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A New Beginning

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

          He does that, you know, He makes all things new.  He gives us endless second chances.  He gives us new weeks, new months, new moons, new years.  He removes our sins, “As far as the east is from the west.”  He is patient and kind, “not willing that any should perish.”  He is our Shepherd.  And when we get loaded down, messed up and stressed out, He “makes” us “lie down in green pastures.”

         
          All around us are the expectations of a New Year peppered with promises to do better, live healthier, and try harder.  But we’ll fail, not at all of it, but probably at some of it.  We’ll find a good excuse to gossip… a logical reason to overreact…another celebration that will invite us to overeat…and then we’ll wake up one day feeling less motivated than we thought we would feel back on January 1.

          He will still be there making all things new.

          Some of us will venture into new opportunities. There will be new relationships, new houses, new cars, new furniture and new families. 

          He’ll bless us and favor us and wait patiently for us to see Him.  That’s who He is.  It’s what He does.  He provides for us “out of his glorious riches.”

          And even though our New Year will eventually be old, He’ll not change.  He’ll be there to see us through, “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

 Jehovah-jireh, our Provider.

 (Bible references: Revelation 21: 5, Psalm 103:12 NAS, 2 Peter 3:9 NKJ, Psalm 23 NIV, Ephesians 3:16 NIV, Proverbs 18:24 NIV)

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

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Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

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Just A Story

     The prison doors slammed shut and she knew the price she would have to pay was more than she could give.  Even death seemed a better option than being stuck in this pit with the other prisoners.  She had definitely done some things wrong… not just once or twice, but day after day, month after month, year after year.

It got easier.  Eventually, she didn’t even feel guilty.  Her family had tried to intervene… had tried to talk with her about her choices.  But every time her self-destructive behavior would win over.

She had been taught at an early age that placing yourself in the hands of others will get you hurt.  And, at some point, the drugs and alcohol she used to self-medicate, kept her from caring.  The harder she had struggled the more powerless she had felt.  And it had all ended here.

As she sat down on the cold metal bed, it was almost hard for her to believe she had fallen this far.  She was caged like an animal and suspected she would be treated even worse.  But then she heard the distant sounds of all the prison doors unlatching.  She kept her seat, not knowing what was going to happen next.  As the sounds swelled and her cell door swung open, she couldn’t see anyone, but the voice she heard was clear.

          “There is a way for you to get out of here.  But there is only one way.  It will require you to believe.”

           “And what if I don’t believe?” she said in her typical characteristic, cynical tone. “Why should I believe you?  Why is there only one way?  That doesn’t make sense. There has to be more than one way out of here.”

          “Not this time,” came the response.  “But it’s your decision and yours alone.  No one is going to force you.  The door is open and this is the way.”

She sat there and thought about it…thought about how her parents had tried to raise her…remembered the one Bible verse she had heard so many times in her life she could quote it, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Yep, she had heard that one a few times.  Every Sunday when she wanted to sleep in, those days when going to the lake seemed a bit more fun than sitting through another sermon, or when Sunday morning television was more tempting than a trip to church.

But here she was.  Her life was a mess and, on her own, she was powerless to climb out of this pit.  She was afraid.  So she sat a little longer.  She could hear some of the other prisoners laughing and scoffing at the invitation they had received.

She looked down to see her hands trembling.  She tried to drown out the voices in the other cells and in her mind…so many conflicting voices.  While her parents had tried to raise her right, her friends had been more than willing to show her another route; one that seemed like a lot more fun.  But where were they now, her friends?

She contemplated what her life would be like in confinement.  She thought about all the wasted years.  She wondered how things might have turned out differently if she had followed a different path.  But it was too late for regrets.  The tears drained down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands.  She remembered a time sitting next to her mom on the couch when she was just a little girl.  Her mom was reading a Bible story to her about Peter and Jesus.

          “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 

She remembered her mom telling her what Jesus had said to Peter.  “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”   Her mom had told her, no matter what she did, no matter how bad, no matter how many times, God would always forgive her, if she asked.

Surely her mom had not anticipated this.

But if there was only one way, then there was only one choice.

She stood up on wobbly legs and very slowly walked out.  It wasn’t easy.  As bad as she wanted to leave that small cell, it still seemed safer than walking into the unknown and following the voice of someone she could not see.

There were only a few women walking in the same direction.  She heard those who stayed in their cells claiming there had to be more than one way.  They weren’t quite ready to leave yet.  And, they were convinced, if they waited, other doors would open.

She kept moving forward, forcing one foot in front of the other and, eventually, she walked out the door and into the light.

The price she had been asked to pay, to remain in this prison of hers, was more than she could give.

But the price had already been paid…one debt, one price, one death, one-way.

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.   No one comes to the Father except through me.”

                                                                    John 14:6 NIV

 “There are people who complain about the exclusivity of the Gospel. They ask why there has to be just one-way. The more aware I am of the depth of my own sinfulness, the more I look at the subject a bit differently; the more I wonder why there is even one way. I mean, why should there be a way at all? When it gets right down to it, what is it that we think God owes us? How is a holy God in our debt? If God were to offer us two ways, we would want three. If God offered ten, we would want eleven. No matter how many ways God offered, we would always want one more; we would always want our way.”

 Pastor Jim Thomas/The Village Chapel/Nashville, TN 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

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Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Obedience, Women

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Taking the Time

          Time is money.  We know this.  We have heard it most of our lives.  
We have seen it in action.  A doctor who has to see dozens of patients in a day to pay high insurance premiums, a lawyer offering legal advice to as many defendants as the court system can handle or a single mom working two jobs to feed four kids will all tell you that time is money.

          So the idea of stopping long enough to spend time with God, when we can’t see Him, often can’t hear Him and who doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we would like, is sometimes asking more than we are willing to give.  After all, time is money, and if we have enough money, everything else will run smoothly in our lives. Right?

          How much is enough?  For one of the wealthiest men in history, John D. Rockefeller Sr., it was “Just a little bit more.” 

          But we’re not really talking about money here; we’re talking about time.

          Where do we spend most of our time, our quality time?  Is it possible to invest in time and reap the dividends like a savings account or stock portfolio?  I bring this up now because I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately fighting the clock.

          There are people in my life, people I love, who need my help, people who want things, projects on deadline, a house to clean, laundry in piles, dogs to feed, horses covered in cockleburs, holidays coming quickly and I can’t seem to stop long enough to do the one thing that would actually save me some time, if I would just take the time.

          The go-to quote, in times when I need more time, comes from a friend’s grandmother.  I’ve shared it before.

“Now you come on and get up out of that bed.

You know any time you give to God, he will give it back to you”

~Myrtle Alexander, 83

                It’s so true!  But it still didn’t get me out of bed any earlier.  I was already getting up before the sun.  However, a couple of days ago, I forced myself to try and re-focus on what God wants.  I prayed every time I realized I wasn’t praying, or hadn’t prayed, or really didn’t want to pray.  It didn’t get any easier.  I still didn’t feel His presence, or see any signs of the stress lifting from the load I chose to carry.  One of the biggest projects I’ve ever encountered was coming up on its first deadline.  I needed time a lot more than I needed money, although, money was sort of the reason I needed time.  So, I kept going before God.  I kept waiting for a breakthrough.  And still nothing was happening.   I did notice my husband taking extra care to keep the kitchen clean. 
Like a tiny little ray of hope darting out from behind a clump of ominous clouds, things seemed different.

          The project made deadline, the dogs were fed, the horses brushed, there was extra time to spend a couple of days with my Dad, and a significant holiday gift just popped up while I was out doing routine shopping; and it was a fraction of the price I would have expected to pay at Christmas.  When I quit running around chasing the clock, God reminded me of all that had been done, and then, He just gave me this post.

          What about you?  How are you spending your time?  Who is getting the most time?  Does God get any time?  Or is time just money?

Hebrews 4:16

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

 

I have often heard the story of Rockefeller’s money comment and just assumed it was associated with greed.  But when I read about his life, I discovered he was a believer, tithed from the very beginning… and the more money he got, the more he gave away.  In that case, how much would be enough?  A little bit more!

 © Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

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Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

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What a friend

          The Sunday morning worship team’s rendition of “What a friend we have in Jesus” was all it took for the tears to start falling.  I just couldn’t help but remember the days when I stood next to my Mamaw, singing that same song in a little white wooden country church.  As we held hands, and I looked up at her, my heart was full of Jesus and I was happy. 

            A tap on my shoulder brought me back to my balcony seat in our large red brick church building where I now stand, feeling all alone, despite the capacity crowd. 

            I don’t know if a “walk in the wilderness” is ever something you really expect, but ours was most certainly a summer surprise.  We were grateful for God’s providential provision, yet caught off guard by how easily our regular routines could be uprooted when I returned to an all-consuming work schedule.  My freedom to be flexible for our family was temporarily placed on hold, and it was harder on all of us than we ever imagined. 

          I quickly confess that I began to stray away from God like the sheep we are described in the Bible to be.  I was headed for greener pastures… one bite at a time…both eyes open.  There didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to eat right, exercise or get a good night’s sleep; and that added to the rising level of stress I brought back into our home.  But we knew it was a necessary season of sacrifice, so we all moved through the motions.

            In two shorts months, the morning quiet time I covet with God went from an hour to 20 minutes to five minutes to none at all.  Our family prayer time became a quick drop of the knees to recite The Lord’s Prayer, and pop back up in order to get on with the days demands.  Even as it was happening, I knew better, and I knew what the end result would be.  It was like grasping the hand of someone trying to save me as I was falling away all on my own.

             As the tears fill my eyes, I fasten my gaze on the trees outside the big sanctuary windows so no one can see me.  I know I can regain my composure quickly, but at the moment, I just feel empty.     

           I turn to respond to the tap on my shoulder, and there stands our pastor’s wife, like an angel of light, letting me know that God has sent her to the balcony, that He is near…that He sees me…that He knows what has happened…that He is still my refuge and strength.  And, although I have felt alone out in the dry dusty desert where I chose to walk, the rains are on their way, and I will once again be able to stand before Him and soak up His living water. 

“Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” 

          It was only a few weeks later when I was blessed to be able to attend a women’s retreat where we were encouraged to stop for a time in order to immerse ourselves in God’s goodness.  I have to admit, I still walked through most of the weekend telling myself,  “Been here, done this, made the necklace.”  Despite my desire to feel God’s presence and hear His word, I was much more in the mood to hang out with my roommate, walk in the woods and soak up what remained of the autumn sunshine.  The “mountain-top” experience I have come to know and love at these retreats just wasn’t happening for me. So, I turned my attention to some of the other women.  First timers were finding they could leave this retreat with stronger convictions to stand confidently at their crossroads.  Tears were flowing as some women realized they had just come through a season of testing but had stood firm and would return home with even more determination.  Women, who knew no one when they arrived, were exchanging email addresses and cell phone numbers with their new friends. 

            I sat in the front row wishing I knew exactly why I was here.  It was almost over, and like a much-needed vacation, it had gone way too fast.  Then a young woman stepped forward with these words: 

My soul is a dry parched land

and my mind is a shattered piece of glass

I cough out the dust

and kick the broken shards to the sky 

Oh Lord, Gather me up

Oh Lord, fill my spirit

Oh Lord, Gather me up

Oh Lord, Quench my thirsty soul 

My feet won’t move toward you

and my hands are fists swinging wide

I scream out your name in pain

and cry out for healing rains 

Oh Lord, Gather me up

Oh Lord, quench my thirsty soul

Oh Lord, Gather me up! 

          She was like another angel of light delivering the message again.  He is near… He sees us…He knows what has happened…and He is still our refuge and strength.  Although we often feel alone, out in the dry dusty desert where we choose to walk, the rains are on their way, and we will once again be able to stand before Him and soak up His living water. 

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and grief to bear! What a privilege to carry
 Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer! 

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged—Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer. 

Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there. 

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised, Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright, unclouded, There will be no need for prayer— Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there. 

            No matter where you are, no matter how worn out, weary and spent you must feel, God is faithful to deliver you.  We are the ones who get out on a limb, stand at the edge of a cliff and allow ourselves to empty out into the lives of others and the demands of our days. 

But Jesus is always there waiting for our return.

          It seems the more I write about Him, the more I return to thoughts of my childhood.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the way God wants us to come to Him.  

I pass on to you the words our pastor’s wife left me with that Sunday morning.  

“Stand in the rain, sister, stand in the rain!” 

 

(Gather Me Up/2011-Melissa Duckworth)

(What a Friend We Have in Jesus/1855-Joseph M. Scriven)

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

Category:

Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

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Faithfulness

          When you get a group of crusty, cynical old reporters together in one room, someone is bound to become the victim of bold and brash banter.  I remember well, Drue Smith, a senior member of the Tennessee Capitol Hill Press Corps, who would sit silently while all the cub reporters took turns trying to ask the one question that would tip the scales in their favor. She would always wait until the end of the news conference, and then in a long southern drawl, she would inevitably ask, “Gov-en-uh, what’s the bottom line?”

          Frequently, laughter would erupt in the room as we were all certain the topic of the day had been tossed about, sliced, diced and served up in every direction possible.  But, more often than not, the last laugh was on us as the Governor summed up his responses to all of our many questions in the single most concise quote of the day. 

          It’s sort of funny how the topic of faithfulness could bring that story back to my mind.  I remembered it after asking my husband what he thinks first when he hears the word “faithfulness.”  He didn’t give it much thought; he just said:” The bottom line!” 

          “No matter what, the other person is there for you…no matter what, that person is true to you…no matter what, that other person is honest and loyal to you…no matter what!” 

          Isn’t that what we really want?  Someone who would be there for us no matter what?  Someone we could trust completely, lean on totally?  

          In the Old Testament, no matter what the Israelites did to turn their backs on God, He was true to them.  He was honest and loyal to them.  He was there for them.

          In one of the world’s most majestic miracles, God parted the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground in order to escape their enemies.  But, only three days later, they were miffed with Him because there was no water to drink. 

          In the New Testament, Jesus was just as faithful.  He stuck by His apostles even though He was doubted, denied and left to fend for himself.  In fact, you might remember, it didn’t take the apostle Peter as long as it did the Israelites to fall from faith.  As Jesus was about to be arrested, Peter declared his allegiance to him.  But that very same night Peter denied the Son of God three times. 

          What was the response?  

          Jesus was faithful to forgive. 

          Moses became angry and struck the rock when God had clearly told him to speak to it.  God still gave him water. 

          David had both eyes open when he turned from God and let his lust take the lead.  David was disciplined but then comforted by a loving and loyal Father.  

          Jonah ran from God, but God provided transportation to bring him home and give him a second chance. 

          Paul executed Christians, yet Jesus blinded him temporarily to help him see.  You don’t get much more of a “no matter what” example than that one. 

          And even after his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus stood still, so a doubting Thomas could reach out and touch his nail-scarred hands in order to believe.

          I could keep going but I suspect you get the point. 

          I’ve always thought if we had lived “back then,” we might have been a bit more faithful.  After all, the Israelites got to follow a cloud by day and a fire by night. 

          God was their GPS! 

          But then I remember He actually gives us an instruction book and we still try to come up with our own plan.  Even then, He understands and is faithful to all of us.  No matter what we do, no matter how hard we struggle, no matter how many times we mess up, how often our quick tongues or tempers get us into trouble or how unfaithful we become…it does not change the fact that He is faithful.

          And, I’ve got to tell you, I really believe even a crusty cynical old reporter might agree that is the Bottom Line! 

“Our confidence rests not in our faithfulness but in His!”

~Priscilla Shirer

 Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

To whom are you faithful? 

What about when they make you mad, disappoint you, sin beyond what is acceptable in polite society, embarrass you or make themselves look foolish?

  Who are you faithful to, no matter what? 

             What is your bottom line?    

 **Until I wrote this post and contacted Drue’s daughter for a photograph I had no idea all that Drue had accomplished.  She was a faithful woman whose colorful life story is definitely worth reading**  

  http://www.publishedbywestview.com/FullerDSmith.html

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

Category:

Faith, Inspirational, Obedience, Truth, Women

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Silver Wings

           Light brown pigtails whipped in the wind as she sat in the backseat of the old ’66 Chevy Impala.  Dust from the gravel country road flew up in a cloud behind them, and the car outran it.  She had the window down, her arm propped up on the ledge, and a big smile on her face.  The backseat was all hers, and, from big rear speakers, the unmistakable voice of Merle Haggard, singing Silver Wings, drowned out all other sounds.

            She had never felt better.  She was still a kid, yet a little grown up.  In the company of her aunt and uncle, yet feeling she was out on her own.  She was a good girl, but, away from her parents, she was allowed to smoke and sneak a peek at a True Story magazine.  It was summertime and she was eleven.           

            It’s been a few decades since that day, but all I have to do is hear the sound of Merle’s voice, anytime, anywhere and the memories come flashing back.  Tears will always well up in my eyes, as I remember a time before life was tainted.  A time when I was innocent and full of wonder…where the world looked like a wonderful place from my eleven-year-old eyes. 

            The 8-track tape switched to Mama Tried and Merle told the story of a life so sad she couldn’t comprehend it; although she sensed what seemed like some sort of soul connection.  She empathized with his plight and she hurt for him.  But in that moment, while he sang of a “rebel child on a freight train leaving town”, she was still sitting safely in the backseat.  

            It was only a few years later when other people’s decisions would change her life.  She would go on to make poor choices of her own wishing, then, that silver wings would take her away. 

            Despite all I have done, I can’t comprehend the pain Merle Haggard pours into his music.  When I hear him sing, my heart still hurts for him.  

            Turning “21 in prison doing life without parole” was obviously not the end of his story.  He was paroled and went on to live a life, “…most men only dream of.”  He even received a presidential pardon.  But, apparently, none of it has ever been quite enough. 

            “There’s a feeling in my gut that says you haven’t written that one song yet, the one that’s going to live forever.  I’ll be satisfied only when I feel like I’ve written that song.” 

            Some might think a signature song like Okie from Muskogee would have been enough to fill the hole in his soul.  I used to think a successful career, the right award or the perfect person could do it for me.  But only God can do that for any of us.  He created us for relationship, and nothing will satisfy us, until we surrender to him.   

            Besides, Merle already sings a song with a message that transcends time.  He tells of a man named Leonard, who was… 

 “On his way to having what he wanted, just about as close as one could be, hey once he even followed Elvis Presley and he wrote a lot of country songs for me. But he laid it all aside to follow Jesus, for years he chose to let his music go, but preachin wasn’t really meant for Leonard, but how in the hell was Leonard supposed to know?  Well life began to twist its way around him, and I wondered how he carried such a load.  He came back again to try his luck in music and lost his wife and family on the road.  After that he seemed to bog down even deeper and I saw what booze and pills can really do.  And I wondered if I’d ever see him sober.  But I’d forgot about a friend that Leonard knew.” 

          It is never too late, we are never too lost.  God is always there waiting. 

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 

            All that we have done, no matter the magnitude, no matter how many times or how great the sin, all can be forgiven.  And, even after a life lived in rebellion, we can still come to him as innocent as that eleven-year-old child. 

He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     “Silver wings shining in the sunlight…silver wings, slowly fading out of sight.”

         

 

 

Quote taken from PBS American Masters Documentary: Merle Haggard “Learning to Live with Myself.”

Bible verses:  2 Peter 3:9 and Mark 10:14

 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie. All Rights Reserved

Category:

Enlightenment, Entertainment, Faith, Hope, Truth

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Behind the Firewall

Job 29:24

“When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;

the light of my face was precious to them.” 

            When you pray for God’s provision, you can’t always predict how He might provide.  I am partial to those times when money just unexpectedly shows up in the mail.  But as soon as I start counting on that happening again, of course, it doesn’t.  If I am still able to muster up the smallest measure of faith, I eventually find that I am fascinated by God’s plan and so glad He didn’t follow mine.

            Thus, I recently found myself in a situation I had not expected.  Our city was just about to recover from historic flooding when tornadoes, straight-line winds and more flooding hit many of the surrounding areas.  It was one of the largest scale disasters ever recorded here and resulted in multitudes of rescue and recovery missions.  Federal and State disaster officials moved in and set up shop.  It wasn’t like setting up camp, but more like creating a major corporation.  It takes a massive machine to process the paperwork when thousands of people have lost everything they have ever owned. 

            But after several weeks of working it all out, the relief operation begins winding down, and that’s where this part of the story starts: 

            We needed money!  Not your normal bill-paying family financial infusion, but a big chunk of extra cash to pay for a new contractual commitment. 

            So I needed a job…or a check in the mail…and I got the job. 

            As the disaster workers began to wrap up the details in order to leave our area, a few locals were hired to come in and help out during the temporary transition.  What I expected to see inside the secure facility were a few hundred worn out and weary workers limping along until the last leg of their journey.  What I actually saw were some of the happiest people I have ever encountered. 

            “I think it comes from the top,” one employee suggested when asked for an explanation.  She must have been right because it wasn’t long before I witnessed the big boss walking around each room, calling every person by name and, not only allowing them to forgo all the official titles, but letting them use his nickname.  He was smiling, laughing and making sure everyone was having a little fun.

             It seems happiness is contagious and smiles apparently spread.  🙂 

            There is a passion in this place to help those who can’t help themselves.  And it comes with a sacrifice.  In order to assist survivors, the employees have left homes, husbands, wives, children and pets.  Most all of them are from out-of-state and have been on the clock for 12 hours a day… seven days a week… not just for a few weeks, but  for months.  

          They still smile big smiles; happy smiles…the kind where your eyes work into the equation and you can tell a genuine smile from a forced or fake one.   This secret society of public servants comes in all ages, races and religions, and I think they prove that with properly placed priorities there is provision.

            In the natural, their mind-set doesn’t seem to make sense.  How could they really be happy under these conditions?

               But, remember, they believe it comes from the top.

              They all take an oath of office to faithfully uphold the Constitution.  And, regardless of how quickly our country appears to be forgetting, they all still believe in serving “one nation under God.”

          In a world plagued with rising unemployment, they know their jobs are only temporary.  In fact, it is their mission, upon arriving at a disaster site, to work their way out of a job.  It’s how they help.   It’s how they measure success.  When the people no longer need them, they move on.  

          They can’t predict how God will provide for them the next time, but they trust He will have another assignment.  When they get the call, it will likely mean homes have been destroyed and lives have been shattered. They will drop everything they are doing and rush in to an area that everyone else is trying to escape.  

          When I took this job, I thought it was about money. We had prayed for provision and we believe God is answering our prayers.  But, now, I am far more intrigued  by God’s plan to provide a new perspective.

          I have learned that is it is not unusual for these people to be publicly criticized or ridiculed for what doesn’t happen in the recovery of a disaster zone rather than what does happen.  Hurting people sometimes lash out and hurt other people.  But these public servants seem to understand.  And, they keep going from one location… to another… always looking for the next person to help…still smiling…still happy… because it does come from the Top.  God has created us to find joy in giving, to find joy in serving, and to find joy in knowing we have made a difference. 

          At the end of the day, happiness is contagious and smiles spread.  When you pray for God’s provision, you can’t always know how He will provide. But you can always know that He will!   

Proverbs 15:15

“All the days of the oppressed are wretched,

but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.”           

Romans: 12:6-8

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage then give encouragement; if it is giving then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”   

 “The word joy is sprinkled all over the New Testament, not as something topping the cupcakes of worldly lusts or entertainment, but falling upon the hearts of men and women whose lives are caught up in who God is and what He is doing”  

~Kelly Minter, The Fitting Room

 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

 

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Enlightenment, Entertainment, Faith, Inspirational, Truth

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Where were you?

            Where were you when Elvis died; or maybe more recently, Michael Jackson?  Do you remember what you were doing as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded?  What was happening in your life the morning terrorists hit our largest city and our nation’s capital?  We probably all remember exactly where we were and what we were doing. 

            But where were you and what were you doing when some of your most persistent prayers were answered?  When a problem was finally solved?  When a question swirling around in your mind for days, months, maybe even years was finally answered?  Where were you the last time you just received a totally unexpected blessing?

            I don’t sing in the shower, but I do seem to find some of life’s solutions there.  It’s probably one of the few places where the non-stop noise of daily living is drowned out by the white noise of the water and I can think more clearly, listen more intently.

            A few years ago, faced with what looked like the potential destruction of our family, I cried out to God for His help.  His answer came almost immediately through the car radio.  Nope, didn’t hear His actual voice.  But as I drove across a ten-mile stretch of highway, a song started playing on a station I didn’t remember punching up on the dial.  The words took my mind back to a place we had visited seven years earlier and the people there knew what to do.   

            After months of praying, researching and striving to find the right place for our son to attend school the answer came at a spontaneous dinner gathering.  The kids were horsing around; dinner was on the stove and at least three conversations going on simultaneously, when a friend suggested a school we had never considered.  Casual conversation in our friend’s kitchen changed our direction and put us on the right path.

            Just a few weeks ago, 35 years of praying, hoping and waiting came crashing into our lives like a tidal wave of blessings.  We were just running an errand, returning a baby swing to another friend, and the cell phone rang.  A simple conversation was the first piece of a puzzle that slid snugly into place over the next five days and my dreams of owning one horse, became two.   

            In the shower, driving, talking with friends, taking a call…just doing what we do…and God is there…letting us know He has not forgotten us. He still answers prayers, and if we’re not listening for His still small voice, He may have someone call! 🙂

            It’s easy to remember where we were when the big things happened…when the bad things happened…but I also always want to remember where I was when God looked down (like He did in the Beginning) and saw that it was GOOD! 

Where were you the last time something really good happened…something really GREAT?  What were you doing the last time God answered your prayers or gave you the answer you needed? 

Our former pastor used to say, “Good things happen over time.  Great things happen all at once.”  It sure seems that way some days.  My husband accuses me of going from great thing to great thing and I am here to tell you,  I am GUILTY as charged! 🙂 

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

and with my song I praise him.”

Psalm 28:7 

As Diane Lane sang in the Disney movie Secretariat, which I have now watched five, six… okay, maybe seven times…

He taught me how to watch and pray and live rejoicing every day

O Happy Day! 

Psalm 118:24

“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Philippians 4:4 

🙂 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

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Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Truth, Women

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Hope for Healing

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.  

Proverbs 14:10 NIV 

            “I’m just angry,” my sister-in-law said as she was describing her feelings three weeks after her husband’s death.  Raised in a charismatic church, where modern-day miracles were not only prayed for, but expected, she had come up short. 

            While her husband’s leukemia had been in a state of remission far longer than the doctors ever expected, it had come back full force.  The family physician’s best guess gave him one to two months.  He died two days later on Easter Sunday.

            Who wouldn’t be angry?

            It seems Mary and Martha were a bit ticked when Jesus delayed his trip to their home after he learned their brother Lazarus was dying.  Martha, so anxious to tell Jesus what she thought, went out to meet him.  “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”

            My sister-in-law feels the same way.  Where was God when she prayed, begged and bargained to have her husband healed?

            There was the remission.  And, even though doctors had their doubts, a stem cell transplant and white blood cells harvested from his sister did make a difference. He had almost four years of living and loving past the point where medical science would have typically predicted the end.  The two of them still had opportunities to share God’s word, to make amends, to be strong in the struggle and to escape the rigorous rounds of treatment through their shared passion of making music.  The Bible says our days are numbered and, within that number, God set aside time to bring them closer to each other and closer to Him.  But in the end, the time came for her husband to slip away.  He went peacefully, surrounded by his family.  And in some ways, that seems to be the ultimate healing of the heavenly kind. 

“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV) 

            But here she is, my sister-in-law, all alone and angry.  Jesus knew she would feel that way.  He experienced anger when he tossed the temple tables.  He was sad, and even wept with those who thought they had lost Lazarus.  And when the disciples fell asleep at a time he needed them to stay up and pray, he knew the hurt of being alone.  So I think we are safe to believe, He will not leave my sister-in-law to resolve the anger, bitterness, sadness and pain all by herself.  Jesus loves her, this I know, for the Bible tells us so. 

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalm 34:18 NLT 

If you are experiencing similar feelings…hurt, sad, mad, confused…lay it down before the Lord.  He alone is our rescue, our help, our hope, our healing.  Where else can we go but to the Lord? 

Just this morning as she was cleaning out some of her husband’s stuff, someone she doesn’t even know, sent her a card with this message:

“We give back to you O God, those whom You gave to us.  You did not lose them when You gave them to us and we do not lose them by their return to you.  Your dear Son has taught us that life is eternal and love cannot die.  So death is only a horizon and a horizon is only the limit of our sight.  Open our eyes to see more clearly, and draw us closer to You that we may know that we are nearer our loved ones, who are with You.  You have told us that You are preparing a place for us; prepare us also for that happy place that where You are we may also be always, O dear Lord of life and death.” 

~William Penn (1644-1718) 

 

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

 

 

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Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Love, Truth

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Who Are We?

          Locks of long flowing white hair and a beard the color of freshly picked cotton have become his trademarks, despite the God-given baritone voice that made him famous.  He is, by far, the most recognizable member of the seven-time Grammy Award wining gospel and country quartet, The Oak Ridge Boys.  His “mountain man” appearance makes it easy to assume that maybe it was some sort of strange mid-life style decision.   At least, that’s what I always assumed.  But I was wrong.

            William Lee Golden wanted to see who he would be, what he would look like, if he was exactly who God made him to be.  He explains it this way.  “In 1980, I began to re-evaluate my life.  I began to seek to find the man that God created.  It just evolved.  I don’t have any intentions of cutting my hair or beard.  I am very comfortable with who I am.”

            I can’t speak for the rest of you ladies, but I’m not quite that curious.  

            My hair gets highlighted when I can afford it.  When I can’t, I still buy the cheap drugstore dye in a box, either dark blonde or light brown depending on the mood.  My body receives bi-weekly treatments of Jergens Glow.  And, I know they’re not married, but Merle Norman and Mary Kay make great partners in my make-up bag and on my face.  All lame attempts at cosmetic comedy aside…if we subscribed to William Lee’s theory, who would we be?  If we just surrendered our souls…ourselves…to God’s plan, how would our lives change?  If we just really, truly, thought of Him as the Potter and us as the clay, would we be willing to yield? 

            In 1907, Adelaide Pollard, uncertain what God wanted to do in her life, wrote “Have Thine Own Way.”  It includes the lyrics, “Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.”  Who would we be if we allowed that much room for God to work?  If we could get past our control issues, our plans for the future, our preconceived lifetime goals, who would we be?  If we were stamped by God’s trademark and his words came from our mouths, what would we say?  Whose glory would we seek, ours or His?

            Jesus says In Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”  By submitting to the God who created him, William Lee Golden not only has one of the most famous faces in the entire music industry, but a legacy that will live on long past his time here on earth.

            Although I still can’t imagine us ladies going “all nat-ur-Al” it does make me wonder how God would work in our lives if we were solely surrendered and totally submitted.   

© Copyright 2011, KeziahCarrie.  All Rights Reserved

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Entertainment, Faith, Inspirational, Truth, Women

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