The Love Just Keeps on Giving

Here we are on the last day of February! It's hard to believe -- only ten months till Christmas. So if you're desiring a November or December baby -- pitter patter -- better get at 'er!

Awww! Babies! Be still my heart! This photo isn’t of me, but it sure looks like me singing to my baby boy. Same color of hair (the baby and me), that thin, and that love she has for her baby! Oh, how I loved singing to my babies AND grandbabies. As I scroll through my Facebook timeline, I can't help but slow down when I see a mom or dad's new baby photos with their cutest, enormous bows ever on little girls and "future football player" shirts on little boys! Forgive me, but I'm a gawker, smeller (heaven's scent is all over them), a rocker (in the chair sense) AND singer. The maternal instincts in me want to get my hands on those little darlings.

I am biding my time until my grandson and his wife give me my first great grandbaby. Lord knows (and maybe they know all too well also) that this Nana will be invading their privacy when that precious one arrives someday. I’ve been planning their baby since I started encouraging my grandson to find himself a Spanish senorita because I declared “you’d make beautiful babies”! He fulfilled my request and gave me a senorita beauty -- inside and out! Check! Okay, I was sort of kidding about all that, but I know one of these days I’ll hold that little bundle of joy and oh the love songs I’ll sing to him or her or THEM (Ruth is a triplet!). In the latter case, all hands will be on deck!

Now picture this: God holding us in His loving arms like the photo of this young mom holding her baby, and singing. God’s quiet love, tender hugs, and gentle whispers of acceptance and delight are the greatest love song our spiritual ears will ever hear. Maybe if we'll find a quiet place to listen, we just may feel His embrace and hear Him singing His love song to us right now! Zephaniah 3:17 says: "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you WITH SINGING."

One of my favorite "baby/kid" songs was Skidamarink: It went like this:
Skidamarink-a-dink, a-dink, skidamarink-a-doo, I love you. (2x)
I love you in the morning and in the afternoon;
I love you in the evening, and underneath the moon.
Oh, skidamarink-a-dink, a-dink, skidamarink-a-doo, I love you.

I can picture our Heavenly Father singing over us "I love you in the morning and in the afternoon and in the evening. I LOVE YOU ALL THE TIME!"

When I think of how Father rejoices over us with singing, another image comes to mind. I envision Him swinging us around in circles, all the while bellowing His song of extreme affection over us. He is not ashamed of the love He has for us and He wants the whole universe to know it. The next time you worship the Father in song, remember that as you sing of your love for Him, He, in turn, sings His song of love over you! Can you hear Him singing now?

What Are YOU Pointing At?

My oldest grandson was a late talker, so he pointed. Not that he couldn’t. He just wouldn’t. He preferred to point and make cute little "uh uh” sounds. And, you’d better believe we were on point to respond to his “uh uh’s” and his point. We were those kinds of grandparents who doted on our firstborn grandchild. We adored responding to his ways of identifying what he wanted.

The POINT is this: our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to point to that dream, vision, or desire and more than any earthly father who wants to bless His kids, God wants to bless those Who He calls His own, His masterpieces, and His prized possessions. He wants to bless us and give us the desires of our heart.

Psalm 37:4 says "Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." That's the crux of the matter. When we, as God's kids, delight in Him, His desire is to pour out blessings on us. It’s just like an earthly father whose child is jumping up in his lap and hugging him, embracing him, honoring him and bringing him good pleasure. That father can’t help himself. He will do everything in his power to give his child what he desires (if it’s good for him/her).

I love the idea of God giving me the desires of my heart, but that promise has a condition. I must ask myself, "Am I delighting myself in Him or not?" I found two Bible verses that explain "delighting in the Lord". “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart”. Psalm 40:8 and "For in my inner being, I delight in God’s law." Romans 7:22

And, this Luke 10:27 best explains it. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." When we delight in Him and give Him that much love, He delights in giving us the desires of our hearts.

Taking "pointing" a step further past our own desires and wants is pointing others to Jesus. The heart of our Christian life is coming out of hiding and pointing others to Jesus. John the Baptist pointed. He said, “Behold the Lamb of God” to the crowd when Jesus was coming toward them. Andrew pointed His brother, Peter, to Jesus. Hopefully, you are pointing your children and grandchildren toward Jesus by the way you love and care for them, by the way they hear you praying for them and by taking them to church. Maybe you are listening to a teenager who needs a listening ear and guiding voice and you point him to Jesus. Maybe you are demonstrating God’s love and pointing a neighbor to Him.

So what and Who are we pointing at? Maybe we need to amp up our pointing skills so that we continue to point our lives to the One Who points at us daily with His love, His favor, His grace, and His mercy. May we become known as ambassadors for Christ Who point the way for others to see Him!

Help Me! I’m an Ice Cream-oholic!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! My addiction to ice cream started with the yummy homemade peach ice cream my dad made in those old crank ice cream makers. Then, my dad enabled more love when after church each Sunday night, he’d take me to the nearby convenience store and buy me a chocolate fudgesicle. My addiction intensified when my parents gave me a quarter to buy ice cream from the ice cream man and his truck that regularly rolled through my neighborhood. It’s their fault that I fell into an ice cream world of DELIGHT!

You might know you’re an ice cream-oholic if:
1. You know all kinds of flavors from many different brands.
2. No season or sickness can stop you from having it.
3. You don’t fuss over what to eat for dessert, because you already know it’s ice cream.
4. Sometimes, you substitute meals with ice cream.
5. Your fridge might run out of any food item, but it’ll always have ice cream.
6. Your local ice cream shop owner knows what your favorite flavor is, and will generally keep it in stock.
7. You eat ice cream when you’re happy, unlike the others who eat it when they’re sad.
8. You have tried the craziest ice cream combinations (French fries and ice cream, pickles and ice-cream anyone?)
9. You try out local ice creams when you travel. (Gelato in Rome is to write home about!)
10. And finally, you know that when your day has been rather humdrum, there’s always ice cream waiting for you back home.

My son has loved Braum’s Chocolate Almond Ice Cream ever since he lived in Oklahoma. When he’s lived in other states and would come back home to us in Oklahoma or Texas, it was always a MUST DO – to get his favorite ice cream. (Braum's stores are all within 300 miles of their home store in Tuttle, OK) So in pondering what I could get him for this year’s birthday, my lightning-fast-mind remembered this “love” of his and how I could create a mutual lovefest! I purchased some dry ice and loaded up my cooler with 8 tubs of Braum’s Chocolate Almond Ice Cream, plus cones and a Braum’s ice cream scooper. Of course, I made his gift givers' A-List!

Anyone who’s experienced pangs of hunger and cravings when looking at an ice cream cone can attest that the sugary, creamy treat is near irresistible. And it’s not just because our bodies, and taste buds, have evolved to crave sugar on regular basis. When you break down the chemistry behind ice cream, it’s easy to see why: It’s been engineered to the perfect combination of elements — sugar, fat, frozen water, and air — that make up the mouthwatering concoction.

Ice cream is underrated -- just look at the benefits:
1. Ice cream can last weeks and even months in the freezer and can be enjoyed time and time again.
2. Ice Cream goes with everything.
3. Ice Cream soothes sore throats.
4. Ice Cream cools you down on these scorching hot days.
5. Ice Cream brings you back to your childhood. (Note my comments above. I left one thing off -- those graham crackers & a slab of chocolate ice cream in the school cafeteria!)

I've never outgrown the DELIGHT of ice cream, though I've curbed my addiction. By now, you're probably thinking "I know somewhere in here Donna has a devotional for us"!! And I do!
The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" And in Psalm 34:8 he wrote, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

The question is "Do our eyes light up in delight when we hear God's Words like these I just quoted? Do our eyes also light up in delight when we hear the name of Jesus or when we share His love with someone else? Or has it become a ho-hum routine love affair and the wonder is gone?"

Oh, that we would be addicted to our Lord and spiral out-of-control with our love for Him -- to delight in His presence and rejoice in His love. And, then, with that fresh, new love to spread the Good News to light up someone else's life. May we DELIGHT in our Savior and then share the light of His love--a smile, a word of encouragement, a hug -- and yes, a bowl of ice cream, too!

Kind Words = Sweetness and Good Health

Kind Words = Sweetness and Good Health
Yesterday, I exposed my DELIGHT for chocolate -- that SWEET, savory, God-given, delicacy of DELIGHT and I exposed my DELIGHT in God and His Word. I must be all about sweetness, because today, I was led to carry on in that same vein.

KIND: friendly, generous, considerate, loving, warm, caring Proverbs 16:24 says "KIND words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."

"KIND words are like honey - sweet to the soul" (That reminds me of honey on a biscuit or roll - YUM!), and whenever I think of something healthy, I think of fresh tomatoes, avocados, basil picked from my little herb garden (garden is an overstatement -- it's a little patch of my favorite herbs: basil and cilantro) slathered in balsamic vinegar glaze, perfectly guilt-free and healthy to eat.

The words SWEET and HEALTHY are rarely mentioned in the same sentence yet that is exactly how this proverb describes KIND words. They are like honey. And it’s both sweet to the soul (our soul -- our will, mind and emotions would be in sweetness -- not anger, fear, anxiety) and healthy for the body (our body would reap the rewards of our kindness). Just imagine what a steady diet of our kind words could do -- not only for others, but for us!

What if we chose to use our words, the ones we speak and the ones we write, to bring KINDNESS into the lives of everyone around us? What if we actually saw each and every KIND word we say as an agent of healing, a sweet balm for another’s soul AND our soul? What if we became very intentional about being a bearer of KIND words?

There are enough of harsh, bitter, angry, stinging words being thrown around today. What if we were KINDNESS dealers, handing out doses of KINDNESS everywhere we go? Kindness costs little but pays huge dividends in our own lives and in the lives of those we touch. It’s a habit that paves the way to a sweet and healthy, joy-filled life.

Lord, we give our words to You. We pray that Your words of loving kindness will fill us to overflowing to others. Help us to speak only kind and encouraging words. Help us to be a people of love. Thank You for being the Giver of all true kindness. We recognize that all kindness comes, first and foremost, from You and You alone. And we thank You. Through Christ our Lord, we pray! Amen! So be it, Lord! AMEN!

Aw! Chocolate! What a DELIGHT it is!

Chocolate: the preparation of seeds of cacao, roasted, husked and ground, often sweetened and flavored
Delight: to please, take pleasure in, revel in, gladness

Hello. My name is Donna Wuerch and I am a recovering chocoholic! I was once addicted to sweet, DELIGHTFUL and delectible chocolate treats – and when eating them, they DIDN'T go to my hips! LOL! The addiction has diminished, though I still enjoy the DELIGHT of an occasional morsel.

One of my earliest kid memories was Mom's chocolate gravy and after Sunday night church, my dad taking me to the little store next door for a chocolate soldier drink. And, then there were the ice cream trucks in my neighborhood that screamed my name. Well, not really, but they sure bolstered my taste buds for a chocolate fudgesicle. So I blame this addiction on my parents. LOL! That only started my addiction -- from there, it was chocolate cake, chocolate candy, chocolate pie, chocolate brownies, chocolate malts.....you can see how my "chocolate" enthusiasm spiraled out of control!

I've never outgrown the DELIGHT of indulging in creamy, dark or light, or white. You're probably thinking "I know somewhere in here Donna has a devotional for us"!! And I do!

The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 37:4 "DELIGHT yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart," and in Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

The question is "Do our eyes light up in DELIGHT when we hear God's words like these I just quoted? Do our taste buds heighten when we read His Word? Do our eyes light up in DELIGHT when we hear the name of Jesus or when we share that morsel of DELIGHT with someone else? Or has it become a ho-hum routine love affair where the “chocolate” has lost its appeal and the DELIGHT has diminished?"

Oh, that we would spiral out-of-control with our love for our Lord -- to DELIGHT in His presence and rejoice in His love. And, then, with that fresh, new love to spread the Good News to light up and DELIGHT someone else's life.

May we delight in our Savior and may we savor His goodness and mercy to us and then may we share the light of His love--a smile, a hug, a word of encouragement -- and yes, some CHOCOLATE too to those who need His “flavoring” in their lives!

Hello. My name is Donna Wuerch and I am addicted to my Lord and His Word. I pray this addiction only increases until I can’t live without delighting in Him. How about you?

Turn on De-Light!

When I think about God's goodness to me I think about Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

That reminds me of our daughter, Staci -- when she was living at home, she pleaded with her Dad for a dog, but because she was so busy travelling, he continued to deny her request. "No, because you don't have the time to take care of a dog." I was her travel companion at the time, and we were in Toronto, Ontario -- she was singing and speaking on 100 Huntley Street -- a Christian TV Show. A lady, who watched the show, called and asked us to come to her beauty salon and she would do our hair. As Staci had told her story -- this lady wanted to tell us her story. It was a "heaven touches earth" time together. The lady mentioned that she has little 8-week old cocker spaniels and would love to give one to Staci. Staci was DE-LIGHTED! But her Dad was NOT! He asked me to talk sense into her, and her reply? "Daddy, please pray about it! If you say "No" after you've prayed, I'll know that it was just a 'window' into what God will provide for me someday." Before we left Toronto, her Daddy had prayed, and God spoke into his heart "If I wouldn't withhold any good thing from you, my son, how could you withhold this good thing from your daughter?" He understood and he called to tell her "Bring that little "window" home with you." Staci's DESIRE had become reality. We all knew her DESIRE was God's DESIRE for her. She named that precious cocker spaniel DESIRE and we called her Desi. Desi was such an asset to our family, a therapy dog -- truly a "delight" gift from God. This photo is Desi with her family. Initially, she was the only baby in Staci's life, but before long, Larry and she married and then she was joined by two other babies.

In the context of that story of Staci and Desi, here's how I interpret that scripture. If we're DELIGHTING in God -- loving, trusting, committing our ways to Him and relying on Him -- then desires will come to us -- and we'll realize those desires are the desires He placed within us. They're actually one and the same.

When my children were young and they did all that I asked them, I was DELIGHTED! I couldn't help but want to bless them and surprise them with something special. I'd make a delicious treat for them or get them something or take them somewhere special. That was my reaction when my children took delight in pleasing their mother. Now, imagine how God must feel when we delight in Him?

That is great news to me. I don't have to make it happen or force that desire into reality. It takes all the pressure off. I am called to trust Him to act. If those desires ever become reality, He will be the one to do it.

Here is my word to you. Be faithful. Trust God. Delight in Him. If we are doing that, the Lord will give us the desires of our heart and His heart. Go ahead -- start delighting in Him today, and just expect His desires to be YOUR desires.