The Ultimate Gift

May 8, 2014

Perfect Love

The dress, the flowers, the tux. Shoes, hair, etc. Such great lengths young people (and their parents) go to in order to make their high school prom a night to remember. We are in the thick of it at our house this week. It has me pondering young love quite a bit. It takes me back to the time when I was preparing for that special night. At that time It seemed like my prom date/boyfriend was “the one”—my happily ever after. Like the majority of high school romances, that proved to be false over time. I won’t tell you it was easy, but eventually we each moved on. I found “the one” during my senior year of college and we’ll soon be celebrating our 25th anniversary. What I know now and wished I knew 25 years ago is that my husband doesn’t even qualify as “the one.” Now don’t panic, we’re not headed to divorce court. My point is that there is only One who loves me perfectly and completely. His name is Jesus. He is the only One with the capacity to love you perfectly too. We will never find perfect love apart from Christ because everyone else falls short. It can be good, but it won’t be perfect. I could have saved myself quite a bit of heartache had I realized this sooner and not set such unrealistic expectations on Todd. I am a slow learner. Whether you are single and alone, single and dating, a newlywed, or have been married for years, this message is for you.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18, 19 NLT)

You are loved without condition by your Creator. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more, or any less. Receive His love today and celebrate!

April 19, 2014May 8, 2014

Remember

My pastor urged the church not to skip from Palm Sunday right to Easter and participate fully in the remembrance of Christ’s last days and subsequent crucifixion during this Holy Week. As it turns out, remembrance became the overarching theme of the week. With my daughter’s senior year of high school winding down, there has been a need to go through all our photo albums searching for pictures for a few projects that are in the works. As I told a number of people, I now have a steady stream of Throwback Thursday pictures to share! With each turn of the page memories flooded my mind from days gone by. Also this week, a friend and mother of another CDH baby posted a link to an article about congenital diaphragmatic hernias that took me back 18 years to a time of waiting and wondering what God had in store for our daughter who was diagnosed with CDH while in the womb. Throw in the movie “God’s Not Dead” and the death of a cousin as well as two powerful church services for Holy Thursday and Good Friday and one might say it has been a week of emotional overload. It seemed at every turn God was telling me to remember.

On Thursday evening we took communion around a table just as the disciples did. And we remembered…

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. (Luke 22:19-20 NLT)

On Friday morning I gathered with many relatives to celebrate the life of one of God’s good and faithful servants. And we remembered…

Friday evening was spent reflecting on Jesus’ crucifixion and death. The reading of Scripture was so powerful that in my mind I really could do as the choir sang and “hear the nails, feel the pain.” He subjected Himself to that horrendous death for you and for me. He redeemed us by paying the penalty for our sins–past, present and future—so we could be in relationship with the Father. And we remembered…

On Easter morning, we will arise to the Good News—

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:5-6 NIV)

And we remember once more…

The tomb was empty. He is risen indeed! Christ has defeated death. Through faith in Him we, too, can have the last word on death. We won’t get a better offer!

Wishing you a most blessed and joyous Easter!

Dedicated to Beverly Hoover (3/10/39 – 4/16/14) and remembering all loved ones who have passed on to their eternal home.

March 20, 2014May 8, 2014

New Life, Fresh Hope

What is the first thing you think of when you think of spring? My pastor asked that question to open a sermon several years ago. I turned to the friend beside me and said, “flowers” and she instantly replied that she was surprised I didn’t say baseball. Me too! What was I thinking? At the beginning of every season there is fresh hope for winning a championship. I reminded myself of that each year as I remained faithful to my Buccos throughout their 20 consecutive losing seasons. No matter what it is you think of when you think of spring, I imagine it has something to do with new life and/or fresh hope.

I find it somewhat ironic that the 64-team NCAA basketball tournament gets underway today, the first day of spring. I am excited for both! It has been a LONG winter and even though the weather may not feel quite springlike, there is something hopeful about officially moving into that season. I enjoy watching nature come alive as God breathes new life into all that was dormant over the winter months.

There are 64 NCAA basketball teams who have hope of winning a national championship as we mark this first day of spring. No matter their record, their seeding or their level of play heading into the tournament, each of those 64 teams starts fresh today with the hope of winning a title. The slate is clean.

Jesus came so that we, too, could have new life, fresh hope. When He died on a cross for our sins our slates were wiped clean also. He was the final and perfect sacrifice, paving the way to the Father through faith in Him.

Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIRV)

The best part—the invitation isn’t just limited to 64! God is not looking at your record or judging your level of play and seeding you accordingly. He offers new life to all who believe.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17 NLT)

There are no other qualifications necessary. Won’t you accept the invitation? I guarantee victory!

With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. (Psalm 60:12 NIV)

February 20, 2014May 8, 2014

Double Fitness

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT)

If not winter, are you at least enjoying the Olympics? I have tuned in most every night and find myself shaking my head frequently, awestruck by what these athletes are willing and able to do with/to their bodies in order to compete at such a high level. Sometimes it makes me hurt just watching them! I can only imagine the degree of physical training required of these Olympic athletes and the pain they have endured in the process.

Athletes or not, we can honor God with our bodies. And should! Being physically fit is one means of providing the Spirit with a nice home in which to reside. This topic has been heavy on my mind of late; thus, this writing. For some yet to be determined reason, I have recently been sidelined from exercise that has been part of my daily routine for years. My body won’t tolerate it for more than 27 seconds at a time and that admittedly scares me. Maybe the aging process or some other physical ailment has limited your mobility and derailed your ability to be physically fit as well. I have good news—there’s something much better, spiritual fitness. Why? Because its benefits are eternal!

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8 NLT)

We can achieve spiritual fitness by investing in our relationship with the Creator of the universe. Just as there are many ways to get into physical shape, there are a variety of ways to train for godliness as well. We can nurture our relationship with God by spending time in His Word, communicating with Him in prayer, attending and becoming actively involved in a church, and more. The key is staying connected to Him. I’ve done several Bible studies over the years and since I am a bottom line kind of person, I like to summarize what I’ve learned upon completion of the study. I always seem to arrive at the same conclusion—it’s all about the relationship! It is my prayer that each of us would invest in our spiritual fitness daily so that His light would shine through us and reach a dark world.