Following is leading

Does it ever make you stop and think that in order to lead one must also follow? Today I learned that a woman who lead so many of our children through their first encounter with Christ is now celebrating and dancing at the Savior's feet. Miss Linda was much more than a Sunday School teacher. She chose to follow Christ when He called her to teach. Miss Linda followed God to through the toughest battle against a deadly disease. We look at that battle here on Earth and often say, she lost her battle with cancer. But she won! No more do those chains bind her. We know that her choice to follow Christ lead her to a victory no one Earth is good enough to earn on their own. So tonight I take this time to thank the Lord for people who boldly follow a path that has been laid out before us. May the leaders we uphold be the same people who choose to follow.

Holy is wholly

I've been struck lately by the meaning of the word holy. It is used before the word Bible, as the divine writings of my God. It is used to describe men and women who seek God continually. It is an adjective in front of the land that Jacob claimed for God's chosen people. But in our English language it has a homonym; another word sounding like it but spelled differently. Consider the word wholly. As I sat here for a while I noticed that the word wholly is never used in connection to those who serve God and seek His will for their lives. I looked up the word wholly in the online dictionary. It remarked people often confuse it with other words like HOLY. This is just me thinking out loud but I don't think this is a mistake.

The definition states: whol-ly adverb: entirely; totally; altogether; to the whole amount. I cannot imagine a word that demonstrates what we must do to be HOLY. We must give ourselves entirely, totally, to the entire amount of our being in order to even be considered holy. To serve our HOLY Lord, I must give all of my being; not part of me one day and more or less the next simply because I had a bad day, late start, no time to pray, or ____________ (fill in excuse here).

Instead, I seek to be complete in God and then I will be wholly His. Maybe then I can be considered a holy child of God.

Don't be scared, jump right in

I may not be the best at everything but I want to be the best at something. So today let me be the best at being a humble servant. I've sat here many times to wonder what my impact would be. Now I have it- to serve others. That is a no-brainer. What has changed is the how. The "how" comes from the people who are in need. It might be a meal for someone hungry or comforting a hurting soul. Most of all it is listening to voice that stirs deep within me asking me to step forward on faith. I am excited to learn that my legacy doesn't have to be tied into having offspring or a big family, job or status but my willingness to be humble to show others with God's love through actions.

Your challenge: Serve the Lord with gladness and thanksgiving. Are you willing to step forward and make this your legacy?

Clever and thougthful

Many friends I have are super clever. They have wit and charm that flows effortlessly onto paper. It truly shows their talent for writing. Others have gifts of hospitality which the create an environment so welcoming you never really want to leave. So how do you find your talent and share it with others? It is not a chore or a project in which one cultivates it. It cannot be bought at a store. We simply allow circumstances to influence our reactions and become willing vessels for the Creator to move us. It is this day that I separate good from the bad and start to look for a talent that could be hidden among the thorns.

Life as a Servant

When we look back at our life what will we have done? Will you have seen your impact on the world? Will you see the impression of your footprints throughout this journey? I sit here tonight and want to know if I have a place for my service. God called me out of the miry pit yet I sit here and look around thinking I have nothing. I have a Savior who loves me that has given me a blessed life. It has been said that, "when the window of heaven opens to bless you, the door to hell opens to blast you." I want to fireproof my heart not for the final battle but for the constant maelstorm I suffer daily from the evils of this world. Lord, I know that you are not a god of false promises and empty hopes. You are the Beginning and End- you have the plan and I need not try my version. You have perfected all life and given me a place to grow. Thank you for the balance and the safety of Your arms. I pray that I am always the Bride of Christ. Forgive me for my human frailities. I serve the One who saves.