When Love Broke Through

It's June 1st and I had an upbeat blog ready to go for this day, but after watching way more video clips than I should have watched of unbelievable riots, theft, damages to property and civil unrest, I sensed God nudging me to "speak His mind" on His behalf today. So -- I yield to His voice.

The predominant character trait of God is LOVE, so, of course, that would be what I should blog about today. It's the oldest of old stories "For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, would not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). Love broke through! And, as despicable was his death, I choose to believe that verse holds true for George Floyd. That he is with Jesus in Paradise. And, I choose to believe that verse holds true for his killers. That Jesus died even for them, and, hopefully, they, too, will join George in heaven one day.

Sounds pretty irrational, doesn't it? Oh, but the power of the greatest LOVER of all. Jesus broke through all the hate, anger, malice, rejection and even His own death. It's upside down thinking for sure, but look at how He told us to love in Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies! Bless them that curse you! Do good to them that hate you! PRAY for them who spitefully use you, and persecute you!” Doesn’t that sound preposterous? How could we possibly love someone that rejects, curses, hurts or even kills us or a family member or friend? How is it possible to love our enemies? And, even a step further, to “bless them and pray for them”? Can those words be possible?

Martin Luther King said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." Jesus set the example for us. He had enemies – plenty of them. They lied about Him. They beat Him. They mocked Him. They killed Him. He loved them anyway. And if we believe in Him, it’s time to turn things “upside down” and “inside out”, and say to our enemies, “I love you. I would rather die than hate you.” May we put away our swords of embittered words and actions. May we take up our crosses of love and follow Jesus Who showed us how to live and love, and as He told us to pray for them, we pray this prayer for them now:

"Lord of love, we pray for You to bless our enemies. Open their ears to the Truth. Open their minds to understand the Gospel. Open their hearts to long for Your love. Draw them to Yourself Your Light is stronger than their darkness Bring them into the Light. Save them for all eternity. May Your love break through to them. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus."

Toby Mac sings it like this: "When love broke thru / You found me in the darkness / Wanderin' thru the desert / I was a hopeless fool / Now I'm hopelessly devoted / My chains are broken / And it all began with You / When love broke thru / And it all began with You / When love broke thru".

We can sing "What the world needs now is love sweet love" until we're blue in the face, but until we possess God's love in our hearts -- we will never measure up to what's needed for change in our world today. I'm praying for love to break through in our world. Will you join me in that prayer?

A True Difference Maker -- Happy MLK Day!

Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. On January 20, 1986, President Ronald Reagan approved the creation of this national holiday, held the 3rd Monday in January of each year. What a price MLK paid for this day of honor.

He lived an extraordinary life. At 33, he was pressing for civil rights with President John Kennedy. At 34, he galvanized the nation with his "I Have a Dream" speech. At 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At 39, he was assassinated, but he left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues today. I'm one of those he inspired. Those years were some of my first awareness of the atrocities of racial discrimination and the civil rights riots that made us feel like our country was falling apart. It really was. For the love of God, how could this happen to "one nation UNDER GOD"?

Today we honor this passionate, bold and courageous "Baptist minister" who gave his life to change our world. I remember his words just before his assassination in 1968: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." MLK was in good company with these words of Jesus in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies! Bless them that curse you! Do good to them that hate you! Pray for them who spitefully use you, and persecute you!” That sounds preposterous, doesn't it? How could we possibly love someone that hurt us or rejected us or cursed us? How absolutely IMPOSSIBLE these words seem to be! Only through the supernatural power of LOVE -- God's love -- can it be possible.

He gave up his life so that those who had been ostracized and marginalized, simply because of the color of their skin, could experience abundant life. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? John 10:10 says “And Jesus came and gave His life so that we could have abundant life.” MLK was in good company, wasn’t he?

MLK fought against injustice without violence. He overcame evil through the power of love. He followed the example of Jesus, who chose to forgive his persecutors even as they were killing him. That’s our calling as followers of Jesus. Unfairness and injustice may be part of the human condition, but when we don't feed into it, we are responding in the love of God.

Relentless passion in pursuit of a dream is what men AND women like MLK are made of . . . and look what one life did to change HIS world. To think and speak on behalf of others is noteworthy, to serve and act on behalf of others is heroic, but what do we call someone who gave his words, actions and life on behalf of others? Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the few people in history who has so profoundly changed the world in such a short time. His visions and actions for social unity, racial brotherhood, true peace, and social welfare were carefully thought out and acted upon. He fought the good fight and kept the faith.

Lord, help us to love relentlessly and pursue the dreams you would have for us to invest our lives in -- to make this world a better place for just having been here. Thank you, Martin Luther King, for your example of "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

JUST LOVE

I had the most precious grandmother who was known for the love she had for everyone. My grandfather was an "Old Time Gospel" Baptist Preacher. He could out-preach the best of them with his "hail, fire and brimstone" sermons. And, my precious polar-opposite grandmother would temper his words by saying, "JUST LOVE". I still remember her standing up in church and looking around at everyone and say “You just gotta’ love.” If those sweet words were relevant to us back then – how much more are they needed today?

I heard such a beautiful message last night that stirred my heart so much. It was all about LOVE -- God’s love for us and the love we should have for each other. Luke 10:25-37 was read where Jesus had been approached by a lawyer trying to put Jesus to the test. He said, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Then the lawyer asked Jesus “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus commenced to tell him the “Good Samaritan” story. A man had been robbed, stripped, beaten and left half dead. A priest saw him and walked on by. A Levite saw him and passed on by. But a Samaritan known for their own questionable ways, came to where the man was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. We know the rest of the story where he poured oil on his wounds and took him to an inn and told the innkeeper to take care of him and he would pay for everything. Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” There lies the answer for all of us. Whether the people in our lives and in our world are close friends, family or enemies, as children of God, we should show mercy and love for everyone.

How can we LOVE when there is so much wrong in the world? Grace. God treats us -- not with what we deserve, but He treats us with loving-kindness and mercy. GOD IS LOVE -- and that means He is good to those who deserve it as well as to those who don't deserve it. His love embraces saints AND sinners. As His children, doesn't it make sense that our love for others should be marked by the same kindness and mercy that God has given us?

How can we possibly love those who are just plain evil? With the response that He had for Saul and Zaccheas and the thief on the cross. "WITH GOD, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26. In our own strength, it will be impossible, but in His strength and in His love, our hurts, fears and prejudices can be conquered. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the cruelty of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment. His cross gives us the courage to return evil with good.

We have a choice. To be a hater or a lover; to be angry or joyful; to be a finger pointer or a forgiver.

"Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21
In the words of my sweet grandmother....."JUST LOVE!"

Love Our Enemies? It's an Upside Down World!

It can seem like we’re really in an upside down world when we read some quotes from Jesus. In Matthew 5:44, He said “Love your enemies! Bless them that curse you! Do good to them that hate you! Pray for them who spitefully use you, and persecute you!” Holy jumping catfish! Doesn’t that sound just preposterous? How could I possibly love someone that hurt me or rejected me or even cursed me?

How is it possible to love our enemies? How can we do good to anyone that hates us, curses us, uses us and persecutes us? And, even a step further, to “bless them and pray for them”? How absolutely IMPOSSIBLE these words seem to be!

I think Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words explain it so well: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, 'Love your enemies'. It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says 'love'. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies."

I like to live by the words, What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD), in determining what action I should take in any given situation. He set the example for us in every area of our lives. He had enemies – plenty of them. They lied about Him. They beat Him. They mocked Him. Eventually, they even killed Him. He loved them anyway. And if we believe in Him, it’s time to turn things “upside down” and “inside out”, and say to our enemies, “I love you. I would rather die than hate you.” When we live that way, we’ll find the strength to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who spitefully use us. Let’s don’t get even with our enemies. Let’s ask God to bless them instead. If we can let go of our anger long enough to pray like this, we’ll discover an amazing benefit – we’ll be putting ourselves in a position TO BE blessed and loved!

John said in 1 John 4:7 “Let us love one another”. I like that. John included himself in that exhortation. He is telling us that everyone is called to love. And actions speak so much louder than words. It’s not enough to just say “I love you”. We really need to actually do it.
I don’t know which side of love/hate you live on, but as for me, I plan to do my best to err on the side of love. I know it will serve me well as I sow seeds of love everywhere I go. Maybe we should be love seed scatterers.

Be the Change

It's second nature to focus on everything that's wrong with others or what's wrong in politics or what's wrong with our places of business or churches or what's wrong in our nation. But, what about doing a "check up from our neck up" -- a self analysis about some of the areas we might just not have it altogether? If we did, then maybe some course corrections are called for that would result in us being the influencer for CHANGE that impacts our world in a positive way. That sounds like a lofty ambition. Me? Impact this world? After all, I'm just a Mom or I'm just a carpenter, or I'm just a housekeeper, or I'm just an artist.

When we think of world changers, we come up with the likes of Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, President Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta), Mahatma Gandhi? They most certainly were world changers. But, let's give credit where credit is due. What about all you Moms & Dads who influence their kids everyday for greatness by your own examples of compassionate, caring, loving and giving leaders? What about you volunteers who tirelessly impact hungry, needy and loveless individuals as you give your time, talent and treasure at charitable organizations? What about those of you who daily touch people's lives just by your smile, a gentle touch or hug? And, what about you grandparents who never cease to pray for their family?

What about YOU and ME? What if we were willing to be the difference maker in someone who needs that extra word of encouragement and hope -- to not give up....TODAY!

Seems like a tall order to be a world changer....but when we consider the affect we can make on at least one person's life, we will most certainly be their WORLD changer!

Take the First Step

Martin Luther King said, "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

I know what was at the top of those two stairs in the photo. The first set was in my home in Sapulpa, OK that I moved from four years ago. Going UP those stairs, you'd find two more bedrooms, an office, a bathroom and a game room. But it didn't end there. There was a pull-down ladder that took you to a massive floored attic with plenty of storage space. It was great to have until my Sweetheart passed away, and when I went up there to see what he'd been storing up there, I gasped and hollered "Ronald Wuerch, what were you thinking -- leaving me with all this stuff to deal with?" LOL! Going back downstairs, you'd find the master bedroom, two baths, a dining room, great room and office. Going outside, there was a small lake at the back of the property that my kids and grandkids loved to hang out at and catch lots of fish.

The second set of steps in this photo take you FROM a crystal-clear, flowing creek, filled with an abundance of fish and waterfalls which all are a play area for my grandsons in Austin. Going UP those steps you'd find a beautiful pool, tennis court, barn, and house -- all of which my kids have made home.

Both of those sets of stairs started with taking STEPS of faith. My husband and I didn't know that would be the last home we would live in together, but having faith in God and His perfect plans and timing for our lives, we purchased that home -- that, by the way, needed a lot of renovations. It was long and hard work, but it was so worth it for the memories we made there, the precious family times, the Bible Studies and people's lives that were transformed there.

The steps on the 2nd photo represent the faith that my kids, Ryan and Shawntel, had in making a huge move from Seattle, the city, friends, church and the major league baseball and football teams they loved so much, to move all the way to Austin, TX. Sure they had walked up and down those steps many times before they took a giant step of faith to move there. They didn't see how it would all pan out, but their faith in God, caused them to take the first step. And, they, too, are making beautiful memories, meeting lots of new friends, sharing their home with missionaries and others as they invite family and friends in to their warm, welcoming home filled with God's love and peace.

Will there always be blue skies, birds chirping, and fish jumping in our lives once we take those FIRST STEPS? No, there won't. There WILL be days that climbing those steps seem insurmountable. There will be times when refusing to climb altogether is the easiest thing to do. There will be moments when we may wonder "Was this STEP OF FAITH really faith in action or presumption in action?" Here's the good news. Faith is not a matter of seeing what God is doing. Rather, faith is a matter of seeing God. Or, to put it another way, I may not know where God is leading, but I can trust that it is sufficient that He knows.

We can say to the Lord, "I am not going to put my faith in what I THINK you are doing. Rather, I am going to put my faith in YOU -- and be willing to see the Truth about what you are doing."

We are told to do this in Proverbs 3,5. "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not upon your own understanding." It isn't that God won't bring understanding. But it is, by faith that we TRUST.

Faith is never a mistake because faith is trust in the One who never makes a mistake. God will not fail to get us to where He desires if we continue to believe and trust Him. So, let's go ahead and take that first step. It's NO STEP for a STEPPER!

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Because of a Leadership Training in Richardson, TX on Saturday, I drove down a few days early to be with my kids in Frisco. Being in the Dallas area when the tragic shootings took place on Thursday night, hearing the heart-wrenching details of the police and civilians killed or injured, brought memories back to me when I was in my 10th grade Geometry Class at South Oak Cliff High School here in Dallas. Over the loud speaker came the inconceivable words of our Principal, "President Kennedy has been shot and killed". It seemed our world momentarily stood still. We were in shock. How could something so appalling take place in OUR city, Big "D"? Then a few years later, in 1968, the terrible atrocities of the civil rights riots made us feel that our country was falling apart. I remember Martin Luther King's words just before his assassination in 1968: "Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

The answer then and the answer for Thursday night and all other diabolical killings and injuries, is still the same, though it almost sounds lofty and unattainable: Love is the answer. In the photo here is a Dallas area man, Jimmy Lee Robinson, who gives his time to spreading good news in the form of homemade signs held up with positive and motivating words. In light of these last few days, when I saw him walking down Main Street, here in Frisco, I made a U-turn to get a photo of this day's message: "I love you". I hugged him. He's my brother. We're on the same team. We're in the same family of God. We all want and need love -- even those misguided, mentally bent individuals who take people's lives. If they had known love, perhaps their decisions would have been different.

Whatever message we should be conveying -- in good AND bad times -- boils down to one primary theme....LOVE. We are faced with a choice. We can let the horrible tragedies weigh on us until we are angry and in fear and we ask..."How can LOVE be the answer when there are those who are filled with so much hate, bitterness, sick minds and spirits?" It's the same answer when they killed and crucified our Savior...."Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do." That's love. Oh that we can give that love.

I said it last week and I say it again. "It's time for us to love and pray passionately." Yesterday, at the meeting I attended, the speaker prayed these words of St. Francis of Assisi. If we took these words, meditated on them and sincerely prayed them with all our hearts, just maybe we could be the catalyst for change:

"Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. Amen.

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

When I think about that greeting, I can't help but think about the price this man paid to have a day named after him.  With an easy googling "What does it take to have a Federal Holiday named after you?", I found that it wasn't such an easy thing to do.  Apparently, the notion of creating a Martin Luther King Day met with much controversary.  Two of the main arguments by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition (MLK had never held public office).  Only two other figures have national holidays in the U.S. honoring them: George Washington and Christopher Columbus. But, President Ronald Reagan approved the creation of the holiday, signing it into existence on November 2, 1983. The first official Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, held the third Monday in January of each year, was held on January 20, 1986.

You're welcome.  Now you know the answer to that question, too.

Unrelentless passion in pursuit of a dream is what men AND women like MLK are made of . . . and look what one life did to change HIS world. To think and speak on behalf of others is noteworthy, to serve and act on behalf of others is heroic, but what do we call someone who gave his words, actions and life on behalf of others? Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the few people in history who have so profoundly changed the world in such a short time. His visions and actions for social unity, racial brotherhood, true peace and social welfare were not only carefully thought and weighed, but also acted upon with strategic finesse.   MLK fought the good faith and kept the faith.

Lord, help us to love relentlessly and pursue the dream  you would have for us to invest our lives in -- to make this world a better place for just having been here.   Thank you, MLK, for LOVING so profoundly.

All For One -- One For All

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Day 286 of Photo Inspirations -- All for One; One for All
Yesterday, my photo inspiration was the circle of African children who came together as a whole. They ran together for the prize -- sharing equally in their WIN.  In their language, that's called “UBUNTU,‘I am because we are.”

I, often, impose words to my photo inspirations and when I do, I look for the font that will help emphasize the words' meaning.  In that photo's case, I picked one that I thought looked somewhat "African" in my mind's eye.  Not until I looked at it, after the fact, did I realize the i's in that font, even though it's the upper case lettering, is still a lower case "i".

That made me think about this concept of being a little i in life when it comes to needing to have it my way, or what i want or what pleases me.  It's what WE ARE together.  WE share.  WE love.  WE serve.  WE give.  WE go for what's right together.  WE WIN together.  The concept of WE is so much better than i.

Then as I thought about this concept, I thought about the BIG WIN, that Martin Luther King Jr. had when he joined hands with others in the Selma-to-Montgomery, AL voting rights march that began on March 7, 1965, with 600 protesters being beaten by law enforcement officers on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge, but the march finally ended peacefully in Montgomery on March 25, 1965, with 25,000 people converging at the state Capitol steps to hear Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The march led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which opened voting booths to millions of black people in the South and ended "all-white" governments. Thanks be to God!!!  Look what "All for One, and One for All!" can do.

The scripture reading for yesterday's message at church was from Mark 10:43 where Jesus was straightening out James and John who were asking to sit on His left and right in heaven.  REALLY?? How stingy could they get?  They were thinking about their place in line.  They wanted to win the BIG prize of "Getting to sit next to Jesus", instead of taking the attitude of "Let's ALL join hands together and and WIN together!"  Jesus set them straight.  He said, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant"   Those guys didn't get that this isn't a competition.  Everyone who serves Jesus will be given a seat of honor in heaven.  WOW -- instead of being the master, he encouraged them to be servants.

Today, I'm thinking of ways that we can join our hands and hearts together to be a part of something greater than i -- greater than my 4 and no more -- greater than "What's in it for me?"  What if we began to pray and humble ourselves to become servants that live a life of "What can i do for you? What can i do for the cause?  What can i do for the team?  What can i do for others that helps them to win?"   All for One -- One for All!

It Made a Difference to That One!

Oftentimes, we tend to focus on what's wrong with others or what's wrong in our nation or what's wrong in our places of business. Isn't it time we do a self analysis about how we can be the influencer for CHANGE that impacts our world?

Sure there are the obvious world changers like Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, President Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa ...but what about the Mom & Dad who influence their kids for greatness, the volunteers at charitable organizations who daily touch people's lives, the grandparent who never ceases to pray for their family, and those who are willing to be the difference maker in someone who needs that extra word of encouragement and hope -- to not give up....TODAY?

One of the sweet ladies who attends my Life Group, was on her way to our meeting last week, but first stopped at the service station. As she went in, she saw a dissheveled young man sitting on the curb. She came out, and he was still there, and she passed him by. Almost to my house, she couldn't get that young man off her mind -- and had to turn around. She got to him and handed him all the cash she had with her, and said, "God bless you" and his reply, "No, God BLESS YOU!"

Seems like a tall order to be a world changer....but when we consider the effect we can make on one person's life, we can sure be their WORLD changer! We're counting on that act of kindness, by my friend -- to be the world CHANGER that young man needed. It's like the story of the old man throwing starfish back into the sea, and when asked "Old man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it! You can’t possibly save them all, you can’t even save one-tenth of them. In fact, even if you work all day, your efforts won’t make any difference at all.” The old man listened calmly and then bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the sea. “It made a difference to that one.”

Love Transforms an Enemy Into a Friend

Yesterday I posted about an “upside down world – but, it’s a matter of perspective”. I started thinking about how upside down Jesus’ words seem to be in Matthew 5:44. “Love your enemies! Bless them that curse you! Do good to them that hate you! Pray for them who spitefully use you, and persecute you!"

How is it possible to love our enemies? How can we do good to anyone that hates us, curses us, uses us and persecutes us? And, even a step further, “bless them and pray for them”? How absolutely IMPOSSIBLE these words seem to be!

I think Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words explain it so well: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, 'Love your enemies'. It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says 'love'. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies."

I like to live by the words, What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD), in determining what action I should take in any given situation. He set the example for us in every area of our lives. He had enemies – plenty of them. They even killed Him. He loved them anyway. And if we believe in Him, it’s time to turn things “upside down” and “inside out”, and say to our enemies, “I love you. I would rather die than hate you.” When we live that way, we’ll find the strength to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who spitefully use us. Let’s don’t get even with our enemies. Let’s ask God to bless them instead. If we can let go of our anger long enough to pray like this, we’ll discover an amazing benefit – we’ll be putting ourselves in a position TO BE blessed and loved!