Today a friend sent me a praise report from another friend. We'd been praying for Jennifer, who'd had one of those "female tests" and was told it looked like she had cancer. In fact, the doctors went so far as to tell her it was 99.9% sure she had cancer. Well, guess what! After further tests, it turns out she doesn't.
All glory to God for that one.
But it got me thinking about how God must look at statistics. I wonder if He looked at that one, which looked very bleak indeed from a human perspective, and just laughed. You see, from the doctor's perspective, there was a .1% chance the Jennifer was cancer-free. I'm sure they had their pencils ready to schedule surgery. The kind nurses probably patted her on the back in sympathy. They were ready to give her the bad news.
God, on the other hand, didn't need medical statistics to tell Him the outcome of that situation. He didn't think, "Wow, this is going to be a tough one. I wonder if I can pull it off."
We may not know the reasons why, but the Kingdom of God broke into the kingdom of the world, and God brought healing to Jennifer and glory to Himself.
In the bleakest of circumstances, in the darkest of nights, in the face of the most dreadful fears, we serve a God who laughs at statistics. Then He reaches down in kindness and gentleness and reminds us once again that nothing is too hard for Him.
Jeremiah 32: 27, "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? "
In His Love,
Glynnis
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A happy Tuesday to all of you who are reading my blog today, and a special welcome to Proverbs 31 devotion readers who are visiting for the first time.
I live in Arizona, where we don't have daylight savings time in most of the state. So this time of year, we are on Pacific time - which means we get to sleep later than the rest of the US (ha, ha).
Today my devotion was about my daughter "dancing" around a cactus and getting stuck. She thought she would be safe because she wasn't touching it. Unfortunately her dancing took her close enough to the cactus, and she did end up with a few spines in her palm.
As I re-read the devotion, I thought about a lesson I learned years ago by "dancing around" sin and finding myself sucked in. It happened in my first job after college. I had gone to school for writing and public relations, and ended up taking a job where I had great PR responsibilities, but I also had secretarial tasks thrown in - like answering the phones and typing letters.
It was a small but growing company, led by a very dynamic woman, who was very detail oriented. When she asked me to do something, she stayed on top of me. As an aside note - that was before we had any technology to speak of, so she ran this multi-million dollar company with a yellow legal pad.
I soon found myself in over my head. I was trying to write and organize special events, and then I'd get asked to make phone calls or type a report. It was very difficult, and I was often behind on my boss's schedule. So when she'd call me in to her office to get an update on something, I found myself giving her answers that weren't the full truth. For instance, if I'd only started a project, I might say I was "making progress." This continued for quite awhile, all the time, I knew I wasn't being fully truthful.
This came to a head when my boss asked me to lie to someone else about the status of a project she was working on. I wouldn't do it. God used that situation to fully shine light on my own "dancing around a cactus." I knew I had been sinning.
This issue is one that I continually face. I'm often behind on my schedule, and find myself wanting to give an excuse, blaming it on something outside of my control. I still struggle inside my heart, but God frequently reminds me of that incident at my first job. With God's help, I speak the full truth, even if I look forgetful or unorganized.
Obviously, that's just one way we dance around sin. It's a dangerous dance, and one that most of us do at one time or another. Unfortunately, we have an enemy who twists truth and can bring confusion in our own minds about what is sin. I pray God reveals danger to you far in advance of you getting stuck.
In Christ's love,
Glynnis
I live in Arizona, where we don't have daylight savings time in most of the state. So this time of year, we are on Pacific time - which means we get to sleep later than the rest of the US (ha, ha).
Today my devotion was about my daughter "dancing" around a cactus and getting stuck. She thought she would be safe because she wasn't touching it. Unfortunately her dancing took her close enough to the cactus, and she did end up with a few spines in her palm.
As I re-read the devotion, I thought about a lesson I learned years ago by "dancing around" sin and finding myself sucked in. It happened in my first job after college. I had gone to school for writing and public relations, and ended up taking a job where I had great PR responsibilities, but I also had secretarial tasks thrown in - like answering the phones and typing letters.
It was a small but growing company, led by a very dynamic woman, who was very detail oriented. When she asked me to do something, she stayed on top of me. As an aside note - that was before we had any technology to speak of, so she ran this multi-million dollar company with a yellow legal pad.
I soon found myself in over my head. I was trying to write and organize special events, and then I'd get asked to make phone calls or type a report. It was very difficult, and I was often behind on my boss's schedule. So when she'd call me in to her office to get an update on something, I found myself giving her answers that weren't the full truth. For instance, if I'd only started a project, I might say I was "making progress." This continued for quite awhile, all the time, I knew I wasn't being fully truthful.
This came to a head when my boss asked me to lie to someone else about the status of a project she was working on. I wouldn't do it. God used that situation to fully shine light on my own "dancing around a cactus." I knew I had been sinning.
This issue is one that I continually face. I'm often behind on my schedule, and find myself wanting to give an excuse, blaming it on something outside of my control. I still struggle inside my heart, but God frequently reminds me of that incident at my first job. With God's help, I speak the full truth, even if I look forgetful or unorganized.
Obviously, that's just one way we dance around sin. It's a dangerous dance, and one that most of us do at one time or another. Unfortunately, we have an enemy who twists truth and can bring confusion in our own minds about what is sin. I pray God reveals danger to you far in advance of you getting stuck.
In Christ's love,
Glynnis
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
One of the hardest learned lessons in my life has been to never say "never."
Years ago, God convicted me of pride. It was masquerading as righteousness in my heart, but God knew otherwise. And for me, a red flag that pride was under the surface was any time I said, "I would never ____ (fill in the blank). "I would never let my daughter read that." "I would never let my son wear that." It could be good reasons behind my decision, but subconsciously I was comparing myself to the mother who did let her child wear something, patting myself on the back for being more righteous.
One area that God really convicted me of was my children's schooling. This is an area of potential judgement within the Christian community. I was carefully to not judge anyone for their decision on how to educate their children.
When my children were first starting school, I worked outside the home and we had extra income. We were determined to send our children to Christian schools. But then my husband lost his job, we moved across country and we decided I would stay home. Which meant we didn't have extra income. So my kids went to public school.
It was either that, or I found a job. But I liked being available to help in the classroom and have lunch once a week at the school. We saw God's hand clearly in that decision. Since that time, our children have attended public school, and I've worked from home.
Then we adopted our precious daughters, Cathrine and Ruth. God hand-picked them from Africa, where they had no schooling. We didn't know what to expect. Everyone said they'd catch up quickly, that they'd be like little sponges. We prayed about what to do with their schooling, and God directed us to put them in the public school with their brothers. Our youngest daughter is thriving academically, but our oldest daughter struggles. She has blossomed in confidence and socially, which was a true need for her. But she struggles with the basics, especially in math.
Now to tie up all the loose end of this post. I'm so glad I never said "I will never home school my children." Because God is now calling me to teach Cathrine at home. And, shockingly, He's calling me to home school my youngest son, who will be a high school freshman next year.
Although I've been open to this for years, I didn't see it coming. But the need is clear. I don't know how long this will be for, or how I'm going to do it. I don't seem to have the personality of my friends who home school. Honestly, I'm overwhelmed with the task ahead of me. So I'm coming to my bloggy friends for help with two needs.
1) If you have any advice on how to start homeschooling, I'd love it. Please let me know if you can suggest any websites, organizations or curriculum.
2) We are going to sell our home-based business, Rose Lane Cottage. If you know an honest Internet business broker, or someone who might be serious about buying it, please let me know.
Years ago I asked God to do whatever was necessary to eliminate pride from my heart. He's done that by putting me in places where my need for Him is great. I'm in that place again.
In His Love,
Glynnis
Years ago, God convicted me of pride. It was masquerading as righteousness in my heart, but God knew otherwise. And for me, a red flag that pride was under the surface was any time I said, "I would never ____ (fill in the blank). "I would never let my daughter read that." "I would never let my son wear that." It could be good reasons behind my decision, but subconsciously I was comparing myself to the mother who did let her child wear something, patting myself on the back for being more righteous.
One area that God really convicted me of was my children's schooling. This is an area of potential judgement within the Christian community. I was carefully to not judge anyone for their decision on how to educate their children.
When my children were first starting school, I worked outside the home and we had extra income. We were determined to send our children to Christian schools. But then my husband lost his job, we moved across country and we decided I would stay home. Which meant we didn't have extra income. So my kids went to public school.
It was either that, or I found a job. But I liked being available to help in the classroom and have lunch once a week at the school. We saw God's hand clearly in that decision. Since that time, our children have attended public school, and I've worked from home.
Then we adopted our precious daughters, Cathrine and Ruth. God hand-picked them from Africa, where they had no schooling. We didn't know what to expect. Everyone said they'd catch up quickly, that they'd be like little sponges. We prayed about what to do with their schooling, and God directed us to put them in the public school with their brothers. Our youngest daughter is thriving academically, but our oldest daughter struggles. She has blossomed in confidence and socially, which was a true need for her. But she struggles with the basics, especially in math.
Now to tie up all the loose end of this post. I'm so glad I never said "I will never home school my children." Because God is now calling me to teach Cathrine at home. And, shockingly, He's calling me to home school my youngest son, who will be a high school freshman next year.
Although I've been open to this for years, I didn't see it coming. But the need is clear. I don't know how long this will be for, or how I'm going to do it. I don't seem to have the personality of my friends who home school. Honestly, I'm overwhelmed with the task ahead of me. So I'm coming to my bloggy friends for help with two needs.
1) If you have any advice on how to start homeschooling, I'd love it. Please let me know if you can suggest any websites, organizations or curriculum.
2) We are going to sell our home-based business, Rose Lane Cottage. If you know an honest Internet business broker, or someone who might be serious about buying it, please let me know.
Years ago I asked God to do whatever was necessary to eliminate pride from my heart. He's done that by putting me in places where my need for Him is great. I'm in that place again.
In His Love,
Glynnis
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Matthew 26:38, "Then He said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.'"
A few years ago, my small group took communion. As we encircled a friend's living room, I dipped my piece of torn bread in the cup of dark purple juice and placed it in my mouth. I tasted the ripeness of the fruit and savored the texture of the bread. “I will remember, Lord.” I spoke the words in my head, silently thanking Jesus for the sacrifice He made for me on the cross. My mind and heart were fully tuned in to communion.
Yet within a minute, the aftertaste of the strong grape juice distracted my communion meditation. It was more bitter than usual and I thought about taking a sip of something else to remove the flavor from my mouth. Should I grab my coffee, or some water? My thoughts had definitely jumped far from communion with Christ.
Immediately, the Lord spoke to my heart: “Suffer with me awhile.”
Tears filled my eyes as I realized how quickly I wanted to move away from the unpleasant taste … and how fast my thoughts drifted from the suffering of Christ to my own comfort. And my mind went back to the first night followers of Christ took communion and what happened.
On the night of His betrayal, after sharing a meal in the Upper Room, Jesus went to pray and asked Peter, James and John to stay awake, and watch and wait for Him. Jesus knew His death was imminent and was grieving what was about to happen. In Matthew 26:18, the Bible says our Lord was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” that night. And while He prayed, His closest friends couldn’t keep awake. Three times Jesus returned to find them sleeping.
For those three disciples, it was sleep that drew them from Christ’s request to keep watch with Him. What is for me? What keeps me from obeying Jesus’ requests? Oh, the easy ones I have no problem with. It’s the ones that infringe on my comfort that I wrestle with.
Today many churches will remember Jesus' final night on earth in what is called Maundy Thursday. On Friday we will remember the day of Jesus' death. And on Sunday we get to celebrate the greatest miracle the world has ever seen.
I love Easter and celebrating the resurrection. But that morning at my small group, Jesus clearly called me to remember His suffering as well as His victory. This is something God calls me to remember every day, and apply it to serving Him. While my flesh would prefer a cushy assignment, I don’t want to shake the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, the hands that touched lepers, the hands that stroked the head of a broken sinful woman, with hands that have never gotten dirty with life. Which means pressing in deeper when there is suffering instead of running away.
This Sunday, I'll be the first to wake up and greet my family with "He is Risen!" But I'll also spend some time remember Christ's suffering and the suffering of so many around me. And it's my prayer that I'll stay awake and alert to whatever Jesus wants me to do.
In His Love,
Glynnis
A few years ago, my small group took communion. As we encircled a friend's living room, I dipped my piece of torn bread in the cup of dark purple juice and placed it in my mouth. I tasted the ripeness of the fruit and savored the texture of the bread. “I will remember, Lord.” I spoke the words in my head, silently thanking Jesus for the sacrifice He made for me on the cross. My mind and heart were fully tuned in to communion.
Yet within a minute, the aftertaste of the strong grape juice distracted my communion meditation. It was more bitter than usual and I thought about taking a sip of something else to remove the flavor from my mouth. Should I grab my coffee, or some water? My thoughts had definitely jumped far from communion with Christ.
Immediately, the Lord spoke to my heart: “Suffer with me awhile.”
Tears filled my eyes as I realized how quickly I wanted to move away from the unpleasant taste … and how fast my thoughts drifted from the suffering of Christ to my own comfort. And my mind went back to the first night followers of Christ took communion and what happened.
On the night of His betrayal, after sharing a meal in the Upper Room, Jesus went to pray and asked Peter, James and John to stay awake, and watch and wait for Him. Jesus knew His death was imminent and was grieving what was about to happen. In Matthew 26:18, the Bible says our Lord was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” that night. And while He prayed, His closest friends couldn’t keep awake. Three times Jesus returned to find them sleeping.
For those three disciples, it was sleep that drew them from Christ’s request to keep watch with Him. What is for me? What keeps me from obeying Jesus’ requests? Oh, the easy ones I have no problem with. It’s the ones that infringe on my comfort that I wrestle with.
Today many churches will remember Jesus' final night on earth in what is called Maundy Thursday. On Friday we will remember the day of Jesus' death. And on Sunday we get to celebrate the greatest miracle the world has ever seen.
I love Easter and celebrating the resurrection. But that morning at my small group, Jesus clearly called me to remember His suffering as well as His victory. This is something God calls me to remember every day, and apply it to serving Him. While my flesh would prefer a cushy assignment, I don’t want to shake the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, the hands that touched lepers, the hands that stroked the head of a broken sinful woman, with hands that have never gotten dirty with life. Which means pressing in deeper when there is suffering instead of running away.
This Sunday, I'll be the first to wake up and greet my family with "He is Risen!" But I'll also spend some time remember Christ's suffering and the suffering of so many around me. And it's my prayer that I'll stay awake and alert to whatever Jesus wants me to do.
In His Love,
Glynnis
Friday, April 3, 2009
If you are visiting my blog for the first time this morning as a result of Encouragement for Today, I'd like to welcome you.
My devotion this morning was on how to get out of a valley. It's stating the obvious to say that the valleys of life are never fun. I'd much rather stay on the mountain tops of life, where I've got a great view of what's ahead. But that's not how life is. Until we get to heaven, we will spend some of our time in low points where the next step isn't clear, and where suffering and pain is our daily companion.
When I get in those low points, my automatic response is to try and get out - fast. But that's not always possible. It seems the older I get, the more I realize how much of life is outside my control. And because I'm a woman who enjoys being in control, I can find myself in valleys of frustration and fear quickly. Hence, I struggle with acceptance God's will for me at times.
One of my regrets in life is that while in a valley, I might have missed what God wanted to do in or through me because I was consumed with fear. God has been really working in my heart about this issue, and in typical God fashion, He gives me opportunities to practice what I'm learning. This happened just last week.
I went in for my annual mammogram, which is always a source of concern for me. I've been having them since I was 20, due to finding and surgically removing the first of two solid cysts and then fibrocyctic changes. Every year I pray not to get that call saying I need to come back in for follow up images. However, this year, the radiologist called me back in for ultrasounds.
Let me just say that in the past, this could have sent me into a tail spin of fear. While I won't lie - I was a bit concerned - I wasn't afraid. Not like in the past. Instead of frantically praying for God to make those tests normal, I started to pray for God to show me what He wanted me to learn, what He wanted me to do, or how He wanted to change me through this.
What a difference! For one of the first times in my life, when faced with a very scary possibility, I was listening to God instead of telling Him how I thought things should go. My attitude was so different. Instead of being an unwilling voyager in this valley, I saw how God needed me to tune in to Him in order to learn something or do something.
As I was lying on the exam table, I kept praying these same questions. And I heard God say to me something like this: I want you to see that through Me you can have victory over your fear.
Within the next hour, I got a clean bill of health and walked out of there with a "normal" stamp on my report.
I think God had me walk through a valley so I could experience His power. And I might have missed it had I not been listening.
My prayer for you today, is that God shows Himself to you in your valley. I pray that during this difficult time, you choose to be a willing participant in whatever God wants to do. Even though you might be a victim of unchosen circumstances, God has a plan to bring you good. He won't waste this time, and you will once again be on a mountain top where you can look back and give God all the glory!!!
In His Love,
Glynnis
My devotion this morning was on how to get out of a valley. It's stating the obvious to say that the valleys of life are never fun. I'd much rather stay on the mountain tops of life, where I've got a great view of what's ahead. But that's not how life is. Until we get to heaven, we will spend some of our time in low points where the next step isn't clear, and where suffering and pain is our daily companion.
When I get in those low points, my automatic response is to try and get out - fast. But that's not always possible. It seems the older I get, the more I realize how much of life is outside my control. And because I'm a woman who enjoys being in control, I can find myself in valleys of frustration and fear quickly. Hence, I struggle with acceptance God's will for me at times.
One of my regrets in life is that while in a valley, I might have missed what God wanted to do in or through me because I was consumed with fear. God has been really working in my heart about this issue, and in typical God fashion, He gives me opportunities to practice what I'm learning. This happened just last week.
I went in for my annual mammogram, which is always a source of concern for me. I've been having them since I was 20, due to finding and surgically removing the first of two solid cysts and then fibrocyctic changes. Every year I pray not to get that call saying I need to come back in for follow up images. However, this year, the radiologist called me back in for ultrasounds.
Let me just say that in the past, this could have sent me into a tail spin of fear. While I won't lie - I was a bit concerned - I wasn't afraid. Not like in the past. Instead of frantically praying for God to make those tests normal, I started to pray for God to show me what He wanted me to learn, what He wanted me to do, or how He wanted to change me through this.
What a difference! For one of the first times in my life, when faced with a very scary possibility, I was listening to God instead of telling Him how I thought things should go. My attitude was so different. Instead of being an unwilling voyager in this valley, I saw how God needed me to tune in to Him in order to learn something or do something.
As I was lying on the exam table, I kept praying these same questions. And I heard God say to me something like this: I want you to see that through Me you can have victory over your fear.
Within the next hour, I got a clean bill of health and walked out of there with a "normal" stamp on my report.
I think God had me walk through a valley so I could experience His power. And I might have missed it had I not been listening.
My prayer for you today, is that God shows Himself to you in your valley. I pray that during this difficult time, you choose to be a willing participant in whatever God wants to do. Even though you might be a victim of unchosen circumstances, God has a plan to bring you good. He won't waste this time, and you will once again be on a mountain top where you can look back and give God all the glory!!!
In His Love,
Glynnis
Thursday, April 2, 2009
My youngest daughter was helping make the lunches yesterday. Normally her help consists of getting the juice boxes and fruit cups. But yesterday she wanted to make the sandwiches.
She got out the bread, peanut butter, jelly and a knife and proceeded to assemble three sandwiches. As she started spreading the peanut butter on the first piece of bread, she held it up for inspection, saying "How's that look?"
I looked at her work and saw a blog of peanut butter in the middle of the bread. "Great start!" I said. "Now spread the peanut butter to the edges."
Since it was crunchy peanut butter, it was stiff. So she worked a bit longer, trying to get the peanut butter to the edges. Again she held it up for my approval. But with a half inch border of bread showing, I encouraged her to try again.
"Ruth," I said. "Try and make sure the peanut butter gets all the way to the edges, so that every bite tastes good."
She did an awesome job learning, and once she understood the reason, she finished it well.
After she and her brother and sister left for school, I thought about that peanut butter sandwich, and getting every bite to taste good, and I thought about my life. I realized there are many "edges" of my life that don't "taste" so good.
As I cleaned up after my family that morning, and screwed the lid on the peanut butter, I made a renewed commitment to make every bit of my life taste good. Not just the times when it is easy to do so, but the times when it is hard. I want my friends and family to get the very best from me, not just some dry, tasteless crusts.
I don't think I'll ever look at another PB & J the same.
Love,
Glynnis
She got out the bread, peanut butter, jelly and a knife and proceeded to assemble three sandwiches. As she started spreading the peanut butter on the first piece of bread, she held it up for inspection, saying "How's that look?"
I looked at her work and saw a blog of peanut butter in the middle of the bread. "Great start!" I said. "Now spread the peanut butter to the edges."
Since it was crunchy peanut butter, it was stiff. So she worked a bit longer, trying to get the peanut butter to the edges. Again she held it up for my approval. But with a half inch border of bread showing, I encouraged her to try again.
"Ruth," I said. "Try and make sure the peanut butter gets all the way to the edges, so that every bite tastes good."
She did an awesome job learning, and once she understood the reason, she finished it well.
After she and her brother and sister left for school, I thought about that peanut butter sandwich, and getting every bite to taste good, and I thought about my life. I realized there are many "edges" of my life that don't "taste" so good.
- When I'm in a rush, my patience goes right out the window and my tone of voice can be ugly.
- When I'm interuppted while trying to finish a project, the rolling of my eyes isn't very kind.
- When someone has hurt my feelings, my defensiveness isn't very gracious or forgiving.
As I cleaned up after my family that morning, and screwed the lid on the peanut butter, I made a renewed commitment to make every bit of my life taste good. Not just the times when it is easy to do so, but the times when it is hard. I want my friends and family to get the very best from me, not just some dry, tasteless crusts.
I don't think I'll ever look at another PB & J the same.
Love,
Glynnis
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