You are Welcome at my House!

I’m going to be a bit feisty in today’s blog. I can, because this Facebook/Blog space is my house, so to speak. I welcome you to stop by and check out what’s going on and to see what God’s download is for us. I have some "house" rules that include kindness, encouraging each other and everyone is especially welcome if you need a friend, a confidant, or a shoulder to cry on and to have someone who will pray with and for you. I’m expressing my heart and the absolute non-negotiables in my life. I’m sharing the values that we built our faith and family upon for generations.

This blog was inspired by my 16-year-old grandson, Brennan, who I’ve hung out with over the last several days and when he came to Frisco a few weeks ago. Something, rather, Someone, of monumental importance has happened to him. This guy has had a major encounter with God – not that he hadn’t before, but this time, he is all in and is undaunted in making his love for God known. He is daily on Tik-Tok and Instagram speaking to young people about making the most important decision in their lives, which is to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is unashamed --- Mr. Cooler than Cool guy has had a radical transformation. And the best part, is that others have noticed this 180 – as he lives by example now. He wants to be a difference-maker. I was so blessed on Sunday when I saw him up at the front of the church on Sunday with other young people -- singing and raising their hands in praise and worship to God.

This year, he has taken this new zeal for Christ seriously and is taking it to school with him in an audacious way. His friends have noticed. Not everyone is excited about it as he was the cut-up, attention-getting, not-taking-God-real-serious guy. I saw him in his room playing a video game, while listening to a minister speaking on his computer. We binged on the three “God’s Not Dead” movies and ended with “The Case for Christ” movie. Brennan and these movies fired me up too -- with the certainty of the reality of Christ’s birth, death and resurrection. Among the many reasons for knowing it is true, over 500 eyewitnesses saw Him alive. (1 Corinthians 15:6)

Brennan inspired me so much that I want to make my values and beliefs known too. My values are found in the Bible, God's Holy Word. I agree with the psalmist’s words “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105) And in Joshua 1:8-9: “This book of the law shall not depart out of my mouth, but I shall meditate on it day and night, that I may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then I will make my way prosperous, and then I will have good success." Scriptures undergird my values which are the absolute non-negotiables in my life. These are some of my statements of faith and my "house" rules:

** Love, peace, joy and God’s grace are fluently spoken here
** I believe in God our Father. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit – our God, all three in one. I believe in the resurrection. I believe that in the name of Jesus, we can be healed and set free from any bondage. I believe in a real enemy of our souls, but more importantly, I believe we can live in complete freedom because “Greater is He who lives in us, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
**I believe that if we applied Jesus' "house rules" to our life -- we would make our world a better place. His "house rules" (aka commandments) are to “Love God with all our heart, mind and soul” and to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” (Matthew 22:37-38) Keeping those "rules", reveals the depth of love we have for God and each other.
** I am Pro-Life. I believe ALL LIVES MATTER from the moment of conception to the grave.
** I believe in our “one nation under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance; in supporting our military; in supporting and praying for Israel; in the ability to worship God and practice our faith without being hindered by government; in patriotism where I stand for my National Anthem and my American flag.

When God made us, He planted within us certain things that we value deeply. They’re hardwired in our heart. Through our life experiences – from the environment we are raised in, the schools we go to, the friends we associate with, and the religious foundation we receive, God makes them clear to us. Those things are our core values. Now, you know mine.

Trusty Steed -- Trustworthy Men & Women of God

While having my morning devotion yesterday, my eyes became fixed on the painting across my living area from me. I remember when my husband and I purchased that painting decades ago. We bought it because we saw King David (thus, the small bust of David that sits below the painting) and his muscle-bound, trusty steed and his majestic power that is being harnessed by David’s power. Restrained horsepower!

I looked up horsepower to see where that word came from. I found that when the steam engine began to do the work of horses in mines in the 1800s, the mine owners asked how many horses an engine would replace. James Watt (that guy whose name appears on our lightbulbs – watt/wattage), who invented steam engines, found a way to equate horses to engine power. Thus the term, horsepower. Watt measured the capability of a big horse to pull a load and found it could pull a weight of 150 pounds while walking at 2.5 miles per hour. That works out to 33,000 foot-pounds per minute or 550 foot-pounds per second. There you go. Now you know, too. You’re welcome!

Back to the trusty steed's horsepower being harnessed by David’s power. Trust. Trustworthy. Steed (spirited and ready for war). The greatest use of the word, trust, is in this scripture. “TRUST in the Lord with all your heart…” Proverbs 3:5. Don’t we want to TRUST in others with all our hearts? I learned from caring for my grandson’s animals that I needed to gain their trust. I needed to be trustworthy.

I’m showing my age here but two of my favorite TV shows were Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger. Roy Rogers trusty steed, Trigger”, would come to him when he whistled. He performed and showed up because he trusted Roy. The Lone Ranger saved his horse, Silver's life from an enraged buffalo and, in gratitude, Silver chose to give up his wild life to carry him. We had a huge quarter horse “Brave” to help rustle up our cattle (We had 75 head of cattle. That story is for another day) and it took a little time to gain his trust but before long our little 5-year old daughter could ride him fearlessly.

Trust is a really big deal. We’ve heard it said, “They have ‘trust’ issues”. That’s because someone was untrustworthy. We’ve seen how marriages, partnerships, and friendships have been destroyed because someone proved they couldn’t be trusted.

Trust is defined as “Firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.” In these days, our core values need to be redefined. A relationship with a horse or another animal, and most importantly, with those people in our lives that we hold near and dear to our hearts, isn’t based on snuggles and hugs and kisses. It’s based upon trust. Not so much ours of them, though that is important. But more important is the horse’s trust, the loved one’s trust… in us. The horse can’t be talked into trust. Trust has to be proven to him. It is the same for us. Trust is proven over and over, day by day, lifetime by lifetime. “Trust the Lord with all your heart” is possible because time and again, God proves Himself trustworthy to us. Shouldn’t the words “Trust Donna or John or Cathy or Sam with all your heart” be the same because WE are trustworthy? If a horse can become a trusty steed to take into battle and be assured of victory, shouldn’t we be trusty/trustworthy men and women of God that are linked arm and arm with brothers and sisters to wage war on the enemy of our souls and WIN big? Shouldn't trustworthiness be a priceless treasure and one of our top core values?