Monthly Archives: April 2017

For the Record, Please Include an Upbeat Hymn

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I have never been involved in a group-funeral-planning-session with the person whose funeral was being planned. Until that day.

There I was, seated in a cozy living room…the kind of room where you actually have uninterrupted visits and maybe even engage in profound conversations of life-changing proportions, because there is no television to act as the central attraction, or to detract from what the actual central feature should be in living rooms: people.

I listened mostly, because that is my nature. When it comes to spoken conversation, I have always taken time to process the previous dialogue and reply with measured responses. And this was one of those days when more listening than talking on my part seemed appropriate.

Questions were asked about what main message she wanted preached, which scriptures she wanted shared, and which songs she desired to be sung.

“She” was my aunt. A woman dearly loved by her family and friends. A woman who was admired and adored by all she encountered.

She was clear about wanting the message of having a relationship with Jesus Christ and allowing God to be in charge of judging others, not us, to be at the core of the pastor’s sermon. The scripture she chose coordinated with that message well. And after the funeral, there was agreement that her wishes had been carried out in a way that honored the life she lived and her God.

The music she chose was comforting and touching. During the planning, a question of whether one of the songs was too upbeat was voiced. She is the one who raised that question if I remember correctly. The consensus was that a funeral of someone who served God and was looking forward to spending eternity with Him is a perfect setting for a triumphant, upbeat song to be sung.

I know that expected funeral decorum is that of reverence and respect, but I believe funerals are an opportune time for reminding the living of what our eternal future holds as well. If we accept Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and relationship, our eternal future will certainly be a place of victory and celebration. Upbeat songs work well in that capacity.

I have a God who loves me beyond description in spite of my doubts, my sin, and my anxiety problem that turns me into a complete mess from time to time. He loves you beyond description too. He sees the potential in us. He placed it there. When we accept Him as our savior, new life begins, because His love compels us to want to become more like Him. When my time here is nearing an end, if I am able to be a part of planning the funeral, that is the message I will want communicated to those who gather to remember me. My aunt felt this message was something to sing about. I wholeheartedly agree.

For the record, please include an upbeat hymn at my funeral. Image 4-29-17 at 11.33 AM

 

Sunday is Right Around the Corner

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Friday was dark. It was the darkest the world had ever been. Never had desperation, discouragement, and despair blanketed the world like the day Jesus died a horrible death and was put in a grave. The King of Kings endured treatment that could only be classified as cruelest of the cruel.

Imagine how distraught, alone, and confused those involved must have felt. The path toward solutions to the problems they were facing must have seemingly come to a dead end. The questions that they had swirling in their minds must have overwhelmed them, as they stood there with no answers in sight. Jesus was gone. Therefore, so was peace of mind, comfort, and rest for their troubled souls.

But…even though there were no visible signs that made anyone suspect the greatest miracle known to man was about to occur, the situation changed as dramatically as possible!

That Friday, the world was void of light, life, and love. That Friday was indescribably, inconceivably, and incredibly dark. But Sunday? Sunday was the brightest the world had ever been! A talking, walking miracle was in their midst. The turnaround from Friday to Sunday was one for the record books. From buried to risen. From death to life. The Resurrection comes alive in a whole new way when we realize the two extremes: how depressingly dark the world was on Friday and how brilliantly bright the world was on Sunday.

What about when I am going through a phase of feeling forgotten? Do I doubt that God is working? I admit that during those moments, I have sometimes believed He wasn’t concerned; that He found something more important to do. However, when we are facing a Friday, it is important to remember that we are never forgotten! God might be working behind the scenes, or waiting for us to be fully ready to receive His answer, or waiting on someone else to make a decision that sets His plan in motion. But rest assured, He is working.

We have the choice to wait in hope and joy to see what He is going to accomplish or to not wait that way…either way, we are on His timetable. Waiting in confidence looks a lot different to God (and others) than waiting in bitterness. When we wait in confidence, not bitterness, we trust His wisdom. When we wait in confidence, not bitterness, we remember that His plans are meant to “prosper us, not harm us.” (Jeremiah 29:11) When we wait in confidence, not bitterness, we remember His amazing faithfulness.

There have been times when I truly could not see a solution in sight, and I felt like Jesus was ‘gone.’ Then, seemingly out of nowhere, He came through. He was faithful yet again. It was a Friday-to-Sunday miracle. We serve a God of victory!

When a situation is seemingly at its bleakest and most miserable…when you are going through a Friday in your life, Sunday IS coming! Sunday is right around the corner!

 

Daughter of the King

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In today’s world, young women can find themselves tying their self-worth to a number. It might be the number of total favorites, followers, or retweets that their smartphone notifies them of each day. It might the number of likes or comments that their selfies generate. Whether it is social media-induced or not, many preteen and teenage girls measure their self-worth and identity in ways that they were never intended to.

One of my most earnest prayers is that young girls would come to the realization that their identity is only found in God. That prayer led me to write a song a few years ago, entitled, “Daughter of the King,” The lyrics are as follows:

The cruel phrases echo in her mind – the battle rages within. She struggles to ignore the words, but they laugh and win again. They say, “Not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough to be,” what she had dreamed she would be when she was just a little girl, like you and like me. Oh, how I long for her to see that she’s a daughter of the King. A precious, priceless jewel; a treasure – made by a God who loves her beyond measure.

It seems now she’s convinced herself that she’s a failure, so what’s the use? When a challenge rises to meet her, she is ready with an excuse. When there are hills to climb, she hurries to hide, and those harsh words win again. They drown out the voice of Jesus Christ and the words He wants her to hear and to believe instead. Oh, how she has been misled. ‘Cause she’s a daughter of the King. A precious, priceless jewel; a treasure – made by a God who loves her beyond measure. Lord, hold her closely. How I long for her to see that she’s a daughter of the King. A precious, priceless jewel; a treasure – made by a God who loves her beyond measure.

‘Beyond measure’  – There really is no number that can accurately represent the identity and value of young women!

My husband and I are blessed with three sons and a daughter. Of course, we think they are all flat-out incredible human beings! But since the title of this is Daughter of the King, allow me to tell you just a little bit about our last-born, Mallory. She’s beautiful, talented, intelligent, compassionate, witty, and kind-hearted. (I’m trying hard to be unbiased here…)

Her dad and I strive to help her realize all this about herself and that she knows that glorifying God through the unique set of gifts that He designed for her is one of the most important things she can do as His child,  Although we strive to put forth parenting efforts that are sincere, sensitive, and somewhat skillful, we are human. So unfortunately, there are times that our best efforts end up being screwed-up, sloppy, and just plain sad! I think we can all agree that parenting is not for the weak.

Fortunately, we have access to the ultimate Source of Strength. He also happens to be the supreme example of parenting! We can pray to Him at anytime and be confident that our prayers are heard. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:12. We can know that He will give us the wisdom we ask for. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5. 

If we ask God, He will show us ways to express to our daughters the truth about who they are and Whose they are.

That they are precious, priceless jewels…treasures – made by a God who loves them beyond measure.

 

Your Time to Shine

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In the Sermon on the Mount found in chapters five, six, and seven of the book of Matthew, Jesus covers a lot of ground concerning what the believer’s life should look like. Name a topic, and chances are He included it. He spoke to His audience about everything from judging others, adultery, how the needy should be treated, to reasons not to worry. It is straight-to-the-point and easy to understand for anyone who desires to hear words directly from the mouth of Jesus.
While reading through this sermon recently, a phrase in Matthew 5:14 jumped out at me like never before: “You are the light of the world.” Jesus was telling a mountainside full of listeners that they were to illuminate the world by doing the good works they were led to do, and in turn, observers would give credit to God.
The Bible does not say we should attempt to be the light, that a valiant effort should be put toward being the light, or that being the light of the world is an admirable goal. Matthew 5 straight-up says we ARE the light of the world!
Being a light is a tall order, for sure. However, God does not give us a command and then abandon us as we try to fulfill it. If He gives us an instruction, we can rely on Him to equip us to do it and to be right by our side the whole time!
Our job is not to produce the light. Our mission is to shine HIS light wherever we can; to allow HIS light to shine through us. If we live in such a way that His light is visible in our actions and words, others will see His brilliance and be drawn to Him! Something we do or say can be the cause of someone else looking at Jesus in a more positive way, or desiring to be in closer relationship with Him. What an awesome opportunity that is!
Ephesians 5:8 advises us to walk as children of light. In John 8:12, Jesus Himself says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
That aforementioned Light of the World freely gives His light to each and every one of us. Our choice is to reflect that light in our Christian walk or to keep it hidden.
As we look around this world, does it seem as if darkness is overtaking the light in some areas? If we have the Light of the World in our life, then we can strive to shine His light in those dark places. Shining His light in this world means more Jesus in this world! It’s your time to shine!