Juggling Life's Demands with Grace, Part 5 This has been one of those difficult weeks for me when you are forced to face loss and pain for those you love. I'm sure that many of you have also experienced such times in your own life. When I think back on all that has happened in just a few short days, I'm stunned at the way life can sometimes crash in on you. In recent days I've conducted the music for the funeral of a dear friend and mentor. Her input in my life was rich and deep. It's a loss that I'm sure I will feel even more deeply in days to come as I miss her presence here on earth. Last Friday I sent a birthday basket of flowers to my kind and beautiful cousin in Maine. It will be her last. Cancer has invaded her brain. She has fought it for years. She is only in her 60's and will be going home to Jesus soon. I've learned much from observing her life despite the miles apart that we lived. Family is so important to her. She always loved pictures and stories of what was happening in everyone's lives. During our visit last summer we poured over old family photos and listened to my mom tell stories about the people she grew up with. I marvel now at my cousin's strength as I have learned that she knew even then what lay ahead. And most recently one of my dearest friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is so shocking to hear the news that someone you love so deeply must walk through such pain. I cry out to God for mercy and healing, grace and comfort in the lives of this family that I love so much and who have loved my family so beautifully and generously through the years. I am believing in God's faithfulness and the power of His healing grace, but it is difficult to watch those we love face such trials. All of this has left me longing to spend my days well. To cherish all the moments we have with precious family and friends. To learn how to love well. To slow down and savor time together. To be a true friend. This week when I thought my heart would break in two, I went to Sherry's house and just cried and prayed with her. There were many things heavy on my heart even beyond the burden that I carried for family and friends. When the circumstances in our lives call for strength and resources that are beyond us a ,true friend is what we need. She listened and got on her knees with me in prayer. A true friend is willing to sacrifice, to give to us when the giving costs. I want to be that kind of friend. I believe that one of the ways God loves us is through our friends. He knew that we would need someone in our lives to share our deepest hopes and dreams, someone to share thoughts, laughter and tears. Someone who accepts us as we are, but is willing to gently encourage us to be more. Someone who keeps our hope alive, who brightens the days when we feel overwhelmed or discouraged. Someone who helps us see what is beautiful in life and leaves an imprint on the depths of our souls. My life has been richly blessed with such friends. Do you have that kind of friend? If not, pray for the Lord to give you one. Are you that kind of friend? The Father can teach us how. Take some time in the days ahead and ask the Lord to show you how you can be a friend to someone He has brought into your life. The Lord weaves our lives together for a purpose. It could be to meet a need that your friend has. It could be that friend will be the one who will help to shape you more and more into the image of Christ as he or she speaks words of truth and love into your heart. Is there someone in your life who has made sacrifices in order to love you? How could you thank them? Write a note. Make a call. Leave a little "love" gift of encouragement at their door. Maybe you know someone who needs a friend right now. Perhaps you could meet for a cup of coffee and just listen. Pray together. We don't have to know all the answers or how to "fix" it. We simply need to seek the One who does.  A little "love" gift from a friend left at my door this week to encourage me! "No price can be placed upon friends who stay with us through absolutely everything. When most people become weary from listening to our troubles, a friend keeps asking, "How are you ---really?" When trials make us brittle and dismal, a friend continues to open her heart and let us in." Ruth Calkin Take a few moments and thank God for some of the friends He has brought into your life through the years. What unique gifts did they bring you? What faith lessons did you learn from how they sacrificially loved you?  Ultimately, God uses the love of friendship to lead us to the love of Jesus. Friendship with the Father is the greatest gift we can ever receive for it will lead us into deeper relationship with the One who is always with us in love and understanding… the One who knows us more intimately and tenderly than anyone else ever could…. the One with grace to meet every challenge we face in our days on earth. "The great danger facing all of us...is not that we shall make an absolute failure of life, nor that we shall fall into outright viciousness, nor that we shall be terribly unhappy, nor that we shall feel that life has no meaning at all...The danger is that we may fail to perceive life’s greatest meaning, fall short of its highest good, miss its deepest and most abiding happiness, be unable to render the most needed service, be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of the Presence of God—and be content to have it so—that is the danger. That someday we may wake up and find that always we have been busy with the husks and trappings of life–and have really missed life itself. That is what one prays one’s friends may be spared—satisfaction with a life that falls short of the best, that has in it no tingle and thrill which comes from a friendship with the Father." Phillips Brooks As we seek to discover how to juggle the demands of life with God's grace, it is often the gift of friendship that will help to sustain us, carry us and guide us in His purpose for each day. It is my prayer that I can be the kind of friend that always leads the ones I love into a deeper friendship with the Father. It often takes time, sacrifice, love and sometimes great courage. But through it all our lives are richer, our joy is deeper, and our faith is stronger because the Father chose to weave our lives together in friendship and we chose to offer our love to another. Spend a few moments in prayer and ask the Father how you can minister to a friend or family member in your life this week. Let's celebrate the special people in our lives and cherish the moments together! Grateful for the gift of friendship in my life, Kathy  If you would like to receive the "Monday Musings" RESTORE blog each week via email, please sign up and enter your email address in the upper right hand corner.
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 I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some color outside and warm sunshine! The gray and brown mixed with a few splashes of blue sky and white clouds help break up the dreary monotony, but I need more! Every now and then, I get a glimpse of green leaves or the purple and yellow pansies along the curbside of the fast food chain. Thank God for fast food…as least they budget for beauty! First of all, if you live in the north, please accept my apologies for being grumpy about the weather because I know yours isn’t that great either! And if you live south of the boarder, please know that I am envious of your beautiful palms and forever blooming plants and flowers! I promise to adjust my attitude and will work hard on being content in season and out of season! Living in Louisiana has its pleasures and rewards, but one doesn’t really know how to dress…depending upon the weather. It’s a real roller coaster ride here with highs and lows.  I just had the fortunate opportunity to travel this past week with my husband, Brian, to Sun Valley! You may know it as Phoenix, Arizona. Although the sun was shining, it was still chilly outside. My time there however was not spent in the sun! Attending a National Conference left little time for exploration...so I was basically cooped up inside the whole time. All in all, I enjoyed meeting new people and learning more about running a business. I’m home now and getting cabin fever. The sun is shining and it is chilly and windy. I don’t really mind the cold but what I’ve been missing is the chance to be in the sun! I need light! Some people actually suffer from winter depression – known as “seasonal affective disorder” (SAD) from a lack of light. Research has shown that replacing bright light will affect your mood. Alfred Lewy, MD, a seasonal affective disorder researcher at the Oregon Health & Science University, says it's not only a matter of getting light, but also getting it at the right time. "The most important time to get light is in the morning," he says.  Now, I have to be honest with you and tell you that I am writing this blog on Friday and there is not much time over the weekend for me to write. Actually, I emailed Kathy this morning asking her to pray that I would hear a direction from the Lord about what to write. In our email conversation I encouraged her to get outside and walk around in the sunshine because I’m sure we are missing our vitamin D! I didn’t think anything about it until later that morning. I was feeling extremely antsy inside the house and convinced myself that I needed to go for a drive… in the sun! During my drive around town and stopping at a few “eye candy” shops for color to look at, the sun shone on my skin and my brain was exposed to colorful beauty that seemed to help my antsy state. When I realized what I was doing by trying to feel better by the suns rays, I began to hear from the Lord about “the sun.” The Holy Spirit also softly scolded me for looking elsewhere for satisfaction…. Here is a list of what He gave me:
Proverbs 8:17 “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Psalms 107: 9 “For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
There is also another bible character whose face was like the face of an angel. Stephen! Acts 6: 8-15. John Macarthur, Jr. wrote a book on Stephen: A Profile of Courage. Part IV is titled “His Countenance.” In the midst of Stephen’s troubles and persecution, there was a holy glow on his face. This is another good read. It is available in PDF for you to read online. http://www.gty.org/resources/study-guides/40-5101/stephen-a-profile-in-courage  Have you noticed that the sun seems brighter in the dark of winter? You and I know that the sun doesn’t really get brighter or dimmer! Once again, it has to do with the position or tilt of the earth. In the dark difficult times of life, as though walking through the valley of the shadow of death (Ps.23), look up! The sun seems brighter…closer…warmer! The Son promises to never leave you or forsake you. He doesn’t give up on you! Duet. 31:8 “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” So, if you are like me and find yourself in need of a little sunshine, turn to the real Sonshine! I’m not suggesting that there may not be a little lack of melatonin in the brain…take your vitamin D, but most often I believe, our walk with the Savior has taken a slight tilt away from the Son. We have a heart condition rather than a vitamin deficiency. So, Dr. Barron here has a solution! Take your Bible and sit in the sun; and in so doing, you will heal your heart and boost your vitamin D! Malachi 4: 2 “But for you who revere my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. So today, I plan to feed on His word and go out and frolic like a well-fed calf! How about you?! Delighting in the Son, Sherry Resource for SAD: http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/seasonal-affective-disorder  If you would like to receive the "Monday Musings" RESTORE blog each week via email, please sign up and enter your email address in the upper right hand corner.
Seek the Life of a Worshiper As we start the New Year of 2014 I thought we would continue the series we began back in October entitled Juggling Life's Demands with Grace. Up to this point in the months of October and November we looked at the following topics: Part 1 - Spend time with Jesus in His Word every day - 10/27 Part 2 - Surrender to the Holy Spirit in prayer each day - 11/10 Part 3 - Cultivate a heart of gratitude and praise - 11/24 I confess I have been putting off writing the next faith lesson because the topic is so huge, so critical to our lives as believers. It seems too much to try and cover it in a weekly blog when I've found myself through the years pouring over the vastness of the subject of Worship in Scripture. And yet as we seek to juggle the demands of life with grace, it is only when we discover what it means to have the heart of a true worshiper of Jesus that we find the true calling of our lives as believers. Everything that we do and all that we are should fall under worship as our first priority. We were created for worship. We are called to worship and glorify God with our lives. The Father is seeking worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and truth. (John 4:23) We all worship something or someone. It is our very nature. The question that we must ask is what or whom am I worshipping? What is true worship? What does it look like? Scripture is clear.  Worship is our adoring response of obedience to God. The Psalms are rich with the call to worship. What is it or who is it that you adore? What captivates you? What is the essence of beauty to your heart? God calls us to worship Him in the beauty and splendor of His holiness. "Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Psalms 29:1-2 NKJV Worship is about Jesus. His Beauty….. His Glory……. His Majesty….. His Holiness…... The very word worship in English means to ascribe worth. In Hebrew it means to bow down. In the Greek, there are two words most often used for worship. One is latreuo which means to serve or minister. The other word for worship, proskuneo, means to kiss toward or to bow down. I love the meaning of that word because it draws us to the concept of reverence combined with the intimacy of a kiss. That is our worship of Jesus. He is LORD, Beauty, Holiness to be adored in obedience and reverence. Yet He draws us close in an intimate love relationship. He is not a distant God. Our worship involves profound humility in the presence of an awesome Creator combined with the tender intimacy of a friend - all made possible by Jesus' death on the cross.  "Worship involves our attitudes (awe, reverence, respect), and actions (bowing, praising, serving). It is both subjective experience and an objective activity. Worship is not an unexpressed feeling, nor is it an empty formality. True worship is balanced and involves the mind, the emotions, and the will. It must be intelligent; it must reach deep within and be motivated by love; and it must lead to obedient actions that glorify God." Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship  Romans 12:1,2 is probably one of the most profound verses on worship in Scripture. In this verse we learn that worship is not something that we do only on Sundays in a corporate gathering, but it is a reflection of our whole lives as an offering - a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is our spiritual act of worship. It is as if we are saying, "Lord, I want to be your instrument of praise played all the moments of my days for your glory." Everything that I do, everything I say and think is to be an expression of my love for Jesus and my worship of Him. It's all only possible because of God's mercy. Worship begins because of God's mercy and God accepts our worship because of His mercy. It's His mercy, His forgiveness and kindness, and because of His sacrifice on the cross that we can even enter into His presence. "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple." Psalm 5:7 But read on... Paul urges us not to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That's the Word, written and living in our hearts. He doesn't just want to change our behavior. He wants to change the way we think and live. What you really know by heart is what your heart really knows — and what you really live. The steady beat of His Word is the only thing that gives a strong rhythm to our days. Ann Voskamp As we study and live out His Word, Jesus becomes more and more the One we adore, the Beautiful, Holy One we worship. He becomes the perfect rhythm that orders our days with grace. We learn to rest in His heartbeat no matter what life's demands may bring on any given day, and "then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will." Isn't that what we long for? To be transformed, and know His good, pleasing and perfect will. It begins with mercy and comes as we offer our lives as a living sacrifice --- in worship.  This morning, a dear friend and mentor of mine Vi Atchison went home to live with her Lord in heaven forever. She is rejoicing and worshiping in heaven. I rejoice for her, but can't imagine life in my community of believers without her. Vi is a worshiper. Now she is worshiping at the heavenly throne of Jesus. When I was a young mom she taught me about what a lifestyle of worship looks like. She modeled a life of prayer. She was faithful to pray for me, my children, my husband, our ministry. She taught me the Word in study, but also in how she lived out her life. She sang in our choir for years. Her heart soared with the love of Jesus and when you spent even a few minutes with her, you knew it. His twinkle was in her eyes. She was the fragrance and beauty of Christ to me. She taught me what a godly woman looks like. She sacrificed time and love to teach me simple things a young mom needs to know like how to have a quiet time, good recipes and how to find a bargain. (a very valuable lesson for this woman on a ministry budget with very expensive taste!) She didn't just tell me. She showed me. Her life was not easy. There were struggles in her family. She lost a daughter and battled cancer for years. Even in her struggle with cancer, she and her husband brought us a meal when my husband Ken was very ill. Her life was the essence of what it means to be a living sacrifice in worship. Her words always pointed me to Jesus, giving Him glory. In our last visit to her home, we had brought her communion because she was bedridden. She was so grateful and shared how she and a friend had often gone to bring communion to others who could not get out or go to church because of their age. She was in her 80's! I went to encourage her and left uplifted by the love of Jesus in her. I'm so grateful for the lessons learned from her life. These words come to my mind when I think of her….. Forgiveness, grace, joy, love, beauty, worshiper, faithfulness, prayer, delight, humility, perseverance, victory, hope, gratitude, Jesus….. And so, when we've studied all of our Scriptures on worship and let them take up residence in our hearts and renewed our minds, it's really how we live out our lives in worship that matters. Does your life leave the fragrance and beauty of Christ lingering where you have been? Are you willing to offer your body as a living sacrifice of praise and worship when the storms of life rage all around you? Jesus in His mercy has invited you to come and adore Him. Honor Him with your life. Don’t take His invitation for granted. It is a precious gift from God Himself. Worship Him with all your heart, soul and mind. Worship Him in the beauty of His holiness today for it is how we will spend eternity. Hallelujah!!! From the pen of William Temple; Worship is the submission of all our nature to God; it is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose ….and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” AW Tozer Seeking to be a true worshiper, Kathy  If you would like to receive the "Monday Musings" RESTORE blog each week via email, please sign up and enter your email address in the upper right hand corner.
 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1: 14 A thought hit me this past December while I was on the choir retreat preparing for the Christmas Night of Worship. I couldn't actually sing on the retreat because I was struggling with laryngitis and a terrible cough. I know I should have been paying closer attention to learning the words to the songs, but a thought kept popping into my mind and I would get distracted. Even as Ken, our choir director, led us in a brief study of the Luke 2:1-14 passage of Jesus' birth, my mind and heart traveled a different direction. I had given my choir sheep (those placed in my little care group) a small bottle of fresh flowers for their room and I had attached a card with the scripture from Jeremiah 15:16 on each one. It reads, "Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of Hosts." The thought of eating God's word…hum? It replayed as a stuck needle on a vinyl record. Then I heard him read, "…and laid him in a manger." As a beautifully twined thread, I began to combine these two strands of ideas ~ for a manger is a place for eating. My imagination soared as I envisioned the birth of my Savior and the events surrounding it. The place, the anxiety, the fear, the animals, the smell, the touch, the sounds, and the unforeseeable problems that came with the night when there was no room in the inn! My inquisitive mind began to question: Why was Jesus placed in a manger…feeding trough? I couldn't seem to get past this. Why not place baby Jesus on a bale of hay? Why not propped against or laid on a camel saddle? (My mother has one of these from Saudi Arabia and it is made of nice wool and is soft and warm!) Why not that? I began to think of other things that might be in a stable. Blankets for the backs of the stallions or donkey's upon which a saddle would rest. Why not place Him in a pile of hay with remnants of clothing to soften it and near Mary's side? Why not let others hold him for surely they traveled in a caravan with other relatives! The details of the "place" are not specific but the detail of where he is laid seems to indicate importance. There is some debate as to whether or not He was actually in a stable or in a guest room on the lower floor of an inn in which travelers stayed with their animals. Whatever it was called, it still was not a desirable place to give birth. It really wasn't the place that kept bothering me but what they chose to lay Him in. A manger! A feeding trough. A place to eat...receive food or drink…daily,... that which sustains life! The Bread of Life (Jn 6:35) and the Living Water (Jn 4:14) had become flesh that night. He had been laid in a long open wooden or stone box / trough where animals eat from! I don't think it was by chance that Mary laid Him there. He is the only one who can satisfy the hunger and thirst of our very soul. Selah! (Pause and think about that!) "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." Jn 7:37 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." Matt. 5:6 "Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst." Jn 6:35 I also found it interesting that He was born when Caesar Augustus issued the decree for a census; a time of new beginnings and a new count, people were being recognized, a new record, a new time ~ "This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria." Luke 2:2 It brings a new thought for me as I reflect on 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." Even then as a baby, He was making something new, a passage from law to grace, and a one time atonement for sin. In Revelation 21:5 , He declares yet again, "Behold I am making all things new." [These thoughts will require more study!] He is the God of new…and beginnings. As we face this new year, begin anew, set goals and take record, I urge you to stop and take census of your heart. Is Jesus there…on the throne? Have you recognized Him as the One who sustains you? Are you partaking of this Bread and Water daily? The Word has become flesh! And as Jeremiah said, Your words were found and I ate them and it was the joy and rejoicing of my heart. Jeremiah was known in the Bible as a man to whom the Word of the Lord came. Throughout Scripture, the word of the Lord continually comes to man! His desire is to commune with us; to have communication. As Abraham heard from the Lord (Gen. 22), he obeyed only knowing part of what God actually had in mind for him and Isaac. Simon Peter had to hear Jesus repeat words to him three times before he got it! (Acts 10) Jonah heard the Lord clearly and then decided to ignore and disobey. But in Jonah chapter 3:1, the word of the Lord came to him a second time and provided him a second chance. This year, I want to be certain to hear the voice of the Lord - but not stop there. I want to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. James 1:22 This past year, I asked the Lord to give me one word to help me stay focused. My word for 2013 was intentional. This year, I have asked again for another word. He has given me His specific message in this string of words found in Proverbs 16:1-4a "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its own purpose…" I have underlined words that have leapt out to me. For me, this verses means: I take action toward moving forward from a deep desire that reigns in my heart, but it is the Lord that speaks the acceptable and perfect direction or answer for my life. I think I'm on the right track but it is the Lord who examines my attitude and the thoughts behind my plan. When I entrust my works to the Lord, my plans will be established or set into motion because His plans have become mine. "It is the Lord who ultimately establishes our plans and allows them to come to fruition. Our plans and decisions ought always to be made in submission to God’s purposes for each of us, looking to Him to accomplish His will in us. Our great need is to rest in God’s sovereignty and seek to link our lives with the purposes of God. The meaning of this verse is akin to verse 9, “The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” This emphasizes that God not only has the last word, but also the soundest and best. And He has the power and authority to do it." (Keathley 2004) There is a purpose to everything that the Lord has made, tangible and intangible! There is a divine purpose for my life and yours! My personal challenge: Devote my all to the Lord, seeking His direction. Promise: Established plans! I don't really have a specific goal right now for the new year but to wait and hear from the Lord, and then, act accordingly and wait for God's plans to take root and grow…become established! How exciting! I have eaten these words and it brings joy and rejoicing! It's gonna be an exciting year discovering and developing His plan! Just as Jeremiah was known as the man to whom the word of the Lord came, I too, want to be known as the same and the one who obeyed that Word. So when you think of the manger (and I hope you think about it more often than at Christmas time), think of feasting on the Bread and Water. The Word has come. It has been spoken, it has come in flesh, it has come in written form, it has been preached and its message has been displayed by those who hear the words of the Lord. Join me this year in eating His word and digesting His plans; then, move forward - toward His perfect will that He is establishing for your life. You know it's gonna be good... for it comes from God's heart and love for you. He does all things well and...That excites me! How about you? Have a Blessed and Happy NEW Year and remember… You are what you eat! "...meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." Joshua 1:8 I can think of no greater success than to know my Lord more deeply. Staying in His word is a sure way to make that happen! Anticipating a Joyful 2014, Sherry Resource: Keathley III, J. Hampton, Resting in God's Sovereignty (Proverbs 16:1-4). Bible.org. June 8, 2004. Accessed January 3, 2014. https://bible.org/article/resting-god’s-sovereignty-proverbs-161-4  If you would like to receive the "Monday Musings" RESTORE blog each week via email, please sign up and enter your email address in the upper right hand corner.
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