Out of the Mouths of Babes

Yesterday, a precious woman at church commented: "I just love watching how much your granddaughter loves you and snuggles up to you during church. I sure hope my granddaughter loves me like that someday! She won't have anything to do with me now." Saddened for her, I asked, "How old is your granddaughter?" Her response: "18 months old". I smiled, hugged her and said, "Oh Girl, you have plenty of time to show her plenty of love that will pay you back in measureless proportions."

Before long that little granddaughter will start using her inbred child psychology on her grandmother. She'll learn the more she loves, the more her grandmother gives. Children can sure teach us something about psychology, especially for us grandparents. It's just hard to say "no" to their requests. In fact, I've said very few "no's" to mine. See this photo of my cutie. A few months ago I heard this: "Nana, you know that cute brown purse in your closet that you never use....." My quick reply was: "Yes, I know. Do you want it?" Of course, she did and I am elated that here we are, months later, and it's the only purse she carries.

Think about the psychology of this child who says these words to his dad: "Daddy, I love you so much. You are the best dad in the world. You have given me everything I need. You make me feel so safe when you are with me. I am never afraid. Thank you for my clothes and my food. Thank you for the times when you put me in time out because I disobeyed you. I really do want to please you and be better at obeying you. I feel your love with me all the time. I know you are always watching out for me."

That little paragraph was brought to you by Psalm 23 “The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. It is the picture of a child’s loving father. Wasn’t it so tender and uplifting? Can you fathom the love that a father has for his child that comes to him so raw, relevant and appreciative of his father’s love?

We are God's children and oh how much He longs for our love.
Back to that grandmother longing for her 18-month old to love her. There are so many ways we can bring joy to our Heavenly Father. I pick Alexia up on Sunday mornings to go to their church service. Her family goes early for praying and serving. That 30-minute drive is non-stop talking about this and that and sometimes I get to coach her on some things she might be dealing with. I always love our special times together.

In the same way, we can be driving in our car and acknowledge our Heavenly Father by simply saying “I sure love you, Father!” We may be in a world of conflict and worry is concerning us. We cry out “Daddy, please help me!” One of the ways I love to communicate with Him is meditating on scripture and putting it in the first person, like that first paragraph above.

For example, here’s how we might pray and praise with Psalm 23: “Thank you, Lord, for being my Shepherd. Thank you for making me lie down in green pastures. Thank you for leading me beside quiet waters. Thank you for restoring my soul. Thank you for guiding me in the paths of righteousness."

Meditating on Scripture (God's words to us) is a great way of “having a little talk with Jesus to make things right, or to simply give Father God a big old hug – loving Him for all He is, was and is to come. Snuggling up to Him and loving Him, I'm sure, causes Him to want to pour out the blessings on us even more!

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!"

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!

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?

Where He Leads Me, I Will Follow

My heart was very tender toward God, even as a young child -- so much so, that whenever a missionary came to our church and talked about the missions work they were doing, I wanted to join them. At the end of the service, when a plea would go out to those who would be willing to go and serve in the foreign fields of ministry, I would raise my hand high and pray "Lord, send me!"

While I never joined a missions team, besides our local ministry involvements and being my daughter's travel companion during her "traveling" ministry days reaching out as far as South Africa, my passion was pacified when my husband and I did missions work in Mexico, Trinidad and Belize. It was such a privilege. We sang an old gospel song that represented my surrendered heart as a child, and our hearts to be used by God in however He chose. This was the chorus:

"Not what I wish to be, nor where I wish to go.
For who am I, that I should choose my way?
The Lord will choose for me, 'tis better far I know.
So let Him bid me go, or stay."

I've endeavored to put down solid roots since my move to Frisco. Yes, I purchased a lovely home to come home to, and I'm so thankful for it. But I received a clear message from God last week about "settling". I was in Austin, and since I'm an early riser, it was quiet in the Wuerch household. I took my devotion books and sat on their back patio and found myself being utterly romanced by my Heavenly Father. Of course, He knows my innermost thoughts and desires, so I didn't even have to express myself, except that as I was "delighting in Him" (Psalm 37:4), I began to sing that old gospel song (above) that I had not sung in years and years. And, when I sang those words, I could hear my Lord saying "Let me choose for you. Listen to my voice....when and where to go and when and where to stay!" I began to weep at the clarity of His message to me. My ways were to find a fixed spot and settle, but His ways are for me to "leave the plans and places to Him".

I went into the house and found my son sitting at his kitchen table having his morning devotion and, in tears, I shared with him about my "romance-time" with my Father. It resonated with him AND me. I'm going to answer the call of God that I heard as a child, and unless He tells me otherwise, I'm going to be "on call" to respond to His call. I know of family members that I'm supposed to visit, friends that God is directing me to encourage. I said to my son, "And even if this is 'my farewell' tour, so be it, but if not....I'm going to be on a mission to fulfill assignments He has for me -- to "go, when He says go".

I thank God that, throughout my life, He has been so evident in every season. My new proclamation is this: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20

Be on the lookout.....Donna Wuerch may be coming to a city near you! Where He leads. I will follow. This weekend -- it's Tulsa, OK!

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.

What Are YOU Pointing At?

What Are YOU Pointing At?

Yesterday my daughter, Staci, shared a story with me about a friend who was "delighting" in sharing about his young granddaughter. She's not talking much yet, but she sure can point to what she wants. She knows that whatever she points to -- she's going to get. In fact, her granddaddy is at her beckoned call to give that little angel girl anything she wants.

Staci went on to share how her friend asked her "What are YOU pointing to?" He went on to explain...."God, your Heavenly Father, is just waiting for you to POINT to that dream, vision, prayer, or desire and He, more than any earthly father wants to bless His kids, who calls you His own, His masterpiece, His prized possession, the apple of His eye.....wants to bless you and give you the desires of your heart. Just POINT to them!"

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, He can't help Himself -- His desire is to pour out blessings on us. I love the idea of God giving me the desires of my heart, but that promise has a condition—delight myself in the Lord. That’s the part of the verse where I have to ask myself whether I am truly delighting myself in Him or not. I wondered how the Bible defined “delighting myself in the Lord". I knew it wasn’t an abstract concept. Two verses that I found helped me to know if I was really delighting myself in the Lord or not:

“I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart”. Psalm 40:8

"For in my inner being, I delight in God’s law." Romans 7:22

I think this verse explains it best....Luke 10:27 "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 to give us the desires of our hearts.

What are WE pointing at? More importantly....WHO are we pointing our lives TO?

Advent is Hope -- the Great Expectation That Something Good is Coming!

Day 334 of Photo Inspirations -- Advent is Hope -- the Great Expectation that Something Good is Coming!

I took this photo inspiration at my church yesterday,  It's the Advent Candle Wreath and the first candle (the HOPE candle) was lit.  The word "advent" means a coming or arrival, especially of something or someone extremely important.     In biblical terms we speak of the Advent Season, referring to the four weeks before Christmas when we celebrate the Lord leaving Heaven and coming to earth to be born of a virgin and dwell among man.   It's when we reflect on God's promises and prophecies to His people.  And, it's a time of preparing our hearts in anticipation of the special day when we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior.  While enjoying the festivities -- sleigh bells, carols, chestnuts roasting, reindeer movies, parties, visits to see Santa, baking Christmas goodies, gift giving --pondering ADVENT, keeps us remembering that there is such greater reasons for this glorious season.  It's about a better day, a better life, it's about HOPE.

The word, HOPE, means “the exciting expectation that something GOOD is about to happen”. Charles Dickens is well known for his book, “Great Expectations”.  I love that optimism, but I love the reality of the absolute possibility that HOPE and expecting something good to happen is a much better way to live than saying "Don't get your hope up, because you don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't turn out alright!"  Ugh!  What a dismal outllook.  I prefer to live with my hope, with GREAT EXPECTATIONS for today and tomorrow.

Do you have your hope up and do you have great expectations for your life?   Like waiting for the birth of a child,  we know it’s a process, and if we patiently wait for “the appointed time” of delivery, we’ll be blessed with a precious bundle of love and joy.

The beautiful season of Advent is about expecting and waiting.  The birth of Christ gives us the hope, and possibility, that we can live life in a radical way – the way of trusting, believing, and expecting that all He’s promised us will be ours if we patiently wait for His perfect plan for our lives.     During this beautiful season, may we find that place of  loving, caring and deepening our relationship with God – delighting in Him.   It’s a radical way of living, but the infant in the manger, as sweet and mild as He seems, is really our triumphant  King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  That precious baby grew up, and He sacrificed His life so that we can live a life of hope and GREAT EXPECTATION.

Don’t give up!  Keep your hope up!  Get your EXPECTOR expecting!   Remember …..  it’s a process!   Your “baby” (your hopes, your dreams) will get here….and you’ll  soon  be blessed with God’s bundles of love and joy.  “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4

Blondes Really Do Have More Furry Fun

Day 63 of Photo Inspirations -- Blondes Really Do Have Furry Fun
#TBT  I was amused at the comments on my daughter's FB post about her and Emma having the same color of hair.  That reminded me of Staci's Cocker Spaniel (also a blonde), Desi, that she had before she married, then on into her marriage and kids.  This photo shows the all-grown-up, blonde, Desi with her blonde family.

The story of Desi aka Desire is a sweet one.  Staci had been begging for a dog, but because of her busy schedule, her Daddy said, "When you're on your own, you can get a dog, but not while you're still here."  We had had our share of pets:  dogs, cats, cattle and horses as our two kids grew up.  Now, it was NO MORE PETS!

I was Staci's travel companion back then as she would speak and sing at meetings, churches, youth conferences, etc. all over the world.  This time, she was speaking and singing on 100 Huntley Street, a television program in Toronto, Canada.   After the show, Staci went with me to get my hair cut.  The hair stylist, Kelli, wanted to know Staci's story and as she told it, Kelli began to cry.  Then she told her story.  It was a divine appointment as before our eyes, we saw Kelli have life transformation.  To express her gratitude, Kelli wanted to give Staci one of her adorable Cocker Spaniel puppies.  Staci was overjoyed.....BUT "Daddy said "No dogs!"  She called him with the news, and he said, "Give your Mother the phone!"  He said to me, "Donna, you've got to talk some sense into her.  She cannot bring a dog home."  Staci took back the phone and said, "Daddy, I just want you to pray about it."

We were in Toronto a few more days, and it was time to head to Michigan for meetings.  Staci made her last call for mercy to her Daddy.  He answered the phone and said, "I prayed.  And God said to me 'Ron, I am your Father, and if I wouldn't withhold any good thing from you, how could you withhold any good thing from your daughter?" Staci screamed and fell across the bed crying.  I didn't know they were tears of joy, until he shared the news with me. Oh happy day!

Staci named her little puppy Desire -- because God gave her "the desire of her heart" (Psalm 37:4). We brought Desi home with us and to our surprise, her Daddy had balloons and a cake waiting for us, AND a doggie door.  The cake said "Welcome Home, Desi"!  Desi became a member of the family.  She was the sweetest, gentlest God-gift to us.  She was a member of the Wallace family until she passed away five years ago.

But, Alexia's prayers for a little dog were answered when friends gave her Emma.  Emma is such a sweet Yorkie. And, as the story went for Staci -- Emma was the desire of Alexia's heart.

And, I ask you.....What is the desire of your heart, today?  Psalm 37:4 -- "Delight yourself in Him....and He will give YOU the desires of your heart!"

I LOVE Chocolate!

I have a confession to make. I LOVE chocolate so much so, that I should be a member of Chocoholics Anonymous (if there is such a group)!

One of my earliest kid memories was my 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, how well I remember the ice cream trucks coming through the neighborhood and getting my chocolate fudgesicle. So I blame this addiction on my parents. LOL! That was just the beginning. From there, it was chocolate cake, chocolate candy, chocolate pie, chocolate brownies, chocolate malts .....you can see how someone could become a connoisseur of chocolate, and I am.

Say "chocolate" and my eyes still light up--for you see, I've never outgrown the delight of indulging in creamy, dark or light, crunchy or nutty chocolate! My mouth is watering even as I type this post. Okay, I know you're saying "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." And in Psalm

37:4 He says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you desires of your heart."

So I ask myself, and I ask you, "Do our eyes light up in delight when we hear God's Words, like they light up when we hear "chocolate" or another favorite food or treat? Do we savor God's Word, when we share that morsel of delight with someone else? Or has our "sweet tooth" for God's Word and His love for us become a hum-drum routine love affair--the chocolate's melted, the wonder's gone, de-light has gone out?"

Oh, that we would fall in love anew today with God and His Word -- delight in His presence and rejoice in His love. Let's delight in God and His Word so much that we light up someone's world today, as we share a smile, a hug, a prayer, a gift, a word of encouragement --and yes, some CHOCOLATE too!