No Place I Would Rather Be

I’m here in my sweet spot – with my two youngest grandsons while their dad and mom are away for a few days. The oldest here -- the handsome dude -- Monday chapel requires ties and jackets. Be still my heart! The youngest is home schooled so I get to step up and be his mama’s eyes and ears. I love it. I actually learn right along with him. I was never a lover of history but with this guy, I can get quite excited about how far we’ve come AND how far we still have to go!

As most know, I’m a daily blogger – so I have to find my quiet spots when I can to wrap my mind around what God would have me say for the next day. Quite often, it’s in those “hiding times” to be with God, my sweet little man interrupts my train of thought to ask me to come watch him climb (seen here – he can’t seem to help himself), or to help him clean out the chicken coop, or feed the other animals, or to watch him play a video game.

To be perfectly honest, sometimes, instead of being glad he popped into my quiet zone, I get a tad annoyed my time with God was interrupted. Then, as he pulls me away, my Heavenly Father whispers in my “spiritual” ears and reminds me “My dear daughter, this is not an interruption, but an illustration of My love, care and affection for you.”

Peace, joy, confidence, hope, faith and love all at once erupt in my heart, moving me closer to Christ. My Heavenly Father illustrated through an interruption what I was seeking all along: His loving presence. And along with it, came this blog.

Our lives are full of interruptions, from a phone call from a needy neighbor, bottle-necked traffice, a sick child, a flat tire, or an illness. These all look, sound and feel like interruptions, but with eyes of faith we have the ability to look beyond life’s interruptions and instead see illustrations of God’s love.

Interruptions can be appointments for compassion. Life may feel unfair, but in our everyday routine, we can recognize the Lord in the little things and love like Jesus. Interruptions represent people to love and be loved! Loving people is the business of Jesus’ followers. It may be a person in our immediate presence, or it could be someone in our peripheral vision, such as a restaurant server who needs to be included in our mealtime prayer. A doctor or nurse who cares for us, a loved one who needs to be encouraged, or a critic who doesn’t have the full story — they too need the gifts of our patience and grace.

Guess what I’m doing – I’m getting us ready for the holidays that are fast approaching. We’ll have many opportunities to look for illustrations of God’s hand in our work, our families and especially during the holidays. Maybe God's intent with interruptions ARE to slow us down, so we can better focus on receiving and giving God's love.

Is Your Sanctuary a Place or a Person?

Yesterday morning, it wasn’t that cold outside but the winds and heavy rain beckoned me to the warmth from my fireplace. It is definitely my “sweet spot”. In this busy, hectic, and noisy world we live in, there are just times when we need to find a quiet place for our souls to be soothed and our bodies to be refreshed.

After a packed-full day of busyness, many retreat to their easy chair, but the clamor still goes on with the TV blaring and little children doing what they do – being noise-makers! I remember when I worked at the University of Manitoba and I carried the weight of a department of over 80 employees, bearing the responsibility of their performance and the department’s success. There were times I needed to find a few minutes relief to regroup, refresh, and reload. My “sanctuary” was the bathroom stall! Oh, sweet “reset”! Just a little talk with Jesus made such a difference in my mindset and composure.

This sanctuary sign on my fireplace hearth was given to us by a dear friend on October 10, 2010 (the date is on the back). That was right at the time when we made the decision for my precious husband to go on hospice. Indeed, my friend knew that we needed to be reminded of the “sanctuary” we have in our relationship with God. We embraced that sign and its meaning. We knew that God, Himself, was our place of refuge and shelter from the storm we were in. We did have such peace and joy throughout the remaining days of my Sweetheart's life.

The politics. The news. The hate. The debates. The worry. I turn the news on and then I turn it off quickly. It reminds me why I rarely, if ever, watch those live news broadcasts anymore. I don’t have the stomach OR heart for it all. The combative nature in people these days and us vs. them mentality wears on my spirit. I don’t quite know what to make of it all, but as I sit down to write loving, comforting words for myself and for my readers, God places my attention on a little sign that says, “SANCTUARY” with a scripture reference of Mark 6:31 “Come away to a secret place and rest for while” that reels me back in to what matters most.

It might be that you are craving a “sanctuary” today. You may have young children jumping off the furniture. Their sibling rivalry is at peak performance. Your spouse may be overloaded in worries and cares. Your to-do list is way too long to stop in at the “sanctuary”. I know that atmosphere. It is very familiar to me. But what became the most familiar to me and the priority in my home was making God -- my deepest source of meaning, unconditional love, and real peace. It can be found -- even in small increments of time. I promise you, when our priority is, first and foremost, going to the sanctuary sometime throughout our day, it will create a heart that is settled and peace-filled because of the presence of a holy, loving, awe-inspiring God. When we ask Him to settle into our homes, our workplaces, and even in the marketplaces, we will find Him waiting for us. He is available, present and more life-giving and peace-giving than everything else combined.

Today, I offer you a glance at my sign. SANCTUARY. Doesn’t that sound like a relief, hearing it put like that? That lovely, reassuring place of safety. Relief from all the ugliness out there. A break from it all. I can hear Him saying: “Come away with me! Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.” Mark 6:31-33

What is Your Sweet Spot?

“I would appreciate any positive prayers or scripture verses you could send my way.” Those were the words that I saw on a friend’s Facebook post yesterday. This sweet gal has had some very rough times, so I was quick to give her a couple of my favorite scriptures and a prayer, but when I read this scripture later, I went back and got behind my imaginary pulpit again. This time I typed these words to encourage her, and I figure, just maybe, there are others that need to hear these words, so go ahead and call them your own, too!

Psalm 31:24 says “Be strong, and let your heart TAKE courage; all you who wait for the Lord.” It doesn’t say have courage, it says take courage – like “Take your medicine!” In this case – take Christ! Keep on keeping company with Christ and ask Him to TAKE your fears and to embolden your courage. Ahh! Keeping company with Christ. That is the “sweet spot”. I also call it “My Peace Zone” (see my website: MyPeaceZone.com ). It may rather be a season than a spot, but it’s holding the hand of the Hope-Giver and Peace-Provider, knowing that God never wastes “spots” or “seasons”.

Life is unpredictable. One day we can be firing on all cylinders -- enthusiastic, energetic, hope-filled and everything’s going our way! Give it another day or two, and we’ve bottomed out, weary from the stress, lack-luster in our faith and our engine has stalled completely. But hold on! On those days, we quickly run to that SWEET SPOT of “being strong and TAKING courage -- holding on tightly to the Sweet Spot-Maker.

The “sweet spot” is often the middle spot – between the good times rolling and waiting while the storms pass over. The eye of the storm – so to speak. I’ve found that spot is hanging out with Jesus. When I’m traveling on long open roads (which I do often), I look forward to the next Rest Area where I can hit the restrooms, stretch my legs, and even, if need be, sit in my car and shut my eyes for a few minutes. It’s amazing how rejuvenated I can feel after – after the sweet spot – the rest stop!
And in this middle place of working through something in our lives — in the space between moving courageously and waiting for something to change— we can lose our gumption to function. Hope gets buried beneath 50 layers of defeated thinking, and we’re sure we’re making all the wrong moves. But, DON'T lose hope. You could be on the brink of a miracle.

I don’t know the details of your circumstances or situation, but if you are calling on God for help this day….please hear this.
Keep on keepin’ on. You’ve got this. TAKE courage, dear ones: the fight is not over. You have not lost. You’ve made it to the Sweet Spot, where the waters are about to part. Stand firm in the Sweet Spot and in the Peace Zone and TAKE courage!

Getting Ready to be Overshadowed

Have you ever felt Holy Spirit’s presence so intensely, that you thought you could reach out and touch Him? That was me yesterday morning. I proceeded with my early morning routine: brushed my teeth, grabbed my mug of water and phone for the text message I’d send to my children later, put the fireplace on and sat in my cozy chair, opened my computer and hit the “post” button on my FB page and my blog.

This morning was very different. I sensed such closeness with the Holy Spirit that it was almost tangible. Maybe it was because I had been pondering the Advent talk I will be giving at my church next Wednesday night because when I awoke, I thought about Mary and the announcement by Gabriel that she would conceive a child and she asked: “How can this be since I am a virgin?” And Gabriel replied "'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will OVERSHADOW you.'" Luke 1:35

Suddenly, I desired to be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit too. Suddenly the matters of this world seemed so distant to me. It reminded me of an old song we sang: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.“ Not long after my sweet Holy Spirit time, I was brought back to the reality of my “To Do” list and “How can I get all this done before I leave town next week?” But, like a cowboy throwing his lasso on a steer to wrangle him in, I felt Holy Spirit pulling me back into that “sweet spot”.

Gabriel gave Mary the amazing news that she was going to give birth to the Son of God -- without knowing a man. That wasn't even believable in the natural. We can only imagine the doubt that must have bombarded her mind: "How can I have a baby without a man?” My “How” certainly paled in comparison to Mary’s “How”. When Mary answered the angel back, she didn't say, "I don't see how that can happen." No, Mary was bold. She made a statement of faith. She said, "Be it unto me even as you have said." In other words, "I'm in agreement. Let it happen. If God says I'm highly favored, I believe it. If God says the impossible is going to happen, I believe it." And, my dear FB and blog friends and family, that's the way we need to be when God puts a promise in our hearts. Instead of trying to reason it out, we have to be fully convinced that what He said, He will do.

You may have a "how" in your life right now. You may be thinking, "I believe I'm going to accomplish my dreams, but how am I going to do it?" "How am I going to get well?" "How am I going to overcome this addiction?" What the angel said to Mary is true for all of us today. He said, "Mary, here's how it's going to happen: the power of the Most High is going to come upon you and overshadow you." In other words, God is going to breathe in your direction, and supernatural things are going to happen.

How are you going to get well? The power of the Most High is going to come upon you. How are you going to accomplish your dreams? The Most High God, the Great I Am, the Creator of the universe is going to overshadow you. When God overshadows you, miracles happen. Supernatural opportunities come your way. Family members that were off course will suddenly turn around. Problems that looked permanent will turn out to be only temporary, and you will see miracles come to pass!

Today, just like Mary, let's dig our heels in and do our part. Let's get into agreement with God's Word and receive His promises and obey His commands. Let's get ready for God's Spirit to OVERSHADOW us!

Are You Living In YOUR Zone?

I love my Dallas Cowboys – have been a fan of theirs since the 1960s when they first became a franchise, but, otherwise, I’m not what you call an avid sports fan, unless the one that is playing happens to be one of my grandchildren, then I’m gung ho! I even have a t-shirt that says about my 13 year grandson “That’s my grandson OUT there!” On this trip to Austin, I said, “Oh, man! I forgot my t-shirt!” Brennan said, “Good!” I gave a pouty face and he said, “No, good, because you need to bling it out and put lights on it for the next time you wear it!” LOL! He certainly back-stroked for that quick thinking! LOL!

Have you ever been inspired as you watched an athlete play HIS GAME and you'd see him at his best, doing his best and having remarkable results? Commentators often say..."He's sure in the zone, today!"

Being "in the zone" is when someone’s actions seem effortless, almost as if they could score at will -- just a sweet spot where their confidence, talent and abilities produce winning results. I’ve seen that when my grandson is on his game – pitching no hit innings and when he batted, scoring 2-base to home runs. At times like that we know “He’s in his zone!”

The question is for those of us who are athletes or not…..”Are you living in your zone" -- that moment when you enjoy and love what you are doing so much, and are so passionate about doing it, that you don't even consider it a job or task or service project or ministry endeavor? It's just that sweet spot of "living in your zone".

I do my best to live that way. In fact, my blog is "Living in the Peace Zone". I do my best to avoid conflict or even thinking about those things that represent negativity -- thus I don't watch too much news. My weekends are when I feel the most "in the zone" when I am attending church and/or serving in church and I thank God for His many blessings to me, but I also serve as a sponsor in a discipleship class, am a Christian Retreat team member and I attend Bible Studies and meet with other people who have a sincere desire to love and serve God . It's my calling. I know it. A calling is when we are passionately using our God-given gifts in a way that pleases Him.

I know that when we find God's purpose and destiny for our lives...we begin to feel "in the zone" -- passionate about OUR GAME in life.

Have you discovered your calling? Are you living "in your zone"? If not, pray and ask God to help you find that sweet spot. In time, He’ll reveal it to you and you'll soon be "living in your zone"!

Life is Like Candy Land! It's a Sweet Spot or a Sticky Swamp!

Everyone that will read my post today will, no doubt, remember playing, at least one time or another, the "sweet" game of Candy Land. It still ranks as one of the most popular children's games in the U.S. I've played it with my kids and grandkids -- many times. The goal of the game is to make it to the end of a winding route and reach King Kandy -- but the path is very unpredictable. You pick a card and it might indicate that you can jump way ahead or you may have to go way back to the beginning. Or you might get stuck in Molasses Swamp, where you have to stay until the right cards turn up. The randomness of the cards adds to the adventure. You can be almost to the end of the adventure, but you still have to draw just the right card to reach your destination.

Though the game is truly a "game of luck", it plays very close to the real unpredicatability of our lives. One moment we might be in a state of incredible joy, but give it a couple of days, and we might face incredible disappointment. Neverthless, the reward of reaching King Kandy makes the adventure worthwhile. In this post, I'm referring to King Kandy aka Father God. No, He is not a Candy Store where we can always expect sweet delacacies, but we can trust that even in the tough times, He is directing our steps. Proverbs 16:9 "A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

I know those adventures. And, I know my faith tells me that my Lord walks the journey with me. He never promised a clear, unobstructed road, but He did promise to be with me -- even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Having Him with me, gives me joy, peace, and contentment, whether the adventures lead me to sweet treats or to yucky swamps.

God's Word (scriptures) illuminates my pathways. "His Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my pathway." Psalm 119:105. His LIGHT keeps me from going off-course. As long as I keep my focus on Him, He keeps me in peace.

So, today, if you find yourself depressed, sad, afraid, doubting because you're hanging out in places of darkness -- I lovingly encourage you to move toward THE LIGHT. Let God fill your heart and home with His light. Let Him eliminate the sources of darkness. I promise you…..you’ll find the SWEET SPOT. Then you'll live in Candy Land's home SWEET home everyday!
— feeling peaceful.

Faith Talk

Yesterday I posted "Keep your words soft and sweet....because tomorrow you might have to eat them". That is so true, and to take it a step further.... keeping our words positive and encouraging is equally as important to us and to others. People often ask me "What's the secret to all that energy and enthusiasm you have?" The answer is "Faith Talk". I practice it regularly. Actually, like others, there's always reasons to complain, be discontented, to worry, to feel rejected, misunderstood, or to be sad. But, oh my goodness, there's so many more reasons to turn those negative thoughts and words on their heels, and replace them with those affirmative, positive, life-changing words that have the potential of altering the course of my day, my family and friends' day, too. Our words become thoughts, thoughts become actions AND attitude.

The words we use, whether it’s when speaking with others or the self talk that we say to ourself, impact our thoughts and our thoughts greatly affect our actions. And when we take that one step further, we’re reminded that our actions become our habits. In other words, our habits begin with our self talk and what we say to others.

Choosing "Faith Talk" over "I Can't" talk moves us into a "sweet spot" that draws good things to us. And, it's just not the "talk", it's the walk -- the walk of confidence, joy, energy, enthusiasm and the I CAN attitude. I know in my life, this has been the case. It's the kind of talk that says things like "God is bigger AND I’m bigger than this obstacle.” It's almost like being plugged into an energy machine when we talk this talk. It puts a spring in our step. We see sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, we'll live in the month of May. Hmmm....I'm singing "My Girl" -- LOL!

Seriously, I know from experience how powerful our words can be, and I also know from experience, that our words can determine our world. Let's make a habit of speaking "Faith Words". If our mouth fills our heart with words of faith when we don't need it; then our heart will fill our mouth with words of faith when we do need it!

"For out of the abundance of his heart, a man (or woman) speaks." Luke 6:45

"The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences." Proverbs 18:21

Living in the Sweet Spot

Want to know the secret to my joy, my peace, my place of absolute contentment?

I’ll admit – “I’m in a sweet spot!” Even, the very day of the “big reveal” of my Sweetheart’s diagnosis – Stage 4 Kidney Cancer – I was enveloped in a blanket of peace. And to this very day, I know what it is to live in that peace. And, I am absolutely adamant about protecting that blanket with everything that’s within me…..and outside of me. Indeed, it is my “security” blanket.

I don’t watch horror flicks – on TV or theaters. I don’t read books that cause me to entertain thoughts of darkness, and neither do I put myself into situations that draw me into darkness, nor those “issues” that create darkness – anger, envy, strife, jealousy, sadness, grief, etc. If I find myself even getting close to those places…..I look for the closest “escape hatch” that I can find.

That’s why I, along with about 30 others who were with me, all got up and left a Broadway play that was displaying those “dark” emotions: anger, jealousy, killing a husband, cheating on a wife, and lots of cursing.

And that’s why I made a decision many years ago…..to forego Halloween. I live in the light…..why would I choose to be part of a custom that applauds the darkness? Witches, ghosts, devils, death, horror, blood, violence, skeletons, haunted houses?

I found that what we entertain, welcome, and think about is what we’ll get more of. And my greatest LIGHT source – is God’s Word. That’s why the scriptures are so vital to me – they’re my absolute Statements of Faith, Peace, Comfort and Joy -- Isaiah 26:3 ”You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” And, Philippians 4:8-9 “...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (words of St. Paul)

So, today, if you find yourself depressed, sad, afraid, doubting -- those places of darkness -- I lovingly encourage you to move toward THE LIGHT. Put light in your heart and home by eliminating the sources of darkness. I promise you…..you’ll find the SWEET SPOT…..where I live! There’s nothing like it! It’s Candyland everyday!
— feeling peaceful.