Month: March 2017

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

As youngsters my siblings and I played a game called, “Mercy.” Standing face to face, two opponents grabbed hands to see who could push the other’s wrists back, thus rendering one player defenseless. The game ended when someone called/begged, “Mercy.” The winner had the choice to turn loose or continue pushing the helpless loser around as they were totally at the ‘mercy’ of the winner.

Mercy: To receive OR extend an exemption from punishment.

To receive favor and be excused from the consequences we are due is the greatest gift we can ever receive. To give this gift is the greatest act of love the world has ever known. We can and must make mercy the hallmark of our lives and those we face each day. This is the supreme model of Jesus Christ.

Love,

Gretchen

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. John 5:13

I recommend reading all of this story beginning at verse 1 of John chapter 5.

This healing took place on the Sabbath, making it very offensive to the legalistic Jewish leadership. They were angered over a crippled man carrying a mat he’d lain on for 38 years and mad at the Man who cured him.

Apathy toward pain in favor of prejudice or tradition is in direct conflict with the miraculous work of God’s grace. Man’s agenda and expectation can pollute the work of the Gospel. Jesus had compassion which moved Him to action. Our mission is to do likewise.

Have a great Monday,

Gretchen

A Little White Paint

Sometimes I feel incredibly alone in the world. Solitude is not a physical reality. It’s mental. I look around and think, “Am I the ONLY person that hears the world crying? Am I the ONLY one trying to make the world a better place? Do the cynics have it right? Is all in vain? My thought pattern of detachment is ridiculously centrifugal. Yet, the struggle is real and some days are very dark and discouraging.

It is my opinion that loneliness is the deadliest disease on the planet. How many bad choices are made, with the best intentions, to remedy this state? We settle for a temporary ‘less than the best’ quick fix and lose hope of ever finding a place of deep contentment and belonging. When hope is depleted, life’s energy soon follows and the ultimate decision puts finality to the internal, secret pain.

A river runs through the country side of North Faulkner County, Arkansas. The Cadron Creek holds my heart. My husband grew up along its banks exploring, fishing, swimming, becoming a man. One late summer day in 1981, standing on the bluffs above, with only the whispering breeze and gurgling brook’s music, Keith first spoke words of love to me. Our own children splashed in the shallow pools and years later our oldest spoke her marriage vows at the water’s edge.

A dusty, country road and old wooden trestle once connected farms and people separated by the Cadron’s expanse. It has been replaced with a modern concrete structure well above the threat of flooding, and the dirt lane is now a paved thoroughfare. Yet still, it is a road less traveled making our bridge easy prey for those who feel compelled to leave marks of hatred, racism and immorality displayed. Many times a week I must cross through this profane pollution on a school bus filled with eyes that should not see such ugliness. It hurts.

God does not leave His children comfortless. On a recent afternoon I came down the steep hill approaching the creek crossing and saw someone standing on the bridge. It was a dad, with a bucket of white paint. I slowed the bus and he paused in his labor to turn, smile and wave at the students as we passed. Conversation quickly turned to the man making their world a better place. A short time later two young sons got off the bus and asked their mother to take them to join their father in giving the gift of goodness and community.

This bucket of white paint did so much more than cover graffiti. It healed a heart and gave hope.

There are two antidotes to the toxic venom of obsessive despondency. Do good, alone if you must, and deliberately acknowledge the endeavors of others to overcome sin’s path of destruction. YOUR HAPPINESS MUST NOT DEPEND ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WILLING TO HELP OR APPLAUD YOU. You will end up back where you began, discouraged and overwhelmed.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His Holy dwelling, God sets the lonely in families, He leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in the sun-scorched land. Psalms 68:5-6.

At the age of twelve I decided to follow Jesus. At age eighteen I learned that even if no one joins me, still I must follow. (I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, abbreviated.) Be like Jesus. Someone is watching and you are making a far reaching difference.

With All My Love,

Gretchen

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

The beginning of any learning process is to first recognize you don’t know everything…….or anything.

Years ago the faculty where I teach school was asked to come together and compose a mission statement with this question in mind. Why do we do what we do and what do we want to accomplish? Part of the answer was, “Create life long learners.” This was my favorite part. A love of learning, finding wonder and enjoying the journey to an answer defines quality of life.

Fear is the understanding that you are not in charge. Therefore, to fear the LORD is to know that He is.

Fools believe themselves to be the supreme enlightened super species and will go to great extent to control every detail of your life and theirs. A fool does not want you submitting to your loving, all knowing and all powerful Creator.

Fear is a very healthy thing. Foolishness never ends well. We don’t know everything, but we certainly know the One that does!

Happy Weekend!

Gretchen

Who has saved us and called us to a Holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. II Timothy 1:9

Holy: The absence of sin, perfect and blameless.

Grace: A free unmerited gift.

Jesus: God’s son who willingly left Heaven, became fully human, grew to be a man, tempted yet sinless.

Christ: The sacrifice. The payment for our sins.

Before time began there was grace. WOW! Before satan was cast from the presence of God, victory was won. God is God. Satan is not.

These truths are the foundations of faith. Yes, they sound unbelievable. They are. It’s called faith for a reason and all of it is ours, yours and mine!

God did not create these things for a special few, or to flaunt in front of suffering, struggling victims for the joy of seeing their pain. In love we cannot fathom, He gives all of this to completely wipe sin out of your life! Welcome to victory!

Have a Wonderful Day,

Gretchen

So do not be ashamed to testify about our LORD, or of me His prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. II Timothy 1:8

In Paul’s final days he is writing with passionate ernest to keep the early church strong, faithful and theologically pure. As a prisoner he has been robbed of all human dignity. Most would not acknowledge acquaintance, or connection to someone in his situation, distancing themselves from imminent grief or detrimental guilt by association. True believers and friends remain close to Paul and deliver his letters throughout the mission field, aka, all nations.

To serve means sacrifice and suffering, but suffering in a matter of perspective. The labor required to bring new life is suffering in the moment but irrelevant in the after glow of a perfect infant. Paul equates his suffering for the Gospel as nothing compared to the Glory of God and one more sinner, saved by grace. So do not be ashamed of suffering AND do not be ashamed of those who suffer, for their’s is the Kingdom of God. (Matt. 5:10)

Love to each of You!

Gretchen

For God did not give us spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. II Timothy 1:7

Second Timothy is Paul’s last letter. He is in prison awaiting his imminent execution. Luke is with him, but he longs for his friend and comrade Timothy. With these words we feel Paul’s testimony of no regrets. Many times Paul could have given up and given in, shut his mouth and saved his life. He was a Roman citizen, well connected and could have had a great, long and prosperous life, but he laid down his life for his friends, me and you.

Because of the love given through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice we know that victory over evil is already won. The by-product of this assurance is perseverance and great strength of character. Stand firm, share the Good News, Where ever you are headed, God is already there paving a way for miracles and victory.

Love,

Gretchen

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. I Timothy 6:18

Some people see the church as a road to riches. This was a problem in the early church too.  Earthly wealth will decay and turn to dust. Paul charges Timothy, his associate and special envoy to the New Testament church, to encourage church leadership to invest in goodness rather than earthly wealth which leads to excess temptation and grief.

Generosity is not a concept bound by monetary value. The attributes of Christian character are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control, kindness……these are things meant to be shared in great quantities. They are renewable resources, never in danger of extinction except that they die a natural death from lack of use. These things multiply exponentially when shared so “Throw them like confetti!”

Love,

Gretchen

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

This verse, misquoted often, is NOT the Biblical version of “Que Sera Sera, Whatever will be, will be.” It is certainly NOT a loophole for excusing unacceptable behavior and justifying the residual consequences. (Everything happens for a reason is not supported by scripture.)

Paul has connected the whole picture, from Adam to Jesus, to God’s salvation plan. He has experienced the great and miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. We all have our own story that is becoming part of an even greater story woven into the history of mankind. Our free will determines much of our destiny, but know with all certainty, there is never going to be a point in which God writes us out of His great purpose.

Put your life in God’s more than capable hands, accept His mercy and grace, be restored to His likeness. We were made to worship and love. That is our purpose in which all things work for good.

Have a Great Monday,

The Evolution of a Dreamer

I am a star gazer, a pie in the sky, bonafide day dream believer! The beautiful reality of this life looking through rose colored glasses is, the dreams I’ve dared to dream have come true.

Motivation, focus, direction, preparation are some of the many strengths I draw from my propensity to dream big or go home. The problem is, I have outlived my dreams. I am now in uncharted reality. My over active mind never imagined an empty nest. It never occurred to me that someday I would be older than my school administrators, my boss. Clothing and hairstyles appropriate for a woman in her early…..well never mind….. haven’t tapped my creative interest.

So what does one do when one has outgrown castle building in the clouds? Learn to pray on a whole new dimension.

I remember as a young adult, my parents were doing exactly as I am doing now. In the world of land lines only, they would call me every few days. Completing our conversation, their closing words were usually, “Love you baby, we are praying for you.” Many times I thought, “That’s sweet, but I would rather you drop twenty dollars in the mail.” Harsh, but true. Age has granted insight and I realize the best, not the least, they had to give me was their steadfast, sacrificial, daily routine of taking my name to the Throne of God. Those prayers assured that God remained God and appropriate perspective and respect was honored in our parent/child relationship long before I cherished the gift.

Dreaming is a hope with a plan, expectations, designated outcomes. A prayer is hope with surrender and contentment regardless of the outcome. As a dreamer I imagined enhancing the outward beauty of my little girls with bustles and bows. In prayer I long for their inner character to become more like Christ. As a dreamer I sought to have a work ethic that earned trust, admiration and appreciation from my superiors. In petition to my Heavenly Father I ask that they and I find discernment and wisdom as we guide the lives of the next generation. Dreaming was all about me. Praying is about everyone else.

Mom, dad, thank you for the prayers that began before you knew me. Leah and Melissa, I am praying for you and I know those prayers will bring you to where they brought me, the cross and the Throne of God.

To the rest of you lovely friends and family that read my blog each Sunday, dream and pray, pray and dream. There is a mother somewhere out there hoping someone intercedes for her child. There is a pastor praying for laborers in the white fields of harvest. There is a young person waiting for hope in the hand of someone who’s already traveled the road they are struggling down.

Aging is sometimes frightening and difficult, but exchanging my dreams for an unmapped life motivated, directed and sustained by prayer alone is my ultimate dream come true and I know the best is yet to come.

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Dreaming On!

Gretchen