My Crepe Myrtles had a Baby

One of the side-blessings of my Frisco home, was the lawn that had been professionally landscaped with rock and stone edgings, perennials, a variety of trees, bushes and nine orchid-flowered crepe myrtles.

I've always loved summer's colorful crepe myrtles that seem to abound in Oklahoma and Texas. It’s a hearty tree despite the major pruning they get in the fall. Just bald stubs are left. But once winter passes, little sprouts abound with beautiful foliage. While I’m not crazy about the maintenance of the myrtles throughout the summer (i.e., the twigs that grow from ground up or the tree spiders that spin their webs in them), I'm grateful for their color. Routinely, I snip the little saplings that pop up, but this year, I noticed a perfect little baby crepe myrtle had strategically located itself between the mama and papa trees. I let it grow and, as you can see, it's already a teenager!

I’ve always loved trees. Period. I especially love my front yard's two large oak trees -- their look, their shade, the sound of wind in their leaves, and the colors they show off in the fall.

The Bible has many references to trees. I’m convinced that trees were one of God’s special projects when He created them. In the beginning, in Genesis, God created trees. In Psalm 1, we find out that if we delight and meditate on God's Word, then we'll be like a tree planted by water that yields fruit and whatever we do will prosper. And, the last page of the Bible, Revelation 22:2, we hear about the tree of life's leaves that are for the healing of the nations.” (Oh, Lord, let the tree of life spring up so that our nations are healed!) In Proverbs 3:18, we read that wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her and happy are those who hold her tightly. And, I like to think that when I raise my arms heavenward to praise God, I'm taking after the tree's limbs that reach heavenward to praise God, too!

Country singer, Barbara Mandrell, sang, “He grew the tree that He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross.” The song brought out, that even at creation God was planning our redemption. That song could not be any truer. Oh how I love the tree that gave us the cross where our Savior hung and died for you and me. I like to think that from that very tree, many trees have been birthed from you and me. How wonderful to share about the “tree” of our Savior to help others understand the price Jesus paid for us. We are the little saplings that grow from that "tree" and produce beautiful fruit that entice others to know our Lord."

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls." Proverbs 11:30

Are we Known by our Appealing or Appalling Fruit?

How easy it is to judge the likes of folks whose poor attitude, angry spirit and crankiness seems to bring a dark cloud with them when they step into the room. We randomly judge someone when they’ve made a bad decision that you warned them not to make or maybe we judge an outfit someone wore, a new hairstyle, the lack of someone’s personal pride, the way they handle their business affairs, and the good or bad language they speak. Whew! Oftentimes, it’s a workout to keep from being judgmental especially when we see the “fruit” of the actions of some of those folks.

But Jesus set the record straight about judging. He said in Matthew 7:1 “Judge not so you won’t be judged.” Yikes! I sure don’t want to be judged. On the other hand, maybe we should be Fruit Inspectors -- especially when we see fruit that causes us to check out our own fruit as to whether what others see in us is sweet and tasty fruit. Matthew 7:20 – “Therefore, by their fruits, you will know them.”

Having love for some unlovable folks, finding peace in the midst of chaos, experiencing joy when folks may be getting on our last nerve -- can be quite a feat any time, but most certainly, since the election of 2016, we’ve been given all kinds of opportunities to decide. Is it love or hate, peace or anger, bitterness or happiness, crankiness or joyfulness? Remembering the scripture… "What the heart is full of....the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45) Doesn’t that give us pause for giving ourselves a good old fruit inspection?

When we opened the door of our hearts to God....He walked through the door with a treasure chest full of everything we would need to overcome and be successful in every area of our life. And, it is He Who inspects our fruit and says to us: I'm not asking you to be their Fruit Inspector. I'm asking you to inspect your own fruit." That's when I know God is telling me to amp up that fruit in my own life -- to be sure that what my heart is full of, bears the Fruit of the Spirit qualities: Galatians 5:22,23 "But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control."

Let's be sure to pass the test on the fruits we are bearing. After all, as believers, we know Holy Spirit is in us so we already have the good soil, fertilizer, nutrients and everything else we need to be choice, bright, luscious, sweet, refreshing, top quality FRUIT bearers to a world that could sure use some.

How About a Game of Osani?

I read a story about an anthropologist who proposed a game to an African tribe's children. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told them that whoever got there first would win the sweet fruits. When he told them to run, they took each other’s hands and ran together, then sat and enjoyed the fruit together. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself, they said: “UBUNTU, 'How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?'” UBUNTU’ in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are." Can you imagine how much better the world would be if everyone lived by that motto? Isn't that the way God wants His kids to live?

This photo is of the Efé children of Zaire (Congo, Central Africa) playing the Osani Circle Game. The game teaches that we are much better when we work as a team and think about each other before ourselves. It teaches that each individual can achieve so much more when they approach situations with the mindset and focus on love and cooperation rather than competition. Osani (the Efé word for love),begins by sitting in a circle, feet touching, all connected. Then, for example, each child in turn names a round object like the sun, the moon, a star, an eye and then goes on to name a figurative expression of “round” like the circle of the family. What I love most in this photo is the closeness of the children -- a circle of togetherness, of community, creativity, enjoying each other's company and celebrating the different perspectives each of them bring to the circle.

I often add words to the photos I post on my blogs. In this photo's case, I picked a font 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 uppercase lettering, is still a lower case "i". Aw! Being a little i in life when it comes to wanting 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. UBUNTU -- i AM because we ARE!

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?” UBUNTU -- i AM because we ARE!

There is so much competition in life -- between family members, co-workers, friends, political and news pundits, and so many others. I wonder "What if we thought more like these kids...."I am...because WE ARE!" Those kids sound like the kids that God calls us to be: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:2-3)

How about a game of Osani? i AM because we ARE!

Living our Faith Out-Loud – De-Compartmentalized

When I blogged about compartmentalizing" our lives yesterday, I didn't mean it for our faith. Our faith is an exception. You know -- that "keeping it to ourselves" compartment. We've all heard the saying: “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” The idea is that when people go to Las Vegas, they get a license to do things they would never normally do. So what if you cheat on your wife? This is Vegas! So what if you are irresponsible with your money? This is Vegas! So what if you…?

Here’s what I mean. When it comes to our faith, many Christians compartmentalize it like that “Vegas” saying: “What happens at church, stays at church,” or “What happens away from church, stays away from church.” Many live their faith out only on Sundays at church and, outside the church, their lives are faith-less and lacking the fruit of the Spirit. They blend in so much with unbelievers that it's hard to tell a difference in them. Their light is dimmed by the way they speak and act when faced with a challenge or a follow employee who gets on their nerves. They remain silent when someone brings up the subject of pro life, chastity, faithfulness in marriage and going to church.

We are called to be Christians (devoted followers of Christ) not just some of the time, but all of the time. As Jesus’ followers, we’re called to continually grow in our relationship with God, and to help others do the same. We see our daily interactions as opportunities to live our faith out in word and deed. Keeping God front and center in all that we are and do, and being open and authentic about our faith with those around us . Living our faith out loud is an important part of the process of helping others become disciples who make disciples.

St.Paul gave us a glimpse into how to live out our faith in front of others -- de-compartmentalized: "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:8-12).

We can be recognized by the fruit we produce in our lives. What kind of fruit are we producing? More than that, what kind of fruit are others noticing we are producing when they see us on a daily basis? Are we producing the fruit of the Spirit that are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Our faith and commitment to Christ is a 24/7 proposition -- not just when everyone is looking at us, but also when no one is looking. Time to de-compartmentalize our faith – and live audaciously as fully, all-in-followers of Christ!

It's My Birthday, and I Can Cry Happy Tears if I Want to!

Sweet time with my Frisco family yesterday at a great restaurant and then to see the new "Overcomer" movie. I was totally on that bandwagon of celebrating me. This is my life -- the only one that was meant for me. Alexia asked "Nana, how does it feel to be younger than the Great Depression? How does it feel being younger than the greatest drought ever that led to the dust bowl years? How does it feel to be younger than the Empire State Building?" With happy tears, I was elated that something was older than me! 🤣

And I'm so grateful to be younger than something....especially when my doctors, lawyers, teachers and preachers.....are younger than me! Honestly, I'm so blessed beyond what I deserve with the love that I’ve received from friends and family. I’ve been made to feel that I matter. And, the real crux of the matter for you AND me is -- we always did and always will matter because we are God’s treasures. “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession.” Malachi 3:17

Treasures. God always saw us as treasures and on our birthdays we get to rock that truth. I’m rocking even as I type this post today. While the media leads us to believe that youth somehow has more value, the truth is, we are treasured by God at every age. Not only that, but He gives us specific gifts to share with the world in every season of our lives. We best be owning and sharing those gifts. They are the specific ones God planted within us.

Birthdays are a big deal – because birthdays represent our God-given mission and destiny and every year that we’re here, we get to celebrate our journey. And with each year -- we have the opportunity to celebrate -- not just THE day, but EACH day that God gives us. Celebrating it with a joyful, thankful, forgiving heart that is open to bringing forth flourishing fruit. So, today, let's party -- at least in the sense of celebrating YOU and me! Whether you are 8, 38 or 88.....you are to be celebrated. You're still bearing fruit. We're still here....we're not done! "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be vigorous and flourishing." Psalm 92:14

The anthem of the musical, “The Greatest Showman” was “This is Me”, sung by Keala Settle. As I was looking for the lyrics for this post, I saw the original video of Keala singing the song with the rest of the vocalists in a practice room for the first time with Hugh Jackman. Of course she was intimidated at first. She didn’t even want to step out from behind the music stand. You must see the transformation that took place as she sang the song as if it were her own anthem. I was in tears, and I think you will be, too! “This is Me” – let’s own who God made us to be. He has plans and purposes that only we can fulfill. Walk out being YOU! Because YOU matter!
Here is the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLFEvHWD_NE

Look out 'cause here I come;
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum.
I'm not scared to be seen; I make no apologies, this is me.

I’m Looking at the Woman in the Mirror

Yesterday, my morning prayer was: “Lord, please make me a reflection of You! May others see You in me!” Immediately, I heard, in my head, Michael Jackson’s song “I’m Looking at the Man in the Mirror”. I knew why. Days before, my debonair grandson who knows how to get to me, will either talk about his Papa or he'll pull up a song from my era (Elvis, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, etc.) on his iPhone playlist while we're driving. He asks: “Nana, do you remember this one?” Oh yes I do! He is a charmer and knows how to “ring my bell”! Michael's song went like this:
"I'm starting with the man in the mirror.
I'm asking him to change his ways.
And no message could have been any clearer.
If you want to make the world a better place.
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change."

Certainly good words to live by – being honest about who we are and what we can do to change our ways. Instead of looking at the faults in others, to look inward at ourselves. I get that, but my prayer yesterday was for the reflection I see to be my Lord.

Every day, we come face to face with a glance or a hard look at ourselves in a mirror. That first glance can often be a bit scary – our hair going every which way, eyes dazed, faces with creases from a hard sleep. Sometimes, facing our mirror and our reflection isn’t exactly a pleasant experience. Mirrors are brutally honest. They don’t lie. They don’t hide the wrinkles, the flaws, the signs of aging. They don’t typically say back to us “You’re looking good today!” They usually tell us to make some adjustments: comb your hair, put on a little make-up or for men – shave that “5 am shadow”. Actually, mirrors are a good thing. We face the truth, make some changes and feel a little better about facing the world.

But, this day – I wasn't asking God for that mirror. I asked for the mirror, or the reflection, looking back at me to be a reflection of Jesus. That can be a difficult reflection to see. Like that Michael Jackson song, looking at the man or woman in the mirror is more about the inside than the outside. Getting a clear vision of what needs to change. To look with eyes wide-open at the character flaws or the obvious lack of the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that is needing some adjustments.

James 1:23-24 says "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” That scripture implies we don't want to seriously confront that "man or woman in the mirror".

When we look at the mirror for exterior perfection, we'll never find it. But, if we start our day, each day, with that first prayer of asking to be a reflection of Jesus, we'll start to see His character, His beautiful grace and love to a hurting world instead of placing importance on make-up, shine-up, or dress-up.

The best mirror for checking out ourselves is the perfect mirror of God's Word ... Holy Scriptures. And, the only perfect image is Jesus. From that perspective, we can daily examine ourselves in THAT mirror and ask the question: Am I being all that God that God has called me to be? Am I allowing Him to mold me? Instead of looking at the man in the mirror and asking him to change his ways, we look to our perfect Make-up and Shine-Up Artist (for inside and out perfection) to transform us into His reflection by filling us full of His light and His glory! Then we will reflect His love, His truthfulness, His joy, His forgiveness and mercy to others, His selflessness, His servitude. That's the woman in the mirror I want to see and be! How about you?

Taking the High Ground With Kindness

After I finished my blog and posted it about “watching our words on the battlefield”, yesterday, I read this daily email from a ministry. It was the “icing on the cake” of what I had said in my blog: “I call you, My people, to be kind to one another. The world is filled with selfishness and hatred. But you belong to Me and not to the world. When you become one with Me, your attitudes will reflect My heart and not yours. And the fruit of My Spirit will be evident in all that you are and all that you do, says the Lord." "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, KINDNESS, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Those words pack a punch, don’t they? I reeled them in my heart --.hopefully to stay there, germinate and then produce a bumper crop of those fruit – especially the “kindness” fruit. Yep! That’s a fruit I needed a couple of days ago – before my blog, yesterday. From hearing way too much irritating smack talk that I “shushed” that person with fingers to my mouth. To someone else, I really wanted to retaliate (but didn’t) when they opposed my way-of-thinking. And to another, I even let casual words slip out that “stung” them enough to end a conversation. Holy kindness, Lord, I pray!

What in the world? I’m that on-purpose gal who does her best to never get my “panties in a wad”, but that day I did. Eventually, I realized the enemy was setting me up for a crummy day. Those are his tactics – it’s not just one little incident, but incidents -- multiplied. But, he is such a loser that he doesn’t get that those of us who are the blood-bought, filled-with-the-Holy Spirit, strivers to improve our love-walk daily – recognize him. We take that nonsense long enough and, in my case, I turn it into a blog that teaches a better way – God's way of handling opposition. You messed with the wrong girl, devil!

I love this quote Joyce Meyer says about herself: “Each morning, before getting out of bed, I pray that I will love and be kind to everyone today. But, then I get up and encounter people!” That hits home. I live by myself so, really, I should be okay, but then again, I know myself enough that I need to stay on guard for myself to keep ME out of trouble!

If anyone should speak on behalf of staying in tune with the Holy Spirit, it’s the Apostle Paul. He wrote these words: “Ask God to bless those who persecute you — yes, ask Him to bless, not to curse”. (Romans 12:14). We all have people in our lives that require extra grace from us. They annoy, anger, frustrate, and test us. But they also help us grow. God calls us to demonstrate mercy and kindness to everyone -- even those who cause us the most trouble. And being Spirit-led people who have the fruit of the Spirit in us, we just get "kindness" out of the fruit basket and refuse to be offended. Most of all we purpose to always take the higher ground. Proof positive of being fruit bearers!

When we take the high ground, we can see past the behavior of others. When we take the high ground, we rise above the irritation and the conflict and choose to live in peace and to be loving and kind fruit bearers.

Ronald Reagan said it well: "Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God."

The Older Teach the Younger

We Can Learn From Each Other
There is so much beauty in the scripture in Titus 2:3-5 which talks about older women teaching younger women. I'm so grateful for how that scripture has played out in my life. Many older women (in faith AND age) influenced me as they lived out their faith before me. The role has reversed as, now, I get to be an influencer to younger women. I love responding to a young mom who messages me "HELP!!! What do I do?" Or when a middle-aged daughter shares her plight of caring for her 80+-year-old mom who recently suffered a stroke. I draw from my well of experiences when, as a young wife, mom, and daughter, faced similar times. Much of the stuff of life we go through and how we cope and succeed through it all is for others to know "We survive!" Even my "widow" experiences have helped other widows become warrior women who realize God still has purposes for their lives and then turn their mourning into dancing.

Who are qualified to be the "older" or the "younger" women? If someone is younger in their faith or in life, then we are the older. I saw my granddaughter encourage her younger (in faith) friend. I've seen you sweet moms who figured out the ropes of nursing, getting your little ones to sleep through the night, or the method to use for potty training be the "older" women to those who are "less traveled" on the "mommy" road.

I think about some of you, my sweet sisters, that think you don't fit into either category. You think what you do doesn't count because you're doing it at 2 am in the morning when no one is looking -- except for your sweet baby who has lost his pacifier, AGAIN. Or because you think you need a podium for your voice to matter or make a difference.

I want to take your sweet faces between my hands and tell you "You ARE making a difference." Podiums and pulpits are not just found in churches. Speeches do not just come from stages. I'm telling you diapers, laundry, and a sink full of dishes are serious theology. You are the Proverbs 31 woman who rises while it's still dark to provide for your family. You are teaching your children what a devoted follower of Christ looks and acts like. The hours that you sow juggling sports practices, ballet, and football games or carefully navigating the selection of your daughter's prom dress so it's NOT too low cut in the front, is your mission field. You are teaching and training and being the example of faithfulness and resilience and determination. When you break up conflict between your kids, you are being the peacemaker that, one day, they'll remember how you resolved conflict when they're having to do that with their kids. You ARE in ministry.

It is an honor to offer my life, my lessons learned and failed to my sisters who, on a daily basis, maneuver your lives with precision and are teaching the younger. And while you are teaching the younger, those of us who passed that way long ago.....are engaged in taking care of elderly parents, coping with aging bodies, carrying on when a cherished loved one passes away. But, all is well, because we have "older" teachers that showed us the way. We will survive because we know we're here to grow, mature, train, teach and walk hand in hand -- making our world a better place to be because we cared AND shared and mentored those who became leaders worth following!

Do They Know Us By Our Fruit?

When in season, I love those little Halos and Cuties brands of mandarins. They are my “go-to” fruit, but at the end of spring, they leave the produce shelves. I’ve purchased other varieties since then and they just don’t taste the same and are even sour or tasteless. Who wants a sour or tasteless fruit? Yesterday morning, one of my scripture readings was this verse where Jesus famously said, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:20). Their fruits? What did Jesus mean?

Our fruits are what define us. They are our actions, our values, and our persona that others know us by. Wise King Solomon wrote long ago, “Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right” (Proverbs 20:11). If a child is known by what he does, what about us? Honestly, this post today comes from “the extremely hateful, ugly, nasty, mouthy, distasteful and sour” fruits that I’ve seen lately in some public speakers. Those who are saying things like “go ahead and mistreat those who don’t think like you think and act the way you act and who don’t agree with your philosophies and beliefs”.

There’s something to be said about those who bear that sour and tasteless fruit versus those who bear sweet and tasty fruit. This is the fruit that Jesus and I are talking about: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22) The life of a follower of Christ should be bearing THAT fruit.

I know I must sound like a "fruit inspector" and the first fruit I try to inspect is my own. I ask myself "Instead of love, is there hatred and even prejudice in my life? Instead of joy, is there gloom and despair? Instead of peace, is there turmoil? Instead of gentleness, is there harshness? Instead of faith, is there fear and worry? Instead of meekness, is there pride and arrogance? Instead of self-control, is there lack of control and impatience?

In this recent couple of years, most certainly, we’ve been given all kinds of opportunities to decide. Is it love or hate, peace or anger, bitterness or happiness, crankiness or joyfulness? Remembering the scripture… "What the heart is full of....the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45)? Doesn’t that give us pause for giving ourselves a good old fruit inspection?

When we opened our hearts to God, He walked through the door with a treasure chest full of everything we need to overcome and be successful in every area of our life. I clearly got the message "I'm not asking you to be their Fruit Inspector. I'm asking you to inspect your own fruit." That's when I know God is telling me to amp up that fruit in my own life -- to be sure that what my heart is full of, bears the Fruit of the Spirit qualities.

Back to my scripture verse from yesterday…..Matthew 7:20 – “Therefore, by their FRUITS, you will know them.” WOW – that’s how we’re recognized as devoted followers of Christ…or NOT. So as fruit inspectors, we, first, need to pass the test on the fruits we are bearing. It really is the season for "fruit bearing”. After all, as believers, we know Holy Spirit is in us so we already have the good soil, fertilizer, nutrients and everything else we need to be choice, luscious, sweet, refreshing, top quality fruit-bearers to a world that could sure use some.

Alexia's Rite of Passage

Alexia's Rite of Passage Day

The first full day we were in Mexico, we got a beautiful view of Puerto Vallerta -- from a tourist's point of view. Lots of palatial hotels and resorts and shops galore. Cruise ships in port. Who would ever realize what we would eventually experience from "behind the scenes"?

But, this day was devoted to Alexia Wallace's Rite of Passage -- a very special event and occasion of celebrating Alexia's 13th birthday and transition from a little girl to a young woman. In the Jewish tradition, it would be her Bat Mitzvah -- celebrating her passage as a "Daughter of the Blessing". Staci Wallace and Larry Wallace devoted 12 special weeks of training that included 12 keys to living a life of blessing and abundance and being used by God to pour into her life, during this strategic time of transition and preparation. They used movies ("Joan of Arc", Queen Esther's story of preparation, "One Night With the King", as well as, for the first time, getting to see her Mom & Dad's Wedding Video and hearing their own "purity before marriage" story), experiences (special dinners and trips to specific places) and other specifically designed illustrations to carry out the special "Rite of Passage" journey.

The final key and blessing took place in the company of our wonderful missions team in Mexico, as well as Dr. Terry L. Mize and his wife, Renee Mize, the hosts of this wonderful trip and missionaries to missionaries around the world. What better location for the final key, as Alexia's heart is missions.

These photos capture some of the precious moments of our celebration with her -- from our early morning enjoyment of the beach to the evening blessings given by Larry & Staci.
Taking time to pour into our children these valuable lessons will not only impact their lives today.... but it will be carried on for generations to come. It is worth every effort and the time investment.....that will bear fruit beyond what we can imagine.