Bananas & a Bright Idea

A few days ago, my cousin, who lives just a few blocks from me, came over for technology help. I’d like to think that I was the tech-guru that she thought I was, but after an hour of trying to figure out the problem on her phone, I admitted I was at wits’ end. I was baffled and disappointed for both of us.

Earlier in the day, I was at Sam’s and purchased their 3-pounds-for-$1.28 bananas. After Mary Ellen left, I saw the bananas on my counter. I knew I wouldn't eat them all, so I decided to take some over to her and her husband. All of a sudden, I had a bright idea about that phone issue. With bananas in hand, I went to their home and put the idea to task. In just a few minutes, problem solved and all their electronic devices were in-sync. We shouted “Hallelujah” and "happy" danced!

The dance wasn’t for me. It was for He, Who gave me the insight. I knew I had tapped into my power source -- my divine Know-it-All. My ability couldn't get the job done, but the answer came from He Whose ability is unlimited. I believe the Holy Spirit, the One Who Jesus said would come to take His place because He had to go away (John 16:7) was where the answer for this dilemma came from. Holy Spirit has the answer to everything. Here's how I explain it. When the power company comes and hooks up electricity to our home, they don't come in and turn the lights on for us. That's our job. The power is there -- ready for us to flip the switches.

And in a similar way, we were hooked up to the Holy Spirit when we believed and received Christ. He imparted power to us to not only be able to tap into God's wisdom and understanding, but when we "turn on the switch", He gives us power to overcome the enemy’s tactics. He lives in us. But, we have to "turn on the lights" -- rather we acknowledge that He is our helper, our counselor, our comforter, and our peace. AND, He knows everything about everything, so we tap into His wisdom that is way beyond our grade level and experience.

May we power-up and be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to radically transform us from weak, fearful, anxious and timid believers to empowered people of love, hope, boldness, and courage, with the bonus of getting wisdom from our divine Know-it-All. We just have to flip the switch of faith in His "bright ideas"!

I’ll Take a Cloud…or Two

This day a year ago I was all caught up in gratitude for the rain, cooler temperatures and the Fall season that was in the air. I spent the day getting my Fall décor out and turning my home into a place of pumpkin spice aromas and colors of oranges, yellows and browns. But, not this year. It seems Summer doesn’t want to give way just yet! So, as in the title of this blog – I’ll take a cloud or two that gets this Fall party started.

But, actually, I’m not moving in that direction with this post. I’m thinking of the “cloud” that went ahead of the Israelite wilderness wanderers. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way …” (Exodus 13:21). I’m big on putting my faith and trust in the Unseen God. But, there are just some days when a cloud or two would be awesome in pointing the way for me. Perhaps you’re like me and you could sure use some reinforcement on some difficult decisions you and your family are making. I spend a lot of time searching for supportive Scriptures and always hope to glean a definitive, holy answer to my questions. I stay alert for any trace of God speaking. I want to hear His voice loud and clear. I look for patterns in things I read or heard. And, continually, I seek precise affirmation in the choices I am leaning toward.

It’s easy during those times of waiting, seeking, and knocking for our thoughts to run rampant. “What if I make a wrong decision? What if I thought I heard God’s voice, but instead it was just my own emotions or feelings controlling my thoughts? Is it too much to ask for a blinking neon arrow dropped down from Heaven to point the way?”

Instead of allowing frustration and angst to overwhelm us, maybe it’s time to chill – relax and stop trying to figure everything out. Maybe the better thing is to stop looking and listening for a blaring answer from God – and to simply ease into a place of “coming into His presence with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise” (Psalm 95:2) – to simply sit at His feet and indulge ourselves in Him. Praying for wisdom, clarity and guidance about how to move forward. Praying for peace and hope to fill our hearts and minds — leaving no room for confusion and negative thoughts. Praying that decision-making would be an extension of our faith, not an exhaustion of our efforts.

That "cloud" phenomenon guided the Israelites during the daytime. We could sure use a holy cloud to guide us, Lord! But, instead of a cloud, we have cloudy minds and we worry we’ll make wrong decisions or we can’t even make a decision at all. We also feel lost in the wilderness, If they would have trusted more and complained less, the direct path would have been only an eleven-days journey instead of their 40-years journey. Hearing that makes my thoughts become less cloudy and I rest in knowing God is our guide. If we walk down the right path, God is there with us. If we take a wrong turn, He is still there, redirecting us, guiding us and leading us out of the wilderness. In fact, He may take us down the most difficult journey, with full intention of growing our faith along the way.

We may not have a cloud we can see with our eyes, but we can trust God is always leading the way. God may lead us into the wilderness, and He may even guide us there to camp for a while, but He will never leave us there. Regardless of the decisions we make, we’ll never be on any path alone.

Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Floccinaucinihilipilification – Our Words Matter!

Our words matter but does the word, floccinaucinihilipilification, one of the longest words in the dictionary, really matter? I can’t say that I’ll ever use it in a talk, but it brought me inspiration for today’s post. It came up randomly in a pop-up advertisement. It intrigued me and I even looked up its origin. Back in the eighteenth century, Eton College had a grammar book which listed a set of words from Latin which all meant "something of little or no value". In order, those were flocci, nauci, nihili, and pili (which sound like four of the seven dwarves). "Fication" was tagged on at the end and now it means the “action or habit of estimating as worthless or no value.” That, my friends, is a word that no one should ever speak over you because you and YOUR words have great worth and great value when they are especially God’s words flowing through you.

We do matter and so do the words we speak. I’ve been given words of life and I pay attention to others to pay it forward and offer them words of life. When I saw a couple of dear friends going through some challenging times, I knew I needed to encourage them. I paid attention and I wanted to help them use the RIGHT words that will help produce a harvest of blessings. Oftentimes our words of negativity can be what digs up the seeds of faith and hope that we’ve planted. So, when the pressure comes, it is vitally important to use faith-filled words of hope and expectation.

As I read the Bible, I fall more and more in love with Jesus. He noticed people and usually they were the people that others overlooked -- the rejected, the outcasts, the crippled, the thirsty, the broken and the sick. He cared about them and often went out of His way to speak to them. He paid attention them. He gave them His voice. Sometimes He would have detailed conversation with strangers like the Samaritan woman at the well. He gave her words of life, and because He did, she brought truth to an entire village. Many were saved because she received words of life. And, she gave words of life.

You, and your words, may be the exact, one-of-a-kind expression of God’s love someone needs today. It doesn’t matter how loud your voice is. What matters is using the one He gave you. It doesn’t matter how much speaking experience you have or how many Bible verses you know. What matters is you caring and sharing your own unique story of God’s amazing grace and how you made it through your own set of challenging situations.

You are positioned within your family, friendships and community to offer something only you can. Offer your voice. Offer words of life to someone today. Be a life giver. That’s all God asks us to do. When we step out in faith and trust that He is speaking through us to others, lives change. All we need to do is watch and listen for the right moment to us words of life to change a life!

Hearing God’s Voice is a Hot Topic

Wikipedia defines GOD’S VOICE as: The voice of God, in Judaism and Christianity, is a "heavenly or divine voice which proclaims God's will or judgment."

No doubt, by now, I'm sure you’ve heard “The View’s” co-host Joy Behar’s inconceivable words about Vice President Mike Pence’s faith. “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you… that’s called mental illness … hearing voices,” she said. I was motivated to write this post because Joy Behar got it all wrong, because, apparently, she doesn’t know or recognize God’s voice.

Apparently, Behar's mocking of Christianity as a mental illness alarmed other Christians as well. Over 25,000 people had called ABC by early Monday morning to complain about that “The View” segment.

When she said those words, she displayed her lack of knowledge about the God I know AND have heard daily. In fact, He's my foreign AND domestic correspondent that gives me advice for my daily blogs and FB posts. In my daily walk with God, He tells me all kinds of stuff. No, a mighty voice does not boom down from on high. His voice is subtle -- almost imperceptible -- and I can't hear it unless I'm really listening. Sometimes the voice comes as a gut feeling -- other times I may read and hear His voice in scripture. I may encounter a solution to a dilemma by a billboard or something a friend says. His voice comes to everyone who seeks His counsel. The voice of God can even be heard in times of challenges. If we don't get something that we really want, maybe God's trying to tell us why and that He has something better in mind for us. Maybe we'd better listen. If we stop to listen to God, those who ask His counsel -- those who really want to know -- will receive messages and advice from the Creator. Those who will not listen, will hear nothing -- at least, nothing from God. But if we are hearing God, we can implement His recommendations with confidence. It will be the best advice we'll ever get.

"Can you hear me?" Those are words that I know our Heavenly Father must say to us time and time again, but we're so caught up in the "noise" going on in our lives -- the TV, cell phone, radio, computer, social media, overburdened with to do's, and thinking about everything except for tuning in to the Master Speaker frequency in our lives. How often God must say to me, "Donna, do you hear Me?" And, my mind is everywhere except for keeping my ears open to His voice.

Like our kids, many times we do hear, but we're just not obeying. In fact, we may be as guilty as our kids are when we've told them time and time again to do something.....and they totally act like they never heard us. And, so often, the things we say to our children are the very things God wants us, His children,to hear:
“Be still.” “I’m the parent and you're the child -- that's why!" “If you'd paid attention to me, you would have avoided that mess.” “Trust Me. I know what's best for you.”

I have some really good news for Joy Behar, the media and for us.....we CAN hear God's voice, if we listen. The Bible, God's love letter to mankind, makes it clear that we were created to have two-way communication with Him. Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

I pray for you and I today: "Dear God, help us to listen carefully to what You have to say to us. Please help us to be first-timers -- first responders to YOUR voice. Amid all the craziness of this big world and the busyness in our own little worlds, may we tune in to YOUR frequency, your voice -- whether it's your still, small voice or your obvious loud and clear voice -- not eventually, but immediately! Thank you for your patience as our loving Father! Amen.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Can You Hear Me Now?
Remember Maxwell Smart in the "Get Smart" series -- speaking into his shoe "Can you hear me?" And that line is also from the cell phone commercial that indicates bad cell coverage. But, I wonder how many times we've used that line with our kids.

"I said for the 3rd, 4th and 5th time......
'Did you clean your room?'"
"Did you do your homework?"
"Did you take out the trash?"
"Did you empty the dishwasher?"

Like most mothers, I had my "Can you hear me?" I sounded like a broken record. Eventually, the words became, "What part of what I'm asking is unclear?" "Are you listening to me?" "Learning responsibility is a good thing."

The point I'm making in this post is the "Can you hear me?" Those are words that I know our Father God must say to us time and time again, but we're so encumbered by so much "noise" going on in our lives -- the TV, telephone, radio, computer, social media, overburdened with to do's, and thinking about everything except for tuning in to the Master Speaker in our lives. How often God must say to me, "Donna, are you listening to Me?" And, my mind is everywhere except for keeping my ears open to His voice.

The fact is, we haven't been listening. And, like our kids many times, oh, we hear, but we're just not obeying. In fact, we may be as guilty as our kids are when we've told them time and time again to do something.....and they totally act like they never heard it.

So often, the things we say to our children are the very things God wants us — His children — to hear:
“Be still.”
“I’m the parent and you're the child -- that's why!"
“If you had paid attention to me, you would have avoided that mess.”
“Please, just trust Me. I know what's best for you.”

I have some really good news for us.....we CAN hear God's voice. The Bible, God's love letter to mankind, makes it clear that we were created to have two-way communication with Him. Jesus tells us in John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

Oh, I'm definitely hearing His voice these days. He's asking me to be still and wait on His timing. He's asking me to trust and know that He is God. And, more than anything else, God wants us to hear that He loves us.

My prayer for you and I today is: "Dear God, help us to listen carefully to what You have to say to us. Like we desire from OUR children, help us to hear and respond the first time you call on us with obedience and joy. Please help us to be first-timers -- first responders to YOUR voice. Amid all the craziness of this world and the busyness in our own little worlds, may we tune in to YOUR frequency, your voice -- whether it's your still, small voice or your obvious loud and clear voice.....not eventually, but immediately! Thank you for your patience as our loving Father! Amen.

Only Listen to the RIGHT Voices!

I did my flight training at a small airport in Cleveland, OK. Getting my pilot’s license was my husband’s idea. Since we often flew cross country with our children on board, he felt it important that I should, at least be able to land the plane….just in case the unthinkable happened to him. He was an extremely conscientious pilot, so very thorough, and did everything according to flight regulations. He took no chances. I think he was prouder for me than I was of myself when I did my first solo flight. My instructor was the best around, and it was easy to listen and follow any instructions he gave me. He’d coach me when flying with me, and, from the radio while I would be performing a solo flight. On one of my “touch and go” training days (that’s when you repetitively land the plane and take off again), my husband got on the airport radio (mind you, this was a very small airport) and was pressing upon me to use flaps (they’re on the wings of the plane and they increase the angle of descent for landing, and they slow the aircraft down). Not having practiced landing with flaps without my instructor, I was uneasy about going for it, but I did. And, listening to the WRONG voice coach me, I didn’t account for the slower speed and I barely landed on the runway, AND I took out several runway lights along the way. Thanks be to God, the plane and I survived, but not without incident. Though gentle, my instructor scolded me for listening to a voice, other than his. He knew what I was capable of handling and what I had been adequately trained for, and a landing using full flaps wasn’t one of them.

We have to do much the same thing where the voice of God is concerned. If I’m going to follow the instructions He gave in Proverbs 4:20 “My son (or daughter), attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings”, I must always be tuned in to what He’s saying to me. I must be continually listening for HIS words…..and none other. In life, just as in the cockpit, that’s not always easy. There are all kinds of voices out there making a lot of noise. But I’m determined not to let them distract me, because God’s voice is the only one I really need to hear. His words are the only ones that can provide a beautiful and abundant life,,,,,and a perfect landing. Other voices can lead me to destruction – His voice is the one to follow!

His Sheep Listen to His Voice

Funny cartoon -- but, the message is clear and VERY real to our lives. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" (John 10:27) . Wonder if He had in mind how difficult "listening for His voice" would be in 2014? And, more than ever, we really need to hear His voice. We need His wisdom, comfort, guidance, peace, and direction. Of course, we long to hear His voice, but in the busy-ness, the clamor and the many, many activities and distractions of everyday life, oftentimes, we may be hard-pressed to find that quiet PLACE where we can go for solace, rest and peace, and hear the voice of our Shepherd. And, even when we manage to find that place, "noise" -- our cell phones, iPods, radios, computers, TV, etc. -- keeps us distracted from hearing our Shepherd's voice.

Seems that it's time to find that place where His voice comes through loud and clear to us. Oh, He has that place -- and we can find it, but it's up to us, to disregard the distractions to "Be still -- to hear and know our God." And, I'm not referring to a far off island in the middle of no-where. It's possible to find that place, if only for a few minutes in our day, to "Come away with Him"!

What if everything we're needing -- the decisions we need to make, like, what job should we take; what school our kids should go to; what diet or fitness routine we should be on; what part of town we should live in, etc. All of these answers, and more, are found and answered by our Shepherd -- He Who knows everything about everything. After all, if...."The Lord is my Shepherd, He promised, I would never want......", then maybe we need to "tune-in" to our Shepherd, and "tune-out" what's NOT!

Seize the Moments

I'm loving this season of my life, and I’m doing my best to seize the moments, and most of all, to live with no regrets. You'll see me with my phone in hand -- not so much to answer a call, but to be ready to "capture that moment" so that I "have no regrets" about that once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity. That's why you'll see photos of trees or sunsets or my grandkids or my friends or the kids' choir at church, or someone being baptized, that I'ved captured on camera. And, I love surprising my friends with photos that I've taken -- especially when they had no idea I captured the moment for them.

And, rarely do I miss the opportunity to take up a friend's invitation to go somewhere or do something with them. I do my best to listen for God's voice telling me to call or email or text someone, or even go see someone to give a word of good news and cheer. Seizing the moments. Life is just too short not to be that breath of fresh air that someone needs so much.

Oftentimes, it’s quite easy to say “I’m too tired or too busy to go there or to do that.” But, then we realize the fun we missed, or the opportunity we missed to make a difference in our life and someone else's life.

Are you seizing those moments, minutes, days of YOUR life? We are here at this place, and this moment of time, for a specific purpose that God gave for only us to fulfill. Let's be done with just going with the flow.....and let's live ALL IN! Let's look for those moments in this day.....that are over-the-top outrageous, once-in-a-lifetime moments, so that tomorrow, we'll look back and say, "I lived with NO REGRETS!"

Can You Hear Me Now?

God is calling....."Can you hear me now?", He says.
I have this really awesome connection with God. He walks with me and talks with me. And, He tells me all kinds of things I need to hear and know. No, a booming voice does not call down from on high, and there's no handwriting on the wall. His voice is subtle -- almost imperceptible -- and I don't hear it unless I'm really listening. Sometimes the voice comes as a feeling or a knowing deep inside. Other times I may read the answer in scripture or I may encounter a solution to a dilemma by something a friend or minister or pastor says. His voice comes to everyone who asks and listens for Him. Oftentimes, the noise, activity, and loud voices of others tend to drown out His voice. But, we'll always be able to tell which voice is His -- it's that One that comes with love, peace, joy and comfort. If the voices you're hearing aren't like that, they're not His voice. If we don't get the answer we want, at the time we want, God might be saying "Not now" or "No" or "I've got something better in mind for you." Bottom line, He promises to speak to us -- but we have to be listening. "Call to me and I will answer you and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3. Keep listening. The next time He says "Can you hear me now?" you'll hear Him, and you'll answer, "Yes, Lord, LOUD and CLEAR!"