Grandmother smelled of sugar lemon drops, Juicy Fruit gum, and the mustiness that follows a morning mass filled with incense and random splashes of holy water. She was round, soft, and good for planting several sloppy kisses on me a … Continue reading
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 ESV Have you ever had a bad habit? Biting your nails, saying hi to Ben & Jerry at 3AM, downing 12 Diet Cokes a day? And come … Continue reading
Sometimes, when I am going through a particularly rough time, I find myself less and less committed to spiritual disciplines. My quiet times diminish, my prayer life becomes rushed and shallow, and I fill free time with mindless distractions, instead … Continue reading
Have you ever felt like you were in the belly of the whale? Me too. Except my whale was the floor boards of my closet with the lights off. I was going through a very difficult time and found myself, a mother of 5, in my only hidden place – the master closet. I was crying out the the Lord and asked if He would show Himself to me. I then remembered Abraham asking to see God and that He spared his life by allowing Abraham to see His shadow. God then brought to my remembrance the verse that “he who dwells in the secret place shall abide in the shadow of the almighty.” Thank you Jesus for that promise. I continued to seek God and cry out for wisdom and understanding. He then reminded me of the storm that He calmed. I remembered from teaching a study including this passage a number of times that there was an element of the storm that was attributed to the work of the enemy. I was excited for the reminder and anxious to look at the words Jesus used to rebuke the storm. Maybe I could use those same words to defeat my enemy. (don’t you wish there were just spell like formula’s at times?) But I heard God whisper to me to focus on the words in red.
I scanned my Bible shelf for one I was confident had red letter edition. I opened my Bible to Mark 4:35 and began to read paying special attention to just what Jesus said to calm the storm. I was a bit surprised when the exact words of Jesus used to rebuke the storm were not in red, they were a paraphrase of sorts, but as I continued reading the words in red glared off the page straight to my heart. “Where is your faith?” Continue reading
D
o you ever go through seasons of life that you think of death more often than others? I feel that I am going through those seasons more and more as I pass the “Alert” signs on 65 N/S that continue to update us on how many people have had fatal car accidents in TN this year. I pass by that sign at least 6 times a week. I can hardly drive by it without reading the sign, being in awe of how much the numbers have changed, and then thinking of how many lives were changed because of those deaths. Today marked 617 deaths… lets put that in perspective… let’s say that each death impacted only 10 people, I say “only” because that is a very low realistic number… it is probably more in the hundreds, but for example sake we will say 10. That means in the past 8 months in Tennessee alone over 6,100 people have been affected by a fatal car accident… not to mention all of the other hundreds of ways people can die. I don’t know about you, but this makes me immediately think of my own countdown.
After dwelling on this thought this afternoon I was cooking this evening and the song, “Live Like That,” by Sidewalk Prophets came on.
Sometimes I think
What will people say of me
When I’m only just a memory
When I’m home where my soul belongs
Have you ever experienced something difficult? Ever wondered why? We all do at some time or another. I was thinking about some of these thoughts yesterday as I reflected on one of the toughest times in my life personally. Here is the link to the blog about it. See what you think…
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Steve Green sang a song years ago about leaving a legacy. Here are some of the lyrics:
“After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone, And our children sift through all we’ve left behind, May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover, Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find”
“Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful; May the fire of our devotion light their way; May the footprints that we leave, Lead them to believe, And the lives we live inspire them to obey, Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.”
Judges 2:10 says, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” Now that is a scary passage if you ask me!
Last week Sid and I went on a road trip. We traveled to Houston, TX to see his 94 yr old mom who is in a rehab facility undergoing therapy after sustaining an injury in a fall she took about a month ago. Grandma, as we fondly refer to her, is an amazing woman. She is a retired schoolteacher and principal whose life was dedicated to serving others. There are many things I could tell you about her but the one thing I love the most is that she continues to unashamedly tell others about Jesus!
She shared with us how she had talked to a man at her dinner table probably in his 80’s who was not a believer and asked him if he knew Jesus. He got angry and walked away because he didn’t want to answer her question. However, the next night he was right back at the table and she took up where she had left off!
There are many similar stories whether it is children who are gathered around her, people in her neighborhood, a restaurant, or you name it, wherever she is, her desire is to always be a witness for Christ. No telling how many people have come to know Jesus through her witness.
Leaving Houston we stopped in LA to see my parents. My mom and dad moved back to the town they both grew up in about five years ago. Mom told me about a long time friend who had stopped by the house for a visit and they have been sharing with him about Jesus. They are burdened for their friends and are faithfully witnessing to several.
One thing is for sure, the generation coming behind our parents will know of the Lord and the things He has done for our families. They 
might not choose to accept Him but it won’t be because they haven’t heard. I’m grateful for the legacy of parents who are still sharing their faith in Jesus so that the generations who come behind them may know Him.
Those 5 days and 1,820 miles were tiring physically but oh so inspiring as we were reminded of the importance of sharing our faith. What about you? Are you being intentional to tell your children and grandchildren about the Lord? I pray it won’t be said on our watch “after that whole generation had died, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done.”
Speaking of passing on a legacy, encourage your husband to sign up for the Man Up conference this Sunday from 5-9 at Long Hollow. Also if you have a son 16 yrs or older, they are invited too! It will definitely be a man club night! Would you pray with me for the Man Up Conference and all who will be attending? Ask God to pour out His Spirit in an amazing way among the men of our church.
Julie
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