Lesson From a Dixie Cup

Last night at New Hope's Thanksgiving Eve service we sat around tables and took communion "family-style". On the table sat a large cup of juice, which was to be poured into Dixie cups for each person to partake of. If I had been the one to fill the cups, I would have poured just a little juice into each one - just enough to taste. But my brother who sat at our table and filled my cup is a big dude...he filled it all the way to the top! To him this might have been a mere swallow. But for me, this was the biggest communion cup I had ever seen! As I sat there gulping down my communion and remembering my Lord, I felt Him say "Drink deeply".

How often do we just take sips of Jesus? Maybe we only drink enough to keep us going and get us through the day. But to be filled - filled enough to overflow onto others - we need to drink deeply. And this means spending time with the One whose well never runs dry.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I give thanks to a living God who can speak to me through whatever means He chooses - even a little Dixie cup. May His name be praised.

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" - Jesus

God is in Control

I remember hearing about the death of Steven Curtis Chapman's adopted daughter a few years ago. She got struck by a car, which was driven by her brother, in their driveway. I wonder how people can get past such tragedy, how hope and faith are able to rise through such sadness. In the midst of his struggle Steven has written an album called "Beauty Will Rise". The following is one song from that album with a message we can all relate to. Even in the midst of our pain and confusion, God is still in control and worthy of our praise.

The End of a Season

Life is full of many seasons. As it's getting ready to transition from fall to winter, there is another season change happening in my life that is bittersweet. I am now reflecting and celebrating what has been, while at the same time looking forward to what is to come.

Very soon after moving to Loudonville in 2001 Jeremy and I joined a couples small group and have been a part of one ever since. We connected with our first group after visiting a church in Ashland. Even though we were still "church shopping" this group took us in, became our friends, and celebrated important milestones with us, such as the birth of our first child. After a few years we had found a church home and decided to lead a group of our own for the Purpose-Driven Life study our church was promoting, which led to another study on marriage. Then we took a year off from leading to participate in a couples group in Perrysville. And finally, back to leading a group of our own for the last few years. A couples small group was just what we needed during this time in our lives. We were able to fellowship and make great friendships...in fact most of our close friends have been in a small group with us at some point. And I was able to grow in my leadership by pushing through feelings of inadequacy and trusting God.

While my passion for small groups is still strong, I believe God is leading me away from the couples small group and leading me toward a womans small group for my spiritual growth. And unfortunately my schedule doesn't allow time for both. I've been feeling this for some time but have been struggling with the when's and how's to step down from the leadership position I was in. Monday will be our last official small group night. It's so hard to step away, yet I know that is what is being asked of me. I will miss the regular fellowship with the couples who I consider to be part of my family, yet I know our friendships will remain.

So I look forward to a new season...not quite sure what to expect...but trusting that it is exactly what I need. (Heads up Kim, I might be coming your way!)

Simple Pleasures

I love when my kids remind me of the simple pleasures of life...

Love is Patient

Love is patient. And I am not.

God was patient with me and continually showed me His grace when I was searching for the truth. And he continues to be patient with me as I stumble through this life and seek affirmation in all the wrong places. He waits for me to bring my burdens to Him and submit to His will for my life.

My husband won his way into my heart by being patient with me. He was content just being my friend until I came to the realization that he was the man God had chosen for me. He is patient with me still as I learn how to fulfill the great responsibility of being a wife and mother.

Yet patience is something I lack. I’ve heard the analogy many times that as Christians our job is to plant the seeds and God’s job is to grow them. Well I feel like I’ve done so much planting and I’m discouraged because I never see the growth. Am I a poor planter? Or am I just not being patient enough to allow God to do His work? Just once I want to know that I’ve been used to change someone's life for eternity. There are so many people that my heart just aches for. I want them to know the peace and joy that I have found. I know God loves them way more than I do and is working His plan, but I want to SEE it! Is that selfish? I imagine God patiently waiting for these children of His to turn around and run to Him. But I am not as patient.

Father, fill me with YOUR love for your people. Inspire me to show that love wherever I am and to patiently wait for you to grow any seeds that are planted. Also grant me patience for the work that you are doing in MY life that seems painstakingly slow at times as well. Thank you for being patient with me~

Honoring Your Word

One of my favorite lines from Shrek 2 is spoken after Shrek drinks the magic potion to make himself handsome and finds he needs new clothes to wear. After stealing two noblemen's clothes he declares to them "Thank you, gentlemen! Someday I will repay you...unless of course I can't find you, or if I forget." What makes it so funny is that he states out loud what is all too common reality. There are a few people I know who I can trust to follow through on what they say. If they tell me they will pray, I know they will do it. If they say they will show up somewhere, they will be there. But then there are so many others I know who may or may not do what they have said. Maybe they intend to, but for whatever reason it doesn't happen. Are you faithful to do what you say you will do?

And I always find it odd when people are sworn in or put under oath by placing their hand on the Bible. Doesn't God hear the words that come forth from our lips all the time? What difference should a hand on a Bible make? Here's what Jesus had to say about that..."You're hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say "If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that's nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that's serious." What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: "If you shake hands on a promise, that's nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that's serious?" What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you accountable regardless" Matthew 23:16-22 The Message

Although I'm not perfect, I place high value on following through on my word. I don't need to make promises or offer reassurances. My friends know if I say I'm going to do something, it's done. And I expect the same from them. What would your friends say about you?

Woman of 25,000 Words

I recently read that research shows the average woman speaks close to 25,000 words each day compared to the average man's 10,000. Gary Smalley concludes that women have a need to connect through words and men simply don't have a need to talk as much. He gave this example, which I could easily relate to..."When the husband comes home in the evening, he's already spent his 10,000 words at work and has no energy left for communication. The wife, on the other hand, may be home with the children all day, and she is just warming up because she's got to get in her 25,000 words with an adult before sundown!" That's how I feel sometimes after being at home with the kids all day...I can't wait for Jeremy to walk in the door so I can tell him everything I've thought about all day long :) That's why having some close female friends to chat with (or email) during the day can be so helpful. Women simply need to communicate.

Then another passage in this book caught my eye...this one is for you husbands. "Start talking. She needs to talk. It's necessary to her happiness, her security, and even to her health. Whether you want to talk doesn't matter. If you love her you will want to meet her deepest needs. Start talking and make sure you are truly engaged in the process, not merely mouthing words from a sense of duty...If you withdraw into your own comfortable silence, the enemy is sure to fill the communication gap and talk to your wife. She will lie awake at night wanting so much to understand your heart that words will come into her mind to express what she thinks you are thinking." And the stuff the enemy has to say is never good, or true. (I Promise by Gary Smalley)

My husband does a great job of listening to me when I simply need to talk. But on days that he is busy with other responsibilities, I am thankful for my girlfriends and my man Jesus, who frequently fill in the gap so that the enemy doesn't get the chance.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life - Proverbs 4:23