LIFT

Graphic found at www.greatjoy.org

Greetings Girlfriends...Grace and Peace to you!

I found this graphic on www.greatjoy.org and loved the acronym....L.I.F.T. Ladies In Fellowship Together. That is exactly what we are, girlfriends, and also the topic I am going to write today.

I have been absent from my blog for so very, very long, and I cannot promise that this entry is the beginning of my return. But I am excited to be here with you today, sharing God's Word and His love with each one. I am painfully aware of how vital prayer is in this life. While I have not been communicating with you, I have been in constant contact with our Father above. Many of you know the painful, emotional and time-consuming reasons why I have drifted away from writing and posting more often; however, for those of you who do not, I can only say right now that this mother's heart has broken and bled over and over and over in the last two years. These past eight or so months in particular have been horribly difficult at times. But God is good, keeping His promises and walking us through troubled times on the way to better things. Amen!

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! Deut 32:1-3 

Amidst the challenges we have been facing, I am happy to say that my husband and children are supporting me as I pursue a Masters of Arts in Applied Biblical Studies. Examining God's Word every day and in such detail has been a huge blessing to my life that I hope to share with others along the way. Gratitude spills from my heart for this wonderful opportunity and for the understanding my family has when I am crazy busy or under pressure to produce yet another weekly masterpiece, aka essays. Praise flows from my lips to my Savior for strengthening me with His assurance and guidance that nothing touches our lives that has not already passed through His hands.

What about you, Girlfriends? Have the dark days of desire and disappointment blackened your view? Are you struggling through difficulties and drama that threaten to drown you in the sea of sorrow and distress? While I absolutely long for your answer to be "no", reality requires me to realize that I am not traveling rough and rocky roads alone? Many of you ladies are also struggling in one way or another and cannot see nor find the strength to continue the journey.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Cor 1:3-5

You, each and every one of you ladies, are my fellow sojourners on the way to a glorious place of intimacy and presence with our Lord. On this journey, you are possibly one of many passing through present winds and pouring rain that threaten to throw you off the path. Take heart! Some others of our sisters travel in front of us, having stayed the course and survived the deluge, and now feel the warmth and gentle breezes upon their skin. If you are one of these experienced ladies, let our sisters know that the SON does shine after the storm! Beseech them to hold on to Jesus for His holy guidance out of the onslaught and into the glorious light.

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Cor 12:26-27

Girlfriends, we are called to bear one another up under the heavy burdens and rejoice with each other when they are lifted. I pray today that you who have shared in the sufferings of Christ will offer comfort and care to those gals who are presently agonizing and experiencing the aching which is now a memory to you. Reach out to someone today and offer hope. Perhaps you provide prayer, or maybe you can calm fears and frustrations by simply calling and offering to listen. Think back to your time of trouble and tribulation for guidance in choosing how to minister to our sisters and their loved ones who also may be hurting. Do not hesitate and do not feel overwhelmed. Start with one. Be the one to start.

“I never look at the masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time - just one, one, one. So you begin. I began - I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up forty-two thousand....The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin - one, one, one.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Happy Father's Day Weekend

  "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Happy Father's Day weekend, Girlfriends!

Whether your earthly father is living or passed on, I pray you will honor his life before the Lord this Sunday. 

Fathers seem to battle for recognition behind the mamas of the world! History proves my claim: After hearing a sermon about Mother's Day in 1909, a young woman from Spokane, who was being raised along with five other siblings by her widowed, Civil War veteran father, decided that he too should have a day of honor. She spoke to her pastor about the idea and began promoting Father's Day; however, the road to official recognition was long and tumultuous, culminating in 1972 when President Nixon signed the law recognizing the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.

Why is it so difficult for many people to adore and celebrate their father? I mean, picking out that card takes forever compared to the one for mom: every card seems like it was written just for mom, but I have to read ten times as many Hallmarks to find the one that fits dad. And then I settle on the "funny" vs. the "sentimental" and I am not even sure why. 

I asked my daughter the question I just posed above. Her response provided some insight from a teen perspective, yet I believe has universal truth in it. Basically, her answer included today's key verse. Dad is the one who is a continuous source of strength, emboldening children to show courage and to conquer fear. He is the hidden force behind each battle fought, and as a child, we look to dad expecting not only to find him present but also rock solid and prepared to charge forward should we need back-up. In contrast, we look to mom for arms to hold us and a shoulder upon which to weep, for comfort and care, even when she includes encouragement, inspiration, or advice into her nurturing. 

Leaning on dad and expecting his presence should not diminish our ability nor desire to thank and praise him. Yet somehow we often interpret dad's strength as a wall against weakness, and we associate weakness with passion and emotional expression. Hence the difficulty in choosing that appropriate and meaningful Hallmark card over the humorous or light-hearted sentimental one.

And then God steps in...our Father in heaven...our ultimate example of what it means to be a dad. And what does He have to say about all of this? Girlfriends, be encouraged, because the pinnacle source of strength, encouragement, guidance, defense, and rock-solid love says go ahead--glorify me! Honor me! Thank me! Remember me in all your days on earth! God is not embarrassed by our songs of praise and admiration; He is not diminished in His authority or power because we call out to be held by Him, to be loved by Jesus, or to be adored in His eyes. Actually, He instructs us to do so, and also makes statements about those who choose NOT to praise the Lord:

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Romans 1:21 NLT

Ladies, your heavenly Father wants your gratitutde and worship, and He wants you to extend the same to your earthly fathers. Do not hold back--strength does not preclude affection, adoration, or thanksgiving. Shower dad with love. And praise God as well.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1 NIV

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 NIV

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22

So if you haven't yet, go ahead and send that sappy, sweet, sentimental card that pronounces your deepest emotions and love for your dad. Or buy both if you cannot resist a laugh as well! I think dad will appreciate either one. If your father is no longer with you, maybe buy him a card and write it all down anyhow. Finally, ladies, I know for some of you I am speaking Greek...your relationship with your father is so broken and unrelated to anything I have written today. I pray for you to come to Jesus with that pain. Lay your hurt at His feet and ask for healing and restoration. But also know that although sin has overtaken your earthly relationship, your Father in heaven is perfect, loving, and kind, and He waits with open arms for you. He loves you with every ounce of strength in His being, because God is love. Go to Him!

Have a blessed and beautiful weekend, wherever you are!