I Want to be God's Promotional Display

Ever notice how strategically retailers display items in their store to draw us in? It's all about them using psychology to grab us and encourage us to spend more on items we didn't even realize we wanted. Even the height of items matters. Lower items for the kiddos to see and beg for that "must have" cereal and the items that are placed in the middle of the ailse that we can't resist. Or those promotional displays at the ends of aisles. Over time we even start to look at those areas as we pass to see if there is anything we want to buy there.

When we went into the store to pick up just a couple of items, we're now loaded with a cart-full of items and we think we're done shopping when we stand in line to pay and we have one more chance to impulsively buy a package of gum or a magazine, or our child begs for the candy bar they see. It’s all a part of that establishment’s strategy to make us buy more.

I entitled my blog today “I Want to be God's Promotional Display". Like the strategically placed item in the store – I want to be strategically placed that others can’t resist. As followers of Jesus Christ, you and I are called to live exemplary lives that people around us respect and want to be around. Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

We are called to be the light of Christ to others. We are called to represent Him well -- as we make choices of excellence. We are called to be noticed as others see our good works that bring glory to God. We are called to be His "promotional display"!
The choice is ours. We want to live our lives with excellence and goodness that bring glory to our loving Father.

Here we are just a week away from Christmas Day – and opportunities abound for us to be promoters of God -- His representatives. We can shine brightly in busy stores and wait patiently in check-out lines. We can use that time with our phones -- heads down scrolling through our messages and timeline or talking to someone on it -- totally ignoring others while we wait. Or, we can be promotional displays of God as we wait patiently, purposely smiling, noticing those around us -- like Jesus did with Zaccheus up in the tree, or the blind man begging. We can encourage a mama with an emotional child. We can offer to let someone go ahead of us who has only one or two items and we have a cart-full. We can spread "Joy to the World" wherever we are. May we be light-bearers and LIGHT-sharers as we make choices for how we will live our lives as promotional displays for the goodness and grace of our Lord Jesus. Then, others will be saying "I want some of that!"

He AND They Get Sweeter as the Days Go By

An old gospel song went like this: "He gets sweeter as the days go by; He gets sweeter as the moments fly; His love is richer, deeper, fuller, sweeter. Sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the days go by." Seriously, the older I get and the closer I've become with my Lord, the sweeter and more peaceful is my journey. I'm consistently drawn to His Light. I'll be honest with you -- I'm so happy that the dark side of October 31st is over. Bring on the bright Light of Christ! Talking, walking and living in the Light is my number one priority. The more familiar I've become with THE LIGHT, the more I shun darkness of any kind!

Yesterday, November 1st (BTW – Happy November!!) was All Saints Day when we focused on saints. This tradition began in AD 609 and encourages us to remember and emulate our heroes of faith. So many devoted their lives to God and were Light-bearers of Christ. Many were martyred for their faith.

Today, November 2nd, is All Souls’ Day. Both of these days touch me so much -- two beautiful days of celebration. Those of us who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, look at death as leaving our “temporary” home on earth to go to our home sweet, eternal home in heaven. There are many who consider death an unpleasant topic and don’t even want to discuss the subject. But, my sweet mother-in-law gets it because she keeps saying "I want to go home!" She knows the joys that await her.

Here’s the positive way of looking at death. This earth has been our internship for heaven. It's the "holding room" for the ride of our life. You and I, and everyone we love will eventually die so then death had better be our friend and not our enemy. All Saints Day and All Souls Day offer us a wonderful, consoling and beautiful way of looking at death. On All Saints Day, we celebrate the glory of the saints in heaven. The Church teaches that everyone in heaven is a saint. There are many men and women, who are canonized (official) saints, and a special day is assigned to them. On All Saints Day, we celebrate everyone in heaven. Think of our loved ones who have died and gone to heaven. This is a chance for us to be happy for, and with them. They have no pain, no frustration, and all they know is absolute, complete peace and happiness because they are in the presence of God. We rejoice with them!

On All Souls Day, we acknowledge our loved ones who died and we embrace our memories with them and the great hope of meeting up with them in heaven. On this day, I purposely recall my precious grandmother who introduced me to my future husband, my firey-preacher grandfather, my angel mom, and wonderful dad, my beloved husband and so many others who influenced and impacted my life. On this day I get to admit that I miss them and I’m not even ashamed to shed a few tears for them. After all, Jesus wept over the death of His friend, Lazarus. I don’t shed tears because I lack faith or because my faith is weak. I shed tears because I miss them. It's okay. It's just temporary for me because I carry on with the joy of seeing them one day soon! I continue to let Jesus make sense of it all for me! How about you?

Celebrating the Light and our Heroes of Faith

The older I get, and closer I've become with my Lord, the sweeter and more peaceful is my journey. I'm consistently drawn to His Light. I steer clear of darkness and anything that is remotely identified with evil: ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons,, and paranormal. For that reason, I am so thankful that Halloween is over! Bring on the bright Light of Christ! Talking, walking and living in the Light is my number one priority. The more familiar I've become with THE LIGHT, the more I shun darkness of any kind!

“Halloween” is a contraction of “All Hallows’ Eve,” the evening before All Saints’ Day. The trick or treaters are celebrating all that candy they retrieved yesterday. But, this day, November 1st (BTW – Happy November!!) we get to focus on saints. This tradition began in AD 609 and encourages us to remember and emulate the heroes of faith. What a gift it is to us that there were those who paved the way for us with lives devoted to God and were Light-bearers of Christ and many of whom were martyred for their faith in Him.

Tomorrow, November 2nd is All Souls’ Day. Both of these days touch me so much -- two beautiful days of celebration. Those of us who have a relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, look at death as leaving our “temporary” home on earth to go to our home sweet, eternal home in heaven. There are many who consider death an unpleasant topic and don’t even want to discuss the subject. Some people even refuse to make a will because that forces them to consider their mortality. Of course, none of us like the idea of someone we deeply love dying, except for knowing they are no longer suffering.

Here’s the positive way of looking at death. This earth has been our “boot camp” for the real deal. It's the "holding room" for the ride of our life. The older I get, the more I embrace getting closer to that "ride". You and I, and everyone we love is going to die, so if death is going to eventually come and take us away, then death had better be our friend and not our enemy. All Saints Day and All Souls Day offer us a wonderful consoling and beautiful way of looking at death. On All Saints Day, we celebrate the glory of the saints in heaven. The Church teaches that everyone in heaven is a saint. There are many men and women, who are canonized (official) saints, and each one has a day assigned to them. On All Saints Day, we celebrate everybody else in heaven. Think of our loved ones who have died and gone to heaven. This is a chance for us to be happy for, and with them. You and I rejoice that they are happy being with God and everyone else in heaven. They have no pain, no frustration, and all they know is absolute, complete happiness because they are in the presence of God. We rejoice with them on this day!

On All Souls Day, we acknowledge our loved ones who died and we embrace our memories with them and the great hope of meeting up with them in heaven. On this day, I purposely recall my precious grandmother who introduced me to my future husband, my firey-preacher grandfather, my angel mom, and wonderful dad, my beloved husband and so many others who influenced and impacted my life. On this day I get to admit that I miss them and I’m not even ashamed to shed a few tears for them. After all, Jesus wept over the death of His friend, Lazarus. I don’t shed tears because I lack faith or because my faith is weak. I shed tears because I miss them. It's okay. It's just temporary for me because I carry on with the joy of seeing them one day soon! I continue to let Jesus make sense of it all for me! How about you?

Trucking for Jesus

I met this beautiful couple at a Holy Spirit Retreat this weekend. Leon and Lorraine, who, by profession, are truck drivers. I learned about the benefits of being a truck driver – especially when you have your spouse with you and she's a driver, too. Though the financial blessing is right at the top, for this couple who have traveled together for over 20 years, it is far beyond the financial rewards. They are on a mission to touch as many lives as they can as God's messengers of "Good News". I heard stories of men and women (some of which are “ladies of the night”) whose lives were turned around by their fearless witness of Christ.

I’m sure you’ve been at a church service where the youth group is going on a mission trip to a foreign country or a young person is going into a seminary or someone else is going into “full-time” ministry. They’ll get applauded for their “full-time” spiritual work. There’s a division between “full time” spiritual work and worldly “secular” work. One sounds like it’s serving Christ and the other sounds like we’re serving ourselves. Unfortunately, we’ve been led to believe that a secular job isn't sacred and it's just impossible to bring glory to God in the marketplace.

Au contraire! My new friends bring glory to God when they drive their truck filled with cargo. They make God famous when they bring the light of Christ wherever they go and oftentimes, that light is so bright that the lost are drawn to them. And, you know what? We, too, bring glory to God when we help a friend move from their home to an apartment; when we roll down the window of our car and give that one standing on the corner with a sign to give them the love of Jesus in words, food or money.

Each of us has been charged to bear fruit in a way that honors God. We do that when we are involved in loving our neighbor. If God has made you a farmer, a lawyer, a nurse, a teacher, then that is a sacred calling in itself. We don’t have to be the pastor to go into "full-time Christian work" just because we think that is what you have to do if you love and serve God.

As I matured in my walk with Christ, I came to realize that when I wake up each day, I AM His disciple, His messenger, and His ambassador and devoted follower as I ensure my words are kind, generous, loving, sincere and caring and my actions are those that do reflect God's love and mercy.

So if we aren't being nudged to go to Africa to serve in an orphanage, it doesn’t mean our reach is any less. It’s not any less spiritual. It’s not any less filled with potential and purpose.

We serve a God who is not boxed in by time, circumstances, or geography. He is everywhere, all the time, with everyone. Every day we have the opportunity to touch someone's heart who will touch their family's hearts who will touch their communities and who will touch the world. All God is asking of us is our willing heart to be His hands extended to a hurting world that needs our words of encouragement and our hands of tender loving care.

We are Christ’s ambassadors. If we don’t represent Him to the marketplace and world and give out the good news, who will?
Mark 16:15 " Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel (the Good News) to all creation."

We WIN!

You and I are VIPs today -- that's because we are voters.. Some of you have already cast your ballot. Good for you! Franklin Roosevelt was right: "Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting."

Remember that every election is decided by the people who show up. So let's pray, seek God's wisdom, and vote.

Chances are that tomorrow, November 9th, half of the country will be happy and half will be sad. So regardless of our political affiliation and no matter which candidate wins today, we don't have to know how the story of our country ends. We don’t even need to know how tomorrow will end. We only need to do the next right thing.

Regardless of today's outcome, our calling as Christ-followers is to lead with a humble heart and point men and women, boys and girls to the One who lives and reigns forever.

Consider William Wilberforce, the man who saw slavery abolished in England mere months before his death in 1833. He had been fighting toward this end for nearly five decades, one of the few in Parliament who lived out the Christian faith in all areas of his life. Oh that his spirit of perseverance be demonstrated in our current culture. We could all benefit from his example of relentless tenacity

Sometimes it feels easier to retreat and hide at home, school, or church than to be a Christian. Wilberforce told us to follow the words of John Newton who said, “It is hoped and believed the Lord has raised you up for the good of His church and for the good of the nation.” Whether your candidate wins or loses today, our work as Christ-followers continues. We must press on and be a light in the darkness as we share the promise of the Good News with others.

No matter what we face personally or nationally, nothing comes as a surprise to God. He is still sovereign over all. He is good, loving, and faithful through the best and the worst of times.

Because of that, we will continue on our journeys of faith -- knowing that it's not by chance that we are here, during this time, to be difference makers in the world around us. We do that best when we let the Light of Christ shine brightly through us. We believe God directs our paths. So today and everyday, we pray for our country, our leaders and our world. No matter what -- God is the real Winner and with knowing that....we will live this day with the joy of knowing WE WIN!

Wise Men AND Women Still Seek Him

Day 364 of Photo Inspirations -- Wise Men AND Women Still Seek Him
It's a "Silent Night", here in Washington, as the children are nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums (or at least the Cinnabon sticks and popcorn they ate) are dancing in their heads.

But before now, it's been busy around here.  Bryson put his Lego sets from Christmas together, we took down ALL the Christmas decorations (with the help of sweet Kristina), went shopping to buy some things with "Christmas cash" (notice ever-so-thrilled Bryson with his new Star Wars costume on), Brennan washed the dog to snowy white, we watched another old Star Wars movie -- notice Brennan's signs for the movie showing, and the tickets he made so we could get in the home theater that led to his first class treatment of cozy blankets for us, popcorn, chocolate shakes and homemade chocolate chip cookies (with no help from me) and their own Star Wars wars,  These boys give me constant entertainment!  I love it!  I cherish these times.

While we were out and about today, we noticed that the Christmas cleanup has begun.  Christmas trees are already on the curbs of some homes.  Yet, there were still beautiful decorations up in the mall and on Snowflake Lane, here in Bellevue, where the beautiful music, band, performers and dancers continue to entertain and be in Christmas spirit until New Year's Eve.

But, before long, it will all come to an end -- the lights will turn out, the decorations will be put up until next year. Presents of mis-sized clothing and that not-so-exciting game will be exchanged. Christmas candy, decorations, toys and other items are on sale for at least half-price, plus. Life will soon be back to normal again very soon.

"Normal" often means that the magic of the season will begin to fade. But for the moment, the magic is still in the air. I sense it. Maybe that’s why I’m able to type this blog in such sweet peace.  The boys are fast asleep -- how can all that ever-so-high energy be reduced to such stillness, quietness and peacefulness?  And in this stillness, I'm still savoring the spirit just a bit more.   Though the lights that represented the LIGHT of this season were taken down at this household yesterday, I pray that the brilliant LIGHT of Christ that we beheld last weekm that we will still be looking to Him throughout 2016.  And I can’t help but think: if we could give Him so much thought and homage during December, how much more would we live in the spirit of Christmas, if we thought of Him every day?

It's true.....WISE men and WOMEN still seek Him, and when we SEEK, we will FIND Him.  He's not hiding.  His LIGHT is brilliant for all of us to SEE Him......Jesus said, "I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of life.".......EVERYDAY!

Time for the Girls to Shine, Dine & Shop

Day 253 of Photo Inspiration -- Time for the Girls To Shine, Dine & Shop
These photos are of what girls like to do -- at least one girl who is about to turn 14 this week.  Right from the get go -- it was "Lexi Time", so her Mom and three close friends of Mom"s headed out to Lexi's "fav" restaurant for lunch at Mariposa's in Neiman Marcus.





Lexi always makes a meal out of their usual appetizers, but it's her favorite meal (chicken broth and puff rolls with strawberry butter) -- YUM!  Delish!!!   What a girly fun time we always have there!

Then it was retail therapy.  One of my favorite things is her grabbing my hand and holding it as we make way through the mall to her favorite stores.  I'm treasuring these "little things" that mean so much to me.  I know she is maturing, and will be holding the hand of a fella someday, but I am sure glad we're not there yet.  She is so involved with so many other things that keeps her attention on this amazing world she lives in -- and one of those things is that retail therapy!  LOL!

Of course, that's what a girl likes to do and for the next few hours enjoyed watching her trying on formals and party dresses (not because she wanted them -- but just likes trying them on and modeling for us).  But, it's my "gifting" thing -- letting her pick out her own birthday gifts from Nana -- and that she did.  

Then it was off to a She Conference (Women's Conference) where we lifted the rafters in praise and worship and then heard outstanding messages about "shining" with the Light of Christ. I love how my girl worships God with all out abandonment -- lifting her hands toward heaven and belting out her love for Him in song.

There are things in life that capture our attention -- but right at the top are family, friends, great times of fun and entertainment, celebrations of each other's lives, seeing God's creation in each and everything.  Getting to spend these precious moments......makes for joy unspeakable!!!