Putting Down This Thing (My Farewell)

Just One More Thing (sung by Sara Groves)

There's always just one more thing
There's always another task
There's always "I just have one more small favor to ask"
And everything is urgent and everything is now
I wonder what would really happen if I stopped somehow

I'll be there in a minute
Just a few places to go
You wake up a few years later and your kids are grown
And everything is important
But everything is not
At the end of your life your relationships are all you've got

And love to me is when you put down that one more thing and say
I've got something better to do
And love to me is when you walk out on that one more thing and say
Nothing will come between me and you
Not even one thing

There will never be an end to
The request upon your time
It's your place to stand up and tell the world
You've got to rest awhile. . .

I'm putting down this one more thing called Sugar Tails.  I have loved writing here.  I've loved getting to "meet" new people.  I've loved sharing my writing and finding that it resonates with some of you.  I've loved adding images to my words and sharing part of my heart, but . . .

First of all, my heart belongs to God.  My writing used to be only for Him.  I miss that.  I miss pouring my heart though pen solely for His eyes.  I miss knowing for sure that it's still about Him first.  And yes, I could turn off comments, but . . .

I'd still wonder, I think, if someone was reading.  And wonder what they thought.  And above all, I want to make sure that my identity is in my Savior and not in others' thoughts of me.  Especially since I value your thoughts.

And one more (important and urgent) thing: my precious ones.  My sugars.  Because they are my something better. And I want nothing to come between them and me.

 

Let all you do be done in love. 

1 Corinthians 16:14 (ESV)

Perhaps, I will have something to share again someday.  For now, I need silence here so that this thing doesn't become that one more task, that one more thing.  As Ann Voskamp said best, "It’s the words we’re writing on hearts that last forever."  I put this down because right now that's love to me, and I love them.  And Him.  I want to live in love and write forever on their hearts.  And to let Him write forever on mine.

For every word of encouragement and kindness you have gifted to me, I am forever blessed.  Thank you.

May the blessings return to you, my friends.

I'm linking up one last time to Internet Cafe Devotions, where the Word takes center stage.

Putting Down This Thing (My Farewell)

One Less Orphan

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27

Some of the best people I know have adopted children.  They understand the privilege of being adopted into God's family, and they know the call to love and care deeply for others in great need.  This family is among the best.

We adore them.  Chris and Anne and their boys are great friends and great people and are doing a great thing.  We had the privilege of serving with them at one time when Chris was the youth pastor at our church.  We've both since moved in different directions (fiddlesticks!) to serve in other places and other ways.  Now, they are in the process of living out Christ's call by filling that empty chair of theirs with a precious child in need.  As a member of His Body, I want to help them and others like them.  I would like to have at least a small part of caring for those in great need, in being part of something eternal.  Knowing your heart,  I bet you would like a chance to do something as well. 

Buy a shirt (just click on those words in pink for more information).  One hundred percent of the money goes toward the adoption expenses, which as many of you know, are enormous. 

Start the new year with purpose and compassion (and a cool shirt!  Grin).  Bring their little guy, a sweet child with special needs from China, to their home.  Be a part of something God loves.

 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 

James 1:22 

Let there be one less orphan and a chance for one more member of the best family of all.  God's.

For more encouragement in the Word, visit Internet Cafe Devotions. 

 To put your faith into action, consider visiting Graves family blog 

(who had no idea I was spreading the word -- I just love surprises)

and support their adoption. 

What better way to walk with Him, than to make a habit of giving sacrificially?

One Less Orphan

A Gift for You That Will Make You Rich

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;

he is the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign to you:

You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. 

Luke 2:11-12

Let the stable still astonish

Straw — dirt floor, dull eyes

Dusty flanks of donkeys, oxen;

Crumbling, crooked walls;

No bed to carry that pain

And then, the child,

Rag-wrapped, laid to cry

In a trough.

Who would have chosen this?

Who would have said “Yes,”

“Let the God of all the heavens

And earth

Be born here, in this place”?

Who but the same God

Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms

of our hearts

and says “Yes,”

“Let the God of Heaven and Earth

be born here –

in this place.”

                                                                                Leslie Leyland Fields

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 

2 Corinthians 8:9

Sharing with you the wonder of the miracle . . . the gift of the Lord born in our dark hearts.  It's our own rags to riches story.

Have a Blessed Christmas and New Year!

Celebrate the gift of the Savior born to you with Internet Cafe Devotions.

*The photo was taken at a recent visit to the live nativity in Christmas Town at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.  I highly recommend the trip!*

A Gift for You That Will Make You Rich

Light Leads to Light

The star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  Matthew 2:9

The wisemen, led by a star, were brought to The Star.

A star rises from Jacob, a scepter from Israel.  Numbers 24:17

The wisemen, led by light, were brought to The Light.

And now the LORD says . . . "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."  Isaiah 49:6

Jesus, the Light of the World, tells us to follow Him and do as He has done.  We are to be light to those around us.  We are to love as He loves and give as He gives.  We are to live righteously, in goodness and truth.  We are to make the most of every opportunity, to reach out to those in need, so that we clearly reveal The Way for them.  We are to illumine the world around us so that others may see and know The Light that came to those walking in great darkness 2,000 years ago still shines today through us. 

We are to shine like stars to lead others to The Star.   

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 

 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn."

Isaiah 60:1-3

Let's live lives worthy as children of light.  Let's shine.

For more thoughts on The Light of the world, visit Internet Cafe Devotions.

Light Leads to Light

God Whispers

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 

1 Kings 19:11-12

God whispers. 
He leans near and speaks softly, gently, closely. 
He breathes words of life and love and truth into our lives.

Let's still ourselves and listen for Him -- this one called Immanuel, God with us.  Let's not miss Him because we are waiting for the grand, earth-shattering signs and trumpeting voice. 

He entered the world quietly once, and continues to speak softly to our hearts today. 

Listen.

Look for God-whispers in His Word at Internet Cafe Devotions.

God Whispers

The Deaf Can Hear

I lay on my pillow in the hours of night when all should be sleeping and listen to the soft "woosh, woosh" of my heartbeat.  It is all I can hear in the silence.  My good ear is against the pillow, leaving my plugged ear up to miss all those faint night-time sounds.  Instead, I hear what sounds as an empty seashell that has long forgotten the sea.  Nothing but loud air.

For over two weeks now, this is what I have heard, with an occasional ringing breaking the silence or pain when my children speak too loudly.  The medicine I'm taking apparently hasn't made it's breakthrough yet.  I send up another prayer that God would speak life into my ear so that I can hear in that ear again.  I remind Him that He's done this before in much more serious situations.  He has made the lame walk, the blind to see, the truly deaf to hear.  This is nothing -- just a little plugging up for a week that is irritating and occasionally painful.

I wait in the silence, hoping He might just decide that now is a good moment, but there is no change.  So I hope for tomorrow . . . and for sleep.

It is as I am waiting for either to come, that I sense His words.  "Do not turn a deaf ear to Me.  Do not plug up your life with the busyness and business of this season so much that you ignore Me."

I am reminded of the warning in Proverbs 28:9, "If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable."

And my soul smiles.  For this God of mine has given me an opportunity to really hear.  He has indeed spoken words of life into my dysfunctional ear.  Lasting words.  Words that I may remember through the holiday season so that I may never forget the Promised One who brought healing and salvation.

"Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert."

                                       Isaiah 35:5-6

May your eyes truly see and your ears truly hear this Christmas season, so that you dance and sing for the One who was and is and is to come!

To "hear" more of the Word, check out Internet Cafe Devotions. 

The Deaf Can Hear

What's in a Name?

The anxiety comes and goes like the weather.  Lately, it's a persistent fog distorting all my thoughts.  My scripture cards have been out often.  These verses I keep returning to:

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe"  Proverbs 18:10.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God"  Psalm 20:7.

While these verses bring some comfort to me, I begin to really think about them as I meditate . . . and I begin to wonder.  Why God's name?  Why is there such an emphasis on "the name of the LORD," instead of just saying, "the LORD"?

It took a child to teach me . . . . or rather a child's Bible study.  I have read before many verses referring to God's name.  We are to call on the name of the Lord, sing praise to His name, exalt His name, ascribe glory due His name, revere His name.  And ultimately, trust in His name.  I've read lists of His names; seen artistic hangings of His names, and found beauty in the titles He carries.  I've found comfort in His names.  But recently as I walked through a study, God What's Your Name?, with The Thinker I began to really ponder what it means to trust His name.  I found that it's stunningly simple.

To know the name of the LORD is to know the LORD. 

Meanings of names have always carried weight with me.  As we were considering names for our children, I would pour over baby books and toss out names that meant "bitter" or "supplanter" or things that I associated with something negative.  I wanted to pass on more than just a pretty sound.

The name of the LORD is even more than that.  Each of God's names essentially defines who He is. 
    
     Elohim tells us He is Creator
     El Shaddai tells us He is Almighty God
     Jehovah-jireh tells us He is Provider
     Jehovah-shalom tells us He is Peace
     Jehovah-raah tells us He is our Shepherd

As I began to know God's names and read some of the stories around which they are presented to us in the Bible, I began to understand that trusting in the LORD's name means trusting in the many parts of who He is for each and every need I have. 

If I need healing, He is Jehovah-rapha.  If I feel overlooked, He is El Roi.  If I feel lost, He is Jehovah-raah.  I can trust in His name.

"Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." 

~Psalm 9:10

May you know His name.

Seek to know His name through His Word at Internet Cafe Devotions.

What's in a Name?

I Hate, Hate Exercise

I hate to exercise.  Hate it.  I have friends that run a ridiculous number of miles and post it on Facebook from time to time.  I love my friends . . . but I think they're crazy.  The thought of willingly running five, ten, twenty miles, all at once, is just absurd.  Down to the mailbox and back is more than enough for me, thank you very much.

Now, I love to play.  I like kickball, dodgeball, backyard games of softball or basketball.  I like hiking miles and miles in the mountains and taking long walks with friends.  I even enjoy a class of kickboxing or Pilate's if someone I know can distract me with chatter.  But call it exercise for exercise sake, and I instantly dislike it. 

Yet, as I write this moment, I am sitting on my exercise bike with my computer propped up beside me and my legs are peddling furiously.  I feel the burn.  And later I have plans to stick in a DVD and workout with some lady who has amazing flexibility, because I don't.

So, why am I torturing myself?  Because I need the exercise.  Since going through my last pregnancy two years ago, I've noticed a definite change in my strength and well-being.  And my pants are getting a bit tight.  Ahem.  I know I need to get my rear in gear, and that fuels my fire a bit to get moving.

Sometimes, I feel much the same about the spiritual disciplines.  Discipline -- a word akin to exercise.  Practicing spiritual disciplines for discipline sake makes me dislike them at times.  It seems dutiful and dry and boring to pick up the Bible or to pray just because I should.  But when I'm feeling weak or heartsick, and I'm getting squeezed by the pressures of life, there is a stronger desire within to seek the Lord. 

But as in physical exercise, it's harder to get in shape, than to stay in shape . . .

(t-shirt from Amazon.com)

. . .so it is in our spiritual lives.  I shouldn't have waited for my pants to get too tight to start a regular exercise routine, and I shouldn't wait til life squeezes me to practice walking with Jesus.  For that is of far greater value than pants that fit just right.

"Rather, train yourself to be godly. 

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,

 holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 

1 Timothy 4:8

Let's train together for something that will last.

 
*For the record, many of my running friends are also very godly people.  Doesn't that just stink?  (Grin.)*
 

For more training in the Word, check out Internet Cafe Devotions.  Get fit!

I Hate, Hate Exercise

The Joy and Sorrow of Christmas Cards

I have been working on Christmas cards.  I know, I know.  It's a sickness.  It's hard to explain just how much I love Christmas . . . the lights, the carols, the greetings, the stories, the gifts, the cheer.  It's the most wonderful time of year, you know.  Which is why I start in October. 

Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of the season, and I enjoy working on them early and taking my time.  I love to add handwritten notes when I have something to say and often include a picture of the family or the kiddos.  These were a few of the 100 attempts for last year's card:

I like to send the cards out the last day of November, so that ours is one of the first to greet our friends with good cheer.  In other words, I like to kick off the party!

As much as I enjoy choosing the cards for friends and family and signing our names and greeting, there is one part each year that's a bit solemn:  when I have a name to cross off the list.  Then my Christmas card time becomes a time of prayer for family that is still here and grieving.

And maybe that's why I most love Christmas:  it is a reminder that while joy and sorrow mingle together here, there is a Someday when we can put aside our sorrows forever.  Because the Word became Flesh -- and changed everything.

"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people . . ." (Luke 2:10).

"No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever"  (Revelation 22:4-5).

Soli Deo Gloria!!  Let's start celebrating!

For more good tidings, visit Internet Cafe Devotions.

The Joy and Sorrow of Christmas Cards

Close to His Heart

"He tends His flock like a shepherd; 

He gathers the lambs in His arms

and carries them close to His heart;

He gently leads those that have young."

Isaiah 40:11

Baby Girl is infatuated with other babies right now, real or pretend.  She is constantly carrying and coddling one of her several baby dolls, taking them to bed, for walks around the house in the stroller, to tea time, and in the car when its time to leave.  Her arms are full of her little ones.  Her heart breaks to leave one behind.

Our Shepherd is much the same.  His tenderness reaches for us so that He may hold us close to His heart.  He gathers us in arms that are never too full or too weak to hold.  He gently leads us.  He determines where we should go so that we are getting the nourishment, the rest, the growth that we need, but He is not harsh or unsympathetic when we falter in our follow.  And His heart breaks to leave any behind. 

Lean closer to the Shepherd today.  Let Him gather you in His arms.  Let Him carry you close to His heart.  Let Him tend to you so that His love flows through you to others and ensures that none are left behind.

To lean close to God's heart, I highly suggest reading all of Isaiah 40.  It will bless you, as will Internet Cafe Devotions, a place to develop a deeper relationship with God as you interact with His Word.

Close to His Heart

Thankful for the Music

The headache has been here since the end of last week.  It has taken slight breaks now and then but has refused to leave completely.  With it comes its friend, Fatigue.  I have pressed through, spending time with my best girlfriend on Friday, hoping conversation would cure what medicine couldn't.  Saturday, I didn't let it stop some time out with my husband, and it took a short leave for church on Sunday.  Monday it returned in force and made doing anything -- writing, reading, cleaning, smiling, cooking, talking, teaching -- less than desirable.  But of course, I had to do most of those things, including driving to school to pick up The Thinker.

And that's when it happened.  A song.  A song of praise.  A song of praise with such good singin', I couldn't help but smile and lift a hand, just one, as I drove.  For a brief few minutes, the hurt was less than the joy.  And even though my lips couldn't form the words, there was Victory in my heart.

"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 5:19-20

Today, I'm continuing my count to 1,000 with Ann because every day is a good day to give thanks, even if you can't articulate it on time. 

And I count Internet Cafe Devotions as a place I'm thankful for, a place to find more like-minded Word-filled thoughts. 

 

Gifts #341 - #359:

Psalm 95:1-3 in The Message:
     "Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
     Let's march into his presence singing praises,
     lifting the rafters with our hymns!
     And why? Because God is the best,
     High King over all the gods.
     In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
     in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
     He made Ocean—he owns it!
     His hands sculpted Earth!"

the music in my heart

a song of praise

beautiful leaves in abundance




















visiting with my best friend

fun in a toy store with the hubs

hearing my dad preach

lunch with family

back rubs

their smiles

"tank you, Mommy" several times a day in her little voice

Honeycrisp apples

apple cider

colors

early morning fog lit by sun:  world aglow

grace, grace, grace -- It's always Amazing!

like-minded people

the sound of my sister's voice over the phone set to the music of my brother-in-law's banjo

the smell of pumpkin bread

fun with Photoshop

Thankful for the Music

The Beauty in Dying

There is beauty in dying.

As I look around my part of the world during this favorite time of year, I see beauty in the colors and bounty of creation.  As the trees enter into a season of rest and the leaves display a final act of triumph before falling lifeless to the ground, their glory cannot be missed.  They are paring away the unnecessary and concentrating on the important.  As they do this, they reveal their true colors, leaving me in awe of the beauty of dying.

One year ago this month, a family member of mine went through this dying process.  After several years of battling cancer that started in her breast, she now waits in Heaven for the rest of her family.  Although I wasn't present with her during her final weeks on this earth, I have seen the fruit of her dying beautifully.  I witnessed the ways she lived fully as she knew she was dying.  I was told of the ways she prepared her nine year-old daughter for her parting.  I've seen evidence of the care in leaving memories and instruction and a godly legacy.  I saw her living well, continuing to give of herself and be present in this life and paring out the unnecessary as she edged closer to eternity.  In this paring away, the beauty of her essence was revealed more clearly.

Hers is not the only dying I have witnessed around me.  I have watched a friend die to sin and choose faithfulness.  I have witnessed another beautiful one die to self and care for a child that will never be independent from her.  This year, I tearfully observed two friends die to doubt and display trust as they relinquished their baby girls to Jesus.  Daily, I perceive dying around me as people sacrificially give of time, money, dreams, desires so that others might experience love.  And as they pare away sin, selfishness, anger, greed, envy, and so on, their beauty cannot be missed. 



It looks like Christ.  And it's breathtaking.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,

so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;

by his wounds you have been healed.  For you were like sheep going astray, 

 but now you have returned to the Shepard and Overseer of your souls." 

1 Peter 2:24-25

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 

When Christ, who is your life, appears,

then you also will appear with him in glory." 

Colossians 3:3

Anticipating more glory,

For more thoughts in the Word, visit Internet Cafe Devotions.

The Beauty in Dying

Our Life Preserver

"Come and see what God has done,

how awesome His works in man's behalf!

He turned the sea into dry land,

they passed through the waters on foot—

come, let us rejoice in Him.

He rules forever by His power,

His eyes watch the nations—

let not the rebellious rise up against him. 

Praise our God, O peoples,

let the sound of His praise be heard; 

He has preserved our lives

and kept our feet from slipping. 

For you, O God, tested us;

You refined us like silver. 

You brought us into prison

and laid burdens on our backs.

You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but You brought us to a place of abundance."

~Psalm 66:5-12

Praise be to our Life Preserver, who longs to bring us life abundantly! 

He didn't save us out of the waters and the fire to merely pass time between cradle and grave.  He saved us to pass on life -- to be satisfied, soul-breathing, purpose-driven, praise-bearing, life-giving preservers of His existence.   

Be Christ.  Be life-givers.  Be.

For more life-giving thoughts, visit Internet Cafe Devotions.

Our Life Preserver

As Surely as the Sun Rises

"Let us acknowledge the LORD; 

let us press on to acknowledge Him.

As surely as the sun rises, He will appear;

He will come to us like the winter rains,

like the spring rains that water the earth."

~Hosea 6:3

As surely as the sun rises . . .

Each morning that I wake, I do not wonder if the sun is going to rise.  It is something that I expect, that I take for granted.  It is something that is sure.  Few things are certain, but this is one of them. 

As is Christ's return.  He will appear.  He will restore.  He will renew.

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true'" (Revelation 22:1-6).

There are so many prophecies fulfilled and promises kept in God's Word, that I believe this one is well.  He is faithful.  He will do it.  As surely as the sun rises.

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20). 

Grace be with you while we wait.

Prepare for Him by reading more from the Word at Internet Cafe Devotions.

As Surely as the Sun Rises

The Farmer Preacher

We climb up, up the ladder, Baby Girl and I.  We squeeze into the cab with her grandpa, my dad.  The space seems smaller since the last time I sat here (although the seat assures me it is I who have grown), but the honest smells of dust and grease and hard work are the same.

As we cozy close together, my shoulder against my dad's, Baby Girl clings tightly to my hands and presses back into my body.  It's her first harvest up close, up high.

He talks about the beans, how they're not as good as he'd hoped.  Too much rain too early, too little later on.  For years this farmer-dad of mine has been teaching me lessons about everything, but most of all, leading me in the Way. 

And now, the farmer has turned preacher.  He will be sharing his love, his knowledge, his Lord with many, in a new way.

"Look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest."  John 4:35

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."  Matthew 9:37

It's harvest time.

Go glean.  Go bless.

Consider gleaning from God's Word at Internet Cafe Devotions.

The Farmer Preacher