Sonshine!

So then, if you know the good you ought to do and don’t do it, you sin. James 4:17

Humans tend to build castles in the air, or rigorously put away for a rainy day. Tomorrow means a great deal to us. Regardless of which plan we have for the future, we have one. In fact, we are shamed by the financial community if we do not. But James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the early church says these things in verse 17 concluding his words on planning for a future found in verses 13-16.

To define sin is simple. It is any act of opposition to God’s Devine and loving plan. There is no hierarchy of sin, disobedience is disobedience and the payment for sin is eternal death, separation from God and Holiness forever! We are called to do good, but we get terribly distracted with our accumulation of security measures that we forget there is a world in need of Jesus.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are the Hands, Feet, Ears, Eyes and Heart of Jesus. Tomorrow has no guarantee and if it doesn’t come, the only thing that matters your is righteousness. If you are going to leave something behind, leave a legacy of love.

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen

At the Feet of My Father

As a child I had a favorite place: Under my father’s feet, more accurately described as, “In his way”. Everywhere he went, I would follow. If I wasn’t allowed or invited, I would mourn. The evening sound of his truck pulling in and the distinct tinny slam of its door were music to my ears. He’d return home smelling of saw dust and sweat, pick me up, toss me into the air, catch me and hold me tight. Heaven on earth. (I must insert that my siblings were also part of theses homecomings that might have happened once in a blue moon, but it wasn’t quantity, but quality that made lasting sunshine, granting me positive strength to press through darkness later in life.)

In addition to pastoring, dad was a carpenter. Summer days and Saturdays I would wake early and head off with dad to where ever new structures were being erected. His expertise was roofing. He would throw two bundles of asphalt shingles over his shoulder and shimmy up a ladder with no hands, drop the bundles with a thwack, kneel on one knee and begin weaving back and forth across a house in a rhythmic bang and swish of denim on wood, shingle on roof, hammer on nail.

My brother and I were very small when off we went to roof a house with dad. He pointed us to a sand pile in clear view of his aerial perch and headed up the ladder. The sand didn’t appeal, so I quietly followed dad. Honestly! What danger would there ever be in trekking behind one’s father? He had already nailed a few shingles before he realized he wasn’t alone. His reaction isn’t the point of this story, he can share that another time. The point is, I WANTED DESPERATELY TO BE WHERE HE WAS.

As I grew older, time with dad became scarce, but one summer he was building houses on Beaver Lake in north west Arkansas. Dad put me to work cleaning trash around building sites or other odd jobs. As an adult I recognize that it was probably inconvenient for him to find work for me rather than do it himself, but as a preteen I was oblivious. One miserably hot day his nail gun broke and it was back to old school hammer swings, except the nails were all attached together by glue and paper designed to shoot through his nail gun like bullets in a gatling gun. I was put to work with a pocket knife fixing the problem. It was mundane and I suspected dad was just trying to keep me off the roof and away from the bluff above the lake. I really didn’t care. I was with my father, I was earning my air and I was super proud to be the world’s best nail separator.

Many years later I felt an unmistakable call to Christian service. It was an entirely new way of thinking and processing life’s encounters. But I began to realize that once again, I was standing, sitting, working, living as close to my Father as I could possibly be and there wasn’t a job that was too lowly or mundane that I wouldn’t gladly do just for the precious moments spent in His presence.

Life is wonderful at the feet of my Father. He is good, He is long in love and patience and sometimes really funny too. Join me there and if He backs up or turns around quickly, He’ll find us right under His feet, in His way, watching and learning everything He does, and He’ll put us to work.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1.

Love,

Gretchen

But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 2 Samuel 12:3

King David had an affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, an Israelite special forces soldier. When Bathsheba conceived David tried to cover it up, but Uriah’s noble character made this impossible so David had him killed. (This story is covered in chapters 11 and 12 of 2 Samuel) Using this ‘social’ story, Nathan, God’s prophet attempted to draw David’s awareness to the magnitude of his sin.

Nathan tells of a rich man with many sheep acting with incredible selfishness. When a traveler came along he took the poor man’s only sheep to feed to his guest rather than deplete his own flock. David is quick to anger at this wicked man’s blatant disregard for others but he doesn’t readily see its parallel to his own actions. David had everything and still wanted more, at great expense to others. An unchecked, covetous heart has no moral boundaries.

The Holy Spirit calls to us before and when we head toward trouble. God doesn’t want us there, it is not part of His plan for us to go there. Guard rails exist on the straight and narrow path of Righteousness. Don’t climb over them. It is not okay to justify risky moral behavior. There is NEVER an acceptable reason to sin. The cost of eternal life is not worth it.

Have a great weekend!

Gretchen

I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on the human race! Ecclesiastes 1:13

Ancient religious scholars attributed righteousness with a good and prosperous life while death and destruction were the evidence and consequence of sin. This disillusionment created a pessimistic view of God. Life is futile, nothing but a struggle. So what’s the point? Do we have a purpose?

The writer, most likely Solomon, king David’s son, credited with being mankind’s wisest model, realized that awareness through knowledge brings sorrow, yet self indulgence has it’s own brand of grief. Life is a vicious cycle and then we die. As a result of sin, God did lay a heavy burden on the human race and the hoist from which to escape is faith.

Knowledge is a tremendous and valuable asset, but it is not what pleases God. That is found in faith. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)

Have a Wonderful Friday,

Gretchen

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4

Paul and Silas founded this first Christian church in a town built on gold mining, in the home of Lydia, an astute business woman. She was one of the first converts and offered her home as a place of worship and discipleship. This church sent Paul funds while he was under house arrest in Rome.

The early church saw Paul continually imprisoned for the work of the Gospel. They were confronted with false and twisted theologies constantly. The Philippians were a proud people and struggled with division over petty issues of culture. In order to grow and survive, this group of people began to learn and live a bigger picture.

We must look directly past the end of our own noses in order to safely step forward. The problem lies in never looking further and concluding that’s all there is.

We are called to a single minded Holiness, but an egocentric mentality that brings all things back to us is destructive. Great love is found in putting aside our convenient interest for someone else’s best interest.

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen

And to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19

Ephesians 3:14-21 is a poignant prayer for the church in Ephesus. These maturing Christians were struggling with every aspect Holy living. Paul knows the answer, a love that surpasses knowledge.

Love is the keystone to every aspect of Christian living. Love does conquer all because it is a choice, an act of freewill that gives the believer power and strength to hope, persevere, and vanquish all things that stand between them and their Savior, making room for the miracle of life flourishing in grace and mercy.

Man strives to explain and understand every phenomenon of the universe. Boundaries and clear definition give security, but for the believer, knowledge ends with a void and then faith completes us. We cannot fathom God’s love because it reaches dimensions we cannot measure. We must willingly step into a cycle where faith perpetuates love and love perpetuates faith. One cannot exist without the other.

Fill yourself with the fullness of God’s love.

Love,

Gretchen

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God Reigns!” Isaiah 52:7

Isaiah had a singular mission that spans generations: Tell of God’s judgement, justice, redemption and eternal hope. His words predominantly fell on deaf ears, but future generations, those whose hope was in the Lord, waited for the Messiah, the Man Isaiah seemed to know personally.

As a consequence of sin, the descendants of Abraham, God’s covenant people, were exiled and dispersed far from their inheritance. They struggled to eek out an existence and their personal identity was becoming ghostly invisible. Isaiah reminds these broken people that God has not forsaken them. They must turn from their wicked idolatry and faithlessness and put their trust exclusively in God.

This has always been a favorite verse of mine. Take a moment and recognize how aware you are of the sounds and sights of people in your life, past and present, especially those you associate with respite, comfort, encouragement and hope. They are beautiful, not because of their skin care products or their stylist’s efforts, but because they brought good news, they proclaimed peace, lived a relationship with Christ and gave hope.

You are most likely that person in someone’s life. Thank you. Stay the course and proclaim. 
“OUR GOD REIGNS!”

Love you!

Gretchen

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

Jesus’ words struck chords with ordinary folk who were poor and worn down by the burdens of getting by. He spoke often to them with analogies and metaphors from their everyday life.

A yoke is a steering mechanism meant for a team of oxen. It looks like a device of torture, a collar of wood and steel, cumbersome and unyielding. The oxen walk together as a team and turn because they simply have no choice and it would be painful to resist the harness. Jesus invites each of us to take His yoke and be led exclusively by Him. His yoke is not heavy and unforgiving. It is easy and gentle. Unlike the oxen’s yoke, the yoke we are invited to is our choice.

Jesus, the Son of God, the sacrificial member of the Holy Trinity, humbled Himself to become lower than man’s most despicable sin. This Christ calls us to a place of rest because He is offering to carry our burdens. If we take His yoke, He will chose the route, the perfect pace of forward motion and always provide sustenance for daily living. Jesus will lead, we will follow. The perfect Global Positioning System (GPS) traveling team.

Plodding Along,

Gretchen

Keep on Trucking

For many years my husband and I delivered brand new school buses across the nation. It was a second job, but we both longed to be a globetrotters and the added income allowed our little family to stay on the go. We are grateful for the experiences but they were not without occasional drama.

Also, I am afraid of everything! But I am most afraid of drowning. This terror began in my childhood with nightmares and continues to this day. If my rubber ducky and I can’t touch bottom we don’t get in! I avoid lakes, rivers, boats, bridges, dams, levies…… did I mention bridges?

One Friday, Keith and I picked up two new buses in Conway, Arkansas and began a long drive to Marshalltown, Iowa intending to arrive just after sunrise. Our journey would take us up Highway 65 through the town of Waverly, Missouri, a beautiful little community along the Missouri River. The bridge there was ancient, narrow and at the end of a winding trek down a bluff carved out by old man river’s journey to the sea. I dreaded the bridge. Her rusting steal held a crumbling pavement. I could hug the remnants of a white line and focus on the water raging below, or fight with oncoming traffic for my share of the yellow line. It was treacherous in a normal vehicle and I was driving a bus!

God blessed us with a beautiful night to drive. The sky was clear, the air cool and crisp but as we neared the river crossing I saw a fog bank. I was frightened, and irritated that God would put such an unnecessary obstacle in my path. Stopping was not an option so the miles crept by and I inched closer to my nemesis, the crumbing span across the wide Missouri. But on this night, the road remained wide and smooth. We were on a new by-pass around town headed toward a recently completed concrete bridge! Whew! It was a miracle! But I still saw the fog and worried about the peril it threatened!

Bus number one kept on trucking, bold and brave through the dark, so I followed, trembling and grumping. Suddenly the fog became white light flashing in the night, then transformed into a rainbow of dancing beams. I was witnessing the Aurora Borealis, God’s own artwork, momentarily painted upon earth’s atmosphereI We stopped our buses and stood in the chilly night amazed at God’s magnificent handiwork.

So many times life drags me forward kicking and screaming when I could embrace God’s woven wonder, beauty and blessings. The fog I thought I was seeing was actually the beginning of God’s celestial light show. Had I stopped moving forward, I would have missed it!

I have no authority to counsel anyone on overcoming fear, but I can certainly tell you that God doesn’t tease us with His bounty. He is not a circus clown with a lapel flower squirting water in a face bent to smell the roses. He does not hide His gifts to us under walnut shells that are ever moving and shifting leaving us with barely any hope of finding them. Yet, we act like He does have these wicked intents. I assure you He does NOT. God is good, loving and kind, so just keep trucking.

Love,

Gretchen

Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, “Here we are”? Job 38:35

Job loses everything, his family, his home, his health, his wealth and finally his dignity when his well meaning friends suggest the root of his situation is hidden sin. Job protests. He did what God asked of him, he was generous to the underdog and sacrificed for his children. Through everything, Job did not give up on God but continued to seek understanding in his suffering and hardship. Job’s faith isn’t superficial, only existing when God sends blessings. Instead he sought relationship with God.

In Job’s story he cries out to God in anguish, “WHY?!” Today’s scripture is from God’s response. God alone created the Heavens and the earth. God alone understands the workings of the universe. Our imperfect understanding does not define God.

Holding onto our faith when things don’t go our way is relationship with God. Great faith is knowing that God is loving, kind and good when our earthly perspective indicates otherwise. Job doesn’t lack faith, but displays deep faith. Security is not found in knowing God’s ways but in trusting Him no matter what.

Love,

Gretchen