How Can We Lie Down in Green Pastures? They're Flooded

One of my go-to scriptures, especially when I’m encouraging someone who is bed-fast because of an injury or illness, is Psalm 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” I share: “Obviously, God is wanting you to rest and lie down in His pastures (His place of restoration) so you can re-coup, be restored and refreshed. He knows your journey up ahead, and He knows what you need to go the long-haul.”

But, how can I say that to my family and friends in Oklahoma whose pastures are filled with rushing (not still) waters and even their homes are completely demolished by the tornadoes and flood waters that left little to hold onto?

Or how can I tell them to “get on the roller coaster and throw your hands up in the air and enjoy the ride” like I might say when someone is starting a long journey of medical treatments and procedures? I often describe our faith journey as a roller coaster ride -- twists and turns, and ups and down, and throwing our hands up in the air and enjoying the ride!! But, in the case of these life-altering storms, those rides are out-of-order entirely!

It’s easy to say to my precious friends and family: “Let go and let God! He is in control. Have peace in the storm! Only have faith and believe. God is for you and with you!” But I’m not in my storm shelter, hearing the storm warnings or bailing water out of my home or trying to find something of value in the remains that were left behind from the storm. My words, of themselves, are meaningless. But God’s words are life and God is life….even abundant life -- when we believe them in or out of the storm.

“I Will Praise You in the Storm” was a song written by Casting Crowns’ lead vocalist Mark Hall. It was inspired by the band's experience with a young girl who had cancer, Erin Browning. They met Erin before one of their concerts. Erin had performed a dance at her school to one of their songs. Erin died shortly after that. Hall said, "Watching Erin's mother walk through this really showed me the truth about my worship. Watching her walk through a real storm showed me that my worship was extremely situational". Hall began writing the song before Erin's death.

I, too, know devastating storms in my own life and praising God in the midst of those storms was my survival mode. The song and the lyrics, I know, will minister to those of you who have gone through recent storms or are right in the middle of them today. No matter the storms, we continue to praise our Lord because we know His promises are true and that He never leaves us. We glory in all He does for us in the storm:

I Will Praise You in the Storm
I was sure by now, God you would have reached down
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen; that it's still raining
As the thunder rolls, I barely hear your whisper through the rain, “I’m with you,”
And as your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands
That You are who You are, no matter where I am,
And every tear I've cried, You hold in your hand.
You never left my side, and though my heart is torn,
I will praise you in this storm.

Listen to this beautiful song and be assured that God is with you in the storm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoqbKyeKOBI

While we may not know what our future holds, today we can rest in the fact that we are known by the One who holds it and somewhere in the middle of that fact…..He promises to be working it all out for our good. (Romans 8:28).

His Assets My Pleasure

Last week my trip to Tulsa included a visit with friends in the community I lived in prior to my move to Frisco. Sharon and I joined up for an early morning walk as we did so often when I lived there. We recalled praying for our community on those walks and called our Hyde Park, Holy Property. I’m amazed as I see the once barren land when I built my home, to where there are so many residents and beautiful homes built there today.

We met up with another neighbor, Deborah, whose husband recently passed away and she, like me, understands he completed his earth-assignment and now she knows she has her own assignment to fulfill. I knew a blog was on its way because her story inspired me so much.

Deborah’s dear husband suffered from Alzheimer's for many years which meant Deborah had to quit her full-time job to be at home to give him the care he needed. In that season, she started a home acquisition company where she buys homes, renovates and flips them shortly thereafter. Her acquisition company is called HAMP which is an acronym for “His Assets My Pleasure”. The name of her building and remodeling business is called Honey Bee Homes. She said: “It’s pure and natural.” The meaning of “Deborah” is Honey Bee. She said: “This is a restoration business just like Jesus had.”

Deborah meant it's a home AND people restoration business. “I bought a home in not such a great part of town. It needed a lot of attention, but I acquired it anyway. One day, a man riding a bike stopped by the house and asked if I needed help. She asked, “What is your expertise?” He replied, “I can do anything.” She gave him a tour of the house and all the things that needed to be done. What he couldn’t do, he said: “I have a friend that can do this part and another friend that can do that part.” She hired all three men. Only one had a vehicle – a beat-up truck that kept breaking down. One day it ran out of gas. Deborah got a gas container and took him the gas. The other two men rode bicycles. They helped her She helped them. Deborah said, “I took them crockpot meals, Krispy Kremes and I kept a left-over refrigerator stocked with water for them. I took lunch to them and sometimes I took them out to lunch. You could tell on their faces that they were really impressed – that I would take them to a nice restaurant.” These men had been in jail and with a record, it was difficult to find jobs. The restorer of homes and people, she gifted them with dignity and pride as they were completely willing to put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.

Deborah said these men were raised in lifestyles where they had to learn and do everything. All from different descents and different expertise, they worked well together. The house had been abused and in such disrepair that they had to gut most of it -- taking out all the floors and putting in new joist and floors. During the winter it was so cold outside for the 8-mile bicycle rider who lived with his Mom. Deborah set him up with a heater and a bed in the home. It worked out well because in that part of town she needed someone to look over the house anyway.

She added: “I just sold the house last week. I bought it for $40,000 and sold it for $122,000. But I had a $100K in it and I was able to give them work. I loved Deborah’s “ashes to beauty” story. She could have been a widow who refused to live out her destiny. But she didn’t. She gave formerly incarcerated men jobs for the same reasons as everyone else: to support themselves and their loved ones, pursue life goals, and strengthen their communities. God has used her to live on purpose. She yielded to God’s words from Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” She knows those words for herself and for others.

We serve a God of restoration! You, too, may have had some disappointments or unfair things happen in your life; but instead of dwelling on the past and living in defeat, choose to focus on His promises because God wants to restore you with beauty for your ashes. He wants to restore your joy, your peace, your health, and your finances. Draw a line in the sand and say, “I am a child of the Most High God, and I’m not going to live my life in defeat. This is a new day, and I’m taking back what belongs to me!” That’s having a restoration mentality!

Indeed, like Jesus, Deborah is in the restoration business – restoring homes and people’s lives. Maybe that's the business we should all be in -- loving, caring and restoring the lives of God's precious children.

RESTORE – All Things New

My word for today is RESTORE: return (someone or something) to a former condition, place, or position. One of my all-time favorite reality shows is HGTV's "Fixer Upper", not just because I love the hands-on builder and interior designers, Chip & Joanna Gaines, a delightful couple with their four young kids (soon to be five), who live their personal lives in a raw, oftentimes hilarious, and authentic way, but also because I love seeing them RESTORE a dated or dilapidated, hopeless house and property into a gorgeous family home.

We hear about RESTORING a relationship, a house, an old car, and antique furniture. These all demonstrate RESTORATION. No question -- the most beautiful use of the word, is when someone turns from being a lost soul, without hope for today and tomorrow, to becoming a brand new man or woman as they become a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. To receive salvation means that we have experienced the miraculous RESTORING power of God Who makes all things new in our lives – spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, and relationally.

AAll throughout the Bible, we see that God is in the RESTORING business. King David made some huge mistakes that really damaged his relationship with God. He needed and received RESTORATION when he prayed in Psalm 51:12 “RESTORE to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” God promises “I will RESTORE you to health and heal your wounds.” (Jeremiah 30:12). Paul the Apostle declares, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are passed away, behold, all things are new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As we surrender our mistakes, failures, problems and challenges to our Master Restorer, our Heavenly Father, in prayer, He will make all things new for us. Our Master RESTORER, will heal our brokenness, RESTORE our lives with His unconditional love and mercy. The scars that came from the hurts and pains of our life's experiences, will be RESTORED to beauty as we place ourselves in the Master RESTORER’S hands -- even more beautiful than we were before. And, even beyond the beauty of the NEW you and me, is helping others to be RESTORED also. They can learn how we, through God's help, were able to turn our scars into stars, our tests became our testimony, our messes became our message to a world that needs RESTORATION so much.

He MAKES Me Lie Down in Green Pastures

In yesterday's post, I mentioned I was heading over to the main house as my month-long hiatus had come to an end. Famous last words – little did I realize that the flu virus hanging around Austin had caught up with me. “Lord, have mercy” was my prayer for the next 24 hours. After I had gone through the worst of the effects (I’ll spare you the details), as I was lying in bed, I heard “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Green is the operative word here. LOL! I thought that I had been in this sweet place of green pastures for over a month, but this was a step further of total reliance on my God for comfort and restoration.

Indeed, there can be extremely uncomfortable times for us, but I often feel closest to God during those times because I come to depend on Him more. I have a yearning in my heart for Him to transform every nook and cranny of my life. I want Him to be my all-consuming thought, desire and passion, and I want Him to make my life REALLY mean something. I desire that He give purpose to these adventurous times. Isaiah 30:15 says “This is what the Almighty LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting Me.”

Maybe someone reading this today is in a world of clamor and confusion. Then this post is for you. Maybe you're feeling -- physically and mentality spent -- completely exhausted from stress and overload. Could THIS message be heaven-sent to you today? Could God be urging you to STOP for just a while for reloading, recharging, and restoring? Wouldn't it be a good thing to go nestle down in some green pastures -- where your body and soul finds rest, peace and restoration? Where you’re at is no surprise to Him and to step away for a few minutes, hours or even days to give Him your undivided attention, could bring the restoration, healing, and peace that you know you need.

As the scripture in Isaiah says, I'm convinced that in quietness and confidence in God’s faithfulness, I will be strengthened. That’s when all the noise and activity are shut out and we clearly hear His voice saying, “Trust Me. I've got this!"

Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry

Those are the words from one of my favorite romantic movies of all time, "Love Story" with Ryan O'Neal (Oliver) and Ali McGraw (Jenny). Oliver blamed himself for keeping Jenny from her music career and when apologizing, Jenny's love for Oliver was far greater to her and that's when she said that famous line.

As beautiful as those words were in the movie, it's just not a line God uses. His words are more like "Love is quick to apologize and fast to forgive." Apologizing and expressing regret for the mistakes we make is true love language. Too often we act out carelessly or say something harsh or insensitive, yet we go on our way and being sorry for our mistakes is left far behind. To this day, someone may be carrying a broken heart because of something we said or did in a moment of weakness.

First of all LOVE is kind, patient, does not boast, does not envy, is not proud, is not rude, but when we miss that mark, LOVE means ALWAYS saying "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me."

In this political year, the rash comments, animosities and gossip are running rampant, Never has there been more reasons to say to our brothers and sisters, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." There is sweet healing, restoration, and reconciliation that comes when we let go of our need to always be right, cast aside our pride and say in words and actions, "I'm so sorry!"

Renewed: From the Inside Out

Renewed: From the Inside Out

Okay….so I’m in that mature season where it seems I'm noticing a lot of those advertisements and labels that shout out “Renew your youth! Reduce those lines and wrinkles! Guaranteed success or your money back! Become a new you!” And, I’ll admit, I’ve yielded to their promises and purchased some of those products. I’d like to tell you that, as they promised, I look ten years younger…..NOT!

A few years ago, my curiosity about halting the inevitable, got the best of me and I went to a plastic surgeon for a consultation. Okay. I’m being real. LOL! Staci went with me and when the doctor started stretching my skin and it looked “baby smooth”, she hollered “OH MY GOODNESS!” Quickly I said, “Don’t act so excited. When you’re looking for a new car to buy, you don’t act so SOLD. You need to work the salesman to get the best deal.” But, too late, she already gave away that I’d look 10 years younger if I’d let him do his wonders on me. His $25K estimate helped me to conclude “I’m okay with this vintage look!”

Really, the truth is I AM okay with my age, and I’m okay with these lines that seemed to have come from nowhere...quickly. I’ve earned every line and crease with every story I’ve lived. Those stories make up who I am. And I wouldn’t trade my stories, and my years, for anything. I’ve lived long enough now to see, even the tough years — the ones I didn’t think I’d survive — how God used every one and every experience to bring me to a place of deep assurance and sweet peace today. Through it all, God showed Himself stronger. And my trust in Him grew. The journey from youth to maturity has come quickly. But this journey with God has taught me that renewal really is possible, but it’s not the kind of renewal that’s promised in a store-bought product on a shelf or a surgeon's knife. Restoration and renewal begins with yielding to our Creator…..and letting Him renew us from the inside out.

Yesterday, my post was about cleaning up, cleaning out, AND cleaning in…..purging from the inside so that our outside reflects His beauty. My Mom always said “Beauty is skin deep….it’s what's in your heart that makes you beautiful.” I think about Mother Teresa. She had more wrinkles than anyone, but at 85 she was younger and more vibrant than a 20-year old, as she loved and cared for hurting humanity. From the inside out....she was extraordinarily beautiful.

When we realize WE ARE BEAUTIFUL, because the marvelous, exquisitely beautiful ONE lives in us, and when we embrace THAT BEAUTY and let it shine through our eyes, speak through our mouths, hug with our arms, love with the love of Christ, then we will be renewed and the fountain of youth will be flowing out of us to a hurting world.

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

The Master Musician & Master Craftsman = Restoration of Things....and People

"Before & After" photos of a very used, scratched and abused piano bench -- the accompanying piece to the baby grand piano that my grandson had been praying for. Neither piece is new, but when Payton plays it, it sounds like a Steinway -- at least in this Nana's ears. And his Mom restored the piano to beautiful condition and it has a prominent place now in the Wallace Family home.

But, that poor piano bench looked beyond hope. Staci's plans were to go out yesterday and buy a new bench, but, I told her we could "restore" that damaged and pitiful bench to look brand new. We set out to buy some foam, fabric, paint, and stapler gun, and whoa la -- in just a little while -- that's what you see here.

The piano looks and sounds great, and its bench looks great, too. It just took the touch of a musician and the craftsmanship of two "crafty" women!
That makes me think of those of us who had been used, abused, or unused and neglected -- forgotten and beyond hope. But then along came the Master Musician and made a beautiful symphony of our lives.....and He restored us and turned all our brokenness into something of beauty. And, better than just "restored".....we were made to be BRAND NEW. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

This beautiful "Gaither" song explains it perfectly:

And He made something beautiful, something good,
All my confusion, He understood,
All I had to offer Him, was brokenness and strife,
But He made something -- beautiful of my life.