Deep Thoughts & Little Happenings

May 22, 2022May 22, 2022

How to Play Your Part

I recently read the Christian Standard Version of Romans 15:5-6 and the words “harmony with one another” and “with one mind and one voice” triggered memories of playing in handbell choirs.

Playing in a handbell choir requires each member to have ALL the music notes in front of them, but each member must look for and play only their assigned notes (bells). Each member is playing the same song written by the same person but playing different bells.

Each note written must be played for the full song to be heard.

Holy Spirit is like the handbell director. He assigns specific bells to each member of the choir and teaches them to read the music and play their notes.

Spiritual gifts are like the notes in the music. They are all necessary. Played as intended, there will be no discord and the Good News of Jesus will be heard.

Using our spiritual gifts is like playing the notes for our assigned bells. Just like choir members don’t try to use their bells to play each other’s notes, using our spiritual gifts as intended and at the correct times creates a harmonious melody. Pleasant to hear and bringing glory to our heavenly Father.

January 31, 2022

Why Can’t I Just Float?

There’s nothing like the freedom of floating on the ocean. It’s beyond my ability to express the feeling of completely relaxing while the sun warms my face, and the water holds me up.

But…

Ocean water is not still. There is always movement in the ocean which means we will never stay in one place unless we do something to keep us in place. Even out in the deep, we will drift unless we attach ourselves to something immoveable.

That’s why George goes out with me as my “spotter” when I move out beyond the surf to float. Some days the ocean will pull me out until I’m way over my head. Other days it will push me back toward the shallows in the surf. Still others will pull me down the beach and into others. Hmmm…always to the east. I’ve never thought about that particular fact until just now. Anyway, you get the idea. I cannot float in place on the ocean.

I need a “spotter” when I drift into what creates danger for me or others.

George will usually give my ankle a quick tug. This causes me to look around and notice my surroundings. It reminds me to pay attention to where I am. It alerts me to my need for action.

Thinking about this reminds me of two spiritual truths:

Holy Spirit is my ever-present Helper; my “Spotter.”

Freedom doesn’t mean never having anything to do.

LORD, thank You for giving me Your freedom. Don’t let me abuse the freedom I have in You. I want to live my life resting in You but living with purpose. Holy Spirit, please don’t let me drift away from the Father’s place or purpose for me. Thank You for being my “Spotter.” Teach me to live in obedience even as I live in the freedom of being IN Christ Jesus. May His presence surround me and His face shine on me. And may others see and glorify the Father in heaven. Amen.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power^[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NLT)

January 24, 2022

Am I In the Shallows or The Deep?

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks learning from the wind and waves. We all learned this in school, but I haven’t really thought much about before now.

Winds cause waves, and the stronger the wind the bigger the waves.

It wasn’t long before I put the wind and waves into the context of Jesus being the Living Water. I moved from there to Jesus-followers being IN Christ Jesus. I’m a Jesus-follower!

That got me to thinking about all the things pushing me toward shore.

I started paying attention to what gets me stirred up and pushed into the shallows. The place where I’m only ankle deep in Jesus instead of fully submerged.

I found a multitude of both big and little things can “stir me up” and create waves. But when I asked, Jesus helped me see it’s not the circumstances of my relationships and life that are causing the stir. It’s my reactions to and feelings about those circumstances. The more violent my reaction, the more pushed toward shore I become.

BUT…

Did you know the strength of the wind and waves on the surface also determines the amount of pull beneath the surface of the ocean? Yep! It’s absolutely true!!!

God has set into place the laws of this world, and one of those laws is the way He keeps the ocean within its boundaries. He uses an undertow (sometimes He even has to use a rip current) to keep the ocean from totally covering the earth.

This is exciting because the same is true for every Jesus-follower!

Jesus is always willing and able to help us return to Him.

LORD Jesus, I want to surrender to You; and yet, it is so easy for me to allow my thoughts and feelings to control me. I am easily pushed by the words of others and the feelings their words evoke in me. I too often experience the push of events and circumstances beyond my control. I struggle to find your perspective in the middle of my desires. And I fear my struggles, responses, and words will create negative push in the life of others. May it never be! LORD, I want to stay submerged in You. Will You please replace my struggle with surrender? Amen.

You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

January 3, 2022January 3, 2022

Finding A Stormy New Perspective as I Enter 2022

The last time we were at our favorite beach spot, was in 2019. We arrived just before the tropical storm off the coast released a deluge of wind and rain. The ocean was not the friendly face of years past, but a raging tempest of angry, surging surf. We stood on our nineteenth-floor balcony awed by the power unleashed before us. The waters crashed and frothed, covering every bit of beach, and threatening the edges of the building below. This storm was more than 200 miles out at sea!

I’ve been thinking a lot about that experience since writing my last post. I must confess, I was being taught even as I wrote. I kept trying to make it about the battle to stay with my stuff on the beach and the LORD kept pushing me away. It was a struggle to turn my eyes away from the place I was “supposed” to be so I could see His message for me (and you).

Which brings me to what I want to share today. I love being in the ocean; swimming, floating, playing. But when the storms are raging, I prefer to watch from the balcony.

The storm I described earlier was what is called a Red Flag Day in Panama City Beach. A red flag means to stay out of the water; it doesn’t even allow wading. We are to stay completely out of the water!

We had to stay out of the water for two days!

But in the context of Jesus being the Living Water, I’m called to relax into Him and where He wants to take me. I’m called to enter the stormy waters and not just the gently lapping waters of a typical Gulf beach day.

Picture taken by George from our balcony the morning after the storm – July 2019 – Panama City Beach, Florida

Please don’t take this literally and go jumping into the ocean during a tropical storm! This is about living life out in the deep with Jesus as our security. Being confident in Him. Trusting Him when what He asks of us goes against our feelings, our wants, our culture, and sometimes even friends and family.

Speaking of, there is a word of caution here too…

We were all created to be IN Christ Jesus, but we were NOT all created to do the same good works in Him. Following Jesus doesn’t look exactly the same. We are NEVER called to do anything contrary to God’s written word, but our lives are meant to be lived as uniquely as we are created.

LORD, I want to relax into You as You lead me. Give me a desire to go wherever You want me to go. Teach me to let go of the familiar and cling to You alone. Give me confidence in You. Teach me to trust Your plan is good and perfect even when it creates struggle for me. Protect me from fear. Create in me a willingness to encourage others to choose You and live for You. Do not let me foster a critical spirit; I do not want to grieve or quench Your Holy Spirit in me. I love You. May my thoughts, words, and deeds bring You all the glory, honor, and praise You are due! Amen.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT

December 20, 2021

Are You Where You Want to Be?

Have you ever been to the beach? I’m hoping you have, and not just because you’ll better understand what I’m getting ready to share with you. The beach is a place where I feel surrounded by the presence of God, His majesty, power, and unchanging love. It’s where I remember He is not tame; He is unchanging, but the ways He works and reveals Himself to us are endless and wonderful.

So why am I writing this just five days before Christmas?

Because I’ve recently been reminded of how easy it is to allow ourselves to hold onto the things of this world. The things we’re “supposed” to care about, accomplish, and have. You know what I’m talking about. You put your things on your beach chair and go down to the water. A short time later, you look up and realize your chair is way down the beach. Did the chair move?

Of course not! It’s you who moved without ever knowing it was happening. That’s when the struggle to get back to where you’re “supposed” to be begins.

There is a hidden current in the water and it carries everyone in the direction it’s going. (This is where we pause to remember Jesus is the Living Water.)

The same thing happens in life. We cling to relationships and accomplishments and comforts.

But…

What if the water is where we’re supposed to be?

What if we’re not supposed to be tied to a chair on the beach?

The chair is safe, but safe is not where Jesus-followers are called to be. We’re called to be in Him and to stay with Him…not looking back to where we started but pressing on to where He is taking us.

To where He’s calling us to go.

To who He created us to be.

To what He planned for us to do.

Jesus said we must remain in Him because apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Paul admonished us to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

So, this Christmas,

I’m praying for the ability to not look back or cling to what holds me back from remaining IN Christ.

I’m praying all those I love will be right there with me. That’s another thing about being IN Christ that’s like being in the ocean, there’s plenty of room for everyone!

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT)

May Christ be the center of your celebration…Merry Christmas!

December 13, 2021December 13, 2021

Thank You!

I know many of you have been wondering where I’ve been. Well, I was posting elsewhere because of a problem I was having with this site AND I was taking a break. Thank you for checking on me and being patient with me.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We did! It was spent surrounded by all our children and grandchildren. I know! Not something we’ll take for granted ever again, is it?!

If you’d like to see what you missed, you can look at what I posted on my old BlogSpot. I think there are three posts over there. One from this morning and two from before our trip to GA to see family there before running home to prep for Thanksgiving here.

You can check them and other oldies at out at Deep Thoughts and Little Happenings (thoughts-and-happenings.blogspot.com)

Again, I hope your Thanksgiving was amazing and overflowed with thanks to and for the One who is the Giver all of the good things in this life.

Love y’all and thankful for each one of you!

“May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
may the Lord look with favor on you
and give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:24-26 (CSB)

October 18, 2021October 19, 2021

The Work of Waiting Involves Both Time and Timing

Standing in the apple orchard earlier this month was an amazing experience. Yes! I had a wonderful time choosing and picking apples with George. Yes! It was wonderful to dream of all we would make with those apples, but it went beyond those good feelings. It was the wonder of seeing the fruit of someone’s labors stretching out around me in every direction. It was the realization we were enjoying the fruit of years of work and time.

Did you know standard apple trees can take up to eight years to fruit?!

Maybe that’s why Paul wrote this…

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

Paul understood the importance of time and timing. Read it again. Notice the prepositional phrase he uses to begin the second sentence.

“At just the right time”

Now notice how he ends the very same sentence.

“if we don’t give up.”

Now jump back to the first sentence.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.”

Ouch!

Time and Timing require us to Work while we Wait!

That’s right! Waiting is hard enough, but having to work like we see a harvest is even harder when we can’t see any evidence of our work.

So, I’m asking myself a few questions.

Am I doing the work required for the harvest I want to reap? If so…

Do I trust God’s timing in my life? In the life of others? Always? Or just when I see or understand what He’s doing in the unseen?

Those questions led me to a couple of other questions?

Are there times I’m getting in God’s way instead of working with Him?

Am I trying to harvest before it’s just the right time?

Different fruits ripen differently. For instance, a strawberry will not ripen (mature) one bit more once it’s separated from the plant? But an apple will continue to ripen after it’s removed from the tree. In fact, even after harvested, an apple will cause other fruits and vegetables to ripen.

Wait! We’ll save the maturing process for next week.

Between Then and Now…

1 Read your Bible. Let’s read Galatians this week. There are only six chapters, so it’s doable for even the busiest schedules. Be sure to ask Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply what you learned.

2 Exercise. Get outside as much as possible.

3 Pray. Use your time outside to pray for your neighbors as you walk around your hood.

LORD, help us to do the work of planting with happy hearts. And help us to trust You and Your timing for us and others. Prevent us from trying to rush the process of planting and harvest. Knit our hearts to Yours and enable us to do the work by faith and not by sight. We love you and we want to show You our love with actions motivated by trust. Help us, LORD. Please help us! Amen.

Digging Deeper:

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

If you have not yet met Jesus, you can meet Him today. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His family. I encourage you to step into the life He created you to live. You will still have the troubles of this world, but you will no longer be facing them alone. I’m praying for you! https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic

Fun Facts:

https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-apples

October 11, 2021October 19, 2021

Learning From a Day in The Orchards

George recently took me apple picking. We’ve never picked our own apples before, but it was a great day outdoors together. We went to a local farm recommended by a friend from church. I did a little online research before going. I wanted to learn “how” to pick apples and which kind of apples I wanted to pick. We picked a half bushel of Fuji apples and a peck of Granny Smith apples. The Fuji are for the apple butter, and the Granny Smith are for baking.

The words Paul wrote in Galatians came to mind as I stood in the orchard that day. Read what he wrote:

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Galatians 6:7 (NLT)

Honestly, it was amazing to stand there surrounded by all those fruit trees. It was obvious they were chosen and planted in those locations with intention and purpose. Long before one piece of fruit was ever harvested, those trees were planted.

I’ve thought often about our day in the orchard and have come to a simple but difficult conclusion. As a Jesus-follower, I have only two choices. The thing is, I’m free to choose. That’s the wonderful thing about being IN Christ Jesus. Before Jesus, I had only one choice…fruit of the flesh. Jesus-followers can choose Spirit fruit!

I can plant from the Spirit or I can plant from the flesh. Planting from the flesh will yield a very different harvest than planting from the Spirit. So I’m asking myself some tough questions.

What do I want to harvest in my own life? Spirit fruit or flesh fruit? Seems like a no-brainer, right?

But…

Am I intentionally planting what I want to harvest?

Am I even aware of what I spend my days planting in my life and the lives of others?

Am I seeking Holy Spirit’s help?

Or…

Am I careless about what I plant?

Do I let my circumstances, feelings, or personal desires dictate my choices?

Am I forgetting I have the freedom to choose what is good and right in everything?

Either way…

I will harvest what I plant.

Sound hopeless? It’s not! Our God is full of mercy and forgiveness. The sooner we come to Him, the quicker He can do something about what we’ve planted. We must listen to Holy Spirit when He shows us what we’ve planted. And we must be willing to agree with Him and quickly apply 1^st John 1:9.

The forgiveness is instant, the cleansing process begins, but…

The consequences aren’t always erased. But wait!

Don’t be discouraged! I’ve experienced the truth of Romans 8:28-29 (more times than I’d care to admit). God really does cause all things to work for good. Why? He’s helping us become more and more like His Son. Who’s that? Jesus!

He causes our wrong choices to help us make right choices in the future. And no worries, He’ll give you another chance to plant something from the Spirit into those places where you’ve planted from your flesh. It may take longer than you’d like, but you will see good fruit.

We’ll talk more about planting and time next week.

Between Then and Now…

1 Read your Bible. Maybe choose a different translation and re-read a book you’ve already read. Be sure to ask Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply what you read.

2 Exercise. Get outdoors for at least a little bit every day. Be intentional about seeing what’s been planted and look for the beauty and benefit of what’s growing.

3 Pray. Ask Holy Spirit to help you pause and pray so you will see His choice BEFORE you plant.

LORD, thank You for giving us the freedom to choose what we will plant. Thank You for giving Holy Spirit to us as our Helper. Please teach us to hear Him when He speaks to us. We want to use our freedom for good and not for evil. Teach us to use our lives to plant the life-giving fruit of Holy Spirit. Amen.

Digging Deeper:

And we know that God causes everything to work togetherfor the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstbornamong many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:28-29 (NLT)

October 4, 2021

Learning From Baseball: A Choice Must Be Made!

The 2021 baseball season ended last night for the Washington Nationals. I started this series of posts without an idea of how many posts there would be. I definitely didn’t expect to find the LORD showing me so many spiritual truths through baseball.

Honestly, I don’t know why I’m surprised; He’s shown me on multiple occasions He doesn’t live inside our expectations but far beyond anything we can think or imagine. You’d think by now I’d expect the unexpected by now.

Anyway, here we are at the end of our series and I find myself circling back around to a bit of information I shared much earlier. It’s a perfect wrap up though.

The Washington Nationals are in the East Division of the National League. There are three divisions in the NL and there are five teams in each division. We’re not the only league. The American League also consists of three divisions with five teams in each. Every baseball team plays 162 games each season. Some of the games are inter-league, but the majority of those 162 games are played against your own league’s teams and a very high percentage of those games are played within your own division.

The ultimate goal of every team is to get into the play-offs. All play-off games are post regular season. The first goal is to win your division. If you don’t win your division, you might still win enough games to qualify as a Wild Card team. There are two Wild Card teams in each league. Post season games begin within your own league, but winning allows you to progress to the final series.

Even if you’ve never watched a single baseball game, you’ve heard of this series. You guessed it! It’s the World Series and is played between the best team of the season from each league.

Okay, if you’re a baseball fan, you understood what you just read. If you’re not a fan, what you read might be as clear as mud to you. Either way, stay with me.

This world is all about the battle between two kingdoms. One is the Kingdom of Heaven and the other is the kingdom of darkness. Here’s where there’s a BIG DIFFERENCE!

The Kingdom of Heaven has already defeated the kingdom of darkness.

The key players were Jesus and His followers and Satan and his followers. For a time, it seemed the followers of Satan were victorious when they crucified Jesus, but…

Three days later, Jesus was resurrected. He visited with many of His followers for forty days. Then, He ascended into heaven right before their eyes. He didn’t just leave though. He left verbal instructions with His followers — very specific instructions. He told them to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

Here was my AHA moment. I was making the bed and thinking about how poorly our team has played this year. That’s when this came to me and I ran to write it down. People are all around us; in our neighborhoods, communities, counties, states, nation, and around the world, and they need to know there is a choice to be made. Multitudes of people have no idea they have a choice. They figure life is what it is. They don’t know Jesus has chosen them to be a part of His league and to play on one of the teams in His league. He knows their name and wants them to play on a team in His league; the Kingdom of Heaven League.

It’s our responsibility as Jesus-followers to tell them they have a choice to make. It’s our responsibility to live in such a way as to cause them to ask us questions.

Don’t discount the hardships in your life. Consider them opportunities. Yes! Consider them opportunities to exhibit Holy Spirit fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Count it as joy! Our times of trouble create opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with others. They may not make the choice while you are together, but that is not on us. It’s our responsibility to share the Good News. It’s Holy Spirit’s role to prepare their hearts and grow the seeds we plant by sharing what we know about Jesus. We are not responsible for their choice; we are responsible for making sure they know they have a choice to make.

Next week we will move into a new series.

Between Then and Now…

1 Read your Bible. Maybe read 1^st Timothy. There are a total of six chapters. Ask Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply what you read.

2 Exercise. It’s cooler outside, so enjoy being outdoors. Don’t let yourself become so absorb in your activities that you are blind to those who are all around you.

3 Pray. Pray for everyone you see. It doesn’t have to be a long prayer. You don’t have to stop and bow your knee. Pray in the Spirit; let Him guide you in asking God’s blessing for the other person.

LORD, we thank You for the person who told us about the Good News of Jesus. Thank You for helping us understand what they were sharing and for allowing us to choose to be a part of Your league. Please do not let us become complacent in following Your command to make disciples. Give us courage to share You with others. Help us look for You and see You in our daily lives, so we can bear witness to who You are and what You are doing for us right here and now. May we never forget to offer others the choice of belonging to the winning league. Amen.

Digging Deeper:

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”Romans 10:13-15 (NLT)

Posts

How to Play Your Part

Why Can’t I Just Float?

Am I In the Shallows or The Deep?

Finding A Stormy New Perspective as I Enter 2022

Are You Where You Want to Be?

Recommended Reading…

Thank You!

The Work of Waiting Involves Both Time and Timing

Learning From a Day in The Orchards

Learning From Baseball: A Choice Must Be Made!