speaks it sounds totally different.


~I should have made a serious effort to get fit over the past 6 months.


We can begin again…I’m the God of second, third, and fourth chances.


~I can count the number of times I’ve exercised on ten fingers and have some left over; I can’t really say I made much of an effort.


Through My strength you can do this…don’t try to do it on your own…I will give you the strength day by day…step by step.


~My cholesterol and triglycerides remained stable.


You have been making some good choices…let’s build on that…ask Me for wisdom and I will give it to you.


~I am fearfully and wonderfully made?!


You are My daughter, My creation, I know you inside and out, I love you with a love deeper than the deepest ocean. Don’t be discouraged…you are exactly where you need to be. I’m working on you, you don’t always see it but progress is being made. You are beautiful. You are chosen by Me.


~I’m a mess! I’m so tired of feeling this way.


Hear Me and believe Me, you are holy and blameless because when I see you, I see my Son. The evil one cannot touch you, he is a liar. If he gives you anymore trouble, and he will, refer him to Me. I’ve been dealing with him for…well…centuries. Come to Me and I will give you rest.


When the enemy starts in on me with his bad mouthing and tearing me down, I need to run to my Father. Satan has no choice but to give it a rest.

God is my resting place, my refuge.

Resting in Him. 

Photo: relaxing with my man

Creativity

I read that Jarbas Agnelli saw a newspaper photo of a large flock of black birds sitting on the wires and recognized that their configuration looked very much like a musical score.



I think the Creator of the universe shows off His creativity in all kinds of ways if we will just open our eyes and see.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Psalm 19:1-3

The musician who saw the picture of those birds and also saw musical notes had his eyes open to more than a group of birds sitting on a wire.  I think God opened his eyes to see the arrangement. 

God shows off His creativity every day in every way, like gifts left to surprise and enchant us.  The sunrise He paints every morning is just the beginning...the mist rising from the ground as warm and cool meet...the birds singing...the dew shining like diamonds as the suns rays hit it. 

Even the rain is a symphony as the rhythm of the rain drops hit the roof, the clap of  thunder, the crashing lighting.  The smell following a rain is indescribable.

Ever seen the aftermath of an ice storm in the sunshine?  Ice storms can be very destructive but also amazingly beautiful, friends and family in Southeast Missouri have stories to tell of power outages that lasted for days but the pictures they shared were breath taking.

The silence as snow falls and blankets the world in white...then a cardinal landing on the deck railing, his bright red feathers in stark contrast to the white of snow.

I wonder how many times I've been too busy, too self absorbed, too focused on my own things, to stop and see the gift God had on display through His creation?  

A child's laugh, a new born babies cry, a puppies wagging tail, the silky feel of a kitten's fur, the colors of a sunset, the multitude of stars twinkling in the night sky, the glow of the moon rising over the peaks of the mountains. 

Birds lined up on a telephone wire...God music.

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

-How Great Thou Art