“They celebrate Your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” Psalm 145:7

            The end of a school year for a teacher is beyond consuming at times. Required to attend the school’s graduating ceremony, one often has to choose between the different family members celebrating not just the same week, but more often, the same evening.

            While I looked forward to and enjoyed all the fun surrounding my grandson’s 8^th grade graduation, I missed my late cousin’s grandson’s high school celebration. I also overlooked the date my niece graduated from the University of San Diego. A late note would have to do.

            Sometimes it seems the new generation isn’t privy to cards—sending them or even acknowledging when one has been received. Still, words of encourage, words of recognition, words of connection are often the thing that opens a door to opportunity yet to come. When I finally found time to mail cards acknowledging the special achievements, I thought of I Corinthians 10:31. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

            I’ve yet to be disappointed in receiving a card from someone, and my hope is that regardless of my busyness, I’ll always look for the opportunity to invest in someone else through words of encouragement. There are many ways to celebrate others. The ending verse, Galatians 6:19, reminds me: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” With schools letting out for the summer throughout the month of June, seek an opportunity to celebrate someone else. 

We’re doing a little word association here at Daily Fast Fuel for the month of June. This week we will muse over the word BRIDE. Scripture tells us that “bride” is used to describe us for Christ, whether individually or as a whole – The Church. 

Consider this your invitation to join us every day as we write about what being a BRIDE means to us! No need to RSVP or bring gifts. We’ll hold space for you. 

“Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16)

            When was the last time you sat and literally ate something that made you joyful and delighted your spirit? What about God’s Word? While we may not “eat” it, devouring it through meditation can bring a deep delight that no circumstance can destroy.

            Jeremiah is an example of such, and has been one of my favorite Biblical heroes. Not so much because he was considered a “happy” person. Actually, he was a serious prophet so overwhelmed by the Spirit, he earned the name “He who weeps.” Yet, he had joy.

            It was chapter 31:13 that I leaned on early in my Christian walk when things became turbulent. “Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”

            I’ve been accused of not having enough joy by adults, but my nine-year-old students often tell me how fun I am. (I look for ways to bring delight) I relate to Jeremiah’s seriousness. He heard from God and took the message God wanted him to deliver to heart. Thus, the weeping. I begun my weeping for others at a young age.  And when I discovered the power of God’s word, I wept onto its pages. But weeping doesn’t always mean grief; tears also come through joy.

            Let Jesus Overwhelm You today as you spend quiet time “eating at His table.”

     12, 440. It’s mentioned that many times in the Bible. Must be important. It’s first mentioned in Ruth chapter one after Naomi’s sons were killed. “If I should say I have hope (expectation),” she told her daughters-in-law after her sons were killed in battle. (She couldn’t give them new husbands.)

            Next, a confession is made to Ezra (whose name means ‘help’) in 10:2. “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this.” The meaning here is a confidence, a gathering together—strength in numbers.

            And, most of us are familiar with the phrase, “He/she has the patience of Job.” Yet in chapter 6:11, Job answers his friend by stating, “What strength do I have, that I should hope?” Meaning: wait; be patient.

            When we skip forward to Jeremiah 17, we read a favorite in verse 7: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.” Awe: a refuge, security, and confidence.

            Finally, though, many of us find ourselves lamenting over seemingly, hopeless situations that surround us in this broken world of one blow after another. Still, in the midst of “grievously waiting,” Jeremiah, who cried out in deep despair, was able to say: “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

            Helping Other People Expect.

            I leave you with an all time favorite from Isaiah: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you," (43:2) "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength." (40:31)

I am exhausted.  Maybe you are too? When we reach this level of fatigue we can get cranky and it’s not only our body that feels the stress but our families can taste the bitterness in the air. We can be downright sour.

The important thing for me to remember is, (even though I may have had every reason to be annoyed by whomever is doing the disrespecting), I need to get a handle on it. Can you imagine if God snapped at us? “I’m too tired to deal with you today. I really have had it with your lack of appreciation for all I have done.”

Yikes.

That whole forgive-me-as-I-forgive-others come to mind!

When I find myself drowning in perceived or very real stressors I can begin to feel hopeless, so I force myself to take a break and worship God. I use a list Stormie Omartian put together in her book The Prayer That Changes Everything.  Let me share it with you.

I have hope because…

Because He is. He is here with me. He is there with you. He is everything I have ever needed, or will need. He is strong. He is patient. He is understanding. He is just. He is merciful. He is compassionate. He is wise. He is yours. He is mine. The list goes on and on. Praise Him because He is. Period.

There is no better medicine for a tired bitter heart than to recognize the One who sees it and understands why. 

You’re stuck. The walls of safety caved in. Your spouse has cancer; your teenage is cutting; your boss just laid you off. Your mind tells you to get out of bed; your heart can’t beat just yet. Friends say, “Remember, there’s always hope.” Really? Why can’t I feel it? You ask aimlessly.

This week the gals at dailyfastfuel will reflect on what life in Christ has taught us about Hope. Why do we need it? How have we seen it work in our lives? Where does it come from?

It’s not a feeling (happiness); it’s not a given (forced); but it is a Person, “For You are my Hope, O Lord God . . . By You I have been upheld from my birth.” (Psalm 72: 5&6)

“If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you . . . then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.” (Job 22:23 & 25)

            “If this . . . then that.” Consequences based on choice. No matter what comes our way—the hardships, the abuse, the things out of our control; even disease and natural disasters—we have a decision to make. Sometimes all we can decide about even the most heinous crime committed is how we handle it: what our attitude ends up being.

            I went through a gamut of emotions when I found out my daughter had a terminal illness. I’ve raised my fist at God a few times concerning the addictions of not just one son; but each of my three faces a similar “enemy” in the path of their life’s journey. And they each choose how they will handle the seemingly destructive behaviors that work to disarm them. My prayer is that their choices will bring healing and hope.

            I started in Job chapter 22 when penning this, but then a mark over 23:10 caught my attention. I had written my daughter’s name to the side indicating the choice I made when CaSondra slipped from this life into eternity. “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

            We are told in Job 22:24, “Assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, THEN the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.”

            Take the “L” out of gold and you get God. Choose to meditate on God’s word and you find out: “The ordinances of the LORD are . . . more precious than gold.” (Psalm 19:10)

I didn’t mind the long walk home from school as a ten-year-old during springtime. The field was covered in them. I picked a new bunch every day for my mom. Even though the purple wild flowers were free for me to pick, they cost me an allergic itchy rash.

            In a similar sense, just as the gift of royalty we receive as sons and daughters of the King is free, it cost Jesus unspeakable pain and suffering. And He did it for the same reason I did it: love for another. 

            Take the color (red) of the blood He willingly shed on the cross because of His great love, and mix it with the color of the blue sky under which my flowers grew, and you get purple: the color of devotion. Jesus devoted his life to providing a way for us to “be called children of God!” (1John 3:1)

            Now look at a red sky splashed up against a clear blue sky, and you witness the purple hew of heaven: promise.

            “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

            “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:29-30)

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Rom 4:25)

            Two birthdays.

            Some of us want to forget the original one as we get older. Not me. The more birthdays I celebrate, the closer I get to going home to heaven in order to reap the true celebration of my second birthday: eternity.

            Jesus provided the second one for us—not when He died on the cross, but when He rose from the grave. But death had to come first. While we are born into this life, death immediately begins. It’s in dying that eternal life exist.

            I love that it was green palm leaves laid down for the arrival of the king. Palm trees are one of those plants that stay green year round. Like a snake that sheds it’s skin in order to grow, we shed the “old man” (sin nature) in order to grow in Christ. The challenge is to stay “green” all year round. I believe we can cultivate our green-growth through the daily digesting of God’s word.

            “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Rom. 6:4)

“For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.” (Isaiah 61:1)

            “Yuk, what is that stuff?” I remember my sons asking when they touched their baby brother right after he was born.

            Vernix: Babies are covered with the white cheesy substance while inside the womb. It’s believed to soften their skin and help them “move on out” easier. Some believe it has an antibacterial property—keeping the infant pure and clean from the dirt of the world.

            Yet, have you ever noticed how much white there is in nature? From Summer stars, to Autumn mist; Winter snow, and Spring’s budding blooms. I like to think of our seasons of life being like that. We start off white: clean, new, pure in thought—just like the baby covered in protection—until we hit the streets of the world. No matter how hard we try to be kind, loving, gentle, thoughtful, and in control, the old sin nature wins over. But, only for a time.

            Just like seasons are distinct in nature and character, so are we. And, just as seasons are limited to a time, so are our struggles. Seasons go dormant until their time comes again: new, fresh, pure—as if for the first time. That’s what we can count on when we pray as King David did in Psalm 51: "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  

“At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place.” Job 37:1

            Both exited and discouraged, I slipped away from the meeting. It seemed the person I asked to back me up ended up receiving all the kudos. (Even if rightfully so.)

            I had arrived excited about being able to share my new venture with prospective clients. Being a beginner, I asked a fellow colleague to help explain the area of investing we were both involved in. Having years of experience, he answered questions with ease.

            Not that he meant to take "center stage." He’d earned it, and I invited him. So when I started to complain to God once I was back in my car, I hear and felt God’s heartbeat.

            “He may have been about the “earthly” business, but you ended up discussing heavenly precepts.”

            You see, I met a young couple and shared my love for where I work as a teacher (outside of my new venture.) They shared their mutual love for Jesus and started asking about my students. Next thing I know, a non-believer is listening in as I shared the prophetic picture a ten-year-old gave me just last week.

             “Ms. Winberry, I see a huge tree shading a small house. A builder is trying to make the house bigger but can’t by himself. I feel the Lord wants you to know that He will help build your new business.” And as God helps me, I go about doing what is natural. Just like my colleague shared intelligently about the ins and outs of private lending, I shared an aspect of God’s kingdom —with both the saved and unsaved tuned in to God’s heartbeat.  

“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you . . .” (Genesis 9:14)

            All she could see was the strike of lightning. All she could hear was the roar of thunder.  Then came the taunt: “Run, run, run! Who’s going to save you now?” The words continued to echo throughout her mind. “Where is your help? You said it would get better. HA! Come to me, my child. Come and put an end to it forever.”

            She hovered below the bathroom window as rain beat against the pane. Storms always brought back the memory of that horror—the night the invader came and stole the lives of her parents.

            “Where are you, God?” The twenty-year-old heard her voice scream. “You said you’d never leave me nor forsake me.” Boom! Another roll of the violent weather struck the earth. The girl scrambled into the bathtub like a rabbit to its hole.

            “He doesn’t care. You can’t hide. Come to me,” the haunting memory teased.

            “No!” Joyce covered her ears.

            “Jesus loves me, this I know!” The only song she remembered as a child attending Sunday school sprung up from the recesses of her mind. “The Bible tells me so.”

            Minutes later—all, (she stopped singing to listen) all was quiet. She pulled herself up and stepped over to the window. Looking for the rainbow that follows a storm, she glanced to the east. Her eyes drew toward what looked like the sun bursting through cloud mass. But, she reminded herself, the sun sets in the west!

            “No longer will they call you Deserted . . . for the Lord will take delight in you.” (Isaiah 62:4)

           

“Line upon line, line upon line. . .” (Isaiah 28:10b)

            The stretch of interstate between Redding and our state capital can be tiresome with the flatness of rice fields and barren land in between small communities. The one hidden delight is tucked away about 50 miles shy of Sacramento, especially early dawn or near dusk. It’s not just in our region this instinctive act of nature takes place, but because of the wildlife refuge, we are privy to the formation of hundreds of geese.

            How do they know to do what they do? And why do they do it? Two main reasons: it conserves their energy, and it's easy to keep track of every bird in the group.

            I think of the same thing when it comes to my walk with the Lord. When I keep up my daily time with God, I conserve energy—I don’t worry as much, blow as many “frustration” fuses, and I’m not wasting as much time on things that run me in circles, so to speak.

            The keeping track is harder to do for a lot of us with so many spiritual things available on line through social media, live-streaming, or down-loading capabilities. Why is itso important to attend church, a Bible study, home group, or any other kind of gathering with like-minded?
          Did you ever see a pelican flying with the geese? (Now there’s a sight that we over look in our wandering off.) We need our own physical formation in order to keep track of each other. Find out what the needs of the group are: who is sick and weak needing to be carried a while. Who could use travel means, food, shelter, or clothing? A hug, prayer, or a simple “how are you, today?”

            The beauty of the body of Christ comes best when we align ourselves to work together. For, “Two are better than one, . . . For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. . . And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 & 12)  Let's come together and worship in the house of the Lord this weekend. See you there! :)

“Gather the People together and I will give them water."

            “Spring up O well, within my soul. Spring up O well, and make me whole.” This much beloved song was inspired by the verse found in Numbers 21:16. God sprung up fresh, living water for His people as they journeyed throughout the wilderness.

            Everyone has a season of wandering. We often feel lost, or like we keep going in circles, wondering when we’ll make it to the finish line. Weariness depletes the adventurous hope that used to spring us into action.

            It’d been a downward decline after my mom had her first and only major surgery since giving birth to eight children over 50 years ago. She always loved getting out. But by the time she turned 80, she didn’t spring back so easily after being in the hospital for over a week. She eventually stopped attending family dinners; wasn’t interested in being out in public.

            So when I asked if she wanted me to bring her something special for her 85^th birthday, her response surprised me. “No, I want to go out to eat.”

            “You do?” I asked wanting to make sure I’d heard her correctly. “Have they fitted your dentures yet?”

            “No, but I’ve learned how to eat without teeth.”

            “Okay. Where do you want to go?”

            “The place on the river.”

            Okay then, I thought. We’re going early enough. Not too many people out for dinner at a fancy restaurant at five in the afternoon. “Lord, let our time be memorable,” I prayed as the day approached.

            Not only did it not rain as originally forecasted, the wind settled down, the temperate rose to a pleasant 75, and we chatted as mother-and-daughter like we used to do in days past. My 85-year-old mother sprung into the carefree, life-loving person she’s been known to be. Her eyes sparkled as a son, then a granddaughter, and finally a grandson called to wish her a happy birthday while she sat on the deck of a fine-dining place overlooking the famous California Sacramento River.

            If only for the evening, the Lord put the “spring” of the joy of living waters back into the drying bones of one of His faithful saints. I can’t wait to see where we spend her next birthday!

 “ ‘And when he finds it (her,) he joyfully puts (her) on his shoulders and goes home.’ ” (Luke15:5)

“Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.” I’ve loved the tune of this battle hymn since I was a young girl in grade school. Every year now, I get to revisit it as a 4^th grade teacher. I pass out the not-so-familiar-song, attempt to carry a tune long enough for them to catch on, sing through it once or twice with them, then off we go. We march to the beat of the rhythm all around our school grounds in worshipful prayer. This year we waved flags and ended in the hallways where the 5^th graders (some of my former 4^th) came out and joined in.

            Then, last week, our principal arranged to have the entire school—kindergarten through 8^th grade—surround the inside walls of the sanctuary. There was a conference going on, and we were to march around one time, stop and pray through the walls. We were to be quiet, as if it were a fire drill. Well, my beautiful songbirds couldn’t hold it in. They began to sing—not the battle hymn, but "Holy Spirit, You are Welcome Here." It was as if God had given them their own “heartbeat.” They sang and marched on quietly in one accord, led by the Spirit beating within their individual hearts.

            As I finish this up, I reflect back on the above verse from Luke and the story of the lost sheep. You may have noticed Wednesday’s post missing. Yet, we “marched on.” Our sister-writer will be back. For now, we are surrounding her with prayer in order for the unison of God’s heartbeat to bring complete peace and healing. Jesus is holding her up on His shoulders and marching on.

Remember as a small child leaning your head against a parent’s chest and settling in to the beat of their heart? Nothing soothes the spirit like the rhythmic sound: thump, thump, thump.

            Needing to hear from God this week, I thought of John 13:23—25. The apostles were dealing with a hard situation and wanted an answer. John, referred to as the Beloved, “Leaned back against Jesus, and asked him.”

            So I asked God today when I had to put little Tootsie, my son’s dog, down, why a deep, uncontrollable cry crept out of me. I wasn't that attached to her. She lived with my grandson, and her health was failing. I’ve never reacted that way when faced with the same decision concerning my own pets. Why her, Lord, I (as one of God’s beloved) asked.

            He told me it was because she was the connecting thing left here between my oldest son, my grandson, and me. My son now lives 10 hours away. Although his son lives in town, and I still see him often, it was the three of them who came weekly for dinner or a visit: Shawn, Therynn, and Tootsie. Thus, today, I needed to recline against God in order to hear his heartbeat.

            This week we will be sharing those times we’ve leaned against the chest of our Papa in order to hear the commanding, changing, or comforting sound of God’s heartbeat.

            
 “Are you crazy?’ The father, whose son lay in I.C.U. with a gunshot to his 15-year-old body, shouted over the phone. “You want me to love my enemy?” As if that were even possible, he thought before shoving his phone back into his jacket pocket.

            Thirty minutes later, this same man, pastor of a local church, wet the sheets of his only child’s bed with tears in hope of understanding. 

             “Jay,” he heard the Father’s voice well up within his heart. “Who does your son love—the most?”

            “Why, You, Lord. Ever since he was a toddler.”

            “When, and I’m not saying now, but when, he passes from this life to the next, where will he be?”

            “With You, Papa, with You.”  Pastor Jay slid to the floor next to his son’s bed.

            “Why do you preach?” Papa asked.

            “What do you mean, God? You know why. To spread the good news.”

            “Who do you preach to?”

            “The lost.” His own answer pierced his heart.

            The loud wail that came next from room 201 brought the night nurse to the door. She paused when she saw the pastor in a fetal position. She glanced past him to the monitors of his son and noticed his vitals signs were normal for the first time since he was admitted. She crept away from the intimate scene in silent prayer.

            When the teen’s father rose from the floor, he knew what he must do next. His hands shook as he dialed the number. He steadied himself in the worn leather chair and waited for an answer.

            “Mrs. Wells,” Pastor Jay began. “Can I talk to your son?” 

            Detecting her hesitation, he quickly added, “I want to tell him how much his heavenly father loves him. And,” Jay swallowed hard, “that I forgive him.”

            “And,” now his voice almost squeaked, “I love him and want to visit him when ...” 

            Before he could finish, he heard her crying. “Oh, thank you. Thank you. You don’t know what this means.”

            Even though the connection went dead, the peace of 1John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us,” filled both their rooms.  

            (Certainly not a funny measurement, but a divinely one of God’s perfect love for each and everyone of us.)

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35)

         We are told in Matthew 10:22, “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” I remember feeling that one particular time as a new believer. I was so excited about my newfound love for Christ and His word. My oldest brother (I have five) was going through some difficult times, so I naturally bombed him with scripture. In my zealousness, (I realized later) my brother came to hate my preaching perhaps more than the Savior I thought I was sharing.

         We lived 12 hours apart, so when he told me in a letter, “I don’t want to hear any more of your gosh-darn opinions,” I thought of the verse in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

         Feeling rejected, I thought, “If I can’t talk about Jesus, there’s not much to say.” For the next year, our communication slowed almost to a stop. Yet, God didn’t let His word return void.

         The next December, I received a card from my brother. He had drawn a simple manager scene with the word “Chirst—“ on the front. Opening it, Mas was written with the message “is the reason for the season” below it. Something I said sank in.

         Romans 8:37 encourages us with: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

         Matthew chapter five states: “Blessed are those who are persecuted . . . for My sake,” then says we should rejoice “for great is your reward in heaven.” I like to think that reward is going to include our family and friends who have been smothered not so much by God’s word from us, but His love through us. 

         Keep telling others about the relationship you have with God for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)