Only Believe

As I sit and pray this morning, giving my life and my mind and my body into God's care, I have a thought: Whatever is in my liver, I will not give it power over me.

Power. Whatever I fear, and conversely whatever I revere, have power over me. So I will take the command of Jesus: "Do not fear. Only believe." The only real Power is God and I gladly and eagerly give Him dominion over every aspect of me.
Thank you God!

Thunder and Lightning

My mother was not afraid of thunder and lightning. In fact she loved it. As a child I remember Mom inviting me to sit with her on the porch during a thunderstorm to enjoy the show. She would sit there with a little smile on her face as the rain came pattering down outside and the thunder boomed, and the lightning flickered and lit up the sky. The more thunder the better. It was entertainment for her. And so it still is for me.

I am sitting right now on our lanai enjoying just such a show. Lots of lovely lightning, rolling thunder, and the occasional exciting big BOOM.

And I think of Mom. I don't think she was afraid of very much. When she was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver (due to hepatitis) she took it with her usual calm, or so it seemed to me at least. As she got sicker and the illness took its toll, she just kept on truckin'. Kept working, kept going to church, kept going out to eat, kept on going to the grocery store, even when towards the end Dad had to push her in a wheelchair because she was too weak and in too much pain to walk around. She just kept on living until the day she didn't.

Today as I sit here enjoying this first class thunderstorm, I am a few hours away from a doctor appointment which will begin to determine the nature of a mass found on my own liver three days ago. I think of Mom. And I think of my husband, who has moved through all of his cancer journeys with such grace. And most of all I think of God. And I remember the words of Jesus:

"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you.
Not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Thank you God. Thank you Jesus. I know you are here and I feel your peace.

My Life In Six Words

AARP, the magazine, has been inviting people to tell their life story in six words. I think I got mine: Screwed up. Found God. Much better.

Always enough

This thought popped into my head this morning: "There is always enough."
We do not just "channel" the living waters of the spirit of God. When we believe Jesus Christ, springs of living water well up in us. We fill up with those living waters until we overflow, and that overflow is what we extend to others. We can never run dry because the Spring is right within us. We need never hold back. There is always enough.

The Church of Every Day

A church without walls is what I seek. The fellowship of souls praising and worshipping, giving thanks and allegiance to God the Father, without concern for the trappings of stained glass, stages, and expensive PA systems.

I've heard of the K.I.S.S. principle, which means "Keep It Simple Stupid". I'd like to "Keep It Simple Saint". May all the saints remember that we are saints NOT because we are good but because God is good.

God is not impressed with expensive sound systems, nor finely upholstered pews, nor elegant speeches that reveal only the eloquence of the speaker.

The church of every day is what I seek. The connecting of souls as we meet in the supermarket or the Post Office and offer each other the love of Christ. If the apostle Paul is right, that everyone including the heathen really do know God deep in their hearts, then I hope that Christ-love offered in the simplest way will touch that deeply buried knowledge and pluck it like a string, so that the knowledge of God begins to resonate in their hearts, and becomes the music of Heaven, clearly heard and impossible to ignore.

Purpose

I don't know if we each have some pre-ordained "purpose" the way some people insist. Maybe we do. But I think EVERYONE'S purpose is to stay so close to God that we are prepared to do whatever presents itself at any moment. To do the thing right before us. Hold a door for someone, let someone ahead of us in the grocery line, smile at someone who looks miserable, answer with a silent prayer when someone is nasty to us, bless instead of curse, pray instead of shout, keep still instead of gossiping, offer mercy instead of judgment. All these things are our "purpose" which is the directive Christ gave us over and over: "Love one another as I have loved you."
Mother Teresa said "We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

Remind Me Again

My human, limited mind forgets what I have already learned. Over and over I need to be reminded of all God's simple truths. I don't "forget" them completely, but like the seed sewn among thorns, my daily worldly life sometimes crowds out the Gospel Good News. So I need reminding.

Thank you God for always being faithful in reminding me of your beautiful Way. Thank you for reminding me that Joy is not found in circumstances but in intimate contact with You. In the dark You are my Light. In a parched land You are my Living Water. In a flood of tears You are my island. In a world of greed and self-centeredness You are my faithful Guide.

I may be an "alien and a stranger" in the world, but You have overcome the world, and like the mist that rises to reveal Shangri La, You lift the veil of misunderstanding and reveal Your Kingdom.

Thank You. Thank You.