The High Cost of Fuel!

“Drivers putting less gas in tank, then running out”  

“High Gas Prices Have More Drivers Running on Empty”

These type of headlines are in the news everyday.  I had to fill up our car with gas today!  Ouch .... $3.99 a gallon !  It takes a lot of money to get from one place to the other these days.

I was thinking about how true this is in a spiritual sense also.  It's costly to stay FULL spiritually.   It requires that I go to the 'pump' regularly so that I don't run out of gas between the places that I go.  So often, we've not even looked at our spiritual 'gas gauge', naively thinking that if we don't acknowledge our depravity, we can get by with it, yet we run out of gas.  We end up hopeless, angry & irritated.  Not only can't we get anywhere, we can't take anyone with us.

"Lord, I choose today and tomorrow & the next day & the next, to come to You who alone can fill me up so that I can go somewhere both now & for eternity ....  & take others with me."

Play Ball!

Our family went to the Royal's/Cardinal's game earlier today. Cooper (20 months old), was sitting beside me & as he squirmed and wiggled trying to stand up on the seat, it folded up on him. His leg went down between the seat and the back. He pushed on the seat with his hands to try to free himself, but of course, this just squeezed his leg & hurt. He started to cry until I wrapped my arms around him & told him, "It will be OK. Papa will get you out."

Cooper, in his young wisdom did what many of us struggle to do at times. He listened, he believed me and he rested, patiently waiting for me to do what I had said I would do. The fact that he rested in what I said & quit struggling made it a lot easier for me to get him out. It happened quicker & with much less pain than if he had continued to insist on doing it his way.

"Lord, help me to listen and believe & trust you like that. My self reliance has never gotten me what I really wanted, so show me how to rest in what you are doing & how to move in sync with you."

The Stare Game

I was in the prayer room earlier today & finding it difficult to be still in my heart & mind.  A picture came to my mind.  

I was sitting as a child on the lap of Jesus & we were playing the 'stare' game.  You know...  when you look someone straight in the eyes and the 1st one to blink or turn away loses.  

Well, naturally, Jesus always won at this game.  But each time I would look away, He'd smile at me & say, "Let's play again".  I would gaze into His face once again, watching as He smiled at me.  Never able to out last His gaze or His smile, I would always look away.  Yet, in the process of playing this game, I noticed that He was always smiling at me..... when I was looking at Him and when I fidgeted & looked away.  He said to me, "I love it that you keep coming back to gaze at me again.  You smile & it stirs My heart."  WOW!  Now I want to gaze at Him more & more.

"Lord, thank you for teaching me profound truths in simple ways that I can understand."

Making the Bed

It was 7 AM & I was making the bed before going to meet my prayer team in the Prayer Room at 7:30 AM.  I knew we would be gone essentially all day and the thought crossed my mind, 'Why bother making your bed?  No one will see that it's not made.  Loren will not care and you'll just climb back into it tonight.'

Immediately, I sensed the Holy Spirit speak to me saying, "I want you to clean up the things that no one can or will ever see.  I not looking for everything to just look good on the outside, with the yard all manicured, but I want a place that I can come & rest .... inside, where no one sees."  Of course, He was not speaking about my house, but my heart.  

"Lord, I choose to pay attention to the things that NO ONE but you can see:  my attitudes & thoughts & motives.  Change my heart."

Mono-vision

It's been awhile since I've posted.  We kept our Grandson, Cooper last week so he could have a vacation.  Since his parents didn't know what they would do without him, they decided to go on vacation with some friends to Florida.  We all had a great time.  Cooper is absolutely GRAND!  However, that explains why I didn't have any time to post my thoughts. 

Yesterday I had to go to the eye doctor.  I had recently gotten a new subscription for my contacts.  Though I've worn mono vision lenses for several years (one eye does the distance while the other eye does the up close), my new subscription wasn't right.  My reading was greatly improved, but I couldn't see road signs very well when I was driving.   I wanted BOTH.  I wanted to see what was FAR off and what was NEAR, not choose one or the other.

I realized how often we settle for what is NEAR, the short term vision in life.  I want the ice cream, so I forget about the long-term goal of my health & weight and eat it.  I want to justify being irritated because things didn't go the way I expected, so I forget about the goal of 'doing all things without complaining".  I want to be angry about the way someone cut me off in traffic, so I forget about following Jesus' example of laying down His life and choosing humility.

Lord, clear my vision.  I want to see 20/20.  I want to see near AND far.  I want to see not just the temporary things of this life, but the eternal things of the Kingdom of God.

Comfortable to Uncomfortable

This morning I had to get tags for our pickup.  The KS tags were expiring & the process of becoming a legal Missouri resident could not be avoided any longer. 

The process at the Dept of Revenue is always interesting.  Will I have all the detailed information they need?  How long will the line be?  How much money will it cost?  Today I went in totally prepared.  Though I was # 29 in line, when I finally got to the front of the line, I had all I needed.  (now THAT is a miracle).  

As I waited in line & reflected, I was keenly aware how dramatically my life has changed in the past few months.  Not long ago, I was living in my dream home, living very 'comfortably'.  

What drove us to de-value 'comfortable' and go to uncomfortable?  Many don't understand why we chose this dramatic lifestyle change.  It all comes down to this:  I want it to be about loving & obeying God, not about comfort.  When I choose obedience, the uncomfortable can become preferable.  That's the way the Kingdom of God works.  It's upside-down & I love it.

"Lord, thank you for being able to absolutely enjoy living in a place that is uncomfortable.  I choose to obey You today."

Energy comes from exhaustion

Over the past week, we had 3 different group events at our home with about 45 people coming & going between them.  By the end of the weekend, I was pretty tired.

Before the night was over, however, we got a phone call from a couple who had been through earlier in the week with one of the groups.  They asked, "Can we come over & talk to you about our marriage?"  All of a sudden, there was some energy & anticipation back into my body.  This is why we are here, why we open up our home, why we stay up too late for our age, why we clean up the house before and after, why we serve!  

We know that God has and IS doing some miraculous things in our lives and in our marriage.  We are so grateful for the opportunities to be able to share His life & hope with others.  The group activities may be fun & relational, but our motivation for having them is for the purpose of ministry.  Ministry happens most effectively from relationship.  

So as this week starts, I am asking God to guide us DAILY to people.  I believe that my purpose is to connect people.  This may happen through a cook-out to establish relationship.  But I want them to connect to Jesus.  When we are living out the 1st commandment to love God with all we are, the 2nd commandment to love others will be a natural overflow.  

Lord, thank you for the life and hope you have restored in me.  Keep coming & changing me so that I will love you more.  It's from this place of love that I know I will be able to love others best.