Getting Our House in Order!

When my father-in-law was diagnosed with melanoma cancer, the doctors stated, at the most, he’d have only a few months to live. Dad was a strong man of faith (besides an evangelical pastor for over 50 years) and just wouldn’t accept that “death” threat. He remembered Isaiah 38:1-7 where Hezekiah, too, was giving a death threat. Isaiah told him that he needed to get “his house in order” because he was going to die. But, Hezekiah prayed: “Lord, I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done good in your eyes.” God relented and told Isaiah to tell him He had heard his prayers and will add on 15 years to his life. God did give Hezekiah 15 more years and when Dad prayed for an added 15 more years, God granted him 15 more years – almost to the day.

Dad had plenty of time to get “his house in order”. And, I took those words seriously since being on this shelter-in-place hiatus. I know there are those of you who were far more impacted than my little world with 24/7 children at home, businesses at home and others who lost their job altogether. So, please know my heart and prayers go out to those of you who are faced with far more challenges than me. My “little” rant is little, compared to others. But, please -- hear me out!

Many of my responsibilities came to a screeching halt. Most went online or not at all. That meant I had time – a commodity that I had hoped for in getting some “to-do’s” off my list. I woke up one morning with a fervor to “get my house in order”. I admit, I’m a full-on “Martha”. I calculated “I can get a lot done during this confinement AND I can also find time to be a “Mary” who sits at Jesus feet – plenty of extra time to do that too. So, I’ve been a part of Zoom meetings where we do just that – encourage, pray, and support each other. I’ve been able to attend on-line church and other on-line teachings and inspiration, besides finding more time for personal prayer.

But, that new fervor to “get my house in order” was like a neon sign in my head. “Make this time count!” It started with cleaning out closets and cabinets. But, then thoughts started racing through my mind – “If something happens to me, my kids would have so much to deal with. I knew this was perfect timing to "get my house in order" like, how my kids can get into my computer, know my passcodes and find all my blog information, have in one place – all business and personal matters, records, bank accounts, insurance policies, utilities, home information, monthly bills, medical information – doctors, health care decisions, our living will, power of attorney, burial literally everything, in one neat and tidy place. I don’t want to leave anything helter-skelter in the event of an emergency.

I’ll admit it – the task seemed daunting at first. It meant looking up phone numbers, digging through files, websites, printing out paperwork and setting up a binder, separated with categories. It meant adding my children to my bank accounts as co-signers. That was a tricky one with getting us altogether, while apart, but thanks to my bank officer and being the only customers in the bank at the time, we were able to accomplish it.

One of the greatest things my husband did for us, long before he was sick, was to set up a Living Family Trust for us. Family trusts protect our assets and benefit our family members beyond our lifetime and a living trust helps in avoiding probate issues. Why am I telling you all this today? Maybe you’re a young person, a young couple, or a young family and you think time is on your side for “getting your house in order”. We all know that our time on this earth is only known to God and this day could be our last day – no matter what age we are. I urge you to consider “getting your house in order” for those you love, too.

But, most important – is going back to that first paragraph and the scripture found in Isaiah 38 where Hezekiah could confidently say these words: “Lord, I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done good in your eyes.” That, my friends, is what our “spiritual house in order” should look like. That kind of life is the best life we can live – not only in our relationship with God – but leaving that “Living Will” of faith, devotion and good to our families, too.

The Full-Body – Immaculate -- Inside and Out Cleaning

It’s Sunday morning. My first thoughts are of misdeeds I did long, long ago. "WHAT? Lord, why am I thinking those thoughts? I know when I ask for forgiveness from my faltering and failings – You forgive me, instantly. So why am I going back to my childhood this morning?" I thought those times were long past. But, then I realize that maybe, just maybe, I never consciously asked God for forgiveness of some specific times when I was just a kid. But today I did ask.

I remembered my next-door neighbor (and 2nd grade friend) was home by herself a lot. We played lots of games but I recall her showing me money she had taken from her mom’s and dad’s bedroom. She said, “They’ll never notice it. Let’s go to the store!” The store was just a couple of blocks away. I was excited because she was going to share her loot with me. The loot was just candy, but still, it was stolen goods. I remember the next time at her house, we did it again. I was her accomplice.

I know when I asked Jesus into my heart when I was just eight years old and asked for forgiveness of my sins – I was completely and wholly made clean. He threw all of those sins into the Sea of Forgetfulness. (Micah 7:19) But, I don’t think I ever specifically asked forgiveness for the things I had forgotten about. Apparently, I needed to. But, more than dredging up the past, I think God was reminding me how my personal value system developed over the years. Now, I don't even accept more change than I should be given from a cashier.

Nevertheless, maybe, it’s this “aloneness” during this isolation period with less distractions that has me in this “coming clean” mode. Yesterday, my blog was about “clean hands AND a pure heart”. It seems God has me in His complete sanitizing wash today. I sense Him nudging me to pray the “Litany of Humility”. I pull it out and I pray it. I am asking Him to cure me from way more than my childhood mistakes. I'm asking for even my desires and thoughts to come clean, too. My car wash has levels of washes I can buy – the basic and the full-body, then the extras for tires and wax and then the full deal -- inside and out cleaning. I ask Him for that today as I read and pray this Litany of Humility prayer which covers all my desires to be more like Jesus. Just in case you’d like the full-wash-deal today, I offer this prayer image for you to “come clean” too!

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
"O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ!"

Finding the Lost Diamond and the Lost Coin

I was inspired for this blog today by a friend’s good news yesterday. She posted: "Praise report... my engagement ring had lost the diamond about 2 weeks ago. Bruce and I tore apart the house and cars looking for it. No diamond. We pretty much chalked it up to being lost. We have had a lot of challenges financially and we felt Satan has just been testing our patience and pocketbooks lately. God says to stay strong in Him. He promises to always be with us. This has been our comfort. While cleaning the kitchen floor tonight, to get ready for an event tomorrow night, Bruce saw something sparkle and glitter. My diamond!!! How many times we have walked by here, including the dog who eats everything off the floor! We have been so busy that we had not vacuumed the floor the past 2 weeks. And it was by the trash can, but never in it! What a wonderful surprise! I truly believe it is a God thing. So, take that Satan! In your face👊🏻! 🙏

I loved that story. My comment to her: "Redemption story! So beautiful! My inspiration for an upcoming blog -- like the woman in the Bible searching for her lost coin! Thanks be to God! What the enemy meant for evil -- God turned it into a testimony for you and ME!"

The woman in Luke 15:8-10 was determined, surely not a quitter – and she found the coin, she was relentless in sharing her good news. Bonus for her – she got her exercise by running around, and I got a blog! Jesus taught this parable, sandwiched between the Prodigal Son story and the lost sheep story. He describes the length He will go to find us. The story doesn't talk about how the coin got lost but instead talks about the delight in the woman when she found the coin.

We are all lost coins (and diamonds). We all have parts in our life that God is desperate to get into and change it for the better if we let Him. Jesus used that story to describe us. The coins must have been very precious, probably worth the daily wage of a worker in today’s times. If she had a hundred coins, maybe she wouldn’t have noticed, but one out of ten, she was ready to go all the way to search for it. Fortunately, we have a Father that notices everything that gets lost. God goes all the way out to search for the one coin that goes missing.

It describes how vauable we are to Him. We are precious to God. He sees us and loves us and wants each of us in the fold. The end of that parable, Jesus said in verse 10: "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Maybe you’re locked in -- tight and secure – loving, living, resting in God’s Kingdom. On the other hand, maybe you’re hiding out somewhere in a nook or cranny – holding out a little longer, wanting it your way a little longer. But, you matter. God wants you in His family. He won’t give up searching for you. And for those already in the family of God, the Lord seeks the lost coin through you and me. He constantly seeks sinners through the people of God and through the Church.

The Lord is merciful and loving and He places a high value on us, not wishing that any of His kids get lost forever. He loves us with a love that's hard to understand. God paid the ultimate price to find the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost prodigal son. He gave His beloved, one and only Son, to take our place and die for us. Redemption is ours. We can be found!

My prayer is, by God’s grace, that we partner with Him to be that woman who searched and found the diamond in her ring and to be that woman who searched and found her coin. May we become so compassionate towards all those who are lost in this world, that we may find grace to keep our eyes and hearts wide open to find them and bring them home.

Bring on the Spotlights -- It's Lent!

I think I get my frugal and prudent spending habits and mindset from parents who were products of the Great Depression when every penny counted. My Mom would sing out “Shut off the lights! Turn up the air conditioner!” And, in the winter, “Turn down the heat and put on a sweater!” So here I am, in the 21st Century and I see her in me. I keep my heat at 63 degrees at night and push it up only a few degrees in the day time and I wear a sweater. I am so conscious of the electric bill that I often shut lights off so much that I have to cautiously maneuver my way through the house to get to the next room.

I promise. I’m going somewhere with my history and economics lesson. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It’s the start of the 40-days moving toward Resurrection Sunday. Hallelujah! It’s a time of an interior check-up. A time of turning on the lights, brighter than ever inside the rooms of our hearts, to search out areas that need a good cleaning. Lent is a beautiful time because it helps us to amp up becoming the very best version-of-ourselves. But it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through an exciting collaboration between us and God.
Psalm 139:23-24 says: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Here’s the deal: Inside our hearts, over time, some less-than-ideal habits show up in our lives. Habits like crankiness, unforgiveness, complaining, worry, unbelief, fault-finding, and other areas that need to be exterminated and cleaned out. The Bible illuminates (lights up) those areas. Brace yourself, I’m lighting up this scripture and, yikes, it packs a punch: “From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” (Mark 7:21-23)

Lord, have mercy! And, bring on the high beams! I don’t like those “evils” because they all represent darkness and I sure don’t want them in my heart or my life. Psalm 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Placing the Bible (the lamp) at the center of our lives is like walking through the house turning on lights. “Ahh, that’s better. Yes, that’s brighter." I love how The Message Bible paraphrases that scripture: “By your words, I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.” Exactly so. The light of His Word keeps us from stumbling and helps us find our way.
This Lenten season can be the most freeing, cleaning-up-and-out all those dark places in our hearts. Lord, bring in your cleaning crew with their spotlights and clean out all the crevices, corners and hiding places and make my life fresh and new so I will be more like you!

"Change my heart oh God. Make it ever true. Change my heart oh God. May I be like You."

It's Possible to Be a Mary AND a Martha!

When I moved from Tulsa, I promised my sis-in-law, Karen, that I would be just a phone call away if she needed my help with care of my 94-year old Mom-in-Law. Famous last words. In between the care needed by my own two families, a move, an illness and even more travel, I haven't been able to pick up the slack, and of most importance, was when Mom had new health issues and Karen and her husband were having to give Mom 24/7 care. They made it okay, but I knew, as soon as I could, I needed to get to Tulsa to provide some relief. So from Saturday through tomorrow, I've been able to spend quality time with Mom, as well as do some things on Mom's "Donna-Do" List. I've been a Martha -- cleaning and cooking, but I've also been a Mary as I've sat with Mom, and just listened to her.

Remember the story of Martha and Mary -- two sisters, both who loved Christ immensely? Martha loved Him so much, she wanted to serve Him with excellence and Mary loved Him so much, she wanted to just be in his presence. Two ways of loving and showing their love. (Luke 10:38-42). I have such respect for both of those gals, because, so many times -- I'm both of them!

After my cleaning detail was finished, it was time to cook. I've promised to make up several meals and freeze them so Mom has a stash to choose her meals from. Today, was sweet & sour beef -- one of Mom's recipes. I was her student as she was very pleased to make sure I had it right. LOL! Tomorrow, I'll be in Lydia's Kitchen -- having a cook-off against myself!

One of Mom's joys is playing her organ, but she's been so weak lately she hasn't been able to play. A few days ago, Karen urged her to put her feelings aside, make the enemy mad and play. When she plays, it's always a gospel song like "Amazing Grace", "How Great Thou Art" -- songs that lift up praise and thanksgiving to God. Yesterday, I took from Karen's "play book" and I asked her to play for me. Her eyes lit up as she slowly moved out of her chair to go to the organ. Then she played and sang with such joy. I was able to sit in her presence and worship and praise as I saw light come into her AND into me by that sweet music. When she stopped playing, she said, "You know I never had a lesson (I don't think I ever knew that!)." She went on. "When Herb (her husband) became VP of the Bible College in Missouri, I started picking out tunes on the piano, and I just didn't stop. I kept playing and playing." Mom would excel in her playing and eventually became the organist in the church that Dad pastored. In fact, she was my greatest encourager to play the piano in church. We went on to play many years together.

Mom taught me many things over the years, and as I watch her age so gracefully, so full of faith and courage, I continue to be blessed by her. The command in Hebrews 13:15 says "we should be offering sacrifices of praise continually". It was a sacrifice for Mom to get out of her chair and walk to the organ and begin playing and praising. That's real praise. Real praise is what she's offering when she encourages others. Real praise continues regardless of circumstances. It flows continually from a worshipping heart in good times and bad.

That's what I plan on doing today. I'll be a Martha, cooking up meals for Mom's freezer, and I'll be a Mary, staying in-sync with our Lord Who is always speaking, giving wisdom and insight to us. Perhaps, squeezing out some sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving is a daily practice that would give us that extra "spring in our step" too!